Realistically, What Tires Should You Run?

Rockdawg84

Confidence the feeling before fully understanding
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As part of this equation it might be helpful to mention what air pressure we are all running as it relates to tire load range and size. I typically run 8-10 psi sometimes as low as 6. that is a true 35 load range E. I have run Dunlop Mud Rovers (C) not bad pretty grippy when aired down but weak sidewalls and inexpensive, Micky Thompson MTZ's (E) Rolled great on the street and really good in the Rocks, price was medium and strong sidewalls but kind of short as they only come in metric sizes until you get over 35's, Cooper STT's (E) Good hight, close to true size, Rolled well on street and pretty good in the rocks but not as good as MTZ's or Current Goodyear MTR's (E) super sticky on the rocks and strong sidewalls, my problem is that mine were egg shaped and never rolled well on the freeway, they are a true 35 and nice and tall. On order I have Pittbull Rocker Radials coming, what I know so far is that they are tall and heavy. Hopefully this will be helpful.
 

4runner DOA

Hold my beer
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As part of this equation it might be helpful to mention what air pressure we are all running as it relates to tire load range and size. I typically run 8-10 psi sometimes as low as 6. that is a true 35 load range E. I have run Dunlop Mud Rovers (C) not bad pretty grippy when aired down but weak sidewalls and inexpensive, Micky Thompson MTZ's (E) Rolled great on the street and really good in the Rocks, price was medium and strong sidewalls but kind of short as they only come in metric sizes until you get over 35's, Cooper STT's (E) Good hight, close to true size, Rolled well on street and pretty good in the rocks but not as good as MTZ's or Current Goodyear MTR's (E) super sticky on the rocks and strong sidewalls, my problem is that mine were egg shaped and never rolled well on the freeway, they are a true 35 and nice and tall. On order I have Pittbull Rocker Radials coming, what I know so far is that they are tall and heavy. Hopefully this will be helpful.

I've had my km2s down to 8 with no issues (315/75/16 on 7.5" wide wheels), gripped great once I figured out what I was doing hahaha. Last crawling trip out I was at 10. Grip was good, driver skill not so much.
 
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As part of this equation it might be helpful to mention what air pressure we are all running as it relates to tire load range and size. I typically run 8-10 psi sometimes as low as 6. that is a true 35 load range E. I have run Dunlop Mud Rovers (C) not bad pretty grippy when aired down but weak sidewalls and inexpensive, Micky Thompson MTZ's (E) Rolled great on the street and really good in the Rocks, price was medium and strong sidewalls but kind of short as they only come in metric sizes until you get over 35's, Cooper STT's (E) Good hight, close to true size, Rolled well on street and pretty good in the rocks but not as good as MTZ's or Current Goodyear MTR's (E) super sticky on the rocks and strong sidewalls, my problem is that mine were egg shaped and never rolled well on the freeway, they are a true 35 and nice and tall. On order I have Pittbull Rocker Radials coming, what I know so far is that they are tall and heavy. Hopefully this will be helpful.

Depends. I have run my 37x12.50x17 KO2 on 8 inch rims down to 2 psi in the snow but usually stop at 8-10 in non-snow situations. My 37x12.50x17 Patagonia MTs on 9 inch beadlocks I have pulled the valve core out in the snow.
 
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What backspacing/spacers (if needed) are you guys running with 35's and 37's to clear the UCA (interested in SPC Specifically), and frame at full lock?
 

AssBurns

will wheel for beer
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What backspacing/spacers (if needed) are you guys running with 35's and 37's to clear the UCA (interested in SPC Specifically), and frame at full lock?
I'm running stock 7" wide wheels with something around 4.5" backspacing (I think?) with 1.25" wheel spacers. Depending on how your alignment is setup, you may still rub the frame and UCA. I've had my alignment adjusted to keep the tire off of the UCA and frame, but that ended up being too far out and caused other issues with my CV's not being plunged into the axle enough. Right now I have my alignment cams set at complete neutral and it does rub the frame and UCA.
 
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What backspacing/spacers (if needed) are you guys running with 35's and 37's to clear the UCA (interested in SPC Specifically), and frame at full lock?

They are still pretty new to me, but I just put on 315/75/16's on my SCS F5's with 3.5" BS and SPC UCA's (set to G), no BL, and am not rubbing on the frame lock to lock. I will be doing my LCA bushings and adding some gussets to spindles and cam tabs before I start tearing into clearancing for suspension cycle.
 

