Trying to decide on traction boards - X-Bull, Fiery Red, or MaxGrip (1 Viewer)

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Jun 15, 2020
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Location
Michigan
I'm trying to decide which traction boards will best fit the budget without being pieces of crap that last for one or two uses. Anybody have experience with any of the following?

- Fiery Red
-- $83-$122, I don't get the difference in price between green and black, just for color?? (or the $122 black one for $80 at Walmart it looks like..just under different brand name?)
-- The studs don't look like they have a great anchor on the back side of the board; and the bottom of the board looks pretty slick, not a lot of ridges/etc to dig in to prevent it from sliding
-- $95 traction board with jack lift base; not sure if it's worth the tradeoff of losing surface area to dedicate to jack lift base

- Max Grip Tire Traction Pads
-- $120
-- Looks nice that the studs are replaceable! Seems like an obvious thing that any other traction board should have since this is the main wear point...What are the drawbacks??

- X-Bull
-- $60 for 4th gen here (if 4th gen is a thing...I only see 3rd gen listed anywhere else haha. But, either way)
-- Seems to be the most popular off-brand traction board out there. Looks to have good stud anchoring and good bottom-of-board traction to keep it from sliding around.



If I had to choose one this second, I would probably go with the X-Bull. But I don't have to get one now so my opinion could be swayed!

Thanks for any feedback :)


Fiery Red
fiery red.PNG


Fiery Red off brand black for $80
fiery red off brand.PNG


Fiery Red with Jack Stand Base
fiery red with jack base.PNG


MaxGrip with replaceable studs
maxgrip.jpg


X-Bull
x-bull 4th gen.jpg
 
I have the Xbulls and they have been used maybe 4 times for actual recovery and they worked great. By great I mean they didn’t explode. They have faded very slightly and you can tell the plastic around the pins/cleats is stressed a little here and there as it is lighter in color. These have been used far more as a way to level the vehicle in camp and for that they work great. Again: didn’t explode. If you got the budget I would just get the Maxtrax. Otherwise these seem to work ok.
 
Also rotopax has their own traction boards for $100. Not much information on how good they are because they're newer.

 
H

How do you like them? How much were they? (Cant see without signing in)
I haven't used them yet, but $140 delivered to my door. They look extremely sturdy-costco usually doesn't sell overly cheap stuff and you can break them then return it :) :) :)
 
I'm reluctant to jump in an buy full size one piece traction boards becuase i don't have a way to mount on my roof when our rooftop tent is mounted. Anyone been suckered in bi Instagram ad for GoTreads: GoTreads - Foldable tire traction mats to get out of mud, snow, or sand. or other foldable options and try them out?
Haven't heard of them before..looks like a cool idea though. Don't have to worry about how flexible they are to a breaking point either really, that's nice.
 
Can't you just throw em inside?
Not a ton of extra space with all the gear loaded and 2 dogs plus would prefer to keep dirty boards outside if/when they get used.
 
I bought the X-Bulls just like in the first post for about $40 shipped to me off some eBay sale. For the price I couldn't pass it up. Up here in CO there are plenty of opportunities to use them in the winter and I have done so. Absolutely no complaints and have used them on myself and others many times. Give I can buy 4-5 sets for the same price as name brand it was a no brainer for me. The performance confirmation has made it even more so of a no brainer. For even $60 its an easy question to answer for me.
 
Another plug for maxtrax MKII after real world use. I was goofing off in the sand giving my 80 a shake down and got dug into a soft damp patch pretty good. Left back tire was dug in the sand about half way. Front right wasn't much better. Wanted to see how the 80 handle without airing down and It went about how you'd expect. Sadly got caught up in the moment and didn't take video.

I would defiantly recommend getting two sets of what ever traction board you get. That's the biggest takeaway I had with only having one set of traction boards. But its still doable with one set. I was right on the cusp of needing a second set because I forgot my 6x6" timbers I use to jack in sand. Also they suck for digging out sand. My favored tool for soft sand is still a GI entrenching tool.

Anyway money well spent and a good learning experience because I've had these Maxtrax for over a year now and was itching to try them out.

I did spin the tiers a bit on one of them but the board is still good to go. Should have aired down lower than 14psi and I think this may not have happened if I had.
20201011_131728.jpg
 
Resing an old thread, but I just got done destroying a set of the X-Bull boards in PNW snow. First time I’ve really used them in earnest/needed them, and they were garbage. Firstly, the leading edge of the boards are so thick/fat that they didn’t really get close enough to the tire’s footprint to ever actually allow the tire to get decent purchase. Had to dig/dig/dig to get damn near underneath the tire before it would bite. Once I finally got them to engage, even the slightest tire spin would start melting the teeth QUICKLY. Yes, I know you’re “not supposed” to allow wheel spin, but when you’re buried in wet snow up to both axles and the light is fading, you’re more interested in getting out than preserving tire traction boards. Finally/and worst-of-all, a large piece of the front of one board (about the size of a deck of cards) fractured and flew off just from stabbing the board into the tire hole. Completely gave up on the boards and just pulled cable on the trusty Warn to finally get out. YMMV, but my first hand experience with these X-Bulls was terrible.
 
Quick update: Used my X Bull boards the other day again and was very surprised at how faded they have become after a year on the roof. They continue to look more stressed. By that I mean the plastic gets stretched with load and that area becomes lighter/white in color. To Biggreener’s point above you do have to work hard to get the board under the tire. I’ve even resorted to jacking then lowering onto the board.

I’m not a seasoned off-roader AT ALL but while $300 used to flabbergast me I would totally spend that on the more quality boards the second time around.
 

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