Tires Man, Tires

Discussion in 'General Survival and Preparedness' started by Yard Dart, Aug 10, 2014.


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  1. Yard Dart

    Yard Dart Vigilant Monkey Moderator

    IMAG0111.

    So let's have tire talk.... I have been working on review of various tires for the truck, that needs to happen by winter due to wear, at least on the front end. Looking at SHTF scenarios with a bug-out vehicle, tires could be a very important component getting down the road to your BOL or operating in your AO. What kind of tires are you using and why are they a benefit? What kind of extra stock are you carrying if any... ? Are you storing seasonal tires, such as studded tires?
    YD
     
    Last edited: Aug 11, 2014
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  2. 3M-TA3

    3M-TA3 Cold Wet Monkey

    I only buy vehicles I intend to keep for the long haul. Each one gets it's own set of mounted studded snow tires soon after purchase. It doesn't cost any more in the long run to have two sets since tires are consumables and you will be spending rubber every mile you drive. I can usually find used or discontinued alloys for the same price as steel if I look around a bit.

    I like to get tires that have a kevlar protective belt for anything that goes off road or on desolate stretches of gravel.
     
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  3. cdnboy66

    cdnboy66 Monkey++

    I just replaced a set go Goodyear wrangler authority A/T
    They spun off of my one ton in record time
    Spare set with studs for winter, torque wrench and Jack are in the shop.
    Will replace last years winters (currently on the truck) later this month
    I will look at the Kevlar ones, thanks for the tip 3M

    Maintainance is the important part of any vehicle equation, I keep a full set of filters as backup
    Need to get all the diff oils etc into the rotation too.
     
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  4. Pineknot

    Pineknot Concrete Monkey

    Toyo, nitto and bfgoodrich ONLY, I have bfgoodrich on my 1 ton duelly and have 40k miles and have about 10k left on them, I will replace them before winter and keep the ones that came off as spares in nitrogen or argon bags whichever I have the most of, the toyos mud tires are on my 1 ton single rear wheel 37x12.50 and they have 24k miles on then and are around 50% leaving 4/32 on the tires for spares. Trailer tires are another problem that we have always had to deal with until recently. On all trailers tire dealers want to put on trailer service only rated tires that are cheaper, pay the extra money and get light truck tires or even service tires, 4 times the mileage and virtually no blow outs or premature dry rotting hope this helps, I am in Louisiana, the heat and abundance of asphalt is hell on tires. The goodyears mentions above lasted about 27k miles before they started to egg and break the radials in the tread making for a shaky ride. Don't buy michelins you will spend an arm and a leg buying them and then the other arm and a leg trying to keep them balanced. I have spent the last 7 years researching tires and everything that goes with them. We rotate tires at every oil change on 250 hour intervals and on duels we match tread depth. We also went to the local welding shop and got tanks of nitrogen and a regulator to fill the tires with. The nitrogen molecules are larger than air so the tires don't heat up anywhere near what they would with air and they don't loose pressure during weather change, I highly recommend the rotation and nitrogen to any tire. I have reduced tire cost by almost 40% annually
     
  5. KAS

    KAS Monkey+++

    i am terrible at tires .. i just dont keep up on it and need to start ..
    Good thread
     
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  6. kckndrgn

    kckndrgn Monkey+++ Moderator Emeritus Founding Member

    I've got Firestone Destination A/T's on my truck. Don't have to worry about winter tires here in SW TN. Got the A/T's due to our hunting property. The drive is a muddy mess when it rains and it's clay, so a slippery, muddy mess.
    I did notice a slight drop in hwy MPG with these tires, but that was expected since I went from HWY tires to A/T's

    I rotate my tires with every oil change (do it myself) so I get pretty good wear. I've got about 25 - 30k on them now and I'm looking to start a kitty to get new tires this winter. I'll check the paperwork in the truck on the way to work to see how many miles I've put on them, but it's been about 2 years.
     
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  7. Pineknot

    Pineknot Concrete Monkey

    We should start a tire resource thread, mud tires toyos will give you 50k miles if maintained and all terrain bf Goodrich both tires in 10 ply minimum.
     
  8. GOG

    GOG Free American Monkey

    I replaced the tires and battery on our Mazda B4000 last week. I also had an oil change and service done at the same time.

    The truck had Goodyear Wrangler RT/S tires on it from new, so I put the same thing on for replacements. We live in the woods and have a lengthy dirt/gravel driveway, but most of our driving is on pavement.
    The Wranglers give good traction, a pretty nice ride, they're quiet and they're rated for mud and snow. They were also priced well with a $110. rebate.
     
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  9. gunbunny

    gunbunny Never Trust A Bunny

    I loved my studded tires for winter, but after the second winter, the studs rounded off enough to make them pretty much useless in the third season. I can't run them 7 months out of the year, so they just sit in storage.

    I tried to find a local garage to re-stud them, but none around here do anymore. They came with studs, and the local garage never touched them except to put them on the rims and balance them.

    They were really nice snow tires, General AT2's, but ever since I've been finding a bunch of BFGoodrich AT/KO's in my size to fit the Jeep and my trailer, with spares.

    Tires are really limited to where you drive. What runs good for me, won't necessarily run well for you. My AO can stretch from trails, mud, to rocks. We have NO sand, I have to travel to play on the beach. I've never made it to the desert... yet. I've tried, believe me, I tried a few times.

