So I hate to post another thread about tires here but i swear ive done a lot of reading and still cant decide what to get. And im hoping maybe this thread (since its labeled simply "tires") can be something that will survive the test of time and help out other newbies. For starters apparently i just pulled the trigger on my first mini truck The seller has been taking deposits on trucks that havent even arrived yet and without much details about them so i had to go ahead and take my chances because someone else was about to take the truck i want. Ill be the proud owner of a 1994 Mitsubishi Minicab with 4x4 and around 30,000 miles on it starting sunday. Im not sure but im hoping it has diff lock or at least low 4x4. Either way ill be taking it out into the sand to test her out so wish me luck everyone. As for tires ill primarily be driving them on pavement but want ones that will do well in sand as well. I should also mention i live in Massachusetts and the winters get pretty slippery sometimes so i would like tires that also do ok in winter conditions. I will not be using my tires in much deep mud or serious rocks. THat being said after everything i have read it sounds like the Carslile All trails would make the most sense but im looking to everyone here to tell me wht they think... Also im need to know what size, i think the wider the btter but can i fit anything wider than an 8 on a stock Mistu?? I would love to get the 10.5's! Another question i have is would it be helpful for me to have wider tires in the rear, i read somehwere it might help in the sand and i really like the look of it so if its not a "bad idea" i would love to do it. Thats it for now, let me know what you all think! Thanks Guys!
Ill just talk to myself here:sly:I think im down to 3 tires, either the carlisle all trail, Maxxis Cerros or the Diamond Back all terrain.... Any opinions out there? I like the Cerros but they seem like they might be a little knobby for the pavement... anwyays
CERRO's I had all trails and anytime it would rain at the lease I was stuck! With the Cero's I have great traction and the times I am on the county road the ride is smooth! As for size I would stay with 8's as that will help with the sand aspect thinner the better! LWR2
Thinner the better??!! Hmm interesting i thought the wider the better... i mean when you drive on the beach you are supposed to air down which affectively makes your tires wider, side to side as well as front to back right??
"Position: A tall, narrow tire is a superior choice for all off-highway surface conditions with the exception of deep, soft sand or mud." This quote is directly from the link you just posted... It sounds to me like narrow is not necessarily better for my application which is deep soft sand, wider spreads the weight around as far as i understand it. I think im kind of unique to this forum though i think your right in most cases but in deep soft sand i dont think narrow is better. Either way thanks for the info man
Yea, but it IS a good read... This is the reasoning why guys usually run with two sets of tires; 10. To cover the two extreme ends of the operational spectrum. A simple question, do you want to "float" or "bite"? BITE; Rock climbing, logs, ice, pavement etc. The tire would be thin and aggressive; add studs, hard, high pressure. FLOAT; Beach sand, shoreline, mud, muskeg, deep fluffy snow etc. The tire would be wide and smooth (no-dig), soft, low pressure. An "in between" example, would be a freshly groomed, two lane gravel road. Slow and aggressive driving, would require the "BITE" type. Fast high speed distance driving, would require the "FLOAT" type. There is no such thing as a one-tire-for-all driving conditions. Although, the manufacturers would try to sell you on this point, it is not possible. TWO, sets of tires...:sly:
Got it! That makes a lot of sense and actually i was just starting to realize it. As for me i think i would need more of a float style tire since ill be on pavement mostly and then beach sand, as for the winter ill probably just have to be careful with whatever i have, or perhaps get some bite style. That being said any recommendations for a good "float" style tire? Would the "all Trail/terrain" be a good match? Either way thanks for the input fellas!
Well, if we're just talking theory, and you understand the previous post, then what you could do is do a mixed combination. Run both "bite" and "float". Since you have 4WD, you can run a combination in the FRONT vs REAR. diff-lock would really be nice here, but for pavement vs sand... You might be OK with a "bite" in the front, and a "float" in the rear. Check this out, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2TaVHAHtEo#t=1m+20s Watch for the rock on the front left tire, then the rear. This setup worked like a dream in deep sand, sucked on gravel for high speed though (too squirrelly above 80kph), so I changed it to 8" wide high pressure flotation in the front (17&7), and a turing brake. You might be OK, but the best would be two sets for sure.
Nice soundtrack! So perhaps i spoke too soon when i said i understand, sorry!.... Sooo, your saying a narrow aggressive tire would be best for hard conditions like pavement? And a wider smoother tire would be better for softer conditions like deep sand? Forgive my ignorance here but wouldnt an aggressive tire get less traction/control on pavement because of the knobs? And wouldnt the pavement wear the tread down pretty fast? Again i dont mean to second guess here im just trying to understand.
