WreckDiver1321's 2003 Frontier CC SC

[wreckdiver1321]

Yeah that's a little too skinny for my liking, my pathy is not too tippy in the corners, but I don't want to push it.

If you had 215's, it'd look like you had model T tires on your truck!

Welcome to the club! you're member no four. Co-Opski, Mortonm, me and now you I think so far?

I think they look great on your truck, it looks all-business now I've never heard of these tires before though, they must be a rebadged something but I can't quite put my finger on it?

Thanks, I'm glad to be here. This is where the cool kids hang out, right?

Ah! I missed the part about Hercules, I only read Terra Trac. Cooper makes awesome tires and they make tires for several brands, good choice.

Yep, made in the good ole USA! And all for under $800. Not bad eh?

 

[wreckdiver1321]

It's a Nissan off road parking lot party!

So I pulled up to park at school today and, naturally, parked next to these two:

You know you would too! Haha. It's like an informative display on the evolution of Nissan pickups. The Hardbody on the left has an ARB bumper and sits on street tires. The Frontier is on stock suspension with 31x10.5x15 GY Authoritys. And then there's mine. You can see from these pictures how much more height I have over a stock Fronty. You can also see the big difference in tire width.

A couple of notes on the tires:
I drove them on the freeway to get to school and they handle pretty well. A bit of noise, but nothing major. They feel different than my 265s. Not better or worse, just different. I also didn't really notice a decrease in power, which was nice.

In town, I was purposely seeking out deeper snow and slush. With wider tires, I've noticed if you put one tire in, it tends to pull you from the road. Not so with the 235s. There is almost no wandering or change in direction.

Now, I also went to a soggy open field that had a good amount of mud on it. In areas that I was bogging down in 2wd, I purposely came to a complete stop. I then tried to drive out. The tires spun once, flung mud EVERYWHERE, and dug in and pulled me out, while still in 2wd. So far, I'm impressed

 

[mortonm]

Wow you look a lot taller than the other two, and the tires are definitely noticeably skinnier, good looking group!

I had this reality check yesterday....2500 Dodge on 35s and 2500 Chevy on 33s...ouch.

 

[Co-opski]

In town, I was purposely seeking out deeper snow and slush. With wider tires, I've noticed if you put one tire in, it tends to pull you from the road. Not so with the 235s. There is almost no wandering or change in direction.

^^^ this is why I went with that size tire in the first place. Many highway miles in the mountains and not much off raod winter driving. Many people will tell you a wide tire is good for snow and from what I've found is that the skinny tire is good for on road snow up to 25 inches 30 to about bumper high if you chain up. Now for off-road snow wheeling one would need a purposely built rig with at least a bead lock for single digit psi and 35+ inches tall.

Truck looks good, just how I would build it if I was starting over.

 

[Allof75]

Wow you look a lot taller than the other two, and the tires are definitely noticeably skinnier, good looking group!

I had this reality check yesterday....2500 Dodge on 35s and 2500 Chevy on 33s...ouch.

Welcome to every time I switch from the Pathy to the Ram.... oh well, being smaller means there's a lot less to get hung up on, and if you notice, most of those big trucks don't have as much ground clearance as you'd expect.

PS: Nice pics WreckDriver!

 

[wreckdiver1321]

Wow you look a lot taller than the other two, and the tires are definitely noticeably skinnier, good looking group!

I had this reality check yesterday....2500 Dodge on 35s and 2500 Chevy on 33s...ouch.

Thank you sir! I've got about 3 1/2 inches over the other Frontier in the pictures. I'm digging the look. Just think how it's going to look with an ARB hanging off the front!

And I've had that reality check before. Principally when I was parked next to my dad's F250. But "Nancy" actually has a lot more ground clearance. The other thing that makes me smile when I'm parked next to fullsize trucks is that I know my little Nissan will handle the tighter trails way better, get better fuel mileage, and be WAY easier to park!

^^^ this is why I went with that size tire in the first place. Many highway miles in the mountains and not much off raod winter driving. Many people will tell you a wide tire is good for snow and from what I've found is that the skinny tire is good for on road snow up to 25 inches 30 to about bumper high if you chain up. Now for off-road snow wheeling one would need a purposely built rig with at least a bead lock for single digit psi and 35+ inches tall.

Truck looks good, just how I would build it if I was starting over.

Thanks man! I'm loving the way it's coming along so far. I can't wait to keep it going.

I know some people who have run this tire size on the mountain trails in the winter, and here's what I've noticed. They handle up to two feet of snow beautifully, even more so when you're chained up. Anything deeper, and you're scuppered. Luckily, it's rare in Montana to get that much snow on accessible trails. So I figure it's the perfect tire for out here, summer and winter.

Nice pics WreckDriver!

Thank you my man!

 

[wreckdiver1321]

So I was able to put the tires through a lot more testing today, and here's what I came up with.



