Greater On-(Dirt) Road Capability

[charlieaarons]

If bajajoaquin could figure out a way to get a bunch of these from Netherlands, both are narrower, taller, greater load capacity and stronger sidewalls than his 265s and should work if his 265s work on duals:

8.25R16C Michelin XZL

High traction and floatation capability Excellent sidewall protection Long, even tread wear Anti-chip compound All-wheel positions Often used for Unimog

vrakking-tires.com

255/100R16 (9.00R16) Michelin XZL

Old size is 9.00R16

vrakking-tires.com

Although with duals I’d order a dozen. Replacement set, carry 1 spare plus second unmounted spare.
According to a download I printed, the 8.25s would carry up to 12340 lb per dualled axle at 75mph. The 255s have max speed rating at 68 at LI 126 (subtract ~5% per tire for duals).

 

[bajajoaquin]

We run about 12-13k loaded. I’m running the Nitto Ridge Grappler in an F rating. Great tire and I can air ‘down’ to 30 without issues. Handles Baja washboard at 25mph with ease.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

What size do you run?

 

[Peter_n_Margaret]

Do you have dual rears by any chance?
If so, it will always be horrid off the black top. They will need to go...............
255/100R16 Michelin XZL
Fantastic tyre. They were standard on my vehicle when new, but were a bit low on weight capacity as the vehicle is configured. Single ply steel sidewalls stay cool and deflate well. Give the best ride on bad surfaces of anything available. Very expensive and hard to get now though.
Cheers,
Peter
OKA196 motorhome

 

[alanymarce]

Regarding shocks, any recommendations?

We've just renewed our dampers - replaced Dobinsons with newer, adjustable Dobinsons.

 

[bajajoaquin]

Tend to agree.

If the OP tires are indeed 235/85R16 then a modest step up to a LT255/85R16 should be able to reduce pressures ~10 psi at all corners ( per load and inflation tables). That's because of the higher load index. I'd expect going down from 70 to 60 should make a noticeable difference off highway. And that's street pressures.

The 255s will fit on stock rims and should only be 1-1 1/2 " larger, so only ~1/2" of sidewall increase but also not a lot of clearance or ratio change either.

Downside they'll be ~1" less space between the duals which is not helpful.

I've never run a wheel spacer but would consider them for dually off highway. Perhaps a 1.5" or maybe up to a 2". Would depend in part how close currently to max axle rating. I think that D80 was ~11 or 11.5 k

Back in the day 235/85R16 was the size on all the one tons used in the bush 'round here. M55 was the go to tire. A similar tough HD or Commercial tire would be choice if it worked for the OP in Baja.

On shocks, are the current ones shot ? If they are getting there a set of 4600s might be worth trying.

Lastly, can always try air down just the fronts for now to see if it helps any. Just watch out for tire temps.

I already air down to 65 on the rears, and 50 in the front, because the last time I aired down to 55 rear, I punctured a sidewall on my very first trip. This was after having traveled this area for over 20 years aggressively airing down previous vehicles. There's just enough weight that the sidewalls are really exposed when I air down much at all.

On the positive side, I really didn't get much more speed out of it when I was aired down to 55, so I'm not really losing much at the higher pressure, but my sidewalls are much more protected.

I need to pull off my hubcaps to take a look at my hubs, but I don't believe I have a whole lot of extra space on the hub for much of a spacer. I've got a 1/2" spacer set that my tire shop gave me, and if they look to fit, I'll add them if I get 255s. Chris at UJoint says that he runs 255s on stock wheels with no spacers in the rears and hasn't had any problems reported with rubbing, and his campers have done time in Alaska. So I'm going to go that way, and am just going to see if I can get some direction on shocks.

XZLs have been mentioned several times, and I haven't been able to find them here. I'm not keen on setting up my camper for a tire that isn't easily replaceable.

So I'm trying to see what shocks are a best bet to try next. I can afford to sell these tires and buy a new set, and buy a set of shocks, but I really don't have the money to be making this change a second time. I was leaning to Bilsteins, but I think they tend to have firmer damping than is "stock" which I don't think is optimal for me. I found a comparison of Fox vs King online, and it seems like King prioritizes adjustability in the mid-speed damping, which I think is where washboard is. I haven't heard back from their sales team yet, so I don't know what they have to say about my application.

 

[rruff]

Do you notice the ride getting progressively worse the longer you are on the washboard? Overheating would be expected with stock shocks eventually, and a drop in damping... but if they are like mine they didn't have much damping to start with. I think minimal damping is likely best for washboard

I'd call washboard high frequency bumps, not mid.

Best bet is to get tires you can air down.

 

[bajajoaquin]

I've been thinking about the reduction in speed due to fade. I'm not sure. It's pretty rough and pretty slow the whole time. I would have thought of washboard as high speed damping as well, but according to the gospel of the internet, it's more mid speed. Don't know, though.

For reference, here's a vid of my first trip to the area. This isn't the washboard road in question, but the end of the video (sorry it's so long), you can get a glimpse of my rear tires at 55psi. You can see just how much sidwall bulge there is, and even see a tan stripe around them where it's running on the sidewalls. Fronts look okay, though. I don't remember my pressure on them, unfortunately.

 

[bajajoaquin]

With the higher Load Index you might run the pressure 10 psi lower at street pressure, not airing down, just less min air needed for the same load. Or if you air down as now your 65 might become 55. As you say, that didn't make much difference but airing down has in your past. Maybe double the number of sidewalls on the rear makes the difference, IDK.

FWIW, the spacer I was thinking was similar to this:
View attachment 773609
The oe wheel studs hold the inner wheel and spacer. The second set of studs secure the outer wheel. Naturally, this type of spacer needs a min thickness (perhaps 1.5"). Note some say use of this is asking for trouble (death for eg) so anyone considering should do their own research etc.

Basic Bilsteins I mentioned because I think they are a good economical step up from stock grade and I've used them myself on a few trucks with decent results. Not a big risk ime.

Good luck with it !

I'm aware of those types of spacers, but I'm going to steer clear of them, I think. I'm not sure about the safety, but also there's lots of room in the wheel well to go up and down, but not out. If i keep the width down, I can get the wheels/tires into the camper wheel wells. Adding a whole lot of width means that I will have to do camper body trimming and I really want to avoid that.