Who make thinner "expedition style" tires

[bowtied_micky]

I have looked around but everything I find in the 35-37" tire is at the minimum 12 inches wide. Since most expo vehicles I see run thinner tires, who make a good AT/MT that is thinner? Say 8-10" wide.

thanks
micky

[Elwenil]

Search. This has been covered a few times recently in various tire threads. Also, all the major tire manufacturers have websites that detail the assorted sizes and tread patterns they offer.

[MilspecXJ]

Lots of good info in the Expedition Tire thread here.

http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=679857


Anyway, i just picked up a set of BFG 33x10.5's for my rig.

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d24/ExpeditionXJ/33X10BFGMT001.jpg

[bowtied_micky]

I saw the BFG tires, but i wonder how loud they would be. Despite my love of off road my ass spends the majority of time on road. The large lugs would lead me to think those tires will hum like mad on the highway and there is no siping (spelling?). I am no tire expert but I heard that siping is what grabs in snow and ice, which we do get here in Ohio.


micky

[Elwenil]

My buddy had a set of the 33 x 10.50 BFG MTs on his Taco and they were noisier than the average AT, but not bad for a MT really. I'd say they are not as loud as my Goodyear Wrangler MTs, which suck ass by the way.

Most of the skinny tires are going to be either oddball mud tires like Interco junk or 16"-17" metric sized tires.

[crashnzuk]

Don't they still make the BFG all terrain in a 33/10.50?
Travis..

[jeffy]

Don't they still make the BFG all terrain in a 33/10.50?
Travis..

The AT KO's come in 33x10.5R15's as well as 33.9.5R15's.

[Elwenil]

Don't they still make the BFG all terrain in a 33/10.50?
Travis..

Yup.

http://www.bfgoodrichtires.com/specs/mud-terrain-t-a-km/1152.html

[tb]

super swamper makes some skinny tires, as does simex

[tb]

they are called narrow s.s they come in 34x9.5x15, 16, 16.5

[Elwenil]

I mentioned the Interco junk several posts up.

[6xCrew]

Super Swamper makes a Q78 also. IT is 35.5x11

[Elwenil]

You people do realize that Interco makes Super Swampers don't you?

[crashnzuk]

You people do realize that Interco makes Super Swampers don't you?

I'll jump on, they make a 34x10.50 LTB also:flipoff2::D
Travis..

[HahnsB2]

BFG MTs aren't very loud. You can get any tire siped. I second the 34x10.5 LTB although they're a bit on the small side for you.

[RockMolester]

The Super Swamper LTB (http://www.intercotire.com/site36.php) 34x10.5 runs very small. It's more like a small 33" tire.

The "Special Service" a.k.a. "Narrow Super Swamper" (http://www.intercotire.com/site32.php) TSL Bias-ply 34x9 and 34x9.5 runs very big. It's a tiny bit taller than most 35" tires.

The Super Swamper SSR (http://www.intercotire.com/site34.php) radial 35x10.5 is just about dead-on in terms of its rated size.

But whatever you do - don't trust the published dimensions on Interco's web site. If the tires' actual dimensions match their published dimensions, it's purely a matter of luck. Interco is notorious for having wildly inaccurate dimensions in their pamplets and website, and the various series of tires have quite a lot of variance from one brand to another (LTB versus Narrow SS, for instance).

In addition to narrow 33's, you might also look into metric size 255/85-16, which is approximately 33x10. I have the 255/85-16 Interco Super Swamper TrXus M/T's on my Pinzgauer right now, and when I wear them out I will most likely be upgrading to the 34x9 Special Service Super Swamper. If you don't like Interco's tires, there are several other brands that manufacture light truck tires in this size, including BFGoodrich and Cooper.

[The Adam Blaster]

To add to Rockmolester's comments/feelings on Interco tires...
The tire distributor that i am working for right now won't get involved in selling the tires because there is far too much warranty work with that brand. Way too many tires come back unable to balance, manufacturer defects, crazy uneven wear, ect. ect. ect...
The previous distributor I was with was selling them, but was planning on dropping the whole line because of the ridiculous percentage of tires they had to warranty.