Dukestaco

Stirring the pot 24/7
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Good tread guys. My runner is a virgin. I can't wait to pop that cherry and start cutting and welding. It's going y also be a daily so undecided between 285 70 17 and 255 80 17 but leaning towards the 255's.
 

TRDrodeo

Fireroad pussy
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I'll chime in for my Treadwrights I guess.

Went from bald Cooper A/Ts to TW M/Ts

Blown away by the performance and traction of these 285/75/16 D Treadwrights. Absolutely amazing off-road, in the mud, not bad in the sand, creek beds, you name it. I haven't experienced a single issue off-road where I was disappointed or couldn't tackle something due to traction loss. I've been in some extremely off-camber sections where I was genuinely very nervous I was going to slide or lose traction but I never have.

Pinch welds cut and hammered back, bottom pinch cut and hammered back, 1" BL. 0 offset Landcruiser wheels. Nothing major. Front fender arch trimmed an inch.

The company go fuck off and die however, I haven't regretted a major purchase like this since ordering from Calmini and never getting parts.


IMG_20181229_124648307.jpg


IMG_20181229_124736474.jpg


IMG_20181229_124755794.jpg


IMG_20181014_161011891.jpg


IMG_20181021_170339168_HDR.jpg



Street Psi: 30, trail 15-20

Pros
-Low cost (recycled remolds)
-Incredible traction in all conditions as far as I have experienced
-Impressive treadwear (when you opt for premium wear)
-D range airs down nicely and conforms to terrain

Cons
-50/50 chance you'll either have a flawed tire sent to you, or one will explode/deform/crack...who knows
-Abysmal customer service, production time, communication
-Crap shoot if your particular size/load range will be in stock or even supported after purchase
-Non-existent sidewall lugs, fairly major 'con' when considering an M/T

Arrived flawed:
IMG_20181229_132005_131.jpg


1 month after purchase on split:
IMG_20181229_132017_209.jpg



It took them over 5 months to send the the correct size replacements for my issues. (Sent me wrong tires 3 times)

Love the tires, fuck the company.
 
Last edited:

clntg

If you’ve got nothing nice to say... welcome home.
Joined
Aug 21, 2019
Messages
227
Location
Charlotte, NC
I'll chime in for my Treadwrights I guess.

Went from bald Cooper A/Ts to TW M/Ts

Blown away by the performance and traction of these 285/75/16 D Treadwrights. Absolutely amazing off-road, in the mud, not bad in the sand, creek beds, you name it. I haven't experienced a single issue off-road where I was disappointed or couldn't tackle something due to traction loss. I've been in some extremely off-camber sections where I was genuinely very nervous I was going to slide or lose traction but I never have.

Pinch welds cut and hammered back, bottom pinch cut and hammered back, 1" BL. 0 offset Landcruiser wheels. Nothing major. Front fender arch trimmed an inch.

The company go fuck off and die however, I haven't regretted a major purchase like this since ordering from Calmini and never getting parts.


IMG_20181229_124648307.jpg


IMG_20181229_124736474.jpg


IMG_20181229_124755794.jpg


IMG_20181014_161011891.jpg


IMG_20181021_170339168_HDR.jpg



Street Psi: 30, trail 15-20

Pros
-Low cost (recycled remolds)
-Incredible traction in all conditions as far as I have experienced
-Impressive treadwear (when you opt for premium wear)
-D range airs down nicely and conforms to terrain

Cons
-50/50 chance you'll either have a flawed tire sent to you, or one will explode/deform/crack...who knows
-Abysmal customer service, production time, communication
-Crap shoot if your particular size/load range will be in stock or even supported after purchase
-Non-existent sidewall lugs, fairly major 'con' when considering an M/T

Arrived flawed:
IMG_20181229_132005_131.jpg


1 month after purchase on split:
IMG_20181229_132017_209.jpg



It took them over 5 months to send the the correct size replacements for my issues. (Sent me wrong tires 3 times)

Love the tires, fuck the company.

That might be the most interesting love / hate post I have ever read.
 

4runner DOA

Hold my beer
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That might be the most interesting love / hate post I have ever read.

He hasn't been on in awhile, but I remember seeing on his IG that he ended up having nothing but issues and treadwright stopped responding to him in general or honoring the warranties.
 
Joined
Dec 28, 2018
Messages
58
Location
NC
While I realize all the cool kids these days wheel 4runners or tacos, on the off chance someone buys an old truck I'll add my thoughts and experiences.

