I know a few of you here run these tires, and I wanted to know what you thought about grooving the center lug.

This is the unmolested tread.

http://www.montypics.com/pic.php?url=/Greg_Davis/2003-12-29/1072721823_Tread.jpg

This shows the area to be removed.

http://www.montypics.com/pic.php?url=/Greg_Davis/2003-12-29/1072721874_Tread_3.jpg

And this is a crude photoshop of what it would look like.

http://www.montypics.com/pic.php?url=/Greg_Davis/2003-12-29/1072721857_Tread_2.jpg

Now, my reason for grooving is noise and performance. I'm thinking the larger void will clear mud better and the additional edges will give more bite on the rocks.

The big question is, how will cutting up that large center lug affect the noise? As it it, they are the loudest tire I've run to date, and if grooving them will quieten them down some, then all the better.

Any thoughts, or will this just ruin a set of good tires?

If you groove them like that, then they will look a lot like the XML, which looks a lot like the "new" XZL. If youre going to hit them with a groover, I would first remover the bar between the inner and outer lugs, and see how that affects the self cleaning.

Adam, enlighten me. Where did you see picts of the "new" XZL?

Also, if you're going to groove them you might as well sipe them too since you're spending the time infront of them.

The "new" XZL is not really new. It's the metric version of the 9.00R16 which is a 255/100-16 with 4 thread blocks wide instead of 3 (I think that's what Adam was reffering to, correct me if I'm wrong)

Like this:

Originally posted by scrover
Like this:

man, that's sexy.

What's retail on those these days?

j

Greg: I'm not a tire expert, but wouldn't more edges add more noise? I'm thinking of more block edges hitting the pavement as the tire rotates: gotta be more noise?
DW

Originally posted by David Woo
Greg: I'm not a tire expert, but wouldn't more edges add more noise? I'm thinking of more block edges hitting the pavement as the tire rotates: gotta be more noise?
DW

Think of an AT tire with lots of lugs hitting, then think of a bogger with a lot less lugs hitting.

Which makes more noise, an AT or a bogger :flipoff2:

Originally posted by redrangie


man, that's sexy.

What's retail on those these days?

j

Sexy indeed, one day they will be mine :cool:

They also make a 235/85 in the same pattern.

I have no clue on the retail of even where to find them new in any quantity.

SC

Really quick search provides the following link

http://www.allrad-christ.com/ebre_expedition_michxzl.htm

Sheesh, 120KPH max speed? :(

Yeah, I've seen that page and a few others, Keith. Problem is availability and shipping cost. The only Xs I've found new in any quantity are 7.50 XZLs which I already have, and 8.25 XLs which would be close to $300 a piece by the time they hit the US :(

Greg, did you get those 9.00s used?

SC

Oooh, me likes that tread.:eek:

I got them from a friend of mine that was running them on his SuperDuty. Only have around 5K miles on them.

I was also thinking that the smaller lugs would create less noise.

while it says 120km/h, I wouldn't be afraid to push it higher. The speed rating would be for a tire with max weight on it. It'll take a rover fine.

As for $300/ tire.... yeah, that's expensive, but just think: after the tread is worn off, you can just regroove them. After that tread's gone, retread them. they'll last a damn long time, though I worry about what grooving it in the first place will do to them... :confused:

After grooving my TSL radials, noise got a litter louder, but they actually became a lot less carppy than they initially were...but still crappy nonetheless...Simex helped me out in that domain :D

If anything the noise will be a little louder or about the same. A lot of noise is created by the "unevenness" of the rotation of off road tyres with high void areas. Increasing the void area won't reduce the noise. And won't make the tyre rotate any more smoothly.

Probably the biggest factor with the XZL is it looks as if all the side lugs are uniform width all the way round. A lot of other tyres (MT's, MTR's, etc) have staggered lug widths to reduce road noise.