Serious Tire Question....

[JamesVee]

I want to go big. I've got 18x8 wheels and I'm looking to see what you guys think/know about throwing 325/60/18's or 325/65/18's on. I've heard that the 325/60 may have a bit too small of a sidewall. What are your comments/suggestions? BTW, I'm looking at the Mickey Thompson Baja tires. Here's a link:



http://www.customwheelsdirect.com/ti...il.php?id=1657

[disco12]

looks very aggresive. Have u seen the procomps they have a similar shape.

[llesra]

youll have a decent sidewall height with that but where did you get 18x8 rims for your D1?

[Badger1]

Do you plan on upgrading the axles, CVs, and ring and pinions? That will be putting alot more stress on the driveline. Not to mention a lift.

[Disco Mike]

X2X2X2
You have to do a full upgrade to handle that size tire.
Mike

[JamesVee]

The 18X8's are from my DII. I've already got 32's on the truck, with a 3.5-4" lift. The driveshaft has already been extended. My question was only about the sidewall of the tire, and whether anyone else has this size, or exact set of tires.

[Bene]

the DII wheels wont fit on the D1 bolt pattern. sorry.

but I think you could fit those 33's on with out problems, so long as you stay easy on the throttle.

btw, nice choice in treads, thats what I want next

[nfrey2]

I dont kow what it is with people talking about snapping axles and cv's so much. I'm running 33's on my 10 splined RRC, and abusing it but driving smart and have not had a single issue. My buddy is running 35's on his D1 with no axle issues what so ever. I think its matters more on the driver than the equiptment.

If you get those wheels and tires on your D1 you'll have to trim some fender but I bet it looks sick as hell!

[Badger1]

Originally Posted by nfrey2

I dont kow what it is with people talking about snapping axles and cv's so much. I'm running 33's on my 10 splined RRC, and abusing it but driving smart and have not had a single issue. My buddy is running 35's on his D1 with no axle issues what so ever. I think its matters more on the driver than the equiptment.

If you get those wheels and tires on your D1 you'll have to trim some fender but I bet it looks sick as hell!

That is a true statement, I agree to a point. Driver or not, there is a thing call rotational mass. A 33 and a half inch tire is a hell of a lot heavier than the original 28 ish that came from the factory. Takes alot more effort for everything just to get moving from a stop sign while driving normally. You need to remember, that your 10 splined axles or even a 24 on a D1 along with the CVs were originally designed by LR engineers/designers to run a specific sized tire, and take a specific amount of abuse, for a specific amount of time with those original sized tires. When you start putting on 33 and a halfs or even a 35, simply from day to day stresses of driving, a CV or half shaft that might have lasted a lifetime now will have to be replaced on a more regular basis. It hasn't happened to you yet, but it will. Fact of how/ what LR's were designed, no matter how you look at it. Hasn't happened to me yet, but it will.

[Bwana]

Optimist: Glass is half full

Pessimist: Glass is half empty

Engineer: Glass is twice as big as it needs to be.

Dude, you're missing one important point. Those are NOT radial tires. They'll ride like shit, wear like hell, and have flat spots every morning that will shake your guts out before they warm up and round out. And grooves in the highway will throw you around like a rag doll.

[llesra]

those are the radial version of the baja claw

[LR Max]

In terms of an off road tire, I think they are pretty marginal. They are fairly tough, one of the jeep guys had a set of em on his YJ. He pretty much exploded his jeep 3x times and those tires didn't even flinch.

They ride rough on the street and do not work all that well off road (well, they didn't work all that well at tellico, dunno about the left coast). So basically it incorporates the worst features of an on road and off road tire but with extreme durability.

Lastly, said tires on said jeep had the number "35x12.50" on the side. We took a tape measure to the tire and found it to really be a true 33" tire. Mickey Thompson has had a reputation for making the tires smaller than their advertised size.

Personally, I'd never run them. If you are looking for a set of D2 16" rims, a buddy of mine is gonna be selling his stock 16" rims soon. I think it is worthwhile to get the 16" rims then you can buy some real off road tires. Off road you want a lot of sidewall, the tire/rim package you have selected doesn't offer that.

Also, it seems as though Mickey Thompsons are pricey. You can get a much better off road tire for cheaper if you go with 16s or possibly even 15s. The nice thing about using a 15" rim is now you can go forage the jeep sites for used tires. The average jeeper will use a tire for 1/4 of the tires actual life since they are always upgrading and going bigger. Thats how I picked up my super swampers, they used to be jeep tires.

Summary: screw mickey thompson and get 15/16" rims.

[SCSL]

Originally Posted by nfrey2

I dont kow what it is with people talking about snapping axles and cv's so much. I'm running 33's on my 10 splined RRC, and abusing it but driving smart and have not had a single issue. My buddy is running 35's on his D1 with no axle issues what so ever.

I have to respectfully disagree with this statement.
Certainly there is smart driving, and there is stupid and/or inexperienced driving.

However, if you're not breaking stuff, you're not really wheeling,,, you're green-laning. I'm not trying to pick a fight or be disrespectful. I just want to distinguish, I suppose, that different folks have different definitions of wheeling.

No way will a stock-axled RRC do any serious wheeling on 33's without ever experiencing CV joint failure. 35's on DI w/ stock axles and no breakage??? Even worse. A DI on any serious trails simply will not handle 35's. Fact.

[nfrey2]

I understand the mechanics of interia and rotational mass. Again on the driver being the issue moreso than the equipment if you understand that if a large heavy spinning object coming to a sudden stop will exert a tremendous dynamic load, you know to avoid that scenaro as much as possible.

On the design engineering in itself is an educated guess with derived mathematical models to best describe how things work. To in situations where failure is a serious problem we fix that by slapping a factory of saftey on it. No less than 2 or 3. When Land Rover designs these components I assume they used the same methods.

As for really offroading with the all terrain tires I have wheel speed is a necessity to climb slippery clay hills, as is the shock loading the drivetrain receives.

Heres a D1 doing 30K on his 35's. No probs

I've got Kinematics/ Dynamics of Machinery class to attend now. This is a good post lets keep it going.

[SCSL]

Nfrey2,,, I re-read my post & I hope I didn't come across like an ass. Again, not trying to pick a fight here.

I guess all I can relay is my experience with hard wheeling in both Colo & VA. It all comes down to what type of wheeling one is involved in. I agree with your general point about driver experience. However, 33+ tires on stock drivetrains clearly pushes the limit of the type of wheeling many of us engage in.