Offroad-Express

Hi all..

Can you please advise if it's possible to use Mud terrain Tyres for on road applications....I'm planning on goig off roading now but our truck is also our daily runner and it's about time to change the tyres for a warrant. I was thinking of putting in Mud terrain tyres while i';m at it.

hey nm8r,

yeh you can put mud tyres on and use them on road, you will wear them down more on road and also dont expect the same amount of traction, as soon as the road gets damp/ wet they become very slippery on the tar seal and you slide around a fair bit. best way around is too have 2 set's an off road and on road but of course this is more expensive.

if you can afford 2 sets then do so, althou you could buy some all terrian tyres which are a 60% for on road use and 40% off road with these you get better wear from them also the handle better on the road but are not as good off road.

it all comes down to how off road driving you will be doing and how serious this is. if its not alot then get a set of all terrain .. i'd surgest BFG All terrain and also there mud terrain if you decied to go that way..

sorry for the long reply thats my 2 cents worth anyway

ad

You'll be right mate as long as they are within manufactures spec ie don't stick out the sides past the flares etc. I would advise you get two sets of tyres and rims, one MT's and the other AT's or road tyres as bitumen can chew the shit out of MT's. Make sure you buy quality and if you can easily twist the lugs with your fingers, they have not cured and will wear fast. Also make sure your wheel alingment is on as that will chew them out pretty quick too.
Al
Al

If you want them for daily driving, I find the Hankook MT01's really good, have lasted for 12 months so far, no real issues in the wet.,....

thanks for the prompt response guys....really appreciate it....i'm thinking i'll probably go with All terrain for the time being and save up for a second set of Mud Terrain....

zed

I had two sets for my suzuki and had two sets for my hilux also with the intention of only using the mudies for offroad stuff, but never changed them back so the muddies got used for everything and I sold off the road tyres. As long as you are aware of the increased wear and the reduced effect on road handling then you should be fine.

Mine are fine on road (when driven accordingly) and I just leave bigger following distances (problem is on motorways people think you are leaving a space for them and you end up dropping back a lot), brake earlier and corner more slowly.

Hankooks on the zuk were fine in the two years I had them and wore well. The Nankang Mudstars I have now on my lux are only 6 months old and look alright so far.

Heath

I to was looking at getting two sets of tyres, But stuck a set of goodyear wranglers M/TR on and was surpised how good they were on road so not going to worry about getting All Terrains

How long (I mean Km's/Miles) do you think a M/T would last if used for normal on road driving....

Depends on the tyre, I have 4 Hankook MT's on my truck, that have all done 12 months / 40,000KM's ish, two will only just pass this warrant, the other two will go on for a while yet....

Alot depends on driving style, vehicle weight etc...

If you buy a long-life tyre then expect reasonable km's from it (assuming you have regular wheel rotations/balances and alignments done on the truck.

The best all-purpose mud tyre I have used is the BFG mud terrain. My father runs his and gets about 75,000kms from them, on and off road, and like Heath said, how many 4WDers can really be arsed changing tyres back and forth?... I sold my road tyres too...

I've had good road wear and good stickability from Firestone MT/Rs, and the same from my BFG muddies... I am aware that some of the cheaper ones are diabolical in the wet... just buy once and buy right and you should be fine.

Steve

I agree BFG muds wear well on the road and when alittle worn still work quite well off road. You can let them down a fair bit too cause they seem to be good around the bead/side wall area. Another good option is GT Radial muds - Similar to BFG but down the price scale a bit.

If You've got two sets of rims/tyres do what I do - have two trucks - Saves swapping them over

I run pirelli scorpion and find them fine. On my second set, i was so impressed.I've had them about a year now and am well in excess of 30'00k's and have plenty of tread left. I drive on them everyday. Have had plenty of abuse both off and on road. They are fine in the wet, even at 100k/hr. Paid $240ea. Basically a BFG copy made in venezuala.
Al

Hi, Thought I'd put up my 2c
Got some Sumitomo's (cheap) for the Pajero as was really annoyed with the poor wear on a/t duelers I had, only just good for wof aft 12 mths.
So I thought why not get more fun tyres if they only guna last that long.
After 2 years of the wife driving them all round chch they still have plenty to go and changed the ability of the truck off road immensly.
As for the tarmac, they handle as ok as you can expect a 4wd to.
I had a full set on balanced and aligned for under $800
Why would you have two sets??
T

under$800!!! you got a deal there man. i can tell you right now that the cost price for tonys tyres is $220.... each... alingnment is about $50-$60... but dont say you know the cost price if you decide to go into tonys, ill get in trouble not that i work there anymore but i dont want to burn my hook ups. its just a bargaining aid

I just bought a set of used 31/10.5/R15s M/T yesterday with the alloys...as mine had 16s....there's still about 50-60% tread still elft on those...The previous owner said they were off a Surf so I checked the stud pattern and worked out fine but when i got home to put on the tyres the Rear ones are fine but oi've got problems witht eh front two...they fit in fine but rub on the Brake calipers...is there any quick fix for this or do I need to get a new set of alloys that will won't rub.....

Where is it rubbing? There is a problem quite often with rims rubbing on one of the three "fins" that faces out on the calipers... normally with steel rims. It is safe to grind the fin down a little that rubs so they clear if they are only just touching, but if its quite solid contact I would recommend that you just find some tyres for the 16's to be sure.

If its actually rubbing on the outside of the caliper onto the rim itself then I would suspect they are not surf rims at all. Not much you can do about that one...

Steve

As far as i remember i think it is rubbing one of those "fins" u mentioned...but i'll have to check it out tonight to make sure....But i'm sure it's rubbing slightly on the outer side of the brake that has the peep hole for the pads...

excuse my sketch but the red portion sort of indicates where it's rubbing...[/img]

Bugger, thats why I think I need 16" rims on my Prado

Time for new rims... I'd be surprised if the ones you have bought are really surf ones... as most surfs should take a 15" rim ok.

Steve

They've been on a surf previously but I've got a 97 Mitsi Pajero.....

You will need 16's it was in 96 or 97 that the pajeros got bigger calipers

Bill
There are plenty of Prados like ours running on the Factory 15 x 7's or in my case 2 sets of 15 x 8's.

I know of at least 3 KZJ78's running 33 x12.5's on the factory rims. The theory is there is more side wall pressure exerted by the bead and therefore you are less likely to pop a tyre at low pressures. Cant comment on this myself.
John

Has anyone heard of Arrow Wheels....they are the only company in NZ that actually make wheels...i'm taking the wheels to them 2moro and see what they can do to it to fit in...safety is paramount i.e

i run 15x10 on my surf ,heaps of clearance.

phone fraser at the........ELITE WHEEL CO ,CHCH they make wheels from scratch,for anything,they specialise in stock car stuff but they also do widening ,so id try them before arrow and prob heaps cheaper


good luck.

my pajero came with the factory 18s as its convertible but i got 15x8 steel rims in landcrusier offset. the wheel comp said they wouldnt fit but they do. the pajero offset doesnt tho. if your in welly you can come try my spare on yours if you want?

A friend of mine's got exactly the same alloys on his surf....except 15 x 7 rims and mine's 15 x 8....i tried on his and ioit fits perfectly...so i suppos e u could fit in 15s on later Pajero except with different offsets as wacko said or 15 x 7 rims....

Hi ,

Has any one got a spare 15x 8 rim with offset suitable for a cruiser they want to part with ? Looking for one as a spare. My spare is only a 15 x 7 " Got caught a while ago borrowing a spare that was fine on the drum rear but would not even bolt up on the disc brake front end.

Cheers,

Pete