Age old question, mud tire review?

[The Machinist]

Hi there, just wondering what tires you are running and what you think of em??  Want to buy a set of trail only rims and tires this spring, just trying to decide what to get.  Not to worried about highway noise or ride.  Have been running baja claws for a year, they are awesome in snow and climbing hills.  Didn't like them much in the mud, they cleaned good but didn't dig.  Would just spin and throw mud everywhere, suck on ice.  Are TSL's any good in snow and hill climbing?  I think thats what I will get, just wanted to know what you guys who have tried them thought of them and other tires.  Just an off road tire, nothing that will see pavement except to and from the trail.  Thanks.

[XJHERO]

Hi there, just wondering what tires you are running and what you think of em??  Want to buy a set of trail only rims and tires this spring, just trying to decide what to get.  Not to worried about highway noise or ride.  Have been running baja claws for a year, they are awesome in snow and climbing hills.  Didn't like them much in the mud, they cleaned good but didn't dig.  Would just spin and throw mud everywhere, suck on ice.  Are TSL's any good in snow and hill climbing?  I think thats what I will get, just wanted to know what you guys who have tried them thought of them and other tires.  Just an off road tire, nothing that will see pavement except to and from the trail.  Thanks.

Tsls are great for everything but  snow, ice, pavement.

i run em in the spring summer and fall  lots of traction.

[AV.NINE]

As far as a 33" tire goes, LTB is the best I have ever run. I think any person who has run them will confirm. They clean well and dig, lots of side wall lug, and good on side hills.

Of coarse theres always boggers, but I prefer the LTB's over them.

[Bnine]

You money would be better spent on some quality beadlocks and quality rubber.

Unless you have enough money to beadlock both seasons tires of course.

You will get better all around performance by running really low pressure in a good radial tire then you will running moderate pressures in a purpose built tire like a swamper.

Meaning, with the beadlocks you can run 1 tire that works good in snow, mud, ice, loose climbs, and rocks.

If you just put swampers on steelies, you get good mud perfromance, and moderate to poor performance everywhere else. If you beadlock swampers they will work a bit better in the loose and climbing, but will still suffer in the cold because of compound.


Best all around combo I know of right now is a quality beadlock (walker evans, PSC, AEV), and high end radial like a Toyo.

[AV.NINE]

You money would be better spent on some quality beadlocks and quality rubber.

Unless you have enough money to beadlock both seasons tires of course.

You will get better all around performance by running really low pressure in a good radial tire then you will running moderate pressures in a purpose built tire like a swamper.

Meaning, with the beadlocks you can run 1 tire that works good in snow, mud, ice, loose climbs, and rocks.

If you just put swampers on steelies, you get good mud perfromance, and moderate to poor performance everywhere else. If you beadlock swampers they will work a bit better in the loose and climbing, but will still suffer in the cold because of compound.


Best all around combo I know of right now is a quality beadlock (walker evans, PSC, AEV), and high end radial like a Toyo.

Good call! 

[The Machinist]

Anyone run maxxis trapadors?  Bead locks sound good, will have to see if they are in the budget.

[AV.NINE]

Anyone run maxxis trapadors?  Bead locks sound good, will have to see if they are in the budget.

Talk to frenchy, he's selling internal bead locks 4 for the price of 3.

[Hi Lo Silver]

I haven't done a research on this myself to confirm but I always thought bead locks were illegal on street and highway.

[AV.NINE]

I read the traffic act the other day and didnt find anything related to this.

BTW Internal bead locks are legal everywhere.

[cLAY]

IROKS work well everywhere but wear out quickly if they see a lot of rock or pavement.

[sn4cktime]

My quick beadlock research:
Well, just rolled through the Motor Vehicle Safety Act, with Motor Vehicle Tire Safety Regulations (Federal) and the Traffic Safety Act (Alberta) and didn't come across anything SPECIFICALLY against external beadlocks.  However, and it would be how you could get fines, the wheels must be put through a proper testing process.  AKA be DOT or CSA approved for highway speeds to be used on any public road.  Most of the testing for a wheel seems to be aimed at "bead unseating" which of course is kind of a moot point here.... and the rest is aimed at the tire.  So that'd be lawyer territory there.

So, if you can find a beadlock with proper weight rating (which isn't a problem unless you drive a tank), is deemed a proper wheel to tire size ratio for diameter and width, and is CSA or DOT approved there's nothing I can see that a cop could possibly give you a ticket for.  Unless Calgary has some specific bylaw concerning them.

I also agree with Bill about beadlocks.  I've seen a few sets of Walker Evans, and even a set of internal Stauns on the trail all running around 5-7 PSI.  None of them had any issue tearing through mud, and they weren't all on M/T's either.  I personally like the idea of internals more just because they'll balance a bit easier, and are lower maintenance.  But externals tend to be bullet-proof.

I love my BFG KM2's.  Only got stuck once since slapping them on.  Not sure if that's because they work that much better or because they're 35x12.5' vs my old stock 30x8's and it's just that much more surface area and lift.  They shed mud well, nice side lugs, awesome on the road (use them on the DD).

[adamnigh]

I really like my 36x12.5 TSL SX's great in mud and snow, not so good on ice, but just dont drive like a moron on the rode and their fine

[WhiteOut]

I have about 10k on my BFG KM's and they still look almost new.   Havent gotten stuck one with them on and after sipping they grip good on the road, in snow and decent for an MT on ice.

My next set will be KM2's

[Bnine]

  I personally like the idea of internals more just because they'll balance a bit easier, and are lower maintenance.  But externals tend to be bullet-proof.

It all depends on what rim you are using for internals, and what type of external beadlocks you run, and of course what tire you run.

Putting a swamper on a steelier with internals will still get a bad balance.

Spending the big bucks on a rim like a walker will give excellent balance. I dont even balance walkers when combined with a good quality tire. Denise's jeep on toyo's and walkers would not vibe until after 120km/hr, unbalanced.

In the end, it all depends on the application. Tire quality is always the biggest factor, but rims can make a pretty big difference as well.

Its really hard to put that kind of money out upfront, but in the end, it actually pays for itself on jeep front ends because of the reduced wear on balljoints and unit bearings.

[sn4cktime]

Putting a swamper on a steelier with internals will still get a bad balance.

Oh agreed.

Do you run with shot inside any of your larger tires Bill?  If so, does it work well?