Treadwright retreads 305/70R16 D/Mud Ultra on hybrid lift

[dafun1]

So here as some pics of the retread D/mud ultra grips in 305/70-16 from treadwright. They are nitto terra grappler carcass with a dunlop mud rover style tread pattern with crushed walnut shell for wet/ice/snow. The only complaint I have was that one of them went flat the first night they were on and had to be repaired in two places. That really got to me considering I flew them on a plane from Arkansas to Guam coming back from leave. I paid $477 shipped to my parents house in Arkansas for 4 tires so I shouldn't be complaining. The nitto carcass is E rated over 3500 pounds. I have a hybrid ironman 2'' front/OME 862 rear. The paint is an ongoing process as is the rear bumper so don't judge me just yet. I went with hippo liner at first on flares an rockers, then went over that with rustoleum gloss black industrial enamel up to the bottom the windows for some UV protection because the hippo liner is very tough but was getting jacked by the South Pacific sun. Anyways...long post and actually my first. Overall the tires are much quietier than I thought and that is without carpet. I really like how 305's look with this lift. This forum is amazing and I must say thank you! I'll keep updating on the how these tires perform. Out

 

[dafun1]

Two more pics...

Here are some better shots I just needed to erase my plate.

 

[M23TLC]

Looks good, I like it. I have virtually the same lift except my springs are OME 851 up front but give the same 2" lift. There is only one other guy that Im aware of that runs the 862's in the back with a 2" lift up front. Strange considering the stinkbug thing is such an issue.

Question about your rear bumper (or lack of it). Did you do any additional crossbracing that we cant see in the photo? The part you cut off is structural and I dunno that I'd wheel it like that since the chassis will flex more that way. Looks cool though. Another thing to consider is if you back into a tree, pole, or anything, your tailgate will take the impact (possibly crack the window).

What is the overall diameter of those tires?

 

[dafun1]

Yeah the crossmember is important and I haven't wheeled it real hard though I did dig that right frame end into the ground and bent my resonator up a little but I will be getting the bumper going soon. One thing that is still irritating is that one tire still went flat after I had it repaired in two places and the guy really invested a lot of time in making sure it was good to go. Maybe it is the valve stem because when I went to check the pressure when I put the mounted tire back on, the valve core stuck open and I had to mess with it to keep it closed. I hope that is it because if it is still the tire I am going to really hammer treadwright. I measured these tires unmounted and they were just a hair over 33'' tall. Pretty big for a 305.

 

[sdog]

Be careful with retreads. I bought some several years ago and had the same problems, they had been machined too thin in places and didn't seal well where the caps met the casing. I kept telling meself I got a great deal on some sweet 35's, I paid about what u paid, but I didn't feel nearly as cool when the guys at the tire shop started snickering. As a matter of fact, I felt downright dumb. But good luck. Not trying to rain on your post....

 

[dafun1]

So did the tire ever hold air? So far that one tire has been patched in two places and still doesn't hold air, but I think it could be a bad valve stem because I did notice the stem leaked after I checked the air pressure. I bled some air out and the valve held shut but I wondered if it could be the problem. I did put dyna beads with new filtering valve cores in the tires, but when the guy had to do the patch there was no way for him to keep the beads in, but I wonder if the new core is leaking in the valve stem. I hope so, because if not this tire seems doomed. My problem is I checked them as baggage on a plane from the states to Guam for free and I would have to pay $100 to get the tire back to treadwright and they would end up paying the same amount to get the tire to me. But we will see.

 

[MrMoMo]

I have M/T re-treads from Hi-tech on my 60. I LOVE 'em. Took air first time, and have not leaked a drop since then - over a year. I WILL buy there again! (note, that's not would, it's will!)

 

[dafun1]

Hitec is now Treadwright. I got in touch with them and they are going to send me another tire with the same nitto terra grappler carcass. That is some serious customer service considering how far away I live. So you were very pleased with there tires on you 60. That is a good sign. I do like how the other three tires that take air are riding. When I get the new one on I will report on trail performance.

 

[dnp]

FWIW, I did hours and hours of research on Treadwright tires before I bought mine, and I'd say the pros vs. cons were about 99.999999% to 1. I read and read about the new retreading technology (as a matter of fact, I've been told that they used to be unable to retread radials - but I don't know if that's true), and it became clear to me that this is not an unsafe product. I can't remember all of the explanations for all of the "gators" you see littering the Interstates from big trucks, but they're generally not due to the failure of the retread process.

Granted, I only have about 750 miles on my 305/70-16's, but they have worked flawlessly! Treadwright allowed me to specify Goodyear MT/R carcasses, but they have a Dunlop Mud Rover-ish tread design. So far, they seem to work quite well in the mud........at what I paid for them (delivered), I just had to try them out. They're very round, make surprisingly little noise, and I really like the way they look.

I figure in the whole lifetime of this truck, they'll only see 5,000 miles of use, so.....why not. So far, I'm very pleased!