To me, an "expedition tire" should be more dependable than what Interco's have been across the board.
I'm not saying that they aren't tough tires for the most part, but you usually don't find out there's a problem until you mount them on your rig. And if after driving through the desert/rainforest/arctic and blow a tire and need to use a spare only to find out that there's a problem with it... That's generally the worst time to realize you chose the wrong tire. ;)

[Elwenil]

I second everything bad that has ever been said about Interco tires.

[RockMolester]

I will not say that all of Interco's tires are perfect; I've had my share of out-of-round Swampers. But in 15 years and 5 different off-road trucks, I've never had one go flat or delaminate or blow out or any other problems. Having worked for almost 5 years at 4 Wheel Parts, I can say that the "defective" tires people came back to us with for warranty were usually a result of having overloaded the tires, and having run them underinflated.

When mounting new Swampers, if they required an excessive amount of weight to balance, or were significantly out-of-round, then 4 Wheel Parts wouldn't even put them on a customer's truck; we'd immediately mark the tire as defective and install a new one. That's also one of the reasons why we would test-drive the truck before turning the keys over to the customer. And why 4 Wheel Parts also has a lifetime warranty available on any tires you buy.

Interco tires may be sub-par on-road, but they will survive off-road punishment that other brands won't. I warrantied out more BFG's with torn sidewalls than any other brand, but almost all "off-road" radial tires are hardly more than passenger car tires with knobby tread. Swampers - especially their bias ply tires - have thick, tough sidewalls that survive a lot more punishment. But as a result, they're heavier, harder to balance, and generate more heat at highway speeds and when overloaded, so they're more prone to delamination and other side effects. Does that make them "defective" though?

One other compromise with the Super Swampers is that they are made with a less-expensive clamshell mold, rather than the much more costly multi-segment molds that modern and more street-friendly tires are made with. This is why Super Swampers are generally so much less expensive than, say, a BFG or Goodyear or Toyo or Nitto or Pro Comp or other street-friendly M/T's. But the clamshell molds don't make as perfectly round a tire as the more expensive segmented molds. There's always a tradeoff.

What I'm trying to say is that if you want a set of Super Swampers, buy them from a shop that will help make sure that you've got a complete set of good ones - a reasonable amount of weights, and reasonably round and smooth. And if you can get a warranty like 4 Wheel Parts offers, then even if the tires do have a problem later on down the road (or trail) you won't be out-of-pocket for a whole new tire. And while a warranty won't help you when you're out in the middle of nowhere with a flat, the lower price of the set of Swampers means you could probably carry an extra spare tire for the same price, if you're really that worried.

Or you could just buy another brand, if you really don't like Swampers.

I just wish we had more companies offering "pizza cutter" tires - tall, skinny, knobby, and tough. Mickey Thompson specializes in fat tires, so why can't they or someone else specialize in skinny tires?

[bowtied_micky]

I think im going to hold off til august to see what new sizes of KM2 are being released. If they have one that fits what i want then thats where im going.


micky

[Elwenil]

I don't know what rim you are running, but don't count on any 16.5" tires. I emailed BFG and they said they have no intentions of making anymore 16.5" tires in the future and will eventually discontinue the ones they have now. So much for cheap HMMWV beadlocks.

[SUPERPOWERDAVE]

I've had good luck with BFG, Maxxis and Interco both. A lot of it depends on what you're doing with it. The BFG was a good all-around tire, while the Maxxis and Interco blow it away off-road. It was my experience that they just stuck to the rocks a little better, definitely flexed better when aired down, and cleaned themselves out a lot better.

We do run heavy trucks though, so it may be that the weight of the truck was a factor.

[RockMolester]

I've had good luck with BFG, Maxxis and Interco both. A lot of it depends on what you're doing with it. The BFG was a good all-around tire, while the Maxxis and Interco blow it away off-road. It was my experience that they just stuck to the rocks a little better, definitely flexed better when aired down, and cleaned themselves out a lot better.

