experience help please: 33 SUA Tires for dirt and rocks.

[lowtideride]

lowtideride I just red your build thread. Your stock looking truck is anything but.

Whcih tires have lots of vibration at high speeds? I assume knobby ones versus AT's. Any more details than that?

Thanks man,

Any new tire really should not vibrate unless its a swamper. Tires with bigger treads, or treads with larger gaps between them will hummmmm on the road. A/Ts seem like your best bet because they are good in the rocks/dirt and are awesome on the road.

 

[Corbet]

If you already want to buy new rims then I'd definitely move up to 16" rims.

As far as tires, your original post said best for "rock and dirt" so I'd get a MT that your budget allows.

Interco TrXus would be my choice in your position but may not fit the budget. I point you this way because you did make mention to some snow, and these MT's have some sipping. They are available in 33x12.5r16, 285/75r16, and 255/85r16 giving you plenty of choices of width for a 33" tire.

 

[John McVicker]

Randy
I will join the group & post my thoughts. I wheel in the same areas you are talking about. I believe you would be happy with either Mud's OR A/T's. I use both & in the Sierra's, really see very little difference in perfoemance between the two. I do like the looks of the Mud's better however. And todays BFG Mud's are not at all noisey on freeways.

On one of my L/C's I switched to 16 in wheels (BFG Mud 235-85-16) & now believe 16's is a good way to go. These are load range E & can really take the weight, with a huge safety factor. IIRC with max air, each tire will support aprox 3000 lbs. You most likely don't need that much...but when you go out for a week or so your rig can get heavy...FAST. I like the safety.

For me the best place to buy my BFG's was Costco & I had Stockton Wheels make the 16's. Sounds like you are pretty on top of it, but be certain to get the correct backspacing. Right now I just don't remember the #'s

Have fun trying to digest everone's opinion. However, todays tires are so good, it's pretty hard to make a bad choice.

John

 

[Kurtis]

I have 33x12.50x15 bfg a/ts and love them. It makes the ride to the trails alot more enjoyable. I wheel mainly in arizona so its alot of rocks sand and hills and I have never had a problem with the a/ts. I have no rubbing with the stock rims and 1 1/2" wheel spacers. I know a few people don't like spacers but I just torqued to spec and they have never came loose. This was a good way for me to feel out my truck and decide which way I wanted to go with it. On the other hand M/ts look cooler in my opinion and my next set will be probably goodyear m/ts and some of those moto metal wheels just for the looks as they do look pretty good.

 

[TemboTusk]

other people have mentioned the bfg mud terrains. Could you elaborate further as to why these are such good tires?

IMO, mud terrains are 80% of a locker on tough trails. Since I have installed mud terrains on my 40, I have not needed to use my lockers as much. You can't go wrong with either Goodyear or BFG M/Ts.

But, they are a bit slick on wet roads. Not that it rains much in SoCal. (last week!)

 

[Elbert]

are you guys saying that a standard 16 inch wheel will clear the calipers...etc front and back and not require any type spacer?

 

[pnwfj]

I'm currently running BFG MTs in 31x10.5x15 but I'm swapping them out for 33x9.5x15 BFG ATs next week. I'm getting the tires from Costco - $143 each installed and balanced. I'm in Oregon and the BFG MTs are fairly useless in the hard-packed snow we have up here on the roads.

 

[2mbb]

2mbb,
You are definitely the more reasonalbe side of ih8mud. To me performance is very high on the list. I rather spend more money on gas and new tires getting to the trail as long as I can get good perfomance when I get there. Lets be honest, off roading is expensive and takes a lot of money.
The one thing that pulls me to AT's is the snow stud rating which is pretty high. That would be nice to have when going skiing.

My question to you 2mbb is: Have you ever felt that your AT's have held you back when off roading? Have you wished for a better tire when you get to the trail? I don't want to be in that position.

The short answer is no, I don't feel my AT's have held me back. However, I use my truck mostly for camping access on forest service roads, etc. I am not driving through mud holes or crawling up rock cliffs. Last year I went with some rover friends to the rubicon (https://forum.ih8mud.com/60-series-wagons/171896-scrapes-bruises-scars.html) and I didn't once think that I needed different tires. I should note, however that I am locked front and rear...In the end, however, you have to do whats right for you and your situation.

