L60-00511-The "El Bondo Patrol" rises from the ashes...

[zed]

I have the TreadWright tires. I specified matched "Toyo" casing for the "Made in Japan" heritage.
Great people to deal with.
Keith

[L60Boerne]

Greeting from The Lair,

There are only two types of tires here in the western half of Texas. Those that make a certain noise and those that don't. Any brand with just two sidewalls are noisy when you get off the pavement. Whether it be the sharp edged limestone/ flint rocks or 3" long mesquite thorns they all go PSTsssssssssssss within minutes. Truly...minutes. Those with three or more sidewalls rarely make that noise. So we must look past the eye candy and buy the beef.

We also have learned you simply can't spin your tires when rock climbing in the limestone hills W of I-35. Even with 3 ply sidewalls the flint just shreds the sidewalls in seconds.

Approved tires for use W of I-35 are:

Cooper STT Pro (Presidio Patrol and GMC 2500 Ranch Truck)
BFG Mud Terrain (63 Command & Control Vehicle 5)
BFG All Terrain
Various 10 Ply Bias ply with 4+ sidewalls (Sanata's Sleigh)
Nitto Ridge Grappler

The 10 ply bias ply skates are the least expensive and I will be buying those in the future as the radials suffer from shelf life. Furthermore, the bias ply tires tend to have a more vertical sidewall. Those bloated radials with bulging sidewalls bulge outside the tread pattern are just tires looking for a place to go flat.

Lastly, radial tires age out way before they wear out. The only vehicle we drive on the road is the GMC Truck, it gets the Coopers because they are cheaper than BFGs. I got tired of discarding BFGs with 3/4s of their tread left. The Coopers will not have 20,000 miles on them when they age out. The pay less and get less use but it doesn't matter for my needs.

Please note, the Cooper STT Pro can be installed in the Patrol without a lift. The BFG Mudd Terrains require a 2" lift, which I highly discourage.

Patrolling again later today,
L60Boerne

[plateaucal]

Some darn good points. I always run load range E (10 ply) and three ply sidewalls. That and the road hazard warranty has come in handy a few times. My last set of Yoko's ran me $1600 or so out the door. Ouch.

The only minor point of disagreement is the BFG AT. We call them BFG No-terrains around here. The don't do anything well (snow, mud, rocks, rain, they suck equally in all). Plus, by sporting BFG-AT's you are revealing yourself as a noob or a tourist. Now they may work well elsewhere.

I know people who use both the Nitto and Cooper and like them.

Not sure if Robert is actually going to use his Patrol or park it in the garage and take it out only on Sundays like I do.

[Esteban]

I've been following the tire comments with a lot of attention. In fact, it should have a dedicated thread. Some really good comments and observations that come extremely handy, since I want to buy tires and wheels (sorry Robert, white 8-spoke wheels for me) and don't have or want any lift.

David comments about the 10-ply with 4+ sidewalls is tempting, since I want to avoid rubbing the fenders. Will be good to have some brand names as well to start looking. I don't plan any rock climbing, so 10-ply will be an overkill, but certainly the overall geometry is key. Thanks for the tips.

The above choices can also have an effect on wheel diameter. Maybe the 10-ply tires are available only for 16-inch wheels?

Sorry for highjacking your thread Robert.

[plateaucal]

I've been following the tire comments with a lot of attention. In fact, it should have a dedicated thread. Some really good comments and observations that come extremely handy, since I want to buy tires and wheels (sorry Robert, white 8-spoke wheels for me) and don't have or want any lift.

David comments about the 10-ply with 4+ sidewalls is tempting, since I want to avoid rubbing the fenders. Will be good to have some brand names as well to start looking. I don't plan any rock climbing, so 10-ply will be an overkill, but certainly the overall geometry is key. Thanks for the tips.

The above choices can also have an effect on wheel diameter. Maybe the 10-ply tires are available only for 16-inch wheels?

Sorry for highjacking your thread Robert.

I was thinking the same thing. We jacked a thread AGAIN!! I have worked my way through so many brands of tires through the years and I still contemplate my choices. I have locked in on a couple of brands I like but I don't drive through mesquite thorns or shale. My choices orient around snow, rocks and durability/longevity. Tread patterns and compounds make a huge difference as well things like cross sectional profile and footprint. New thread.

[moore_rb]

you guys didn't jack my thread... the subject has been tires and wheels all week; and since I haven't pulled the trigger on my tire purchase yet, all your viewpoints are welcome, and appreciated...

nothing else is going on with my project until later this weekend (if I find time) so have it...

David comments about the 10-ply with 4+ sidewalls is tempting, since I want to avoid rubbing the fenders. Will be good to have some brand names as well to start looking. I don't plan any rock climbing, so 10-ply will be an overkill, but certainly the overall geometry is key. Thanks for the tips.

The above choices can also have an effect on wheel diameter. Maybe the 10-ply tires are available only for 16-inch wheels?

Esteban- the following is the only 10 ply bias tire I'm aware of for 15 inch wheels (unles you like miltary lug treads - These Deestones come in 7x15 size (29 inch overall diameter- part number 70015004)

go to this link to see more details- you can see the other size options from the dropdown in the middle of the page:

https://simpletire.com/deestone-715-70015004-tires


Also: the Treadwright tires that Keith and I mentioned above are also 10 ply, Load Range E, however it does not come in 15 inch wheel sizes, except 33x12.50-15 which is WAY too big for stock patrol

https://www.treadwright.com/products/mt ... gI1OfD_BwE

The tread pattern on these Treadwright MT Claw reminds me of the vintage 80's/90's BFG Mud Terrain, which has always been one of my favorite off road tires of all time.

I never understood why BFG even changed the pattern on the Mud Terrains when they worked so well....

[moore_rb]

The only minor point of disagreement is the BFG AT. We call them BFG No-terrains around here. .

We always called them "BFG Mall-Terrains" , since they are usually only found on Urban Commando vehicles...


The rest of David's list are all worthy of consideration...

[moore_rb]

Not sure if Robert is actually going to use his Patrol or park it in the garage and take it out only on Sundays like I do.

Which Patrol...?

THIS one? It will be treated like all my classics. I will drive it until I bore myself of it, and then it will move on to provide enjoyment to whomever is next...

but rest assured, it will get dirty, scratched up, rock chipped, and given a "proper shake down" before it leaves my stead.

and it won't be parked in the garage, because there's no room

[plateaucal]

A 10 ply tire is kind of a misnomer. We should refer to them as load range E tires, which is what they are. I believe with the advent of steel belts they were briefly referred to 10 ply rated and then Load Range E. I think they usually only have 6 belts; two steel, and four of a mix of polyester and something else.

So, it all depends upon how you want to use them. If you are looking for 7.00-15 check out the Kenda LT tires. Nice tread pattern and they make great bicycle tires, too. https://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Tires- ... 10414.html
They are truck tires but people also use them on trailers. I like the tread pattern it is a good crossover tire and reminds me of the vintage Toyo's.

That's funny about the BFG's. I don't even have to check license plates when I see someone rolling with BFG-AT's. The driver is usually sporting boat shoes and a polo shirt or some such thing.

My Ram 2500 is on Yokohama MT's. Big mistake. Too noisy and don't hold balance real well.

May have to go back to Hankook's which is my all time fav.

[Daner]

I must be a poser then cause I like my BFGs.