Cheap off road tires??

[Jesse Jaymes]

I am sure we would all like a new set of cheap tires, and they are sickening in the cost. But I see many rigs with military tires and such.

I am buying a K30/M1008 1 ton pickup. Going to lift it. Will be an all around driver, but mostly a weekend desert beast. I will need some tires. I really hate to pay $2000 for a truck and dump another $1400 into tires. But with the diesel engien and the RMPs, it's more of a necessity than luxury. I will need to offset the 4.56's and the diesel R's if I want to even crack 55 mph.

I am pretty up to speed on all of the BFG's, TSL's, etc. But I am not used to the military type sizing codes, or where to find them. There are some ebay tire sold in lots, but the rims are 16.5's. I think the factory rims on this truck are 16X ?. Would really cut a corner by staying factory and not investing in new rims, even if steel wheels are relatively cheap.

Also, I need only height, I am not really needing a 13.5" wide tire. The LTB's look appealing and are priced correctly. But they are only up to 34" diameter. And am guessing there are really just made for full size spare for locked axle vehicles.

Any tips ?

 

[blazin' j]

not sure if your gonna find any "cheap" offroad tires...the ltb's are designed for light trucks (like toyotas) that dont have alot of width room to spare in the fenderwells...the are more than just a spare for locked axle vehicles...they would work wonders for you offroad...tires choices would depend on what you intend to use the vehicle for and how agressive you need them to be...

 

[454k30]

the words cheap and oversized off road tires seldom go hand in hand. Finding tires that are greater than 34 inches in diameter but still fitting on a stock rim is also very tough. generally as the manufacturer increases the tire diameter the width also increases which meens you need wider rims. The other problem is the backspacing of stock wheels can cause big tires to hit the springs.

The LTB in 34 is a lot of tire and would give you good performance off road. beware though that even being only 34 inches in diameter they might hit your springs.

Basically plan on buying 16" steel rims 8-10" wide and mounting a 10-13 inch wide tire. I was always impressed with the swamper radials in terms of bang for your buck. Tires and wheels are one of those "pay to play" things and there is no budget way to run new tires without paying out the backside for them.

 

[AJMBLAZER]

When I got my M1008 it had trimmed fenders and 36x12.5-16.5 Goodyear Wrangler RT/II's (the original HMMWV tire) on stock (but not for it) GM 16.5x6.5 wheels. They were definitely donut looking but for over a year they did just fine. 28psi in the front and 26psi in the rear and they wore well and aside from being lumpy bias plies they did pretty well. I had to adjust the driver's side steering stop to keep the tire off of the drag link but other than that they fit and worked fine.

I later got some 11.00R16 (38ishx11ishR16) Michelin XL's and put them on 16x7 wheels off of a 2007 GMC C3500.

1" of lift up front, more cutting, got some of my right turning ability back, and I can flex the wee out of it (stock 1 ton springs so that's subjective), and they fit just fine.

My point is you can safely run bigger and wider tires on stock rims. Don't go nuts but many here have done it. The widest rims I currently run on ANY of my vehicles is 7" wide.

For the record some 36x12.5R16 Interco Super Swamper TSL Radials would fit nicely with a 4" lift, your stock rims, and only minor fender trimming in the front and steering stop adjusting on the driver's side. So would some 9.00R16 Michelin XL's (Sorta like a 36ishx9.5ishR16) and they'd give you some top speed.

To truely make the engine happy and use the gears well you'll need at least a true 36" tall tire.

 

[cwillis]

i run retreads from www.TreadWright.com They have sizes up to 37" and they are great. The customer service is awesome and i dont have any complaints at all. They used to be called Hi-Tec Retreads. If you google it most of the magazines have tested them and likes them.

I run 31s now but my next set will be 37"s

 

[AJMBLAZER]

Why'd they change their name?



I had a bad experience with a set from them a few years ago but it seems to be more the exception than the rule.

 

[cwillis]

I had a defect when i got mine. . . I called them and sent a digital picture though email. . . they had a replacement in the mail within the hour.

They said in their buisness defects happen once in a while, but they will replace it for free.