 

[HighPlainsDrifter]

I Love my BFG a/ts in 33x10.50-15. I work in the oilfield and do a LOT of mixed driving.Endles miles of pavement,dirt roads,snow and ice packed roads, deep snow,muddy roads,desert roads,washed out roads,you name it. I use my truck all year round in some pretty harsh conditions, and I must say over all the BFG's have served me quit well.They are a little lacking in really deep mud and snow, thats when you break out the tire chains.With that being said I wish I would have bought 16's when I put new wheels and tires on.Like metionted earlier more choices.I'll probably try to swing new rims next time and try out some Green Diamod tires for winter use and keep running the at's in the summer.If you want a good trail tire I really have liked Mickey Thompson Baja Claw Radials.The tread compound seems to be a little hard but in soft dirt and mud they really tear it up and the huge lugs will help pull you over jagged rocks very well.The rubber seems a little hard though.IMHO.Goodyear MTR's I have found to be a very "grippy tire" as the tread compound seems to stick to stuff pretty good and they're also pretty good in the dirt.Deep mud they don't even compare with Mickey T. But you said you don't want to run in it anyway.My vote for your use would be a Goddyear MTR in about a 285/75-16 which will be about 33 inches tall and 11 inches wide. Good tire,tuff sidewall,good traction in dirt, snow and rocks, fairly quite on the road and easy to get just about anywhere.For snow and ice skinny is always better,so the size mentioned I feel would be a good compromise. I have also run maxis tires in the past and like them too.Thats well over my 2 cents worth.


Rob

 

[Randy88FJ62]

Corbet:
Thanks for answering all the questios in one bundle. I like the idea of sipped tires for some snow use. I'll check them out.

John McVicker: I have seen the larger load ratings, especially on the 16" rims. That would be a nice benefit, so far the cost doesn't seem that much higher.

Kurtis: I want to try to avoid wheel spacers if possible. I rather purchase new rims rather than dealing with an extra part on the trail that can come apart. They seem legit assuming you take proper care to check torque. What benefits do wheel spacers give other than helping someone achieve proper backspacing? It's not high on my search list.

1967 TLC: I hear ya on the slick roads. The best course of action is always safe driving. A few years back I was going down the 101 from San Luis Obispo to Magic Mountain area. Around Santa Barbra the rain was thick. I went over a bridge and hydroplaned (just barely) near the end of the bridge. I naturally let off the gas and I was ok. I was horrified when i saw the end of the bridge. Someone had hydroplaned in the exact same spot I had but applied the brakes. There was no evidence of a crash but I saw heavy mud tire marks on the side of the road where someone had went off.

pnwfj: My friend from Oregon is the same way. Seems that AT's are really good for snow. I'm trying to find a balance in between.

2mbb: You're about a year ahead of me. I'd love to get lockers but suspension comes first. I envy all the nice rigs on this site and hope that one day mine will be just as capable.

HighPlainsDrifter: Funny you should mention the Baja Claws. My friend runs those on his 4Runner. He lives in Fresno and we went snow wheeling. He was pulling out jeeps and chevys. It was great to see a Toyota dominating.

Summary: So from everyone's words I feel that 12.5 might be too large for my road snow trips. I'm leaning towards something a little beefier than AT's. Having said that, I have an interesting opportunity. I am going to be offroading my stock rig in Big Bear middle of June. Since I can't put a wuality lift in by that time my friend has agreed to let me borrow his 31" BFG AT's for the trip. This will give me a feel for the AT's and allow me to demo them to speak.

My next hunt is now for wheel combo deals. What are the best sites and are there mud vendors I can support at the same time?

Thank you for all the comments. I appreciate all your input.
-Randy

 

[Trapper50cal]

actually

are you guys saying that a standard 16 inch wheel will clear the calipers...etc front and back and not require any type spacer?

Actually The rim size has more to do with clearing the steering arm/TRE and the BS has to do with clearing the caliper now that I think about it

 

[Randy88FJ62]

The short answer is no, I don't feel my AT's have held me back. However, I use my truck mostly for camping access on forest service roads, etc. I am not driving through mud holes or crawling up rock cliffs. Last year I went with some rover friends to the rubicon (https://forum.ih8mud.com/60-series-wagons/171896-scrapes-bruises-scars.html) and I didn't once think that I needed different tires. I should note, however that I am locked front and rear...In the end, however, you have to do whats right for you and your situation.

2mbb,
After going on my first difficult off road trip this past weekend and wheeling with my stock crappy tires I still did fine. I think I might go for the A/T's now and keep stock rims.

Question: Where is the cheapest place to get 33" x 10.5" x 15" BFG A/T's? I'm thinking Costco at the moment.

 

[GAS-A-LOT!]

Sorry I took so long to answer.

I kept it all stock. Stock steelies... not spacers at all... no scraping or noises.

 

[lehiguy]

BFG ATs

I'm on my second set of these. The first set went 60K, they were 33". When I went to 35" I got another set. I just can't find anything to not like about them. I suppose if mud were a common thing in my life, I would have purchased the mudders. But Utah is pretty dry, so the ATs work very, well here and nothing has ever given me the miles the BFGs have and I have never ruined one. I have ruined lots of other tires. The best traction I ever had were Yokahama Geolander MTs. I ruined one of those, another was out of round and they only lasted 1/2 what the BFGs do. Quality and longevity are endearing characteristics.