Has anyone in BC or anywhere for that matter come across a supplier for DOT rated mud terrain tires for 14" rims? All I can find are ATV tires (cant drive on public roads) and DOT winter tires that just wont cut it in the mud. Cheers
We have 13" DOT marked all terrain style tires incoming for evaluation. If they are good, we will order more to sell. We also occasionally get an ATV tire (12") that has DOT markings. Not a great ride and wears fast on pavement, but it is DOT....
hey that's a good looking tire for winter road and offroad use in canada. Let me know when you've got em in and have evaluated them pls. Where are they from? reg- bg
ETA is 3 weeks on the evaluation load. These are Chinese tires. Chao Yang is the brand. Others on the board say they have used Chao Yang on their semi-trucks with good results. Fingers are crossed! They are 25" outer diameter though. Gonna need a lift and you will lose some performance.
25" Yikes! I guess I would need a lift for that for sure. So I'm conflicted about tire size/clearance and lift issues. I do want to optimize road clearance - it's too low for the snow we get here on the dirt roads I have to access frequently. On the other hand, I do drive the truck every day as I visit clients, and quite frequently at 85-95 km/h for 15 - 20 minutes at a time. it needs to be stable and functional on the highway, and I don't want to be beating the CV joints out of it with high driveline angles. A small reduction in the top end RPM wouldn't hurt either, by going with a larger tire. There seems to be enough reserve pwoer to do a bit of this anyway. So do I lift 2" and use 14" rims with roughly 24-25" dia tires? Do I simply replace the front springs and get a small lift that way and run 14" rims? Or, do I compromise and simply do a short 1" spacer on the front struts, add an inch to the rear somehow, and run only 13" rims with 23-24" dia tires? ...such choices, such choices... I look forward to making some kind of choice soon!! Any input would be helpful- thanks! bg
Honestly, the bigger tires are not better. The engine does not have the torque to turn them well. I would only go a hair bigger than factory for highway cruising. These engines are designed to rev. Your thoughts of lower RPMs are good ones, but not right ones. If you go much bigger you will lose speed, power and fuel economy. Best performance comes from the stock size. They made them that way for a reason. For a lift kit, go a 2". There are several on the market. Make sure to get one that is adjustable for camber. Some of the cheaper kits do not allow for any adjustment and you wont be able to align your truck properly. (Not a big deal for off-road only, but it causes massive wear on street use) don't go higher than the 2" though as it is hard on CV shafts. 175/70/13 would give you about a 7.5% increase in diameter. I really wouldn't go any bigger than that for highway use. They are wider too, which doesnt help the situation. In the winter on the road, the narrowest tire you can get is the best for traction.
Thanks for the good advice. In the absence of any other data I'll probably do what you're suggesting I think. What would you recommend as the best, most agressive M+S tire for this application? right now I've got the Goodyear Nordics from Crappy tire on there. they seem like they'd be an ok tire in the snow. Thoughts? bg
Those seem to be the 'standard' out this way. Most people run those year round. I think you will be pleasantly surprised at the winter performance of your truck with those tires. (And especially diff lock) Put a little weight in the rear and you will go almost anywhere.
i have studded my nordics for the winter, and have added weight to the back. I need good traction..because as soon as I find front receiver I need to hook up my plow as soon as possible.
