GDT Icelander 265/75R 16-E on an 80

[80t0ylc]

As a disclaimer:

If you're into larger than stock size tires or you live where there is no ice or snow, this thread may bore the hell out of you!

Here goes:
I ordered my new Green Diamond Tires (GDT), [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]ICELANDER M/T LT265/75R16-E [/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]5[/FONT]from their website:

Green Diamond Tire

They arrived and I will be putting them on tomorrow. Some pics for your entertainment are below. (More to follow, showing how they look on rig) Rich, BTW, is very good to work with and keeps his word. I contacted him a couple months ago, when I heard about them from a thread on MUD. Well, after patiently waiting and asking the local Les Schwab when they were going to start carrying them, I lost my patience and just ordered them online. For the record, I've paid Just over $800 ($801.03) including install on my stock cast rims at my local Les Schwab for these M/Ts. According to Rich, he's talking with Les Schwab management to be one of the West Coast Distributors or authorized sales outlets for the GDTs. (It just hasn't happened yet)

They are retreads or "remolded" as GDT calls it, but the quality of these tires is as good, at least, as brand new tires, from what I can tell so far. They have the Mountain/Snowflake emblem on the sidewall (which I've not seen on a M/T tire before). This means, at least here in Oregon, that it is a traction tire, legal on mountain passes in snow conditions with out chains.

These tires are directional and can only be rotated front to back. Rich has some mounted on a rig in Colorado that have 50K + miles on them and still good enough for winter driving. So, I expect good mileage from them. I have to commend the local Les Schwab store: They installed them on my rims exactly how I asked them to.

First Pic -- Off to Les Schwab for the mounting: (Hell, no, I ain't putting them inside my 80! That's what pickups are for, Right?):


Second Pic -- Here they are, mounted on my stock cast wheels and ready for Cruiser:

Third Pic -- You can see the directional tread pattern in this shot.

 

[IdahoDoug]

How are they legally doing this, or is this post an elaborate joke. The tire they offer as the "Icelander A/T" is clearly a Bridgestone Dueler, and your tire looks like a copy of another tire. Do they license the molds, and fill them with their own silicate blended rubber or something??

DougM

 

[IdahoDoug]

I'm a stock winter tire kinda guy and what I see hear doesn't impress me to pay the same or more money to get an unproven retread tire. I can buy Michelin Arctic Alpins for my 80s at less money. So, what's their claim to fame??

DougM

 

[80t0ylc]

How are they legally doing this, or is this post an elaborate joke. The tire they offer as the "Icelander A/T" is clearly a Bridgestone Dueler, and your tire looks like a copy of another tire. Do they license the molds, and fill them with their own silicate blended rubber or something??

DougM

Don't know what you mean. Go to their website. They're not hiding anything. The tire compound is unique as far as I know. Maybe they have permission to copy a tread pattern or maybe it's just similar. Contact:
Rich@GreenDiamondTire.com

for more detailed answers. BTW This thread is no joke AFAIK. Unless I'm in the Twilight Zone.

 

[IdahoDoug]

But they're MORE MONEY than the Premium winter products from Michelin for instance. WHat makes green diamond tires superior?

 

[80t0ylc]

I'm a stock winter tire kinda guy and what I see hear doesn't impress me to pay the same or more money to get an unproven retread tire. I can buy Michelin Arctic Alpins for my 80s at less money. So, what's their claim to fame??

DougM

Read on website:

Green Diamond Tire

Tire compound.

 

[4x4CPOSEADOG]

Those tires look like Yokohama Geolander MT

 

[Corbet]

I've always wanted to try a set of those but can't stomach a $800 experiment.

 

[AFinn]

i have no first hand experience with these tires, but when researching tires a while back, started looking at them. read pretty much nothing but good things about the tire. would like to see how they really hold up. wont really need them any more as i am moving to phoenix in a month. prolly a good thing i did not pony up the extra dough and wait for them.

 

[80t0ylc]

Those tires look like Yokohama Geolander MT

Wow, you're right! Very close. Now I see what Doug was hinting at in post#2. Anybody running the Geolander? What's your opinion of them? This tire should be similar, plus the ice gripping compound.

 

[80t0ylc]

I've always wanted to try a set of those but can't stomach a $800 experiment.

Well, that's what this forum is good for and also the purpose of this thread. I plan to give some critical feedback on the performance of these tires for all to benefit.

