i'm having alot of trouble deciding on tires...

[colbystephens]

well, i want to run a 38" tire with a 16" rim - that limits me to the interco ssr's or the mickey thompson baja claws. i like these two tires because they have big tread separation. here in oregon, the clay really packs up the tread of a mud terrain tire - so it needs some good separation. are there other good options i'm overlooking?

i'm borrowing some 37" claws from my neighbor to see how they feel. they're great on the street so far - but i want to make sure they kick ass at rock crawling and normal trail riding.... i'm kind of leaning toward those tires simply for aesthetic reasons - i don't know if i like the look of the ssr's much.

trying to decide if i should just change wheel sizes too and go to a 15" wheel for more options - but i'd really rather stick with the 16" wheel. i suppose i probably won't be disapointed with either tire... so maybe i'm over thinknig it.

 

[Hogback Fabrication]

The SSR is a better performing tire from what I've seen.

 

[redneckdude]

The SSR is a better performing tire from what I've seen.

agreed. i dislike claws. My friend has some 38.5x16 or something stupid like that on his s10...they aren't worth a crap as far as im concerned. Decent onroad ride, but suck offroad. Do they make a skinnier claw in the 38" range? IMHO, get the ssrs. you will be happier with them if you aren't on jagged rocks or anything...their sidewalls are thin, just like most any other radial.

 

[colbystephens]

well, i like that the ssr's are coming back without mixed reviews - like all my research on the claws has provided. additionally, i think that this pic has sealed the deal for me on the ssr's.

these are the size/wheel combo i'd run too...

 

[redneckdude]

almost any swamper will outdo any mickey thompson tire offroad. SSRs seem to be one of the best choices for a swamper that has to be DD'ed or driven on road a lot. MattK on here had a set for a while (about 10K miles i think?) with very little wear. They aren't AS agressive as a TSL or bogger or irok, but will outdo any MT and ride ALMOST as good as most MTs from what i have heard.

 

[rwright07]

i had SSR's on my K5 for over a year, they wear well if you keep them rotated, watch your PSI, and keep your front end aligned. once they start wearing unevenly though, they go alot faster.

They were good offroad and onroad- but my Michelin XZL's are a superior tire. I used to have a vibration problem above 55MPH, i check everything several times and just decided it was a harmonic resonance issue, but once i got my XZL's it disappeared. I guess the SSR's were much less concentric than the XZL's are.

maybe look into Michelins- they are a 16" rim tire, but are HARD to find now. production stopped in '04

 

[jonathon]

I think the 38" SSRs look good. The tread pattern on the Claws looks like it would be useless around here... as you know, even in the summer on the wet side there's always mud

Out of curiosity, what's the expected tread life span of the SSR? What about the LTB?

I'm going through a similar debate at the moment too.. I'm a bit on the stingy side, but I want to stick with a 16" wheel and 33-34" diameter tire. Ride quality isn't a concern for myself, but if SSR's are going to hold up better on pavement to the point of saving money over the bias ply LTB, that's the route I'm going to take.

 

[original balzer]

I have said it a few times before but ill say it again. You should look into Parnelli dirt grips. My friend had a set and I realy liked those tires.

On a side note I had the first set of MT baja claws in Utah (pre ordered before they was released). HATED EVERYTHING about them, the only place they did any good was sand. Then again I have read they changed their rubber compound and the 38" has a slightly differnt tread than the 35's I had. BUT I sill wont ever waste money on MT tires ever again.

 

[redneckdude]

I think the 38" SSRs look good. The tread pattern on the Claws looks like it would be useless around here... as you know, even in the summer on the wet side there's always mud

Out of curiosity, what's the expected tread life span of the SSR? What about the LTB?

I'm going through a similar debate at the moment too.. I'm a bit on the stingy side, but I want to stick with a 16" wheel and 33-34" diameter tire. Ride quality isn't a concern for myself, but if SSR's are going to hold up better on pavement to the point of saving money over the bias ply LTB, that's the route I'm going to take.

ssrs will seriously get 3-5x the treat life of an ltb. my friend had a set of a 4 cyl heep, got MAYBE 10K miles out of them. consider less on a fullsize...SSRs should get 30K+ if treated right.

 

[jonathon]

ssrs will seriously get 3-5x the treat life of an ltb. my friend had a set of a 4 cyl heep, got MAYBE 10K miles out of them. consider less on a fullsize...SSRs should get 30K+ if treated right.

Well that settles it for me then. My K5 will definitely get LTB's but it might see a thousand miles in a year, probably closer to 700-800.

 

[muddybuddy]

what about a 36" irok? i know they are "36" but my buddy had a set any they measured out to over 37", which is probably about the same height as the 38" SSR's.

i duno, i just really like iroks SSR's are nice for sure tho

 

[Leper]

Pitbull Rockers!!!

 

[NEK5]

If you`re only considerinjg staying in that range, you should go with the Interco TrXus MTs. Great tire, I`d say at least 35k out of them....

I think the 38" SSRs look good. The tread pattern on the Claws looks like it would be useless around here... as you know, even in the summer on the wet side there's always mud

Out of curiosity, what's the expected tread life span of the SSR? What about the LTB?

I'm going through a similar debate at the moment too.. I'm a bit on the stingy side, but I want to stick with a 16" wheel and 33-34" diameter tire. Ride quality isn't a concern for myself, but if SSR's are going to hold up better on pavement to the point of saving money over the bias ply LTB, that's the route I'm going to take.

 

[Chaddy]

MAXXIS. There is no better tire for the rocks.

 

[jonathon]

If you`re only considerinjg staying in that range, you should go with the Interco TrXus MTs. Great tire, I`d say at least 35k out of them....

How well do they do in mud? My current A/T's might as well be slicks in the mud, fortunately I've been able to spin my way out of the little bit I've gotten into

 

[shaun89]

well, i like that the ssr's are coming back without mixed reviews - like all my research on the claws has provided. additionally, i think that this pic has sealed the deal for me on the ssr's.

these are the size/wheel combo i'd run too...

thats my friends corys old truck...he rolled it over a guard rail on the highway...good thing hes a big guy! he was fine.

 

[NEK5]

How well do they do in mud? My current A/T's might as well be slicks in the mud, fortunately I've been able to spin my way out of the little bit I've gotten into

I didn`t have a problem in the mud and leaves in the little trail at my buddys place Haven`t tested them too much, other than that.

 

[colbystephens]

jonathon -

you should rock the LTB's!! those tires rock my balls off. i don't want to run a bias ply tire because it'll hurt my fuel economy - but if i could, those would be MY tire!

 

[carpeonnel]

THORNBIRDS!!! THEY'RE THE BEST!!!

Well I bought bajas cuz I wanted a big radial and I got a deal on them. They run great onroad but I really haven't got to test them much off road as my trannys still not right in my k5 and saving up a little money to get a matching HAD front CV. But they've done pretty good in mud I was playing in, in 2wd, but i've never run SSRs so I can't compare.

Also a side not, not trying to send this thread on too much of a tangent, but how are the new M16 by interco I keep seeing in the mags? They look pretty cool but I haven't heard anything about them

 

[jonathon]

jonathon -

you should rock the LTB's!! those tires rock my balls off. i don't want to run a bias ply tire because it'll hurt my fuel economy - but if i could, those would be MY tire!

Well you do get 8-10MPG more than I do Looks like diesel is coming down.. at least on that side of the River. Saw it in Damascus for $4.59.

I'm thinking the Blazer will get 35" LTB's..