Off Roading Gateway gumbo mudders

[pwknapp]

Can't find where to buy the Gateway mudders in 305/85/16's. Anybody have the best price? Getting ready to replace the Truxxus 255/85's on the old dually. Also interested in some 35-10. 50/16's but can't find hardly any tires offered in this size with decent mud/snow tread and longevity.



Thanks, Paul

 

[JGheen]

I would stay away from Gateway Gumbos, they are terrible in the mud. I ran a set of them a while back on my '71 Chevy and they couldn't self clean for anything. They sure do live up to their name, they gumbo the mud right in the tread. I would go with something like a Super Swamper Radial SSR or a BFG mudder. The Swamper SSRs are great heavy duty, awesome performing mud tire and will last a decent amount of time as well.



Joe

 

[S&N]

Ditto on they don't clean. I used to joke that they call them "gumbo" for a reason. Besides that, they don't seem to hold up to weight very well. Mine came apart pretty easy.

 

[DieselTweaker]

I will defend the gumbo's I had a set of 40's on my old 77 ford AND LOVED THEM, they will clean out but they love alot of wheel speed!

 

[CyberRanger]

I don't have the Gumbo's, but do have the Buckshot Mudder Radials in 305/85R16. Was able to get them through my local Discount Tire Store. Their price is close to what National Tire sells 'em for, but you can get a warranty & lifetime rotating & balancing as well (that's a big deal w/ tires this size). I think the closest Discount Tire to you is in Northern Utah. How much trouble you have (or don't have) depends on their knowledge, but it can be done.



Your best bet may be to query your local independent tire dealers & see if they can get 'em thru a regional distributor. I used to work for a couple shops like that (in small mountain towns) & you might be surprised by the price & how easily they can get 'em. One thing to note... make sure they DON'T order them thru Premier Tire Distributors in Denver. I've been screwed several times by Premier b/c they quoted my tire dealer one price & charged another or told my supplier they had tires in stock they didn't have & worse wouldn't get or even try to get. Their attitude there seems to be if they can't make a really good profit on a tire, screw it & the customer.



Big O tire can be a good source depending on the local store manager. I've had stores that wouldn't even try to get the tire, others who would, but make ya pay thru the nose & others that would go out of their way to get me a good price. Your mileage may vary. I see they have a few stores near you.



Personally, I like the Buckshots b/c they can be studded & I can get 'em in a 10 ply. They self-clean pretty well (not as good as Swamper Boggers) & are a lot better on the road than either Boggers or Gumbos. They are also narrow enough they can be run on a dually if you use narrow rims or a small spacer between the rears. We live roughly midway between Laramie, Cheyenne & Fort Collins (near the I-80 summit) & can get snow 12 months of the year. Our last snow was June 6th this year. We frequently drive into the higher mountains & get a lot of icy roads so I run studs year round. BTW, I run the Buckshots on my '71 Chevy K20.



While the BFG MT & Swampers are great in mud, they are next to worthless on ice & hardpack snow, which is where the studded Buckshots really shine. The Buckshots do really well in deep & extremely deep snow, too, when studded. The stud noise is noticeable, but not blantantly so.

 

[jwduke]

I had some 38" Gumbo's, and they worked pretty good.



Ground Hawgs arn't too bad either, unless you as Tim (Sorry I brought up that name :-laf ) about that one... .....

 

[pwknapp]

Well I went ahead and put six Buckshot Radial Mudders on the old dually. Had to get a pair of 2" spacers for the rear to set them up right. Now I need another 2"+ of lift in the front. Oh well maybe the holidays will find a 4. 5" kit under the tree.