Thanks, again, I'll open vids for 12hr or whatever. You can look around now (24vids?). I like the privacy setting for the long term. YUP, NOPE, You're thinking "winter" AT aggressive; soft compound. As apposed to a "summer" mud aggressive; hard compound. Again, depends on what you are doing with the tire, and when. Summer/sand; go with a UTV type floatation tire setup. It's been fun, but, I've got to get back to the study desk, later...:sly:
All good info.......here is what I have experienced with my carry since I got her Picked her up and she had Carlisle 489. 23-8-12 front.....23-9-12 rear.......great on gravel road or pavement. Stuck everywhere off road. Was in 4 low first gear going down the beach just to be able to move. Very soft sand. Got hi centered in mud and snow. Then I got a set of heavy equipment tires.....23-10.5-12......only had room for them to clear on the rear. Made a huge difference. Could drive down the beach in 2nd and 3rd in 4 low. But the front end still sank like a rock in mud and snow. Instant hi center Got lift installed as well as offset wheels and put the other two 23-10.5-12 on front. Rides amazing on pavement or off road. I drive down the beach in 4 hi now instead of ever hitting 4 low. Mud is fun and not a nightmare. I have yet to get to drive in snow with them on front. But that's not far off. I do need to throw a disclaimer out there. I live in Alaska. We drive our carry where no carry was ever intended to go. I am also 10 inches wider than when I got her as well as just about 7 inches taller. A L O T of work Hahaha. If I wanted one set if all around tires I would go with an all terrain like a bf Goodwrench or a bfg mud terrain km. With ay least a "C" load rating. Yes very heavy duty tire but you can literally run them down to 5 psi on a full size truck. So on the mini they would be fine. I put them on my wife's Durango as well as my Ford ranger. I have the mud terrain km on my mud truck and the Chevy 2500 but the all terrain on the one ton dodge powerwagon. I think that the more people that answer your question the more different answers you will get Hahaha. Wider tire is a smoother ride in dirt or pavement. But on a dirt road you will get a bit squirrely.
Hey spanner!!! I can't watch your videos........you never authorized them for viewing on mobile......I'm scared to get in the laptop..........I'll be stuck there for hours!!! Hahaha
Alllll righty!!! I think this info will be helpful for anyone trying to figure out what tires make the most sense for them, good stuff thanks a lot guys! As for me it sounds like i have a few options: 1st- Get two sets of tires, one for summer; pavement and beach sand mostly, which would be a wider smoother tire???? Mayyyyyybe something like a??? IDK Carlisle Trails And for a winter tire which will be mostly pavement and ice/slush driving i would want a hard rubber aggressive narrow tire like mayyyybe these 2nd Option- Would be to do a combo of the two styles, the hard rubber knobby and narrow on the front and wide less aggressive softer rubber tires in the back which would be good for both hard and soft conditions but not ideal for either?? 3rd Option- Would be to get a set of a kind of "all terrain" tires which i guess would be a wide'ish tire and mildly aggressive like idk the DB Super Grips maybe? These Or perhaps the Maxxi Cerros which appear to be a little more aggressive Now.... can anyone give me some better examples of which tires fill these options the best. Ive looked and looked and looked but without totally understanding which tires qualify as "smooth" and which tires qualify as "knobby" and i for sure dont know how to distinguish which ones are made of hard rubber versus soft rubber. So any suggestions??? Ill sign a disclaimer so no one will be held responsible for there remarks op: Now... Muddy Moose what is this you speak of? Goodrich MT's or AT's??? That sounds great! But how do you get those tires on a mini truck? Did you put a monster lift on your mini truck or what? BTW Soldotna is suuuuuch an amazing place your a lucky dude! I did an awesome boat tour down some river in your area..... SO pretty! Either way thanks so much guys!
