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General Forums => The Mess Hall => Topic started by: jfrabat on May 11, 2009, 12:30:25 PM
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OK, so as some of you know, I have a '94 YJ rolling on the same tires that came with the rig (street 31"), but I have been preparing for larger MT's. Now, I am almost 100% decided on BFG's MT KM2 in 33" X 12.5, but now I am reconsidering if maybe it is worth it to go up to 35's...
Some background on what I have: I already have a 4" lift (RE Standard), and 4.88 gears (with ARB lockers) with alloy shafts on the D30 and D35 axels with stock tranny and 4 popper... Engine mods include e-fan, PD Ignition (will be gapped to .065" as soon as I install the Screaming Demon, which arrived this week), Borla cat back and Flowmaster (CarSound) high flow cat.
Terrain to be used on will be mostly mud (clay-like reddish mud), dirt roads, streets and highway (to get to the trails), some river rocks (river crossings).
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Depending on how much mud you are going to run in the next couple of years, Baja MTZ give you good street milage compared to MTR's which is a very good tire also. KM 2"s are a good choice also haven't hurt any complaints from folks I wheeled with them. 35's should be ok provided you don't go crazy with them.
If you are going to wheel a lot upgrade the front shafts with the 35's the stock ones will spread the yokes fairly quickly
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I'd check into the Interco TrXus MT. I had a set on my 01 and couldn't have been happier. They were cheaper than BFGs by a good bit and did well on ALL types of terrain.
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I'd check into the Interco TrXus MT. I had a set on my 01 and couldn't have been happier. They were cheaper than BFGs by a good bit and did well on ALL types of terrain.
How are these on the street? I've heard good and bad about these. Seems like Interco has kinda bad wrap for having out of round tires. Not sure if it's just internet hype or what. No one I run with runs Interco tires.
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OK, so as some of you know, I have a '94 YJ rolling on the same tires that came with the rig (street 31"), but I have been preparing for larger MT's. Now, I am almost 100% decided on BFG's MT KM2 in 33" X 12.5, but now I am reconsidering if maybe it is worth it to go up to 35's...
Some background on what I have: I already have a 4" lift (RE Standard), and 4.88 gears (with ARB lockers) with alloy shafts on the D30 and D35 axels with stock tranny and 4 popper... Engine mods include e-fan, PD Ignition (will be gapped to .065" as soon as I install the Screaming Demon, which arrived this week), Borla cat back and Flowmaster (CarSound) high flow cat.
Terrain to be used on will be mostly mud (clay-like reddish mud), dirt roads, streets and highway (to get to the trails), some river rocks (river crossings).
What tires are prevalent down there? I'd also go with a size of tire and brand that's readily available as well. How much street and now much dirt? Most of the tires I've seen have been BFG's or Interco SS's down south. I'd consider using what works there rather then here. Although there are places in the US with similar red-clay. Red-clay is really sticky stuff unless it's really wet in which case it turns really slimy. Sticks to everything too. It will stain anything and everything red over time. Not to mention rust as well. For that sort of stuff, I'd go Swampers. You won't really have to worry about it getting too cold and I'm sure they are readily available there as the LTB's are specifically made for the SA market.
I'd think about doing an axle swap though. I'm sure it will be easier to gather parts while you're still in the US then in Panama.
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Depending on how much mud you are going to run in the next couple of years, Baja MTZ give you good street milage compared to MTR's which is a very good tire also. KM 2"s are a good choice also haven't hurt any complaints from folks I wheeled with them. 35's should be ok provided you don't go crazy with them.
I was between the MTR's and the KM2's, but I have heard so many good comments about the KM2's, that I kind of went in that direction... As for mileage, since this will become the wekkend toy, I dont really care that much. Noise is more of a worry, as some trails are a couple of hours by highway, so I dont want the Jeep to sound like a WWII bomber... But SOME noise is OK.
35's should be ok provided you don't go crazy with them. If you are going to wheel a lot upgrade the front shafts with the 35's the stock ones will spread the yokes fairly quickly
I already upgraded both axles to SUper 35 and SUper 30... G2 alloy shafts on both ends with the bigger U-Joints up front. What worries me about the 35's is (1) wheel speed for cleaning the mud out and (2) spare tire (I dont have a carrier, and I know the 33" can ride on the stock carrier, but I am not sure the 35 will fit). But since the investment in tires is similar regardless of which size, I wonder if it is worth it to go to 35"...
I'd check into the Interco TrXus MT. I had a set on my 01 and couldn't have been happier. They were cheaper than BFGs by a good bit and did well on ALL types of terrain.
Are they radials? The Jeep will be sitting at home for long periods, so I am not sure how a bias tire will handle that... Cold is not a problem, as the record low in Panama is probably well above 60*.
What tires are prevalent down there? I'd also go with a size of tire and brand that's readily available as well. How much street and now much dirt? Most of the tires I've seen have been BFG's or Interco SS's down south. I'd consider using what works there rather then here. Although there are places in the US with similar red-clay. Red-clay is really sticky stuff unless it's really wet in which case it turns really slimy. Sticks to everything too. It will stain anything and everything red over time. Not to mention rust as well. For that sort of stuff, I'd go Swampers. You won't really have to worry about it getting too cold and I'm sure they are readily available there as the LTB's are specifically made for the SA market.
