Heavy Truck Tires

You have just stated the reason why ANYONE, no matter what size tires, should have both a mounted spare and second spare, if they’re going to use their “expedition vehicle” for the intended purpose. Unmounted is perfectly ok if one has 2 or 3 piece wheels and the necessary tools and skip for field R&R. Otherwise, the second spare should be mounted.
Let’s say YOU , having a vehicle with large high capacity LT tires (like 37 or 40x12.5-17 or 18) are driving the Alcan, the Dalton Hwy (haul road to Arctic Ocean) or even just a week of exploring in SE Utah. You have a tire calamity unfixable with your plug kit (rip in sidewall). You mount your spare. You’re deep in the LaSal Mts, or perhaps on some multi-day track in Canyonlands.
So you mount your spare. You suddenly realize another unfixable tire problem is a mobility kill. What do you do?
Most people if in Utah would turn around and head for Moab. On the Dalton, turn around and head back to Fairbanks, losing your chance to ever see the Brooks Range and arctic slope. On the Alcan, hope you make it to Whitehorse, Delta Junction, Watson Lake or Ft St John or Dawson Creek. Although Ft Nelson has grown up some.
OTOH, with a second spare and the tools and skill to mount it, you just keep going. It DOESN’T MATTER what size tire or LT vs MPT.
And BTW, 4000+ capacity LT tires aren’t found at every average tire place either. Even in lower 48, you might be stuck for a couple of days waiting for delivery.
In the old days, when guys like Tom Shepard were doing real expeditions crossing the Sahara, they’d have 3-4 same mfg vehicles(Land Rovers or Landcruisers) all with 7.50R16 Michelin XS on interchangeable wheels. Then they could borrow spares from each other.
 

gator70

Well-known member
Wow, looks like it was underinflated for a while - and with CTIS

Nope, these burst at too high speeds. Watch the videos that drove theses 65mph ++

As soon as he installed Eco Hubs Direct Drive, tires started blowouts due to higher speeds

 
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1) It’s written right on the sidewall that 395/85R20 XML have a speed rating G = 90kph ~56mph.
2) Ecohubs…resulting in a vehicle (with no low range in TC) with a crawl ratio of ~27:1 on 46” tires, equivalent to ~19:1 on standard smaller size 4wd 32” tires. How long before the torque converter or whole Allison 3700SP goes up in smoke? And how long before the contents of the habitat are on the floor or destroyed due to excessive speed and lurching on rough terrain?
All so the owner can brag “It’ll go 75 on the freeway!!”
 
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gator70

Well-known member
1) It’s written right on the sidewall that 395/85R20 XML have a speed rating G = 90kph ~56mph.
2) Ecohubs…resulting in a vehicle (with no low range in TC) with a crawl ratio of ~27:1 on 46” tires, equivalent to ~19:1 on standard smaller size 4wd 32” tires. How long before the torque converter or whole Allison 3700SP goes up in smoke? And how long before the contents of the habitat are on the floor or destroyed due to excessive speed and lurching on rough terrain?
All so the owner can brag “It’ll go 75 on the freeway!!”


Happy my tires can safely go 68-70mph
 
Me too, currently running a set of 395/85R20 XZL2 that are rated at 168K/164L. That means 10000kg/axle at 120kph/75mph. Both way more than necessary.
 
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sprocket3

Adventurer
Is anyone running the Continental HCS 14.00R20 ? The vendor rated them at 110kmh (68mph). I initially bought them for a truck with lower gearing, but don't actually need a tire that tall on the Actros i'm working on. The Actros has 4.2 axles so i could make a smaller tire work.
 

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