Does it all come down to tires?

[Kelly]

Driving skills aside, when it comes to your vehicles ability to get you where you want to go, isn't it fair to say most the upgrades we do to our rigs are centered around helping our tires do their job? Whether it's tire diameter, tire width, tire tread, air pressure, articulation, lockers, ground clearance, torque, gearing, horsepower, etc.

Am I right, or just trying to justify putting up with the reduced mileage, expense, and noise, of running 33x12.50 KM2s?

 

[jdunk]

Personally, I would have to say that tires, are the single most important part of any vehicle.

 

[VDawg1115]

I think I remember reading an article in FourWheeler about best basic mods you can do to your rig. I do believe tires were number one if not two.

I got KO2s, don't really see myself with mudterrains. Tires are pricey and all terrains last longer. Who knows, that might change. Mud terrains do look a lot better though

 

[IronPercheron]

New 4Runner came with Terra Grappler and I really like them but I look forward to replacing them with some like a Cooper discoverer ST Max.

I have these on my super duty and it's really good that I did several times because that heavy Pig hates the Soft Stuff

 

[trikebubble]

We will drive a lot of miles to get to some interesting off road adventures (our 6000km road trip to Colorado and back is a prime example) , so for me a good AT tire that performs half decent on road and good offroad is the way to go. Currently I'm running the KO2's in a 285 and have been very pleased. In our travels I have not found them lacking at all yet and will likely replace them with the same when they wear out. I run them close to 40psi on road, and anywhere from 18-25 offroad, depending on circumstance. I have not had much experience with lower quality or off branded tires on my offroad rig. Tires are one thing where I feel that the investment in a good quality sound tire is well worth it. I have always used the same thought process when buying motorcycle tires, and have yet to be let down. All the money we spend on our rigs , and all the loved ones that we travel with in our rigs meets the road and trail on 4 little patches of rubber so yeh, I think that tires play a most crucial part and pretty much sit at the top of the pyramid.

 

[The other Sean]

Proper tires and skill behind the wheel are the two most important things in my eyes.

 

[Mark D]

You are just trying to justify and that is OK. Yea, tires are super important but this is a hobby/sport and we do some pretty dumb things and spend stupid amount of money to get OFF THE GRID! Spend the money and get the new tires and then tell us about the trip you took.

 

[Kelly]

You are just trying to justify and that is OK. Yea, tires are super important but this is a hobby/sport and we do some pretty dumb things and spend stupid amount of money to get OFF THE GRID! Spend the money and get the new tires and then tell us about the trip you took.

Can't afford the gas for a trip,... spent too much on tires ;-)

 

[O.Dfj]

Can't afford the gas for a trip,... spent too much on tires ;-)

I think you need 37s

 

[pseebald]

I just got the new cooper stt pros in 315. They look great and are really not loud at all. They have some great reviews off-road. I haven't been able to test them yet though

 

[IronPercheron]

I just got the new cooper stt pros in 315. They look great and are really not loud at all. They have some great reviews off-road. I haven't been able to test them yet though

Youll love them

 

[WJ - Firefly]

I still like my Kenda Klevers. They have held up well, even while I played with tire pressures. They are a little noisy at slow speeds on pavement, but I don't even notice them at highway speeds (probably got too many other noises). They did much better than I expected from a M/T in the snow and ice last year. They got me up the hill at Redbird and I haven't got stuck anywhere, except when I high-centered on the mud-hole rim at Redbird.

Videos located here...

https://www.overlandbound.com/forums/threads/redbird-sra-in-dugger-indiana-meetup-and-trail-run.1253/page-35

 

[O.Dfj]

I still like my Kenda Klevers. They have held up well, even while I played with tire pressures. They are a little noisy at slow speeds on pavement, but I don't even notice them at highway speeds (probably got too many other noises). They did much better than I expected from a M/T in the snow and ice last year. They got me up the hill at Redbird and I haven't got stuck anywhere, except when I high-centered on the mud-hole rim at Redbird.

