new to snow wheeling, need advise!!
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snow85yoter
- Posts: 1
- Joined: Tue May 31, 2011 10:02 pm
- Location: The Dalles, Oregon
new to snow wheeling, need advise!!
hey guys im kinda new to snow. but i want to keep up with my buddys that have built trucks. im not sure on what kind of tires i should run. i know i want like 37s-40s. i would like some input from anyone that knows what there talking about. not sure on how much i should lift my toyota im thinking like the trail gear 3 inch springs or just rears up front and some sort of longer spring out back, on up travel i was thinking like 2 to 3 inches of up travel due to clearence. any imput would help thanks guys!
Re: new to snowwheeling, need advise!!
Hey, welcome to the forum!
Regarding the snow wheeling, did you see the Deep Snow Tires and Snow Wheeling 101 articles I wrote? Those will cover some of the basics. I plan to revise and add more content as time permits, but if anything isn't clear, let me know.
Low low low air pressure. This is the big "secret", so don't tell anyone. I usually start at about 4 psi and drop to 2psi or even 1 psi as needed. So you need to to plan on some On-Board air. I highly recommend the A/C pump conversions. CO2 tanks are pretty popular as well. Since extremely low air pressure is a must, you need to have a tire and wheel combo that work well together, or beadlocks, to prevent loosing a bead.
When it comes to tire shopping, get the tallest radial mud terrain tire you can afford. Something in the 35-36 is a good starting place...however taller is better. I've been running the Super Swamper Radials for many years now. Not a lot of people give this tire a second thought, but I think it gives a lot of bang for the buck. I also like nice tread blocks that will take lots of siping. If the choice is between some sweet 33" IROKs, or some 35" brand-X, I'd take the brand-x every time. Thus far, I'm not really convinced one radial absolutely dominates any other. Some others may disagree. The guys running in the Blue Mountains seem to really like the Baja Claws. I think they are pretty spendy though. I think Wil up in BC is really liking the Claws too. I haven't had an opportunity to seem work in person.
Lastly a locker or two will definately help. For strictly snow wheeling, I'd lean toward locking the front first.
Right up there with low air pressure is driving style. In short, if your tires are spinning and you're not moving, then you're your doing it wrong. High speed assualts on the snow are fun as hell, but it's rarely the best technique.
Once you get a few basics down, you'll be able to make a lot of folks look plain silly.
Since I've mostly been a ford guy, I can't really offer much advise on the Toyota. Hopefully there's toyota snow wheeler lurking that can offer some advise. As low as possible, and as high a necessary, is generally a good rule of thumb. Looks cool too! Cut those fenders! Stay away from blocks as they tend to cause excessive axle wrap.
Toyotas are a pretty solid base for a snow wheeler. Really shouldn't take much to get it snow worthy.
Anyway, welcome aboard. I hope you'll stick around. Forum has been pretty dead, so bring a friend
If you have any specific questions, ask away!
Regarding the snow wheeling, did you see the Deep Snow Tires and Snow Wheeling 101 articles I wrote? Those will cover some of the basics. I plan to revise and add more content as time permits, but if anything isn't clear, let me know.
Low low low air pressure. This is the big "secret", so don't tell anyone. I usually start at about 4 psi and drop to 2psi or even 1 psi as needed. So you need to to plan on some On-Board air. I highly recommend the A/C pump conversions. CO2 tanks are pretty popular as well. Since extremely low air pressure is a must, you need to have a tire and wheel combo that work well together, or beadlocks, to prevent loosing a bead.
When it comes to tire shopping, get the tallest radial mud terrain tire you can afford. Something in the 35-36 is a good starting place...however taller is better. I've been running the Super Swamper Radials for many years now. Not a lot of people give this tire a second thought, but I think it gives a lot of bang for the buck. I also like nice tread blocks that will take lots of siping. If the choice is between some sweet 33" IROKs, or some 35" brand-X, I'd take the brand-x every time. Thus far, I'm not really convinced one radial absolutely dominates any other. Some others may disagree. The guys running in the Blue Mountains seem to really like the Baja Claws. I think they are pretty spendy though. I think Wil up in BC is really liking the Claws too. I haven't had an opportunity to seem work in person.
Lastly a locker or two will definately help. For strictly snow wheeling, I'd lean toward locking the front first.
Right up there with low air pressure is driving style. In short, if your tires are spinning and you're not moving, then you're your doing it wrong. High speed assualts on the snow are fun as hell, but it's rarely the best technique.
Once you get a few basics down, you'll be able to make a lot of folks look plain silly.
Since I've mostly been a ford guy, I can't really offer much advise on the Toyota. Hopefully there's toyota snow wheeler lurking that can offer some advise. As low as possible, and as high a necessary, is generally a good rule of thumb. Looks cool too! Cut those fenders! Stay away from blocks as they tend to cause excessive axle wrap.
Toyotas are a pretty solid base for a snow wheeler. Really shouldn't take much to get it snow worthy.
Anyway, welcome aboard. I hope you'll stick around. Forum has been pretty dead, so bring a friend
If you have any specific questions, ask away!WINTER IS HERE
Re: new to snow wheeling, need advise!!
For snow, go with the IROK or MTR......you can't go wrong. I've been hearing a lot of good things about the Kevlars too but haven't had the chance to see them wheel in person. I've watched the Iroks clown people all day long and we went from Pro-Comp Xterrains (terrible tire), to BFGs (ok tire) to Iroks and the difference was night and day. My 0.02 cents 
Re: new to snow wheeling, need advise!!
I've run the new MTR Kevlars (40"), IROK bias (39's), Pitbull Rockers (42's) and Baja Claws (46's). Bigger is always best :-) the 46's make everything else seem like crap. As far as all around I think they all have their pluses and minuses. I thought the MTR's are really good tires but I'm not big on radials. The Rockers and IROK's work about the same in snow but the Rockers last a lot longer and are a better all around tire (just my opinion).