Sand/Mud/Lockers & Offroading

[Archive]

Aloha,
I live in the wettest spot on earth, the Garden Isle of Kauai. We're talking 450 inches of rain a year+ here folks. I am planning to do a lot of off-roading with My new 2000 quad cab. I am looking for a tire that will work good in sand and mud.

This mud is not just any ol mud, it reminds me more of ice. When dry, the stuff is hard as a rock, but the slightest sprinkle and it is like a Slip N Slide.

I have gone through the archives and read a lot of posts on driving on ice/mud/snow, anti-spin vs. no anti-spin vs. lockers. Not having a lot of offroad experience, I am looking for some help in choosing the right tires and if I need the anti-spin rear end or if I should use lockers like the ARB's. I didn't get the anti-spin rear end when I ordered the truck, an oversight on my part or was it. Lockers may well be the hot ticket for climbing over rock piles and such???? for the mud, I don't know.
From what I have read from the icy road drivers, anti-spin/lockers are a curse due to side slipping. That may well be the case with this mud. I have done a little driving through the mud and it seems to handle fairly well with the stock tires and no anti-spin but I have not tried to negotiate any hills or sloped roads as of yet.

I also will be doing a lot of sand driving as we are allowed to drive on the beaches here. Sand is anywhere from corse crushed coral to silty soft sand. I have been out on the sand and the stock tires aren't the greatest in the world. I almost burried the truck. I got led astray by the owners manual that says "don't let air out of the tires". After talking to the locals, and the Michelin tire hotline, I have come to the conclusion that dodge has less of a clue about 4X4ing than I do.

After the long disortation, I guess the question is, Anybody got any suggestions, observations, 2 cents, on possible tire types/brands, anti-spin/no anti-spin/lockers/no lockers.

Aloha & Mahalo... ... Jim Pilgram

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Y2K, 2500, QC, 4X4, Medium Bronze, Milemarker Hydraulic winch w/Warn Transformer mount & brush guard, Highway Products 5th wheel toolbox, Con Truck rack, Genuine Steel tube steps,
Spray-in bed liner, 2mtr ham rig (HF & Screwdriver antenna soon), Ham Radio Call WH6FG

 

[Archive]

I'd recommend the BFG Radial Mud Terrain T/A's in 285/75R16. You might want to go one size smaller if you need a lot of articulation, I've never rubbed but I don't rock crawl either. I've run the Mud Terrains on several vehicles and currently have them on my wifes 95 Jeep (32x11. 5x15). We run them on the Sand dunes all the time and they work great. I've also run them in the mud on a 93 S-10 and they were great there as well. I haven't run them on the Dodge but I am running the A/T KO's on it and they are great tires. Both the A/T KO and Mud Terrain are rated at 3305 lbs load range D. This is a lower load range than stock (stock is E) but a higher weight - it has to do with the size of the tire, a larger tire is rated to a higher weight. As to the lockers for your use I'd probably consider the Air Locker's. If you have the $ it's the best of both worlds. Oh yeah and you definately have to air down on sand - what did you eventually air down to out of curiousity? I air our Jeep down to 9 psi. Airing down can also help in the mud sometimes as you'll have a bigger contact patch, but I wouldn't air down as much.

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-Steve St. Laurent
'98 Quad Cab Long Bed (CMNSPWR), 4x4, ISB, 5sp, 4. 10 LSD, Prime-loc remote fuel filter,
boost & pyro gauges, TST Powermax, Permatech spray in liner, Grizzly stainless nerf bars,
front Draw-Tite receiver, BFG 285/75R16 AT KO's
http://my. voyager.net/stevest

 

[Archive]

Mahalo Steve for the info. I got out without airing down. I was going to go from 50# that I cary now down to about 20-25# the next time I go out... . That's what the Michelin tech suggested.


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Y2K, 2500, QC, 4X4, Medium Bronze, Milemarker Hydraulic winch w/Warn Transformer mount & brush guard, Highway Products 5th wheel toolbox, Con Truck rack, Genuine Steel tube steps,
Spray-in bed liner, 2mtr ham rig (HF & Screwdriver antenna soon), Ham Radio Call WH6FG

 

[Archive]

Pilgram,

I grew up in Louisiana and did some of the best 4-wheeling in my life. We called the mud you are talking about "Gumbo-mud" back in Louisiana. My first vehicle was a 69' Ford Bronco. I put some 900x16 COOP Mudder tires and she was unstoppable. But, I don't know about sand.

In the last few years, I have ran BFG Mud-terrain tires and couldn't understand why they did not perform as good as my old 69' Bronco, but they were good. They looked like a similar tread. Well, this past summer I found out why! I went back to Louisiana and went to visit my cousin down in cajun country. His truck was running some of the CO-OP tires and I could not believe the amount of tread on these tires. I am not exagerating, the tread was twice as deep as the BFG Mud-terrain tires. They looked like ag tractor tires. No wonder my old truck would go through anything.

If you want the best, I would recommend getting on the phone to Louisiana and talk to one of the Co-op stores and see if they would ship you a set. You will not be disappointed!

Good luck,
Tim

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94' 2500 4x4, std cab, 12v, 5spd, gauges, TST 230/605, muffler elimination, gutted cat, Premium Blue 2000 oil@5k miles, 110k mi.

96' 2500 4x4, ext cab, 12v, 5spd, Cummins Exhaust brake, Premium Blue 2000 oil@5k miles, 50k mi, 8-10K lb 4-horse trailer (wifes truck)

Phx, AZ

 

[Archive]

Good question Check the BB for Parates of the Rubicon. Post a question you will get alot of feed back, I my self have always favored BFG mud terains for stret driving and off road combo.
http://www.pirate4x4.com/cgi-bin/cgiwrap/pirate4x4/Ultimate. cgi