Real time help please. This blows - literally. Gashed sidewall (1 Viewer)

[drifter dave]

Out on the trail last weekend and took out the sidewall on my front right with a sharp sitck.

So here's the question: I found a BFG A/T in the same size (35x12.5x15) as the other tires. The tires on there now are Mud King XT's that are discontinuted.

So, on my '91 with a CDL switch turned off for road travel, will the difference in tread pattern, or slight difference in overall diameter hurt my Centre Diff?

Normally I would get a whole new set of tires, but it seems like a colossal waste of 3 tires. Surely someone has toasted a tire before - what did you do?

Thanks in advance

P.S. - I got home with 2 plugs in the sidewall and a slow leak.

 

[silverhorse]

I would give it a try. If it doesn't work out get an entire set. I think it's worth a shot though! Good luck........

 

[Tools R Us]

You will be fine.

 

[drifter dave]

Thanks guys - I'm hoping that being an FJ without the VC that I'll be ok. Hadn't really thought of this before but it's a major disadvantage to having an 80 series. Makes me want to run bias ply's so it will never be a worry again.

Avoid thin sidewalls everyone

 

[murf]

Tools is right - being the same size, wont make any difference to the truck.

Bias ply doesnt neccessarily mean a tougher tire. There is some real good radial technology out there. Evidence of the professional crawlers and what they run. No matter how good a tire, the general idea that a tire is basically a balloon, in the precise situation of a sharp object hitting a tire in just the right combination of variables, any tire can be popped. Its just a matter of building a tire to statistically give you the best chance to reduce the chance of cutting a sidewall.

IMO get a name brand. Better materials cost more and the name brands will have those better materials than the generics.

 

[Fly Rod]

I doubt you will hurt your truck by running different tires of the same size. I have done it twice on 2wd vehicles. The only problem I ran into was when I had to make an emergency manuver at speed. The one odd tire caused extremely unbalanced braking. Result, a rolled car.

I no longer run three and one. Maybe two and two with a fr/rear split but not 3/1.

JMHO

 

[drifter dave]

Roger that,

Thanks for the replies guys

 

[drifter dave]

I just wanted to finish off this post in case someone was wondering the outcome. I went with a BFG M/T to replace my blown front tire. It had a very similar tread pattern to what was no there - but it looked a little taller.

After 20min on the highway and a stop for food, I could smell the Centre Diff cooking, a nasty acrid smell. So I pulled the front shaft after much effort with the factory 14mm wrench, locked the CDL and drove home.

I'm now on brand new tires. This time I have an identical matching spare with wheel that I intend to rotate into the mix.

The whole thing was a huge PITA and cost me a lot of dough. The Centre diff seems fine, I swapped out the oil in the T-case and it drives ok.

That small difference in overall diameter really screwed me, even without a Viscous in my truck. Cheers.

 

[Toyo Boyo]

How very strange. I had a rock go through the side wall of a nearly new front tyre last summer. Didn't have the readies to get a full set (the others were too new anyway).

Replaced the gashed tyre with a new one of the same type as the other three, I did put it on the rear.

A week after fitting the tyre I went on a 1000 mile trip to Spain, wheeled 1000 miles across the Pyrenees, and then drove over 1000 miles from Barcelona back home to the UK, via fast French autoroutes.

Never had any problems at all, and I did keep a close eye on things.

I wonder what the difference would be????

 

[drifter dave]

Although I used the same listed size tire (35x12.50x15) it wasn't made by the same manufacturer. Unfortunately the tire I needed was discontinued.

So the difference in size got me, I figure it was about an inch or more.

Each manufacturer differs wildly on the actual diameter of the tires