I need tires - MTR's or KM2's - where should I get them?

[nwoods]

Financially this could not come at a worse time, but my wife's Jeep is suffering from the Death Wobble big time, and I have replaced all the tie-rods, bushings, hub bearings, etc... The last thing left to replace is the Procomp XTerrains. They've been road force balanced and had 4 wheel alignment done multiple times, without much success. And yes, balanced and aligned after all the front end work! I'm convinced these tires are square.

So, I like the new MTR's, and of course the KM2's certainly belong on this short list, but money is non-existent. I want to get the best deal possible to minimize the credit ding. Anyone have any suggestions?

Tire size is 315/75/16 (35")

 

[Life_in_4Lo]

have anyone w/ a another set you can try to check if it is the tires?

america's tire has been great with all my tire needs. they price match too, so find something cheaper on the internet and bring it to them. they also have great service.

 

[78Bronco]

Assuming there has been a lift installed in your wife's Rubicon...

Has anyone measured the castor? A square tire would go "wump, wump, wump" but not get all worbly. It could have too little/much caster and that's where I would start. Plumb bob the ball joint axis with the front axle on jack stands and the front tires off and the truck parked on a reasonably level surface. It should be between 3-5 degrees IIRC.

 

[alosix]

x2 on the caster. They likely attempted to set it back to factory specs (if it has the cam bolts in it).

I'd make note of where they are set, then crank them until you can get the max amount of castor in there and drive it around the block.

Also, you didn't mention anything about working on the track bar? do any of the joints there need a refresh.

Oh, and tires.

MT/Rs.. probably the 2nd worse balanced tire on my Jeep.

KM2s Best tire on and offroad that I've used by a long shot.

Jason

 

[XXXpedition]

have you swapped them around?
i loved my xterrains, but they have to be swapped regularily...
front to back that is )))

 

[Hilldweller]

How about Dunlop Radial Rover Maxx Traction, the new one from Goodyear?
Only $181 each from Tire Rack ----- local shops will usually match pricing (include shipping charge).
It's nearly identical to the Duratrac.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...QR6ROVMT&vehicleSearch=false&fromCompare1=yes

 

[Desert Dan]

Probably castor.

What kind of lift / arms do you have? Are the arms adjustable?

You may have to adjust your arms and cam bolts to get it right.

 

[TOTJ]

I had the ProComp Xterrains on mine and as they were starting to get worn out I was getting a slight wobble in the steering but not a full blown death wobble. I just replaced them with KM2's. I love these tires. Things I thought were wrong with the jeep are all gone. I have noticed when I air down 10psi they dont bulg near as much as the procomps.
I purchased 5 of them from 4Wheel Parts at 189.00 Each plus I got a $50.00
Rebate from BFG. With mounting and Bal, Sales tax, FET, Tire disposal
it all came to $1100.75 That was for 5 KM2's 35/12.50X15.

 

[ccarley]

Have you considered the new TreadWright MT/G? The tread appears to look like the "old" Goodyear MT/R tread:
http://treadwright.com/files/product_large_views/9_MTG%20Close%20Up.jpg

Their prices are pretty reasonable, and from what I hear the tires seem to be most often on BFG casings.

 

[nwoods]

Have you considered the new TreadWright MT/G? The tread appears to look like the "old" Goodyear MT/R tread:
http://treadwright.com/files/product_large_views/9_MTG%20Close%20Up.jpg

Their prices are pretty reasonable, and from what I hear the tires seem to be most often on BFG casings.

They sure do, the tread is a direct clone. They also have BFG AT clone as well. But I have concerns about retreads. How many countless carcasses of failed retreads do you see on the freeway? In a Jeep that is only marginally stable to begin with, I would not subject my family to the unncessary risk of tire failure. Besides which, they don't have my size

I'd also want to know a whole lot more about what "Full Grade Truck Rubber" means. BFG and Goodyear spend literally millions of dollars fine tuning their rubber compounds. I think there is a value to that.

If I was looking to put some tires on an old boonie car to use out back property, these would be fine, but that is not my intended usage. Interesting company though. Thanks for the link and suggestion.

 

[nwoods]

I had the ProComp Xterrains on mine and as they were starting to get worn out I was getting a slight wobble in the steering but not a full blown death wobble. I just replaced them with KM2's. I love these tires. Things I thought were wrong with the jeep are all gone. I have noticed when I air down 10psi they dont bulg near as much as the procomps.
I purchased 5 of them from 4Wheel Parts at 189.00 Each plus I got a $50.00
Rebate from BFG. With mounting and Bal, Sales tax, FET, Tire disposal
it all came to $1100.75 That was for 5 KM2's 35/12.50X15.

That's a great deal. It's about $1350 right now at 4WP. I think a belt or something inside my Xterrians shifted and is making one or more tires horribly out of round at speed. Today I tried to drive the Jeep to work, and I got less than one block away from my driveway, reaching about 40mph when I lost nearly all control of the rig and was violently shaken around. Cars in lanes on either side of me screached to a halt and gave me room to slow down, let my vision clear, exhale, and pull of the road, somewhat in that order

But God is good. There is a Big-O-Tires about a block from my house....where I ended up pulling over. These guys all know me by name, and have done all the balancing and alignment attempts on the Jeep to date. They had just that morning taken some well worn 33" Nitto Terra Grapplers off a pick-up truck. They mounted them up and gave them to me for $15 a wheel. Smooth as butter now. Definately only a temporary solution, but at least I probably won't die as a result, and I had the cash on me.

I also scored a heck of a deal on some KM2's, I think.

 

[crosbike]

i had xterrains a few years ago and hated them. Worst tire i have ever run. Im running KM2s now and they are amazing and as you can see they are a relatively cheap tire and are awesome on and offroad.

 

[nwoods]

That's good to hear, thanks for the feedback

 

[chuck45]

I just went from 35" KM2's to 37" KM2's on my 4 dr JK. The LWB JK just needs more rubber. At any rate the 35's KM2's were a very good tire except in packed snow an ice. I had Discount Tire sipe them and that made a huge difference. For the 37's I decided that I'd sipe them before I even mounted them on the vehicle. I bought a Van Alstine heated siper and siped them by hand which I think is much better than machine siping. So far I have been very impressed. I think the best off road tire availableright now is a siped KM2.

The Toyo has some limited factory siping as does the Cooper STT and some other tires, but a fully siped KM2 is far superior. I have a TJ with BFG AT's and the siped KM2 is better on slick roads.

 

[winkosmosis]

Look at the treads on those Procomps. It's pretty obvious they are designed to not be round. To be smooth rolling, the lugs on the left and right would have to be staggered from one another, like on tractor tires. It would help if they were angled more too.