New Sneakers with Tax Refund...

Discussion about deep snow wheeling, vehicle builds, trip reports, etc
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H8PVMNT
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New Sneakers with Tax Refund...

Post by H8PVMNT »

Another pathetic tire bench racing thread... :beer:

I am buying a new set of tires for the 4runner as soon as we get our tax refund. 36" or bigger would be fun and I really want a set of those 40" Yokohamas on the rack. However, I will be buying more 35x12.50 15s, since I can turn them easy with my 22r/5.29 set up and I have to run them year round as my only set of tires for everything from deep snow to rocks to towing the flatbed with hay and fire wood. It even gets groceries twice a month and gets driven to church on occasion.

I ran the MTRs w/Kevlar, which were pretty darned good, I am finishing off a set of those cheap Falken Wild Peaks, you know, the black, round ones, which were surprisingly good in the deep snow and pretty good in mud until you lost the lesser tread elements at 20K miles.

Since variety is the spice of life I am thinking of a BFG this time around. I was going to get the KM2s and sipe them up, but I am severely tempted by the new AT KO2 now that it has a bit more side lug. My wife wants mud terrains because our property is goopy gumbo whenever it rains or thaws; she uses the vehicle for tractor chores around the place. I am leaning towards the all terrains for a bit more mileage and snow/ice performance. I have ran the older versions of each and never really been disappointed with either of them as all around tires.

No one around here runs BFGs for me to look at, they are all farmers running Coopers and Yoko ATs because that's what the dealers out here sell and they can warrantee their rock punctures from the farm roads and max psi. I know, but there's no reasoning with these guys. If it says 120 psi max on the side wall that's what they do. :roll:

Anyone running or been around either for an educated comment?

What do you think?
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bobracing
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Re: New Sneakers with Tax Refund...

Post by bobracing »

If you run into mud, stay away from the BFG ATs, mud is not what they were made for.
Don't get me wrong (older version), great street, street snow, and sand tire but mud, they just plug up.
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Re: New Sneakers with Tax Refund...

Post by H8PVMNT »

bobracing wrote:If you run into mud, stay away from the BFG ATs, mud is not what they were made for.
Don't get me wrong (older version), great street, street snow, and sand tire but mud, they just plug up.
That's just about exactly what my wife said after using the Falkens for two years.
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Re: New Sneakers with Tax Refund...

Post by Scoobienorth »

My short list for 35x12.5r15 I bought this summer was trxus mt's and maxxis trepador radials. Trxus has soft sidewalls and killer factory sipes and do really well in the snow which is why I went that way and the treps are heavier and stronger sidewalls so I rock crawled more often I would have went that way. But is like buying shoes. So many options buy what you like.
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Re: New Sneakers with Tax Refund...

Post by H8PVMNT »

I had considered the Truxus, but to be honest I have a price point for 5 tires, and they are about $400 north of it.
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Re: New Sneakers with Tax Refund...

Post by Scoobienorth »

I hear you on that. They were quite a bit more than the treps and almost didn't go that way myself for the same reason.
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Re: New Sneakers with Tax Refund...

Post by christensent »

My friend has Trxus MT on his pickup and I wasn't sure if he was aired down, then measured and it was only a few PSI.

I hear KM2's are too stiff of a rubber to do well in ice/snow.
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Re: New Sneakers with Tax Refund...

Post by Nobody »

christensent wrote:My friend has Trxus MT on his pickup and I wasn't sure if he was aired down, then measured and it was only a few PSI.

I hear KM2's are too stiff of a rubber to do well in ice/snow.
The TrXus MT looks pretty good to me, but I haven't seen them in the wild yet. It's possible that the sidewalls haven't broken in yet. The 2 ply sidewall should make the tire air down nicely. Most people don't air down enough.
H8PVMNT wrote:Another pathetic tire bench racing thread... :beer:

I am buying a new set of tires for the 4runner as soon as we get our tax refund. 36" or bigger would be fun and I really want a set of those 40" Yokohamas on the rack. However, I will be buying more 35x12.50 15s, since I can turn them easy with my 22r/5.29 set up and I have to run them year round as my only set of tires for everything from deep snow to rocks to towing the flatbed with hay and fire wood. It even gets groceries twice a month and gets driven to church on occasion.

I ran the MTRs w/Kevlar, which were pretty darned good, I am finishing off a set of those cheap Falken Wild Peaks, you know, the black, round ones, which were surprisingly good in the deep snow and pretty good in mud until you lost the lesser tread elements at 20K miles.

Since variety is the spice of life I am thinking of a BFG this time around. I was going to get the KM2s and sipe them up, but I am severely tempted by the new AT KO2 now that it has a bit more side lug. My wife wants mud terrains because our property is goopy gumbo whenever it rains or thaws; she uses the vehicle for tractor chores around the place. I am leaning towards the all terrains for a bit more mileage and snow/ice performance. I have ran the older versions of each and never really been disappointed with either of them as all around tires.

No one around here runs BFGs for me to look at, they are all farmers running Coopers and Yoko ATs because that's what the dealers out here sell and they can warrantee their rock punctures from the farm roads and max psi. I know, but there's no reasoning with these guys. If it says 120 psi max on the side wall that's what they do. :roll:

Anyone running or been around either for an educated comment?