We do run heavy trucks though, so it may be that the weight of the truck was a factor.

Not to mention the fact that you're comparing a radial tire to bias ply tires. The different carcass construction plays a big part in the tires' abilities to wrap around the terrain - in addition to the superior sidewall strength of a bias-ply design.

FWIW, I just emailed BFG to voice my desire for a 34x9 or 35x10 MT-KM2. It'll probably never happen, since wide tires are what's cool now. But if you want pizza-cutters, it wouldn't hurt to email BFG (and other tire mfg's) so they can hear your voice and know that there IS demand out there for tall/skinny tires.

[Rockjock]

Check out the Toyo M55. The USFS uses them and we (the USGS) use them on our trucks. Awesome tire, wears like iron, and I run the 255 85 r16 (or 33x10.50) on my personal truck.

[unreng]

STA (http://www.stausaonline.com/light-truck/index.html) is one of the few manufacturers making tall skinny tires.

The only issue is that most of the tires are bias ply. The local Tyres Int. had 5 Superlugs for ~$830 (I think).

[SUPERPOWERDAVE]

Not to mention the fact that you're comparing a radial tire to bias ply tires. The different carcass construction plays a big part in the tires' abilities to wrap around the terrain - in addition to the superior sidewall strength of a bias-ply design.

Yeah, I guess that's why I said "A lot depends on what you do with it." Guess I should be more specific next time :)

[dyogim]

I'll be running Michelin XL's 11.00R16 on my rig once I get some wheels for it. I'm currently running Procomp muds 35x1250x15. I got these tires new for a great price. Although they are not as good as some of the other dedicated mud/rock tires, they seem to be a great all-around tire. Which is what I was looking for. Here's a pic of the tire next to my spare tire (same size as the procomps). I plan on grooving/siping most of the lugs.

http://lh4.ggpht.com/dyogim/SIQr06dkUUI/AAAAAAAAAsQ/zIGu6uPC8xg/s400/P7200025.JPG

[bullitt9350]

Another vote for the 33x10.50 BFG MTs. I love mine on my XJ, and I had 34x10.50 LTBs before that. I switched over to the BFGs since my rig sees 90% pavement, otherwise I would have stayed with the LTBs.

[RockMolester]

I just wish there were more options for a 35x9 or 35x10 as a radial beyond just the 35x10.5 Swamper SSR.

[dyogim]

I just wish there were more options for a 35x9 or 35x10 as a radial beyond just the 35x10.5 Swamper SSR.

If you can find them, the tires I have are offered in a 9.00R16 radial, that is 36" tall.

[RockMolester]

If you can find them, the tires I have are offered in a 9.00R16 radial, that is 36" tall.

Yeah, I know there are some 9.00R16 radials, but they're a bit too tall. Besides the SSR, there's nothing between the 255/85-16 (effectively a 33" tire) and a 9.00R16 (effectively a 37" tire).

[Elwenil]

No 9.00R16 I have ever seen was 37" tall. More like 34". 9"+16"+9"=34" I think you are thinking of the 11.00R16s which are more like 38", give or take.

Also there are many narrow sized tires out there for 16" rims that are metric sized such as the KM2 in LT285/75R16 size which BFG lists as 33"x11", the KM in LT235/85R16 which is 32"x9", LT255/85R16 which is 33"x10", etc. Other major manufacturers have similar sizes.

[RockMolester]

No 9.00R16 I have ever seen was 37" tall. More like 34". 9"+16"+9"=34" I think you are thinking of the 11.00R16s which are more like 38", give or take.

Yeah, sorry. You're absolutely right. I was thinking 11.00R16's, because they're the next jump up from 9.00R16 which is too small for my needs. There's no "in-between" size available.

