Rock vs. Tire

[MountainManJoe]

Tire lost.







The remaining 3 have about 1/8" of tread left on them. I've got a spare on right now (same size but different kind of tire). I haven't decided yet how I'm going to proceed.

[ihatemybike]

Check out Treadwrights, I know several people that run them with no complaints. I plan on getting a set for Grumpy and most likely my wife will get them as the next set for her Jeep.

http://www.Treadwright.com

[MountainManJoe]

There's still lots of life left in the remaining tires. I'm just worried about being stuck without a spare.

[ihatemybike]

Does the tire still hold air?

Not best practice, but if the tire still holds air, I've used strong rubber cement to glue sidewalls back together. The tire usually becomes a dedicated spare at that point and only gets used on the rear axle.

[Smiliesafari]

OUCH..........you're better off buying a good used tire. I wouldn't try to repair that.

[reaper]

Coming soon to craigslist,
3 BF Goodrich 30 x 9.5 x 15" tires

[MountainManJoe]

The gash you see went all the way through. Costco gave me $30 back for it though, as part of their road hazard guarantee (of course I didn't tell them I was offroading).

I think what I'll do is buy one new tire, and mount it as a new spare. I'll keep riding on the original spare and ride out the 3 remaining BFG's. Once they're used up, I'll buy 3 more new tires (the same kind as the new spare), so then I'll have 4 brand new tires and mount them. The original spare will become the new spare again. Now I need to do some tire research. The BFG's didn't last very long.

Also, for now I want to disable the AWD. I pulled the fuse labeled 'ATC'. Is that the right one? I assume it stands for Automatic Transfer Case. Is there supposed to be a light on my dashboard now, because I don't see one?

[ihatemybike]

Sounds like a plan on the tires.

When you pull the ATC fuse no lights come on. What's the motivation for disabling the AWD? You won't see much fuel savings, if any.

[MountainManJoe]

I heard somewhere you shouldn't use different tires with AWD, so I disabled it as a precaution. Should be OK if they're the same size though right?

[Cobra]

Now I need to do some tire research. The BFG's didn't last very long.

Really? how long have you had them and how many Km's i have the same tires and look to be lasting quiet well

[MountainManJoe]

I bought them in Nov 2008 and now they are down to 1/8" of tread (1/16" usable, according to DOT law). I'm not sure about the mileage. I would venture a guess and say 38000 km. I can dig up some paperwork if you are really interested.

I believe the BFG ATs are intentionally made using softer rubber to improve traction. Maybe I'll go with something tougher, because with AWD, and all the weight over the wheels, traction isn't a big problem.

[Cobra]

i bought mine late 2007 and have about 44000 on them now and the tire with the least tread has 9/32 tread left on it. I'm going to go out on a limb and say the difference in driving conditions/style made the difference in our wear interesting. I know that these tires do use i little softer rubber to improve winter traction from the research i did when i purchased them. I'm still a little surprised how badly that rock messed up your tire

[MountainManJoe]

I'm going to go out on a limb and say the difference in driving conditions/style made the difference in our wear

I do drive on a lot of rough roads.

I'm still a little surprised how badly that rock messed up your tire

You and me both. Just really bad luck I guess.

[MountainManJoe]

I usually ride with a lot of pressure in my tires, 40psi or so, to get better fuel economy, and to balance tire wear (they seem to wear quicker around the edges).

I wonder what effect this has on transferring impacts. On one hand, more pressure should prevent the tire from deforming too much. On the other hand, people say they lower the tire pressure on rough roads to absorb more vibrations.

Would love to hear what your experience is....

[Cobra]

hmm i generally have my tires at 40 but they are at 35 now and the road feels smoother i don't feel every cut in the road. I'd bet the lower tire pressure should help resist punctures since the tire is allowed to deform slightly (makes since in my head not sure if that's right or not lol)

where are the rock crawler guys for input on this they should know something