It is nice here. till it hits negative 40 for a month. Hahaha the Kenai river runs a mile from our place. The Russian river. Kasilof. Swanson. Are all the main rivers here. I did do a bit of a lift. I'm about 7 inches taller than when I got her and am still working out how to make her a bit taller. Hahaha I'm also 10 inches wider.......offset wheels. 5 inch offset on each wheel as well as 10.5 inch wide tires front and back. I have pics of my tires posted on my profile somewhere....... I mentioned the bfg tires as reference for tread patterns. Looks similar to the two tires you posted links too. The second ones you posted would be large lug and a bit louder than the super grips. I think that the super grips would be perfect for you and your planned driving. Great all around tire that won't dig too much in the sand. The large lug will make you hop when ya spin your tires and cause you to dig deeper. I almost got a set if them. Then I found the grim reapers.........I REALLY wanted those but needed a bigger lug. Don't have enough power to spin gorilla silver backs.......so I got the ones I have Hahaha. I found a set if wheels off a Saab that fit my carry. They were 14 inch. Don't remember the tire size......but you can get bfg in a 14 inch if that's what ya want. You will have to do at least a 4 inch lift though for the 14 inch rim and tire to clear. Its just because the size of tire though. I'll dig around and find the link I use for wheel conversion chart. Very handy. Ya type in your bolt pattern and spacing and it will tell all available rims and what they came off of
Russian River thats the one!! Beautiful area either way, buuut yeah the winter has got to be rough! Anyways thanks for the input man!! I dont plan to do anything over a 2" lift nor do i plan to get tires that are that huge so i guess the ones ive been looking at should work out..... Whats the deal with the offsets?? Would i have to have the offsets to run a 10.5 wide tire in front? I like the DB ones i linked but i also like the Maxxi cerros!! THey look like they may be just slightly more aggressive which im thinking might help slightly in mud and snow/ide??? Still waiting to hear if Spaner has any suggestions for the two different tires on front and rear. Otherwise im feeling much closer to a decision here! THanks! Oh and my truck is supposed to be here today!!!
Their are a lot if different views on running wife tires on front. Personally I think it was worth all the trouble doing the lift to get them to work. But that's just me. All the weight in my carry is on the front wheels. I can pick the back of the truck off the ground by myself. Can't budge the front. But when you use spacers or offset wheels it pushes the tire out away from the body. That changes the arc that the wheel actually travels in when you turn. Also affects the wheel travel up and down......... Another reason I had to lift so high and trim my door. The more aggressive tire would be great for mud and snow. But not so much for sand. Will work though. Just have to watch the wheel spin so ya don't dig too much. Also try to remember that these little trucks are tanks not a regular pickup. Slow and steady seems to work best. Unless your in some sloppy mud. The Russian river is a nice area. Good fishin and lots of bears to watch. Winter is getting close now.......dang it hahaha
So would a 2" lift be sufficient for the wider tires on front or would i have to also do spacers? Orrr would i have to go higher than 2"?
Not sure on a normal offset. With my tires and wheels.......I still rub at full twist lock to lock. Meaning that if my wheel is turned all the way to the left it right and my wheel is pushed up into the wheel well it still hits the body. Even with the door trimmed. 3 inch lift and the 3 inches I gained from the heavier springs. Something to remember also is that when you move your wheel out away from the rig the arc the wheel travels when you turn is increased. The wheel actually covers more ground lock to lock. Personally.......I won't have another mini truck of any type without the wide tires up front and the big offset. The amount if improvement achieved is fenominal. Drasticly more stable. I can now side hill anything. As well as ride quality. Don't feel all the little bumps any more. Then........the fact that the front doesn't sink as soon as the ground gets a bit soft is nice too. Before the wide tires up front I had the 8 inch wide ones and soon as I hit mud or snow they wanted to find bottom. Unfortunately the belly of my mini-mog never allowed that hahaha. I've been stuck so bad that it took 2 side by sides and a wheeler to pull me out. But now I can drive right threw the same spot no problem.
Im just about convinced man... that sounds great but i just dont want to lift my truck much more than 2" so now i just need to find someone who knows if it would be possible to do with a 2" lift and some bigger offsets.... anyone have any input??? Either way what happens when the wheel turns in more because of the offsets? Are you saying there is better turning radius? I mean is it a problem for your truck? And whats the point of doing 13" wheels? Ive read on some other threads that people seem to like the 13" wheels more than the 12's... but it sounds to me like they are still running small tires... seems strange to me to get bigger wheels and then use smaller tires...... too many questions! Anyway thanks bro! Youve been a huge help!
No problem turning. The offset just makes.......the rim and wheel longer......let's say......so when you turn, the outside of the wheel actually travels farther than it did before the offset.......ouch trying to explain it Hahaha. I will never go back to the stock set up in front. I'm so much more stable that I'm not afraid to side hill at all. Even the ride is improved on gravel roads and trails. If you are going to add spacers just get your wheels(rims) spaced with the offset you want. Your going to have to get rims any way. The offset doesn't cost you more. Costs the same. But spacers cost ya!! Hahaha. The reason everyone switches to a 13 inch wheel is because their are so many more choices in tires. 12 inch is very limited. So......you say your going to do a 2 inch lift......are you going to get heavier springs for the front as well? I put 275 pound coil springs on mine. Got a bit over 3 inches of lift just from that. Then got 3 inch lift and blocked everything down temporarily. Just to see how much I needed. Now I know and as soon as I get my starter I'll be sending my parts off to maspilot to get my lift made. Hopefully I don't stress him too much Hahaha Did you go to my profile and look at my pics?