[camo]

my skinny expedition tyres :flipoff2:

40 x 13.5

interco tire even calls a line of their swamper " narrow SS " http://www.intercotire.com/site32.php

.

http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa153/camo_p4x4/f350_003.jpg

[winkosmosis]

I think you can get BFG ATs in 33x9.5

[HandBuilt]

Yeah, sorry. You're absolutely right. I was thinking 11.00R16's, because they're the next jump up from 9.00R16 which is too small for my needs. There's no "in-between" size available.

Michelin 900R16 XLs measured 35.5 mounted on 6" wide Land-Rover rims...

[85blue4runner]

maxxis makes a 37 x 12.50 if you want a larger tire that is not too wide..

[RockMolester]

Michelin 900R16 XLs measured 35.5 mounted on 6" wide Land-Rover rims...

So where is everyone sourcing these tires?

[Elwenil]

Military surplus. Keep in mind that in a lot of cases the military took them off and sold them for a reason. Dry rot and weathering is common. Also, keep in mind that a lot of the 16" XL tires are designed for vehicles like the Striker APC and are for heavy off road use. They aren't going to flex a lot without damaging the rubber and if you have your spare mounted very high, you will need a small boom or helpers to get it up and down as these tires are heavy. On the other hand, these are top quality off road radial tires and not some cheap thrown together crap like Interco.

[1sicbronconut]

I see Interco now has the IROK in a 245/75/16. I checked out there web site for the specs but they are not listed yet. I have seen them for sale on ebay for around $125-$135 each, dose'nt seen that bad.

[dyogim]

So where is everyone sourcing these tires?

Got mine on ebay from a guy in Socal. There's a site that supposedly sourced some Michelins locally in the Bay Area. Pacheco (E. Bay Area), CA to be exact by a business call Bill's Tires. Not sure if it's still in business or if they even offer them anymore.

Not sure if this is a plus or not on these michelins but, I 've heard these can be retreaded? Anyone know if the XL's and/or XZL's can be retreaded and how much? Les Schwab is an authorized dealer for Michelin and offers retreading.

[RockMolester]

I see Interco now has the IROK in a 245/75/16. I checked out there web site for the specs but they are not listed yet. I have seen them for sale on ebay for around $125-$135 each, dose'nt seen that bad.

That's only about a 31x9.5 tire - way too small for any expedition vehicle worth 'wheeling! :D

[1sicbronconut]

Yea I was hoping for a 255 instead, need some tall skin tires for my uncut early Bronco expidition rig.

[Downunder]

Got mine on ebay from a guy in Socal. There's a site that supposedly sourced some Michelins locally in the Bay Area. Pacheco (E. Bay Area), CA to be exact by a business call Bill's Tires. Not sure if it's still in business or if they even offer them anymore.

Not sure if this is a plus or not on these michelins but, I 've heard these can be retreaded? Anyone know if the XL's and/or XZL's can be retreaded and how much? Les Schwab is an authorized dealer for Michelin and offers retreading.

I used 11.00 x 16 Michy's for 12 years, each case can be retreaded 3 times meaning you get in total, 4 runs from the casing.

Beware, they are very heavy and you'll damage the side walls if you run them at too low a pressure for extended periods By this I mean several hundred Km's at once at say 12/15PSI with a 6 ton load..

They are very stiff and built for heavy rigs, mine weighted in at 6 Tons. I used Xl's then XZL's, they are VERY pressure critical in hot temps on tar roads.

The XZL doesn't really like to be a steering tyre as it'll scallop if not on a driven axle.

However, all of that said, I had 'em for 12 years and there is a reason for that, they're good.

Al

[dyogim]

I used 11.00 x 16 Michy's for 12 years, each case can be retreaded 3 times meaning you get in total, 4 runs from the casing.

Beware, they are very heavy and you'll damage the side walls if you run them at too low a pressure for extended periods By this I mean several hundred Km's at once at say 12/15PSI with a 6 ton load..

They are very stiff and built for heavy rigs, mine weighted in at 6 Tons. I used Xl's then XZL's, they are VERY pressure critical in hot temps on tar roads.