I plan on buying their product again. no questions asked. I cant see dropping over twice as much for something that to me, is the exact same. . .

besides nothing beats people asking what tread your tires are and "how do you BFG M/Ts have side walls like swampers?"
I always tell them "Its all who you know." or "Prototypes. . Shhh . . .dont tell"

 

[AJMBLAZER]

Mine was more of a customer service issue but I've been told that has been fixed since then. We weren't happy with how we were treated with our failures and what we were told and then not delivered on. All I can say is if you're buying one of their relatively slow moving and/or uncommon sizes don't take everything they say verbatim. A few days might mean a few weeks.
Maybe the name change has to do with shedding a then developing image problem?

Performance wise we loved the tires. Not so happy with the chunking and definitely weren't happy with the service. When my wife rolled that vehicle I left the tires on it at the yard.

Then again I know guys all over the 4x4 world who love them.

 

[Jesse Jaymes]

AJM-

Your truck is beautiful. Pretty much how I want my truck to end up. Looks like you whacked the crap outta the rear fender/bed though. In my experience, I had a prior 1984 3/4T with 35" BFG MT's on 15" rims. Trimmed the front fender back quite a bit, and still rubbed. Almost no backspacing on those rims though.

I am kinda putting the cart before the horse, as I do not have it in my posession yet, but have a deposit on the truck, and will retrieve it next week (1200 mi round). VERY clean interior and exterior. But it was painted white and served as a city municiple truck.

Thanks to all for the help. I am not as nieve as it may seem, I just wanted some additional thoughts. I cannot believe how expensive tires are.

Can someone give me the skinny on the TreadWrite tires. Are they retreads and what are the possible consequences of running them? The price is certainly attractive. I have, at times, learned my lesson about spending money "right" the first time, or you will be spending it twice. But I really want to get this truck up and running ASAP.

It should run just fine right now, but I see most of the posters are East Coast. Out here in NM, you can literally, off road almost anywhere. Many roads are washed out right now and there are also many areas covered by deep sand. Within a mile, you could be on exposed rocks and boulders. So it would be nice to have it ready to rock.

Been wanting a 14bolt FF for a long time, and the D60, as well as the stout running gear really have me geeked up, but tapped for cash, as I already own a 2004 Dodge Cummins and my 1974 K5. Lots of projects, so the money is spread thin....

I really wanted a thin set of Boggers, the 10.5's. I may craigslist some 16.5 rims, as there seem to be better options for that size.

 

[cwillis]

I bought a set and love them. yes they are retreads. you should google them and read reviews.

As far as customer service goes. I think they are top notch. best way to figure out is to call and find out for yourself. Call and ask about performance and waranties, etc.

Again, I cannot say enough good about the company and my tires. I have the aggressive tread and they are LOUD, but super comfy. I have taken over five 6 hour (each way) road trips on them and they rock.

I bought them early this spring.

 

[AJMBLAZER]

AJM-

Your truck is beautiful. Pretty much how I want my truck to end up. Looks like you whacked the crap outta the rear fender/bed though. In my experience, I had a prior 1984 3/4T with 35" BFG MT's on 15" rims. Trimmed the front fender back quite a bit, and still rubbed. Almost no backspacing on those rims though.

Eh, it's more of a 10 footer with decent paint but it's my baby.

I cut the front fangs behind the bumper and the rear of the bed between the wheel well and the bumper. Those parts of the body don't do anything other than collect crap, rust, and give you clearance issues so off they went. It's detailed a bit on my CarDomain site linked to in my profile.
To solve the front rubbing the rear of the wheel well issue the best option is to space the front axle forwards an inch. I was going to do that but ran out of driveshaft length. These trucks (this era GM) have the front axle actually towards the rear about an inch relative to the center of the wheel well. That's why they rub the rear of the wheel rub is so common even with lifted trucks. I trimmed mine a decent amount and have no more rub. Had to beat the fender well liner back a bit but it took it fine.

I really wanted a thin set of Boggers, the 10.5's. I may craigslist some 16.5 rims, as there seem to be better options for that size.

Eh, watch those 16.5" wheels in the sand. Hard to air them down unless you have beadlocks.




I was stationed in San Diego for four years and man, I miss the easy wheeling out west. You guys have it even better than SoCal so I'm REALLY envious.