 

[Corbet]

OK, and the fact they don't make a 35"

But I'm still interested in how they work out for you.

 

[80t0ylc]

OK, and the fact they don't make a 35"

In my research a couple months back, IIRC, Rich said that once the sales numbers of existing sizes increases to be more profitable, GDT plans to try 33" and possibly 35". Remember, these are retreads. They are fighting the history & legacy that poor retread manufacturers created. GDT is very critical of the carcass (or casing as some refer to). They discard more than they use (I heard that roughly 90+% of the casings they look at are inferior to their standards and are not used). On the positive side, every GDT tire that is used today is a tire that is not helping to fill up a land fill. So that's the "Green" part of Green Diamond.

EDIT: Found old thread:https://forum.ih8mud.com/80-series-tech/246856-mt-tires.html and it is not 90% of the casings not used, it's 80%.

 

[80t0ylc]

This is the symbol (Mountain/snowflake) I referred to in my first post in this thread. If you travel in ice and snow in Oregon (and possibly other places), tires with this symbol on the sidewall are significant in this way: Oregon law considers them a "traction tire". What does that mean?

"Traction Tires" are studded tires, retractable studded tires, or other tires that meet the tire industry definition as suitable for use in severe snow conditions.

Oregon's chain law:
Oregon's chain law applies to all highways throughout the state. When you drive in winter conditions, you may see signs telling you to carry chains or traction tires and when you are required to use them. In some areas, lighted message signs also will advise you about chaining up. Traction tires may be used in place of chains on vehicles rated at 10,000 pounds gross vehicle weight or less and that are not towing or being towed.
In very bad winter road conditions all vehicles may be required to use chains regardless of the type of vehicle or type of tire being used. This is known as a conditional road closure. A conditional road closure may occur on any of Oregon's highways and are frequent in the winter on Interstate 5 through Siskiyou Pass south of Ashland.
Studded tires are legal in Oregon from November 1 through March 31. Because of the damage caused by studded tires, the Department of Transportation encourages motorists to use studded tires only when necessary. Delaying putting on studded tires or using other traction tires is helpful to the condition of the highways.


With the laws on usage of studded tires, the season that you can legally use them and the inconvenience of removing and/or installing yet one other set of tires on your rig, helped me to consider GDTs as my all season, all purpose tire.

 

[airlaird]

That is absolutetly a Geolander MT tire. I had them and the tread is identical.
A very rough ride. I actually felt the nobby tires slightly vibrate the steering wheel when slowing doen from 15 mph to a dead stop. I took them back.
airlaird

 

[wildmanscout]

The tread design is very close, but GDT is more aggressive than Geolander -- look closely at the pics in this thread and you'll see that every other outside lug on the Geolander is cut in half, while every other outside lug on the GDT MT is MISSING. Rich (owner of GDT) is a Land Rover guy and has them on his Range Rover and his Defender 110. They got the highest rating for highway performance for a mud tire at offroaders.com that I could find, so I'm intrigued.

If you're thinking of getting GDT, go to this site http://www.thenewgreeneconomy.com/blog/Green-Diamond-Tires--83.html and get 20% off.

 

[80t0ylc]

Well, I got to admit, some of you had me worried. I was researching all the threads that I could find on the Yokohama Geolander M/T, which appears to have identical tread pattern. I saw a few comments about rough ride at slow speeds and some other disturbing comments.

Let me tell you, I have put them on my 80 as you will see in these pics and I am jazzed! To me, these ride as quiet as A/Ts until you get up over approx 55 mph and then there is some noise, but not what you'd expect looking at the tread. They are so much quieter than my previous M/Ts that now I'm hearing other noises that I didn't hear before. And I don't hear or feel that slow speed vibration that was felt on some Geolanders. I need to get some highway (pavement) miles on these tires to "expose the silicium carbide granules to an optimal level." I'll be doing that this weekend as the has a trip into Portland planned.

 

[80t0ylc]

Some more pics-
These two shots show a before and after. (First shot is before)

 

[80t0ylc]

And two more pics (so you can see my Orygun sticker). Hey, I need a MUD sticker! I was waiting for Woody to get the 80 winter beanies in so I could get both in one order, but I guess there's a snag in that so I might just have to order one.

 

[4x4CPOSEADOG]

Nice looking rig.