I'd think about doing an axle swap though. I'm sure it will be easier to gather parts while you're still in the US then in Panama.
I thought about the swampers, but the noise worries me a bit. When I used my cousin's FJ Cruiser, he had 36" Super Swampers, and it was noisy as hell. On the other hand, many people are running BFG and they all say they work well down there; I know that the KM's work perfectly, but not that many people are running KM2's yet... We do slap on some chains when it gets really bad, though.
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I'd go KM 2's... When I checked into them here in town, I found I could score a set mounted and balanced for just under $850. Could be that I know the assistant mgr. at the shop, but I think that was the going rate regardless. I'm hoping to slap a set on my rig this summer :smokes:
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Super Swaper SSR radials. A few guys run them here and they are not bad on the street and highway. And since they are Super Swampers they will do well in mud. I have heard from local jeepers that the BFG "mud" tires are not so good in mud, both the KM and KM2s. I would also stick with 33s because 35s will reduce your reliability unless you upgrade the axles.
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Super Swaper SSR radials. A few guys run them here and they are not bad on the street and highway. And since they are Super Swampers they will do well in mud. I have heard from local jeepers that the BFG "mud" tires are not so good in mud, both the KM and KM2s.
Well, I have heard from people back home that the BFG MT's actually have good traction, although many run boggers, TSL, Super Swampers, etc. This is a run at some mud in Panama using BFG MT KM's:
http://www.youtube.com/v/xQY1IQyTagw&hl=en&fs=1
They seem to have pretty good traction and where he gets a bit stuck, hey seem to clean out nicely (you can see the mud flying around). This is also a '94 YJ with 33" X 12.50 BFG MT KM's that a friend of mine took to Panama (his is the 4.0L, though, but otherwise, it is very similar to mine, even the same color - trust me, that's a green jeep under the mud!).
I would also stick with 33s because 35s will reduce your reliability unless you upgrade the axles.
That is a good point; between the reliability and the spare, I think I will stick with 33" tires. Now I just got to decide which brand/model...
Felipe
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I run the Mickey Thompson MTZ's and they seem to be becoming the local favorite for crossover on/offroad tire.
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I have pretty well the same setup you do, the only difference is I am still running 4.10 gears with 35x12.50 MT/R, so I think with the 4.88 you should be fine with 35's. I like the MT/R's offroad, I ran the old BFG M/T also and I like the goodyears a lot more, they seem to be lasting longer and I think are alot quieter. Over the noise of the motor and the exhaust, I don't even notice the noise from those. If you can fit 35's I would do those, cause I wish now I would have gone with 37"s when I replaced my tires
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I have pretty well the same setup you do, the only difference is I am still running 4.10 gears with 35x12.50 MT/R, so I think with the 4.88 you should be fine with 35's. I like the MT/R's offroad, I ran the old BFG M/T also and I like the goodyears a lot more, they seem to be lasting longer and I think are alot quieter. Over the noise of the motor and the exhaust, I don't even notice the noise from those. If you can fit 35's I would do those, cause I wish now I would have gone with 37"s when I replaced my tires
Do you run your spare in a carrier, or do you use the stock carrier?
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I would look for a tire that would work well in 80-90% of the terrain you will be in on and offroad. Get a tire that is locally supported for ease of repair and warranty (if you buy it). Goodyear recently came out with the new MT/R. BFG with its newer KM2s. Interco with redesign LTBs and new sizes (35x12.5x15 available!).
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How are these on the street? I've heard good and bad about these. Seems like Interco has kinda bad wrap for having out of round tires. Not sure if it's just internet hype or what. No one I run with runs Interco tires.
That is more of a problem with the larger Bias Intercos, and their customer service for me was superb!(I was ordering swag not a problem with the tires) These tires were almost disappointingly(sp?) quiet on the street! :) They handle rain, winter roads, and rocks with aplomb because of the amount of siping each tire has I think.
They are an very handsome tire as well...which is neither here nor there ,but, a plus when you're spending good money on tires. My wife cares nothing about tires and she even commented on how good they looked on the Jeep. When I bought them in 02 a 31x10.50 could be had for $104 ... way cheaper than BFG then. jmho, ymmv
Do a google search for TrXus Mt reviews a bunch of hits will come up along with pics.
PS: These tires were on a Blazer that won last years local mud drags against much more aggresive bias ply mudders!
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I had an aftermarket carrier and the new rear bumper i put on doesnt have one so one of the guys in the club is going to build a carrier for me, for the past few trips I have been just carrying my spare in the truck
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Yes a 33 will fit on stock tire carrier... when I put a bumper on it for recovery points the spare had to come off becauser it went too far down to clear the bumper
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Get the Firestone Destination MTs in 33". That way I'll know somebody with a Wrangler who can say whether the Destinations s$ck or whether they are as good as they are cracked up to be. Better you taking the $700-900 risk than me :lol: (kidding)