What do you think?

I started compiling a list of tires in the 35 - 37 range. I'm annoyed that the manufacturers don't list all the specs for their tires. Interco seems to be the only one. I didn't price shop each tire, just grabbed price from 4wheelparts or summit for a ball park. It seems the various super swampers are the only tires available with the 2ply sidewall.

Of the tires you listed, the Geolandar might get my vote. All siped up, I can see it doing pretty well. It's on the short side though, the tread depth is only 19/32, and I don't care for directional tires much. The TSL Radial and TrXus seem to be the tallest best spec'd tires for the buck though. Main downfall is they are not good on sidehills. I wish I could afford to try everything.
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Re: New Sneakers with Tax Refund...

Post by Nobody »

Forgot about the Baja Claw Radial. Added to the list.
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Scoobienorth
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Re: New Sneakers with Tax Refund...

Post by Scoobienorth »

The trxxus mt do need to break in. They excel in icier conditions and road going in winter time over pretty much every other mt. Also like they are soft right to the bottom of tread. My buddy is running my old old take off with less than 20% tread and still soft 10 years later and factory sipes still in the tread. His jeep is 3000 pounds and wheels about 4-4.5 psi in the snow and 5 on the rocks. My jeep is 4000 pounds and ran 7 psi but should go a lot lower.

33's at 4.5 psi

Image
His jeep is a diesel so weight on front axle is kinda heavy
Image

Mine at 7 on first run. Broke in lots since then and think they got more to go
Image
Scoobienorth
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Re: New Sneakers with Tax Refund...

Post by Scoobienorth »

The baja claw ttc is an awesome looking tire too. I had mtr/k's on my jeep when I bought it at about 50% tread left. They were noisy and had balance issues. Worked extremely well at moab and decent in the deep snow. They are wider than my trxus by a fair margin and only a hair shorter. Sucked on ice, mud and steering. They are very air pressure sensitive to get the most out of them in any terrain.
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Re: New Sneakers with Tax Refund...

Post by H8PVMNT »

Anybody been around MTZs in the deep? Also looking at the Cepek extreme country.
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Re: New Sneakers with Tax Refund...

Post by Seventee »

My buddy has the Cepek Extreme Country in 35x12.50-15 on his 79 Bronco and I have to say I am extremely impressed with the snow wheeling performance.
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H8PVMNT
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Re: New Sneakers with Tax Refund...

Post by H8PVMNT »

Seventee wrote:My buddy has the Cepek Extreme Country in 35x12.50-15 on his 79 Bronco and I have to say I am extremely impressed with the snow wheeling performance.
They look like they would work well.
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Re: New Sneakers with Tax Refund...

Post by Seventee »

H8PVMNT wrote:
Seventee wrote:My buddy has the Cepek Extreme Country in 35x12.50-15 on his 79 Bronco and I have to say I am extremely impressed with the snow wheeling performance.
They look like they would work well.
I've been impressed enough that if my rig spent a lot of time on the street I would ditch my TSLs and consider them. I think he was under a grand for the set. They are brand new so no idea yet how they will hold up for him.
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Re: New Sneakers with Tax Refund...

Post by H8PVMNT »

Hey your down near Helena somewhere... I would like to get a little snow wheeling in late season. Do you have any place that stays open to wheeled vehicles down there and would you be willing to be our local guide? I just want to get one or two trips in this winter after I get some decent tires on.
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Re: New Sneakers with Tax Refund...

Post by Seventee »

Things are pretty touch and go right now. The high country is not really passable anymore, so that leaves shorter trips in the areas around my area. One suggestion is to contact https://www.facebook.com/Frontier4Wheelers/. They do monthly rides and cover a lot more area than I do. I haven't been out with them yet but will probably do so at some point. Things have been too busy last year.
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Re: New Sneakers with Tax Refund...

Post by H8PVMNT »

I got to do a bit of snow wheeling Sunday afternoon. I cut the heck out of my worn Falkens to limp by until I get new tires. They now work really, really, really well in the snow. I was wheeling with my buddy in his locked up, crawler geared '82 Toyota with 36" bias TSLs and I was wheeling circles around him with the Falkens. I was running about 5 psi and he was running maybe 2 psi. Vehicles were very similar as far as drive train capability; both locked, geared, 4 cyl. His stripped down pickup probably weighs 1,000 lbs less than my 4runner so he should have had a weight advantage. Interesting accidental comparison test to say the least. Bias vs. Radial/Aggressive Mud vs. sissy All Terrain. I will say we do tend to have dryer, colder snow on the eastern side of the Rockies, especially compared to the coast regions.

He is now borrowing my groover for the swampers... ;)
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Re: New Sneakers with Tax Refund...

Post by broncogeo68 »

been through two sets of trux mt's on my 75 daily driver bronco super tire on everything really stiff though took some serious breaking in I added more siping to them great on ice and snow once broken in
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Re: New Sneakers with Tax Refund...

Post by Scoobienorth »

Just a reference but here's 4 psi in my newish trxus

Image

Think it's finally starting to break in. At 6psi I had about 14" of tire contacting flat hard ground. When I got stuck I dropped to 4 and ran all day there.
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