 

[dafun1]

I too did the research and I really do like them, I just got a bad egg and they have offered to replace it. They are incredibly quiet aren't they? For as a much tread as they have I thought they would howl. And they do look good, but I don't know how the sidewalls on the nitto terra grappler carcass would hold up in rock. In Guam I don't have to worry about rock so much, just mud and dirt. For the price you can't go wrong...unless you get one that doesn't hold air, but they were great about immediately responding to replace it once I contacted them. So did you get the walnut shell ultra grip in yours as well? If so how did they perform on wet pavement? The stuff seems like it would grip as good as a lot of siping.

 

[dafun1]

And I have not changed the date on my camera since I bought it so that explains the old date if anyone was wondering.

 

[murf]

Hey, an elusive 2-tone!!

 

[dafun1]

I got the leaking tire patched again and the guys said they could not get the bigger leak completely sealed so on a last ditch effort I went with a whole can of fix-a-flat and it did the trick. I know I will get flamed for doing that but I read a lot about it and I am going to use the tire as a spare and not rotate it into use. I do need to apologize for some incorrect usage: it is casing not carcass (the tread would be considered a carcass). I have nitto terra grappler 305/70-16 casings with the dunlop mud rover'ish tread. I researched the 255/85-16 option for a long time because I like the ground clearance/less weight and tire that a tall skinny gives me. I saw performance plus tire had the remington mud brute 255/85 for $125. I almost pulled the trigger but I got these 305's for $477 to my door. Shipping on the mud brutes would have been $90 so I saved $120. The Remington looks to be the 255/85 dunlop mud rover just with the remington name. I'm pretty sure dunlop and remington are both owned by goodyear. The specs are 33.6x10.8 (exact same as the dunlop was) with a tread measurement of 7.9. This would work out pretty nice on the stock 16x8's. From what I'm getting from some of the expediton forums this is the largest 255 out there, just ahead of the toyo mt. And the weight comes in at 48.8lbs. I don't know about sidewall ply but that is a pretty good deal. Heck these 305's weigh 64lbs and I can feel it. The 315/75 dunlop mud rover is only 62's. And the tread measurement on these retreads because of the boxy nitto casing is a whopping 10''. I knew I should have gone tall and skinny...

 

[Old#7]

How is the rubber compound? What about traction on the rocks? Just wondering because this is looking like a viable option for me but I would be doing most of my wheeling in southern Utah. Sandstone and desert dirt roads. How well would the walnut shells work in those conditions? I know you could probably get them without the walnut but, I would be doing a lot of winter driving too so I would like the extra traction in the snow.

 

[dafun1]

Well I can't comment on winter road conditions because I am currently in a tropical South Pacific environment but what I can say is that the rubber compound is about middle of the pack (not super hard, but not really soft). Here in guam the asphalt is made with ground coral and the road gets scary slick when it rains. I decided I would try the walnut shell out for real. I locked my brakes up going about 35mph (my abs has been out for a while and sometime when I get some courage I will completely cut the system out like Beno has done in his write up but that is going off topic) and though I slid, it was very limited and short. All to say these tires do great on really slick roads with the walnut shell, and though I don't have much experience with rock crawling yet (mostly mud here in Guam), I would say these tires would hold their own. I'm not saying they are some bias Irok or Pitbull but compared to other radial tires they will definetly compete. And how you can you beat $477 for 4 305's shipped to your door?!! To update on the only issue I had: The guys at Treadwright sent me a replacement for the bad tire I got from them at no cost. Customer service from these guys is outstanding! If you are looking for a cheap and productive mt/r or mud rover tread pattern in a 285 or 305 for less than $130 a tire (the MT/R tread pattern with the walnut shell might be just over this price now but not much) shipped to your door Treadwright is the place. It is the best deal I have found, bottom line. I just wish they made a 315/75. I'll slap a 1'' 4crawler body lift on sometime this summer so I can fab my sliders and rear tube bumper straight off the frame rails and when these tires wear out I'll probably go to a skinny 36 (I have my eye on the TSL radial 36x12.50). But these retreads are my tire for now, and instead 35 envy I'm gonna love the tires I'm with!!!! Go getcha some retreads man and don't look back! Your spouse will love you for helping the environment and not spending the crazy money so many do! Heck check the 60 series section and you'll see some posts about treadwright. Sorry for the novel. Hope that answered you question. Out

 

[woody]

I've had zero complaints with mine, other than noise - the tread blocks on my 285's are all identical, so they have a nice howl on the highway....

got my first light foray into some wheeling yesterday and they dug nicely up a steep gravel/sand climb, at 45psi...

and yes, I've nothing but good about their customer service!

 

[AKcruiserfreak]

Great alternative to the more $$$ tires.

TK

 

[UCBerzerkeley]

sounds like a good deal, but requires a willingness for dealing with probs (granted, like everything). good choice for your situation!