On Road
On the road, they are a bit louder than the all weather highway tread Generals I had on the truck before. They do hum and make the ride feel just a tiny bit less refined. That being said, they still feel fantastic, very planted and well mannered. They don't wander at all, and the truck doesn't tip any more in the corners than it used to. I haven't noticed any power loss, although I'm sure there is some. I also have to see how far off the speedo is now. With a few inches of slush or snow, there is absolutely zero drama. No wandering or bucking. I hardly even notice it in the steering wheel, which is a big improvement over the 265s. On the ice, their traction is decent. Nothing like a winter tire, but respectable. I've noticed that when I stand on the brakes, the ABS kicks in later than with the other tires. Also, the back tires seem less prone to breaking loose.

Off Road
On the rough stuff, these tires really shine. I found some fields full of sloppy mud and had a go with only 2wd. I would let the truck stick a bit and come to a full stop. when I took my foot off the brake, the rear tires would spin slowly and the truck would hardly move. A quick stab of the gas, and the tires would spin and clean REALLY well. Those voids at the shoulders launch the mud out after one revolution and dig in. In the truck, you can really feel it suddenly grab and push you forward. Honestly, they handle the mud in stride, gripping pretty well. On the rocky terrain, they have almost zero spin, even when the rocks are slick with water. Those shoulders hang onto the rocks and provide a good amount of grip. On rocky, muddy hill climbs taken without a running start, these tires provide good traction and pull you up with almost zero spin.

Overall, I'm extremely pleased with these tires. We'll see how they wear as time goes on, but for now I am quite impressed. I searched high and low for a good, aggressive all terrain suitable for the trails I encounter, and I'm happy with my choice so far. I would definitely recommend these to someone searching for a good, aggressive AT tire, especially those those who are looking for an alternative to the BFG AT that is better in the mud.

Here's a few pics that'll give you a better look. What do you think?











PS - I'm sorry for the massive pictures. My laptop had a complete hard drive crash and I'm doing all of this off of my phone!

 

[mortonm]

It sounds like love at first site!

I agree about the width, look how much skinner the Xterra is compared to the full sizers, they are at least a full foot wider. And the front overhangs on the new trucks tend to be terrible. Huge plastic bumper covers waiting to be ripped off. Nice and shiny though...

 

[stioc]

I said it before the tires suit the truck very well. Great job on the whole truck so far, can't wait to see the ARB bumper on it

 

[Allof75]

I like the tires, and size very much. Very well balanced look to your truck. Is it me, or are those spots to install winter studs? Planning on taking advantage of those?

 

[wreckdiver1321]

I like the tires, and size very much. Very well balanced look to your truck. Is it me, or are those spots to install winter studs? Planning on taking advantage of those?

You are correct, sir. Those are anchors for studs. I'm not going to put them in, though. There's only been a few instances during the winters here that I wished I had studded tires. All of those times, I was simply trying to stop in vehicles that either didn't have ABS or had ABS that was inoperative. I now have it. I know the system isn't nearly as good as studded tires, but it's way better than what I've had before. And these tires do well enough on ice that I'm not worried. I'll just drive more carefully

I have noticed a bit of wandering and vagueness at highway speeds. I have named this the DuraTrac Effect, due to the fact that the symptoms I'm having are similar to the DuraTrac when new. A bit of wandering and vagueness. It's nearly unnoticeable, but it's there. I'm pretty sure it will go away after a few thousand miles or so. If not, I'm going to give some consideration to switching to the Cooper ST Maxx. I hope this isn't a symptom of the 235/85 size?

 

[mortonm]

You are correct, sir. Those are anchors for studs. I'm not going to put them in, though. There's only been a few instances during the winters here that I wished I had studded tires. All of those times, I was simply trying to stop in vehicles that either didn't have ABS or had ABS that was inoperative. I now have it. I know the system isn't nearly as good as studded tires, but it's way better than what I've had before. And these tires do well enough on ice that I'm not worried. I'll just drive more carefully

I have noticed a bit of wandering and vagueness at highway speeds. I have named this the DuraTrac Effect, due to the fact that the symptoms I'm having are similar to the DuraTrac when new. A bit of wandering and vagueness. It's nearly unnoticeable, but it's there. I'm pretty sure it will go away after a few thousand miles or so. If not, I'm going to give some consideration to switching to the Cooper ST Maxx. I hope this isn't a symptom of the 235/85 size?

I have no issue with the same. I think a lot of tires feel "squirmy" when new. Once you get them worn in you will be okay.

Don't forget you have a pretty deep tread, so the tread blocks will tend to move around a little more than other ATs and a lot more than your old tires.

 

[wreckdiver1321]

I have no issue with the same. I think a lot of tires feel "squirmy" when new. Once you get them worn in you will be okay.

Don't forget you have a pretty deep tread, so the tread blocks will tend to move around a little more than other ATs and a lot more than your old tires.

You make a good point. Like I said, the DuraTrac Effect.

And you're right there. They're not dangerous or anything. Not even that bad, really. Just different than I'm used to. I'm pretty confident they'll firm up after they're broken in.

 

[mortonm]

You make a good point. Like I said, the DuraTrac Effect.

And you're right there. They're not dangerous or anything. Not even that bad, really. Just different than I'm used to. I'm pretty confident they'll firm up after they're broken in.

Simple solution, drive on more dirt than pavement

 

[wreckdiver1321]

Now THAT'S a great fix! Problem solved! Just stay off road!