The XZL doesn't really like to be a steering tyre as it'll scallop if not on a driven axle.

However, all of that said, I had 'em for 12 years and there is a reason for that, they're good.

Al

Thanks for the info! I new they were going to be stiff. I just go them mounted on some wheels and will be running 40 PSI on a 2000 Toyota tundra. Reading Michelin's site, they have no mention of retreading of the XL's

[Poohbair]

my11.00R16 Michelin XZL's measured around 38.75" tall on a 16x7 wheel mounted on my 4Runner.

Great tire for pavement, dirt, light mud.

Never had them in the sand, but they were the WORST tire I have EVER seen in the snow.

[dyogim]

my11.00R16 Michelin XZL's measured around 38.75" tall on a 16x7 wheel mounted on my 4Runner.

Great tire for pavement, dirt, light mud.

Never had them in the sand, but they were the WORST tire I have EVER seen in the snow.

Did you try siping and/or grooving them? I'm going to as soon as I get blades for the groover.

[Poohbair]

Did you try siping and/or grooving them? I'm going to as soon as I get blades for the groover.


Yes, I grooved them.. I cant find the close pics of the grooving, but you can sort of see the grooving on the front tire in this pic.

Buy lots of blades as the rubber is hard as fuck and takes FOREVER to groove and eats blades left and right.

The grooving did not help AT ALL in the snow.

I now have a diferent Runner with grooved ProComp XTerrains and they are FANTASTIC

http://krazyk5.com/albums/July-14-15-Lake-CleElum/DSCN0573.jpg

[Elwenil]

Never had them in the sand, but they were the WORST tire I have EVER seen in the snow.

You obviously haven't run Boggers in the snow, lol. Downright dangerous. :D

[Poohbair]

You obviously haven't run Boggers in the snow, lol. Downright dangerous. :D


I wheel regularly w/ people w/ boggers in the snow... they work like snowmobile tracks compared to the XZLs...

[Syncros]

My Krawler Blue's aren't to bad in the snow. Heres some XL's and XZL's in the snow, ran into these guys doing driver training in some old shitty rigs out in the bush.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v725/Madman596/DSCF0470.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v725/Madman596/DSCF0481.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v725/Madman596/DSCF0479.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v725/Madman596/DSCF0476.jpg

Yeah, Buddy took his Plymouth Laser AWD Turbo out there we followed in a Toyota.. passed all these guys on a hill that they were stuck on, ended up lending them our tow rope because they were all getting stuck.

[padesertboy]

Another vote for the BFG 33X10.5x15`s. I`ve had mine for 38K hard miles and had my first problem-sidewall blew out on the way to work. I`m getting another set soon and will be selling my old ones.

[dyogim]

Here's the michelin XL's. Put them on yesterday to test drive for a few miles.

http://lh5.ggpht.com/dyogim/SLa_FyI_oWI/AAAAAAAAA3I/B6evFPr1Bgs/s400/P8280098.JPG

http://lh6.ggpht.com/dyogim/SLa_GHcjIgI/AAAAAAAAA3Q/YpgLm3y0J_k/s400/P8280099.JPG

[RockMolester]

Here's the michelin XL's. Put them on yesterday to test drive for a few miles.

Pretty freakin' cool! Where'd you source them? I'm in your neck of the woods...

[gt5816v]

Here's the michelin XL's. Put them on yesterday to test drive for a few miles.

http://lh5.ggpht.com/dyogim/SLa_FyI_oWI/AAAAAAAAA3I/B6evFPr1Bgs/s400/P8280098.JPG

http://lh6.ggpht.com/dyogim/SLa_GHcjIgI/AAAAAAAAA3Q/YpgLm3y0J_k/s400/P8280099.JPG

Outstanding!:mr-t:

[dyogim]

Pretty freakin' cool! Where'd you source them? I'm in your neck of the woods...

I got them from a guy in Socal for about $450 (pretty much sold extra parts in the garage to pay for these). Shipping was about $100.

Outstanding!:mr-t:

Thanks!