I bought the truck in 2016 for the express purpose of learning to work/build/wheel on it (not my main daily, though I did and still do daily drive it for fun sometimes). It had a 3" body lift on it and 265/70/16 General Grabber ATs, no modifications needed (obviously). They were relatively new at that time. I put a ton of road miles on them right away and was very pleased with their wear and performance for on road. I started wheeling it with no extra modifications, and I was actually really pleased with the off road characteristics. Generally ran them around 12 PSI, and they would form to rocks really well. I suppose the sidewalls were not very stiff, but I never had a weakness issue. No blow outs or punctures. I reccomend them for a starter tire on any light vehicle seeing road and trail conditions.

Admittedly, they weren't great in the thick mud, but they did fine on pretty much every other version of terrain.

UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_3231.jpg
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I wheeled it like this and with a ball joint spacer lift for about a year. After I installed the spacer lift, I had a TERRIBLE alignment. Apparently there were no local shops that could figure it out because after 3 tries, my tires were getting really badly unevenly worn. So I started aligning it by eye in the barn, it drove straight but they were essentially a total loss at that point. So from then on, I gave them hell knowing that I would be going to LT and 35s in the future. I guess I can reccomend these tires for car crawling because I ripped them to shreds doing this for fun, and I never had a puncture or air leak.
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After all this chunking and siping, fast forward to post LT install. I kept the 265's and wheeled them at least twice more on the new setup while I saved for 35's. Again, even with uneven wear and chunked out tread they did great in the rocks.

0RF6ecz0RfqbrpaNR+3eww_thumb_304d.jpg

Highly recommended tire. But no ground clearance with that size.

Finally moved up in the off road world to 35s. First, KM3s, won them in a BFG survey sweepstakes. Couldn't believe it. And I had already bought a set of Maxxis Razr's as well so I ended up with two sets to play with.

KM3's really only got put to the test once, and it was in some REAL mud. A buddy left his wallet in the planter waaaay back in the fields after a torrential downpour, so out back I went. They did fantastic. Kept me afloat in some real deep stuff and did a fantastic job at repainting the truck.
UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_335f.jpg

Almost immediately after, someone offered to buy them off my truck, so the Maxxis' went on.

The Razr's are so great. On road they are quiet, quieter in my opinion than even the high dollar KM3s. I am also very pleased with the off road characteristics. Super grippy, and great in the slick and dry conditions. They are tough and they have great sidewall tread. Only "downside" I've found is that the sidewalls are stiff, and don't flex much under the light weight of my truck. I'm only running them at 10-12, so maybe I can drop a bit lower, but would rather not roll a bead.

http://instagr.am/p/BxuURw4HCTx/
Running 35s on the LT only required hammering in the pinch weld along the firewall (maybe an inch) and chopping out the lower front fender support. There might have been more cutting required if I wasn't running glass in the front, but mostly doubt it with a 3" bl.
UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_3525.jpg
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UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_347a.jpgUNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_35f4.jpg

Thats about it. Apologies for the length.
 
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Stairgod

Two bad decisions away from buying a bulldozer
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Apr 22, 2019
Messages
2,438
I'll play.
First set of tires on the Taco were 295/75r17 STMaxx. Tore a sidewall on second trip. Really good grip on wet rocks, decent in mud, no experience in sand but I would assume they would be decent. Ran them for just over 25k and never had another sidewall tear. My girl is a heavy bitch but sidewalls flexed nicely at 15 psi. Five of them are still in my shed....
Because all the cool kids went to 35s, I got six Nitto Mud Grapplers in a 35/12.50r17. Did the usual fender/bedside trimming and beat the fuck out of the pinch weld. I absolutely loved these tires. Grippy as hell on any surface from wet or snowy roads to mud, rocks, you name it. 4.88s with ARBs front and rear were installed right before the 35s went on as did the supercharger. As you can guess mileage went down a tad. Only bad thing about the Nittos was the tread wear(and the NOISE). I know the soft compound was why the grip was so good, but 28k with rotating 2 spares and I was down to harder rubber and grip disappeared. After a few scary on road incidents, I decided new tires were in order.
Despite really wanting to try the STT Pros, I went with the Toyo MTs because I got a great deal. They balanced well, which is typical of any Toyo, and they were concentric. They have nowhere near the grip of the Nittos, and I definitely have to run lower pressure to get the sidewall flex and grip that I had with the Nittos. Not sure I would buy again, but have about 20k on them and tread wear seems good. Minimal tread chunking despite a decent amount of rock crawling done on them.

@HolyHandGrenade can chime in with firewall tubbing pics and feedback on his tires.
 
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