Where to shop for tires.

[Adrock]

Just wondering where has the best price on tires.

I was at costco today, BFG mud terrains are $195 each. $10 off from march 4th to april 3rd or something though.

and what width am I looking for anyways?

[BCDelica]

LT235/75R15/C BF AT will definitely fit the mags you have, but a 30x9.50R15/C (Which a few of us have) should fit also. The 30 just makes fitting chains harder on the front with the stock mud flaps.

Now you need to tell me what kinda food to bring for the Delica meet, and make sure it's something Bruce likes !

Whoops those are All-terrian sizes, the Mud-terrian 30 is larger and might be a tighter fit. That price isn't too bad, I paid $225 for a 30x9.50R15 AT.

Check the clearance behind mine, I think a 30 MT would require just a bit off trimming.

[Adrock]

i really want to do the cut away stuff and tuck 31s in. I want to go as big as possible.

Crank to torsion bars and maybe get those blocks for the back from Bruce. I don't want to get rid of my white rims though and it doesn't look like I can fit 31s on them. Maybe i'll go for 2 full sets for easy changeover. I doubt I'll ever have the mud terrains off though.

[argo]

Narrow tires means more pressure per square inch where the rubber meets the road.
Wide tires spread the load over a greater area, which in most cases means increased rolling resistance and less traction.

Larger diameter tires give an increase in speed at the expense of torque.

Great big wide skins may look cool, but they will compromise your bottom end and gription. Tire salesmen [and maybe monster truck enthusiasts] will dissagree, but unlike me they are working to help you empty your wallet.

Many people seem to be concerned about fitting chains. If you have good quality tires and don't drive your 4x4 like it's a sports car you shouldn't require chains for most conditions. Big heavy lug chains look macho on skidders and log trucks but the truth is they are most often used because they are a relatively cheap alternative to buying new tires.

It's like psychologists say, "big tires ............

[Adrock]

I am trying to get a better top speed out of them, and I am also making a trip to mexico, where tire surface area will be important on sand. if I could fit 31s on my rims now I would, but I don't think I can, so going a bit wider is the next option. Plus, the delica is practical enough, i'm allowed to have impractical tires.

Thanks for the advice though I do really apreciate it.

Its been a while since I took physics but is it even possible to have more resistance and less traction? Seems as though the increase in resistance is due to an increase in the traction.

Although I understand what you are saying about narrower tires I have to disagree there too. However it is very possible that I am wrong. Simply put, an ice skate slides better than a shoe with the same weight on it.

[Mystery Machine]

Hi Adam,

This is the second time I've responded (computer crashed as I sent the first reply! ) so here we go again!.......deja-vu for me, new info for you.... :lol:

Just my thoughts and experiences, but maybe worth something to you??

Unless you are going to be using the motor mainly for off-road, I would say that the BFG MT's might be a bot too aggressive for you? The tread pattern causes quite a bit of road noise and vibration. This can be felt not only through the steering and suspension, but also as a drone through the whole body, getting louder at different speeds.... :(

If you are going to Mexico (a long trip - especially by UK standards!!) then you might find the MT's get quite annoying and male the journey less enjoyable!

They will also give you a drop in MPG - again due to the aggressive tread, but MPG doesn't seem to be as much of an issue as here in blighty because your fuel prices seem to be a 'little' bit more realisitic! :lol:

If you can, I'd recommend BFG AT's like Kevin has mentioned...

These are a FANTASTIC tyre for all purposes: Very good tarmac properties, good braking and handling in the dry and wet and also good MPG compared to most other similar treaded makes (like G/Grabber etc..)

The tread seems to last forever, and you'll clock up some SERIOUS mileage before wearing these boots out....

Off road characteristics are a little less favourable than the MT's, but in general they are a VERY competent off-road tyre and what you lose in slightly less off-road ability, you more than gain in aboslutley EVERY other respect....

I would see if you can find someone with MT's on their motor before you buy them for yourself - try them out on someone elses motor and maybe see for yourself? AT's will happily get you through most muddy, snowy and watery situations.....it is only at the extreme end that the MT's come into their own, but at the sacrifice of a lot of other aspects.

About the size - 30's or 235's will be pretty much a straight fit with only minimal work to get them to fit (dependant on the offset of the wheels and where the torsion bars are set....)

Personally I would say that 31's are the perfect sized tyre for an L300. I had these on the MM before heading over to 33" territory! The 31's were a superb blend of size/grip/handling/perfomance etc....

A minescule amount of acceleration was lost, but a marginally more comfortable cruising speed:revs was gained. The loss of acceleration wasn't an issue - if I wanted a quick getaway, I wouldn't be driving a 2+ton Jap Tank! :lol:

When planning the scheme and details for the Mud Monkey, the ONLY sized tyre considered was 31" NOTHING else!

To me (and many others in the UK) 31" is the automatic choice for a semi-standard '300. It's only when you get over 4" of lift that you'd think of anything else.

Looking at your timescale of when you are looking to buy - I'd be happy to shop around with you when I'm over - help you find the bset size, fit them, modify the arches for you etc.....(even do the torsion bars )

Just let me know??

