Best Tires For Arizona?

[will e]

Okay you AZ guys. Tom, Gary, Frank, Ryan, Tad...

you know the terrian. What is a good tire for AZ. Figure the car is driven as a semi-daily driver. I am looking for Brand Name and Tire name. (BFG M/T, BFG A/T, Scorpians, etc)

With my 4" Rusty kit I was thinking 31" to 33" tires. If I get some rubbing with 33" I could go with the body lift or the revoler shackels in front and some 2" blocks in the rear. (according to one post the shackels will give me another 1 1/2 to 2") If this is true, for the time a trouble it seems that the extra articulation I would get from the revolvers would be a better choice.

[Tad]

I have the 33x12.5" Dunlop Radial Rovers I traded midnightwagon for my 35" General Grabber AP's.
They do have some very nice traction in sand and hard pack dirt and self clean pretty good, but they are noisier on the pavement than I thought they would be. Ridgbak is getting some serious long term wear and milage along with good looking traction from his 31's, not sure what they are.

[Ridgbak]

--Will, I have BFGs 10.50 31s'. They barely fit, with no lift. I need to bring the body up a couple of inches, and they'll be fine.
--I do get some cuts and scatches w/ articulation, but not enough to damage the body of the rubber.
--I got them @ Discount, with the added warranty for an extra $10+ per, and as a result haven't paid for a new tire in almost ten years. (One exception).
--If I ever reach a time where the tires are worn equally, I'll go up to the 33s', AND the NEEDED lift. But the way things seem to go, I've always got a couple of meats with low milage, while the others are ~ 20k. Twenty-five is the most I've ever had to run them without that almost free replacement.
--It's not too difficult to separate some tire belts regularly, running at very low tire pressure for sand. That qualifies as a factory defect and is replaced free of charge, BUT, the 'extra' warranty does NOT roll over to the new tire.

[AzFrank aka Desertson]

Hey Will E, we missed ya' on this last run! Finish that lift already!!!!!!
I have 32x11.50 Big O BigFoot A/Ts w/ the stock springs still and I'm sitting at 16-1/2" from the ground to ctr of my shackle bolts.I haven't yet rubbed the fenderwells (frt or rear),not even the time to Box Canyon.So far they have been good w/ traction, and no road noise.(I paid $526.00 w/ tax etc for a set of 4)

You'll also run acrossed sharp bedrock and sharp bolders (half buried of course)along w/ the sand,hard packed dirt and loose dirt.To me, its the sharp rocks that take thier toll on the tire.

You'll end up w/ chunks of rubber missing if you get a tire made from to soft of a rubber compound.Damage can occur even if you do not spin your tires going over sharp stuff. .I'm sure gwinn can atest to that.
Now I've also seen it happen w/ tires made from to hard of a rubber compound too, and of coures it depends on the drivers habits ie,if they air down or not and how they drive on the trails.
Sorry for such a long reply,and keep in mind this is only my opinion.
PS, we're planing on something in Nov.so be trail ready by then or else!!!!!!!!!Heheehhhee. tongue.gif

[will e]

Hey Frank. Thanks for the info. So you find that the BIG O tires are a good compound?

I am working hard to make the next run. Rusty's lift, Rancho Shocks and ????? tires!

I should be good to go in a couple of weeks.

[FSJ Thing]

For the size you're looking at, I agree that Big O tires are a good way to go. Also, the Bridgestone Dueler n those sizes are really good tires. Especially the A/T for desert areas. I have them on my Ram, and used them in Western Colorado(Dinosaur to Grand Junction)to go wheelin' and had no problems. they're agressive enough for the little bit of mud you run into(even though it's that slippery crap)and puts enough rubber on the ground to grab slate and bed rock as well as river rock and it's gentle enough not to bury your axles in the sand. Between Big Os and the Duelers, for me it would be a simple matter of cost and the salesmans attitude.