Thanks for the info and help man! Yeah i did go and look at some of your pics, nice rig! It doesnt even look like its lifted that much but i suppose its because you have such big tires on there.... I think i know what your saying regarding wheel spacers, wider stance changes the arc.... basically The plan was to do a 2" lift but only because ive heard so many people say going over 2" lift will cause problems with the overall design/engineering of the truck, and i dont want to get into any thing that may cause those kinds of problems. But i know i have to get a lift of some sort if im going to put any size bigger tires on it. Otherwise i honestly have no idea what im planning... ive just been reading and reading and taking bits and pieces from everything ive read. I thought i knew something about vehicles but at this point im not so sure anymore.... That being said it sounds to me like adding springs wouldnt cost too much and it supposedly will hold the front end up a little better so there wont be as much bottoming out??? Im still trying to figure out the wheel situation, it sounds like going wide in front will take a little more work then im looking to do at the moment.
Reading is good!!! I would have been completely lost without this group....... I got my springs from jegs. Ten inch long. Most people go with 250 pound springs. I went with 275 because my mini-mog is strictly off road. And I'm making the front a bit heavier. Here's the deal with the lift.......if you only get the spacer then you end up using up the travel in the suspension. That's what causes problems. You end up pushing the arms down. That binds the CV. But if you lower everything.......the arms......the front diff......the blocks on top of the strut.......lower your cross member under the engine.......then the geometry all stays the same. But their are a few limitations......that's why I'm sending my parts to "masspilot".....he has figured out where to stretch what and where things need a bend. Basicly all the tough stuff Hahaha. My little mini-mog rides ten thousand times better now that she is 10 inches wider and has the tall wide tires on it. My tires measure 26.5 inches tall right now. Just measured them today Hahaha. The nice thing about these little trucks is that every one of them is built different. Each person puts their own blood into making their very own monster. And believe me........they are blood thirsty!!!! Hahaha you'll do fine, and probably be similar to me.......build her up......drive it for a while......then have a better plan and change everything again hahaha
Hahahahahah! Your cool man! Thanks.... yeah im sure this is all going to be a bit of an adventure, but now that i have a smaller truck at least i have a little shed that i can fit it in to work on her. Soooo your saying you can lift the truckas far as you want as long as you lower the other componenets you mentioned.... hmmm that makes sense. But lowering the diff and crossmemebrs, yikes! How long would you say its taken you to do all that stuff? Either way i like the idea sounds like it works great too! Gotta run the woman barking at me about breakfast THanks again cant wait to explore this a little further. Talk later
Food is good!!! Hahaha I've been working on mine for just about a year. Just about the time I think I ha e it all figured out, I start all over Hahaha. When I got mine it was a basket case. Didn't run. Clutch was seized. Tires were rotten,cracked, falling apart. But everything was there. My theory was that since no body works in these trucks up here, I would eventually have to. I can't justify paying someone to do something I can learn how to do myself......especially since its all just nuts and bolts right?.......wrong...... Miles and miles of vacuum lines!!! Oh my god!!!! The vacuum lines!! Hahaha any way...... A month of tinkering, bleeding, cursing and making promises to god that no mortal man could possibly ever keep, she runs and drives!! I'm no expert by any means. I have faith you will be just fine. I can't wait to get my parts and get mine going again. I didn't realize how much I depended in it. We use ours for a shop truck, mud buggy, fisherman hauler, tow truck. I amaze myself as well as everyone around with it every time we drive her.
Welp i think for now im going to keep it simple, ive talked to a few more folks about the options and it sounds to me like right now it would make the most sense to keep it simple and see how it works. Well simpler than what your getting into moose! Ur a madman, Maybe someday ill have such a badass setup... anyway im thinking 2" lift with heavier springs and 23 or 24 tires, 10" or 10.5" wide tires in rear and 8" up front and some cool wheels, if my woman will allow it that is. I feel sort of lame for taking the easy way out but if the setup works it works right, and if not ill be hitting u up moose. Anway i hope this thread is helpful and im sure ill be typing in more thoughts soon..... oh Masspilot ill be shooting you an email soon for some numbers. Late'aaaa
Your not taking a lame way out. Not everyone wants or needs the same thing out of their rig. I appreciate and resemble the mad man comment just a bit though Hahaha. I think spaner has me beat though. Hahaha. If I hadn't made mine as wide as I did or as tall as I'm going I would be extremely limited as to where I could drive my mini-mog. Whereas you don't need the same thing. You will have a blast playing around in yours. I know I do. Oh.....and I totally understand wives...... I've been with mine for working on 21 years. Took me a while to realize that a happy wife is a somewhat happy husband. I think that once we realize that...,... Life gets a bit easier. That and always give them something to be upset about and never let them make up their own things!!!! At least that way you will be prepared and have half a fighting chance Hahahaha