Regarding the 31's and your existing wheels, I have some possible solutions for that too....but will chat about that on the phone sometime soon.

Best of luck and regards for now,

Bruce.

[Kuan]

Adrock,

Here's some physics refresher for you :D

http://www.carbibles.com/tyre_bible.html

There is a section on fat vs. slim tyres (tires... whatever)

Hope that helps.

[delicanuck]

Hi Gang,
I asked the few people I know who know about tires and got the impression that Hankook Z36s were a reasonably good performing tire on and off road but with exceptionally long life expectancy and ruggeditity, ruggeditude, ruggedousity... toughness. I also found that the tire guy I've been buying tires from for years would put them on for me for $160.00 each which he said was somewhat below list price. Has anyone ever sold anything at list price? If we thought those were OK tires and that $160.00 each balanced and installed was an good price, I could ask him about a club deal. (Are we a club yet?) Does anyone else have an opinion on Hankok Z36s? Anyone else want a set?

[Adrock]

Cool stuff guys. Thanks a lot. Maybe I do just have a small.....

nevermind.

haha thanks for everything.

I would still like to try some M/Ts to feel for myself, but I trust you guys enough that if I can't i'll probably go for A/Ts

[docsavage]

Adrock,

Mickey Thompson makes a 31 x 9.5 x 15 here:

http://www.mickeythompsontires.com/truc ... aRadialMTX

These will fit on 7 inch wide rims. Should be a reasonable all round tire from a off road tire maker. I have 30 x 9.5 x 15 Big O Big Foot X/T's studded. I needed a heavy lug, 10 ply tire as a lot of my driving is on logging roads. They are noisy on the highway but I just turn the stereo up louder :P :P . On multi hour trips it could be annoying. I got Big O because they have a warranty and I put on a lot of miles - on average 200 km a day during the week.

James

[josh]

I got Big O because they have a warranty and I put on a lot of miles - on average 200 km a day during the week.

James, the BFG's last forever. I know what it is like to commute also... I have been commuting 280km a day (4 days a week), thank goodness the Delica had such low milage to start. Next week I think I will start sleeping in the van instead.

Adam,

I am with you, I want the BFG 31 MT's also... I dont mind the noise thing. They are just so much fun off road, and they look hot. Guess I must be insecure too....

Josh

[Mystery Machine]

Cool stuff guys. Thanks a lot. Maybe I do just have a small.....

nevermind.

Guess I must be insecure too....

Josh

Hmmm - what does that say about me then?

If you guys are happy to suffer a bit of road noise I'd have to say then - go for the MT's.... I guess your roads and weather conditions give you more need for them than over here.... 8)

I am running some Mickey T's that have a VERY aggressive tread pattern and make a lot of noise/vibration - but boy do they look great and really came into their own in some mud recently! These are even more off-road biased than the BFG MT's, but I can rate them VERY highly! Despite the chunky tread and extra noise, they actually iron out bumps in the road much better than BFG's and make the ride a little softer and more comfortable. The vibration only really becomes an issue at about 10mph. It dies out once you go faster....



Baja Claw radial's - maybe worth checking them out?? They do them in a 31" and they are probably a LOT cheaper than here in the UK?? (I paid $370 per tyre for mine!!! )

They should last a VERY long time - you need caving gear to get to the bottom of the tread! The extra noise is actually a small price to pay for the benefits elsewhere - but I was trying to point out earlier that if you are going to switch to MT's, just be aware of the extra noise etc.....

Not trying to teach you to suck eggs...but I've know some people here in the UK who have gone over to MT's then complained because they were expecting them to be just as quiet as their road biased tyres!

Should I be bringing my angle grinder over with me for wheelarch mods if you guys are gonna be fitting 31" MT's??

Regards for now,

Bruce.

[docsavage]

Geez Josh,

You must be commuting to Terrace or something

I have heard good about the BFG's but they aren't drilled for studs. When I look at what the loggers run, I don't see very many. I like the warranty mainly for road hazards not tread life. There are lots of air brake pots, broken mufflers, pieces of sharp steel on many of the logging roads as they are so bumpy things rattle off the trucks. My rear exhaust pipe was like new when I got the van, but the last few weeks on the roads rattled it apart. I also have 30,000 work km's on the Rangies Big O's and they are still like new.

I guess, for me I'm a tall skinny tire guy. I don't like the 10.5's as they are to wide for my eye. The extra flotation is good where you are in areas with bottomless mud, but most of the mud around here has a nice hard bottom that grips well and skinnies get me to they bottom. I would have bought Mickey T's (31 x 9.5's) but I needed to replace the Duelers on the van with locally available tires (I also get good deals from the dealer).

James

[mitch]

I just picked up toyota truck/ 4-runner rims... 15x7 offset 8 stamped on em alloy need to be cleaned up but only $250. going 31" bfgs AT on monday.. i'll let you know how it goes. I may have new Bfg Ats 30" for sale if they dont trade em in for me.

Mitch

[Adrock]

Remains the question, where to shop for them... any sweet deals around town?