[Josh D]

As AZFrank said, the rocks in Arizona are sharp and can reek havoc on sidewalls. I always had good luck with BFG's and their three ply sidewall.

[gwinn]

Hey Mike,I'm still trying to figure this one out myself! As you know I'm running the 33X12.5 Super Swamper SSR. It is definately the best performing tire I've run for AZ terrain. They grip the rocks, forms to the cracks, climb like a goat! The downfalls of the SSR is they're pricey and wear out fast. They grip so well they don't want to let go, so I leave that part of the tire behind every time. I'm switching back to BFG MT's next time. I'll be lucky to get a total of 20K on these SSR's. If I was a pro and could pick a tire sponsor, it would be Super Swamper!

[will e]

Tom - I will spend more time on the road than the terrain so I guess super swampers are not my best choice. Must be pretty soft to only get 20K miles. Why would you go with BFG MT's instead of their AT's.

I am leaning twords BFG if I can find them on sale.

[gsmikie]

Best Tires For Arizona? free ones he he he i have a set of yokohoma's i have been indulging on for the year of 92 (the year of the shrimp) that im real impressed with they also work great in other country's such as mexico for example (sand/rock/dirt/beach) real nice on the high way also handle real nice(the shrimp cant hear me comming)

[burlyj10]

hey E WILL!

Id go with the BFGs , ive had nothing but good things from them. Currently i have the AT's. they are very good on the street, snow , rock, sandstone and have never let me down in the mud.
ive been on various trail condtions from Moab to CHoke Cherry Canyon to the trails down here and i have nothing but respect for the tires. Im currently looking for 33x12.50 BFG MT's. i just like the fact that they are a more aggressive tread than the at's.

but for your needs the AT's should do you just great. ive been driving on my tires for almost 3 yrs now and ive put lots of miles on them.

if your looking for good prices, i found a place in farmington Nm that has em for as cheap as ive found ( which is where im buying my tires) they have 33x12.50 MT KMs for 149 a tire. i can find out what they want for the tire and size you wnat if you let me know.

Id even be willing to cart them back down here from Farmington when i go home in nov for thanksgiving. i dont know if you want them b4 that or not but just let me know.

sorry for the long post. laters ryan

[will e]

Originally posted by gsmikie:
they also work great in other country's such as mexico for example (sand/rock/dirt/beach) real nice on the high way also handle real nice(the shrimp cant hear me comming)lol Boy am I glad to hear that! Would hate to have to take off my 'Shoes' if I go to Mexico...

Ryan - very cool offer. Time wise that may work out for me too. Let me look around here for a good deal. If I can't find anything close I may take you up on the offer.

Between the shocks and the tires my $500 lift is costing me A LOT more than that!

This better be worth it!!!! ;) :D

[burlyj10]

WILL E- ive looked around and everyone ive talked to has sent me to discount. i took my deal from Treadworks in NM to discount and they couldnt match it. i did however get them down from 175 a tire to 160 a tire including mounting and balancing. but they couldnt match Treadworks offer.

and as far as ranchos, have you gone to 4wheelers supply? those are pretty good guys out there.

[burlyj10]

BTW- if you find tires for close to the price of Treadworks, let me know. id rather not have to drive home to get tires if i can get them down here! thanks laters ryan

[imported_Big Red]

BFGs or BFGs or BFGs!! Remember tires here in AZ wear out faster because the pavement. It is so dang hot here. Just imagine the temp is 116 and the sun is beating down on a BLACK surface for 12-14 hours a day. Yea it gets hot! If the tires are too soft they will wear faster due to the heat. Also I like the triply sidewall. My $.02.

[will e]

Discount site shows 33" 12.5 BFG AT TA KO for $145 each which includes a tire stem and lifetime balancing.

Mounting must be extra.

Does Treadworks have a web site?

[will e]

BIG RED - Where is the best price in AZ? I like the idea of the triple sidewall too

[will e]

www.Etires.com (http://www.Etires.com) has the AT's for $139 and the MT for $154. Not as good as treadworks...