Aggressive mud tire for expedition travel

[alexrex20]

I have never heard of using BBs. Do you actually put them inside the tire? Do you still use weights to balance the tire too? Sorry to sound like a noob.

yes, they go inside the tire and i don't use any other weights. the idea is that they will settle in the low spots.

you can buy DynaBeads which will fit through the valve stem, but at $20 per tire, they're not cheap. if you can break the bead and reset it yourself, you can use copper BBs or plastic AirSoft BBs. the airsoft are the most popular, but you typically need ~1000 airsoft BBs per tire, and at $15 per 2000 airsoft BBs, that's still more than i want to spend.

for $1.86 i got 1000 copper BBs from Wal Mart, and each tire only needs about 40-45 BBs.

some people even use golf balls to help balance their tires!

 

[alexrex20]

I think 285/75 is about the largest I can go. Supposedly running larger than 34 inch tires you start worrying about breaking birfs but as I don't have a locked front I'm not really too worried about that. I think 285/75 may be the best option (or a 33X10.4 tsl radial). I'm still trying to decide between the TSL radial and the ssr...

Alexander

just remember that the 285/75-16 SSR measures to an actual 33.9in, so it's basically a 34in tire.

 

[xcmountain80]

There aren't many aggressive Intero tires that balance worth a **** to be honest, for those who state otherwise, I'd be willing to ride in your vehicle and make an observation.

A

 

[alexrex20]

have you ever owned any Interco tires? i doubt it.

 

[Hilldweller]

One of the best things for mud is chains. Big Chains. Not no sissy street snow chains.

X2
No tire wins in gloppy clay mud. Swampers do the best but it will still be an ordeal and leave you pulling a winch line. Often.

In this video, I'm in the first Jeep and have Goodyear MTR/kevlars. The Jeep coming back from the right has Swampers and did marginally better. These weren't really even hills, just moguls:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KS9AgwzBjCU

 

[Token]

Boggers hands down if you're looking to stay unstuck.. I've got a friend that runs 42" Boggers on a VERY LARGE Dodge 2500.. It's not the most comfortable riding rig, but it'll go down the interstate at 90mph..

The 4000 down and back won't be a BIG issue in terms of wear on a tire you just want for this use.. I'd actually expect that after you're done with them on this trip, you should be able to sell them and get at least $200 of your money back.

 

[nobodyspecial]

The only issue that you will have if you decide on Boggers is that, while being the best tire for mud, in order for them to work effectively, you need to be able to achieve high wheel speed for the lugs to clean out properly.

If you cant keep the wheels spinning and the lugs cleaning out, you may as well be running racing slicks.

 

[Hilldweller]

This is my friend, Nut, being recovered on Saturday. He's in a built XJ on 34" Swampers.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avwpN2ZeyHY
He went through this same pit a few days earlier in a pickup on 40" Swampers.

Size matters as does wheel speed.

Get the chains...

 

[ersatzknarf]

For the 35x10.50R16 SSRs, the wheels were balanced alone by welding washers to the inboard side and that worked fine. The tires might go a bit square overnight in the cold weather, but after a few miles they were fine again. Mind you those tires with a very sturdy steel wheel made for a very heavy combination. Typical wheel weights were not going to do the job.

 

[The Adam Blaster]

I know cost is an issue for your trip and equipment, but have you thought about 2 sets of tires? You could take a little cargo trailer down with you to hold the offroad tires (TSLs) and drive with some normal street or AT tires that were a bit shorter. The more "streetable" tires would get you a more comfortable ride, and probably save you some gas money on the way there and on the way back. As well, yu would save some of the tread on your offroad tires, and if you plan on selling them after the trip, this might be a good way to go.
And you mentioned that you're planning on bringing a 2nd set of tires for the researchers that are already down there, maybe you were already planning on taking a trailer?

You wouldn't need a 2nd set of wheels, just get a local tire shop to dismount the little tires and mount up your larger rubber. That's providing that you can safely use the same rims for both sets...

Also, how good are the tires that are currently on the rig? Could you drive down there with them and then get the big meats thrown on?

 

[xcmountain80]

I know cost is an issue for your trip and equipment, but have you thought about 2 sets of tires? You could take a little cargo trailer down with you to hold the offroad tires (TSLs) and drive with some normal street or AT tires that were a bit shorter. The more "streetable" tires would get you a more comfortable ride, and probably save you some gas money on the way there and on the way back. As well, yu would save some of the tread on your offroad tires, and if you plan on selling them after the trip, this might be a good way to go.
And you mentioned that you're planning on bringing a 2nd set of tires for the researchers that are already down there, maybe you were already planning on taking a trailer?

You wouldn't need a 2nd set of wheels, just get a local tire shop to dismount the little tires and mount up your larger rubber. That's providing that you can safely use the same rims for both sets...

Also, how good are the tires that are currently on the rig? Could you drive down there with them and then get the big meats thrown on?

This is a good idea, I know a few members on other boards that do this with their DD when they plan on using them for an event.

A

 

[Hilldweller]

I have a second set of wheels/tires for my MINI Cooper ----- but all 4 of them weigh less than just one Jeep wheel/tire...

 

[Photog]

Since these tires are hard to get in that area, they might be easier to sell in that area, before you head back. Drive back on a set of A/T's that you can get there, or trade with someone for your M/T's.

The only time you will have a tire you don't need, is using the M/T's for the road trip down to the research event.

 

[astubbs]

According to a number of dealers interco is going under as of yesterday and shut down their factory. Looks like I'll have to find another tire as I've failed at finding anyone with the 34x10.5r15 ltbs in stock (which is the tire I had wanted to go with).

If anyone knows a tire shop with a large number of TSLs lying around I'd stock up now as they might be gone forever unless they get bought out.

Alexander

 

[The Adam Blaster]

A couple of days ago I saw an announcement by an Interco rep. that said they were having distribution problems due to one of their re-sellers that was going out of business, not Interco themselves.
That 2nd company is (was?) called Denman Tire.

You could always call Interco's corporate office and ask yourself. Sometimes the dealers don't always spread 100% accurate information.