    I've been thinking about finding a set of tubes for my tires, in the case that I get a puncture that I can't just plug with regular plugs and glue. Green goo for my tires is very cost prohibitive.

    Also, I had a set of Kumho Ventures (really nice tires before they reformulated them, now they are crap) that I only got rid of after five years and outlasted three vehicles, only because of dry rot. I had a LOT of trouble reseating the bead when changing between rims, because they had three-ply sidewalls.

    They were so stiff, I had to take them to a tire shop so they could use the bead setter. I tried using a ratcheting strap, but I couldn't get it to set. I was never brave enough to try the ether, and lighter trick.
     
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  10. TheEconomist

    TheEconomist Creighton Bluejay

    What does everyone use to inflate their tires should they need it?

    Additionally, is there a good place to buy a "universal fit steel wheel" for any vehicle?
     
    Last edited: Aug 12, 2014
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  11. kckndrgn

    kckndrgn Monkey+++ Moderator Emeritus Founding Member

    At home, just a small pancake compressor. In the vehicles I have a small 12v compressor that claims to inflate a flat tire in 5 mins. It actually works pretty close to that. I've used that small compressor so many times I've lost count.
    This is what I have in both vehicles:
    [​IMG]

    Couldn't help you on the steel wheel, never heard of 'em.
     
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  12. Yard Dart

    Yard Dart Vigilant Monkey Moderator

    I have a large compressor at home that can fill tires, run air tools, nail guns and the like. I need to get an onboard compressor like what @kckndrgn showed above!!
     
  13. kellory

    kellory An unemployed Jester, is nobody's fool. Banned

    Bolt patterns and lug spacings between manufacturers is unlikely to match on but a very few cars or trucks.
     
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  14. techsar

    techsar Monkey+++

    Yup..."universal" rims are typically limited to two different lug patterns...although way back in the '70s either Keystone or Cragar had rims that required a type of oval inserts that would allow for three different bolt patterns. Most (not all) six lug patterns are usually the same size (check center opening as that will vary), seven lug are limited to certain Ford trucks, and eight lugs can vary on whether they are flat or 60 degree lug nuts. Stud hole size will vary as well.

    As far as tires, I've had good service on and off-road with BFG Radial all terrain tko...been getting around 60k on them. Work well in snow, sand, wet mud...but my vehicle only weighs in at 2ooo lbs. Wife's vehicle use Yokohoma, but it stays (mostly) on the street.

    A compressor similar to kckndrgn works well to maintain or air back up, but have never had to reset a bead with one ;)
     
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  15. Yard Dart

    Yard Dart Vigilant Monkey Moderator

    I am running a bit over 7,000 lbs on my rig and the tires wear a bit different... especially with MT or AT type tires such as I have.
     
  16. KAS

    KAS Monkey+++

    at house i use a regular shop compressor
    but in my truck i always keep a scuba bottle of some sort with an air chuck...its handy and last forever...
    but i want to buy a good 12 volt charger ... them things can get expensive
     
  17. kckndrgn

    kckndrgn Monkey+++ Moderator Emeritus Founding Member

    There is not enough volume to reset/set a bead with the compressor I have. My FIL has set a few beads with a ratchet strap and a small compressor which I might be able to do in a pinch.
     
  18. KAS

    KAS Monkey+++

    yes the ratchet strap does work well for me on smaller tires..
    as for the bigger tires i seen plenty of videos on youtube about setting beads with starting fluid and a lighter...
    Works great in the video but havent tried it yet !!!

    sorry ,
    Im not sure how it works but im pretty sure they make a contraption out of a volume tank that you can hook to your compressor just for setting beads...
    May be wrong
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Aug 14, 2014
  19. kellory

    kellory An unemployed Jester, is nobody's fool. Banned

    You need a large volume of air quickly to reset the bead, because you need more air coming into the tire than is leaking between the rubber and the rim. Otherwise, it will never inflate.
    The ratchet strap is the modern version of a "Spanish windlass" or rope and stick method and works almost all the time, as the even pressure on the center of the tread forces the sidewalls out from the center and against the metal. Then the air pressure does the rest of the work.
    The liquid fuel method does work, but is somewhat dangerous, because everyone uses a different amount of fuel, so the size of the explosings vary widely, and it is very easy to overdo it. Using an air can is much safer, and they CAN be filled with any of the small compressors. They just take up more room.
     
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  20. jasonl6

    jasonl6 Monkey+++

    I Run only cooper tires on my vehicles (a 94' full size Ford Bronco and 90' Jeep Cherokee). The Cherokee has cooper Discover STT 30x9.5x15 for summer and the Bronco Kenda Klever (made at cooper factory) 32x12.50x15. For winter we run the Cooper Discover M+S studded on both our vehicals, 235X75x15 on the Jeep and 31X10.5X15 on the Bronco, 90% of the time the studs and heavy sipping are enough to make it up our 6 miles of unmaintained forest service road the other 10% of the time we put cam lock chains on. We carry two sets of chains for the vehicals, regular tire chains and V bar ice grousers. I have never not made it home. We had over 110" of snow fall here last here last year with the road only being plowed 3 times.

    Jason
     
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