Tire selection

r1rogster · 08-20-2007, 11:17 PM

Thought this may be good information to share...It seems load capacity on tires is a huge issue with SMB...Check out the load capacity of the pro-comp xtreme A/T's.
LT325/65R18 - 3860 lbs (single)/3525 lbs (dual) ...and rated for 40,000 miles. I don't know what single/dual means, but even 3525 lbs is more than what I've seen there.

The Pro-comp rims seem to be reasonally priced too.

here's the link: http://www.procomptires.com/xtremeallterrain.html

Van Pick-up this Thursday!

kenkillsr · 08-21-2007, 06:14 PM

"I don't know what single/dual means, but even 3525 lbs is more than what I've seen there."

Single rear wheels/Dual rear wheels.

jage · 08-27-2007, 04:42 PM

I've had my second BFG AT KO lose a belt internally (one on my F250 one on my SMB), and a 3rd pair lost all traction when the tread was scrubbed down, and yet I've still got the BFG Mud T/As that originally inspired my purchase of each of them.

The tire shop that swapped them said he's seen lots of BFG ATs go internally after a few years. He suggested Nitto as a real good up and coming tire company.

Velogeo · 08-27-2007, 08:57 PM

I'm trying to figure out what wheel/tire combo to put on our rig. I'm a little stumped. It's not as obvious as some choices you have to make. I know we'll go with 35" tires. I'm thinking we'll shy away from the 20" chrome spinners. Other than that it's kind of wide open. I need a tire that'll do well off-road, especially in mud and snow, but still do well on the highway, etc. I don't want to totally kill our mileage or fill the van with road noise. We'll probably split our time in the van between boondock camping and long road trips.

Anyone found the ideal tire? Does anyone have two sets of wheels/tires? I've wondered about having a set of mud terrains or the like for our local camping and a set of skinnier/ smoother tires for the cross country trips. That seems a little excessive -- but it also covers all the bases. Having something a little shorter than 35" for trailering seems like a good idea.

jage · 08-27-2007, 11:32 PM

I've seen Jeep guys carry around extra tires. Seems like a drag, especially with 24 bolts in your way. I think anything more than 17" rims is excessive and you only need 16 unless you want a brake upgrade. You get more tire to air down with the less rim you have... more sidewall to bulge, possibly more surface area. I think 16s are more common as a lot of vehicles (F250s etc) are 16s by stock.

You want to consider width and backspacing of the rims, and then width of the tires. If you're geared for 35s just stick with 35s... don't mess with a "road" set of tires.

BFG Mud T/As are loud, but I'm used to them. The ATs are quieter, and I've heard guys go by on the street with tires that make the Mud T/As seem quiet. Boggers are one prime example of a really loud tire.

Tire noise is a lot worse if you roll the windows down occasionally. Other than that I think you need to get some more reviews and hopefully get a ride with someone who has your tires of choice- especially if you doubt you can live with the howl.

Velogeo · 08-28-2007, 02:14 PM

I know I can't stick with the stock 16" rims if I want the bigger tires. 18" seems like a reasonable option, to me at least. With the 35" tires it still gives me room to air down for anything short of rock crawling, I think, but removes a little of the side wall flex to improve on road handling. We'll see if this theory pans out.

I'm not gonna rush out and get another set of road tires, but I'm inclined to keep the stock wheels and tires when I pick up our van. I know I have to go cross country at least once in the next year. Seems like a reasonable way to save wear and tear on mud terrains, improve the mileage for the trip (a personal fetish) and make pulling a big trailer a little safer and easier. The only issue there is how tough is it to zap the vans computer with the new tire size.

Greg In Austin · 10-25-2007, 08:35 PM

OK, so here is the lastest we are hearing from SMB....

For the 2008 Ford 4X4 delivered with 16inch wheels.

If they use the Factory Tire Monitoring system they would change to 17" Wheels and use 245/75R-17 tires.

If we want larger tires they will replace the factory TMS with the Hella Tire Monitoring system.

The have to use a 17" but 18" wheel will also work on the 4X4 08 with a 315 tire.

We are looking for maximum load carrying capability so we are trying to find load range E and we would like 35 inchers.

So far we see
Cooper Discoverer S/T LT275/70R18 ... 3640lbs ..but 33in
and BFG LT285/65R18 ... 3640lbs ...but 33 in
and BFG LT305/64R18 ... 3525lbs ...but 34 in

OK, so you have heard what we are looking for, now we need suggestions and recommendations.

ASIDE: what tires and sizes are people using? and what issues have people had with what tires?

Greg in Austin
SMB on Order
(WIP at Ford to be delivered to SMB CA next week!)

jage · 10-25-2007, 09:34 PM

Nittos (Terra Grappler anyway) have only D in 35-ish until you get to 20" rims. Maybe such an animal is just not possible. At some point you have to trade off something...

LT325/70R17 D 35.00 13.12 3305@50
LT325/65R18 D 34.88 12.99 3195@50
LT275/65R20 E 34.09 10.98 3750@80

canyonclan · 10-26-2007, 09:53 AM

After much of the same head-pounding, we decided for the 17" rim with 315 BFG AT ko. I run them at 50 psi on road for long hauls, 30-35 psi on rocks & 20-25 on sand.

I check our tire pressures frequently, usually in the morning while the rig is warming up. I takes only a minute. Having on board air makes it such a easy task that if I have to air up, I'm spoiled now with the convenience.

The 315's are BIG. I would advise going not go much bigger w/o full consideration that you might have to do some sheet metal mods to your Ford body. Also, I noticed while washing our SMB that anything larger than a 315 won't fit on the Aluminess spare carrier w/o additional mods.

This combo w/4:1o rear gives comfortable crusing speeds of 60 mph at 1700 or 70 at 2000 (approx) rpms.

-Jeff

scatter · 10-26-2007, 10:00 AM

I'm using the BFG 315s on 16" wheels. I first went with 17" rims for a possible future brake upgrade, but had SMB switch me back to the 16's when I picked the rig up. My thots were:
1 - I found other companies then the BrakeMan that had upgraded brakes that would fit on a 16".
2 - I do a lot of remote traveling, and also in Mexico, and 17" wheels and tires just aren't as popular and therefore much harder to get in some areas. 16" are everywhere in case of a problem.
3 - The BFG ATs are really pretty quiet. Personally, I can't hear 'em at all.
4 - The load range is OK for my rig even though I wish I could get 'em in the E series.
5 - As Jage mentioned, the smaller the wheel diameter the more tire you have to cushion your ride. That will make a difference no matter what kind of road you're on and really makes a difference when you air down on the dirt.
My thots and experiences.