Videos located here...

https://www.overlandbound.com/forums/threads/redbird-sra-in-dugger-indiana-meetup-and-trail-run.1253/page-35

Those tires are awesome my cousin has a set on his f150. He has beat the crap out of them and made me a believer.

 

[RaggedViking]

My first truck, when I was 17, was a 1985 Chevy S10... I started off-roading with it while we were driving it home from where I bought it.
I did okay out on the trail, but when I put some General Grabber's on there - I really started moving (while starting the ongoing process of learning how to drive on the trail).
So, I would say tires are huge.

4 Wheel Drive helps...
I remember when mine went out...
But that's another story for another time...

 

[WCO_Ryan]

100% feel that tires are the number 1 deciding factor in a vehicles off road ability. all the other mods will do nothing with out proper traction. And another vote for the BFG KO2's

 

[ColoradoPacific]

Duratracs are another great option. I just put on my second set. Ran over 45,000 miles with the first set, and probably could've gone another 10,000 (didn't want to risk it in the Colorado winter though). They aren't very loud on pavement, and have awesome grip off-road. Some reports of weak sidewalls when they first came out, but have not seen or heard of any recent issues. I usually air down to 10-15psi and get plenty of squishiness out of them.

 

[OffThaGrid1906]

I would definitely say tires make a big difference. But, you still need skills behind the wheel and a capable vehicle.

 

[Motor Gypsy Pair]

I know we are a little late to this thread, however... we run the Super Swamper IROK'S in 37's on our Sami. 12.5 wide, on 15" rim. Don't gag! Yup... the usual swampers are so loud they need volume control... not these! Promise. We have driven them back and forth to Virginia from Florida. Twice. They were great at Wind Rock Park in E. Tennessee - dropped to 5# air pressure and they were flawless! Just our 2 cents :-)

Sent from my SM-G930V using OB Talk mobile app

 

[TreXTerra]

Driving skills aside, when it comes to your vehicles ability to get you where you want to go, isn't it fair to say most the upgrades we do to our rigs are centered around helping our tires do their job? Whether it's tire diameter, tire width, tire tread, air pressure, articulation, lockers, ground clearance, torque, gearing, horsepower, etc.

Am I right, or just trying to justify putting up with the reduced mileage, expense, and noise, of running 33x12.50 KM2s?

I would say that traction is the most important thing and tires are the most important factor in gaining traction. If you take two identical stock rigs, one with factory spec all season tires and one with All Terrain or Mud Terrain tires in the stock size, the vehicle with the upgraded tires will simply perform better off road because it can get the power to the ground with minimal loss of traction (wheel spin).

You can enhance the traction of the vehicle further by fitting larger tires or changing the aspect ratio of width to sidewall so you can air down and get a bigger contact patch. There are times when even this is not enough and we have to move to other components to enhance mechanical grip, this is where suspension comes into play. The purpose of the suspension is to keep the tires on the ground over rough terrain, a tire that isn't on the ground has no traction and cannot help the vehicle move forward. Suspension articulation is how we measure this, it defines how "crossed up" the front and rear can be from each other before a tire loses traction and can no longer move the vehicle.

Sometimes we find ourselves in terrain that exceeds the limits of the suspension and we can no longer move forward. This is when a locking differential (or two) can force the tire(s) with grip to do more work by sending power to them.

Everything on the vehicle is there to manage traction, the tires are probably the most important part of that equation, but they are certainly not the only part.

 

[Egan]

I have friend that owns a 4x4 shop in Fresno, I asked him to get me some 315/75R16 Nitto Trail Grapplers. However I let him convince me to go with Comforser CF3000's which are a mud terrain tire. It is what he runs on his rig. They were $200 a tire. So I saved $700 on the set and I am very happy with them. They have performed very well in all conditions, although I have not had them in the snow yet. They are loud, but it doesn't bother me, my wife has different opinion. I have about 12000 miles on them and they look new. I would reccomend them.