MT/R's = good stuff

[bart]

Thanks! It is a little less desireable right now, being that it has a rod through the block. I have got it looking better than those pics now, too. I was looking to sell it and get another one that is set up for autoX.

-Bart

[Hellbender]

A question on the Claws in rocks......

Running them in the "normal " direction of rotation, ie, arrow of tread pointing down when viewed from the front of the Jeep.

This is what allows them to clean in mud (pushes mud to outside of tire) BUT, would also seem (to me) to force them to push OFF the point of a rock.....making them want to slide off with poor lateral stability.

But you guys in CA have very little mud, why not turn them around and run them backwards, make that tread design pull the rock to the CENTER of the tire?

HB

[Allen]

Originally posted by Hellbender
But you guys in CA have very little mud, why not turn them around and run them backwards, make that tread design pull the rock to the CENTER of the tire?

HB

They're directional....so it'd be fine on a trail only rig. And that's an interesting idea.....

But they're not supposed to be run backwards on the street.

But that also makes the spare side specific.....and people have run the spare on the wrong side, ie backwards, in emergencies.

I don't know what the long term effects would be.....

Allen

[bart]

Lots of guys run the Claws backwards. Avalance/Poison Spyder did a lot. I never tried it, but that is one of the things I like about the MTRs better. They are a larger diameter (more to wrap around the rock), but the Claws were prone to slip if you were turning and climbing on to a wet rock.

[Milan]

Directional I always thought pertained mostly to the tread design and performance on the street. Not the construction of the tire. I don't think it would be dangerous to run 1 out of 4 tires backwards.

FWIW,
I'm on the MT/R bandwagon myself. But of course only after trying the tires myself a lot. I think that, for me, they are the best all around tire ever. I also think they suck in mud. Not all mud but the slippery, sticky kind that Blain had success in. If you can call sliding down the hill a success.

The Krawlers on theother hand seem to be beating the GY on the trails here so far. Even in snow! And I think the GY is one of the best snow tires around. But they dig more (doh!) and they seemed to require more rpms in the snow. I.e. would not Krawl well but like a Bogger if you spin them, they'd keep pulling forward. However, more testing is needed. On road ride of the Krawler is closer to Swampers than anything else - they do flat spot even being radials, they are "lumpy" and heavy. I will try different rims to make sure I'm not blaming the tire for rim problems but not just yet. Coincidentally, the tread stays much cooler on the highway than Swampers that wear fast. They run as cool as the MT/Rs and those seem to be lasting well. Time will tell but already if I could make them smoother on the highway, I would consider running them as my only set. We'll see if I think the same in 10K and 20k or 30 K (if they ever make it that far).

[William]

Originally posted by Paradiddle
William - one of your best posts!!!

I'm appreciated.. !

[mrblaine]

Originally posted by Milan
I also think they suck in mud. Not all mud but the slippery, sticky kind that Blain had success in. If you can call sliding down the hill a success.

I don't know what would have worked on that hill. It was offcamber, no ruts, slippery clay mud and fairly steep.

I only made it down because I say where Jerry erred and compensated by starting further up the side to clear the tree. I knew it was going to go downhill, I just guessed well.

It is a bit frightening at night going downhill on slippery ass mud, to have to bump the throttle now and again to maintain steerage. Not something I'm likely to do again.

[cbassett]

MTRs are great all around tires. MTRs are not mud tires, period. I don't know why folks insist otherwised.

As much as I dislike mud, we do see it occasionally:
* Hollister Hills offroad park is ALL sticky gooy red/orange claw- that requires good cleaning lugs to get about anywhere.
* Every spring, the Rubicon, between the Granit bowl and Ellis (less now since the reroute), and more so between the Springs and Cadillac, get soupy. The mudholes after the Springs is thick, black mud- those holes can get deeeeeep.

Those with MTRs spin helplessly, reset for a different line, try again, then just bomb in as far as they can then wait for me to idle into the the mudhole they couldn't even make it into, to hook them up for the strap, or eventually just go around if this is an option (not an option on the Rubicon). 75% of my club is on MTRs, so this is a common occurrence.
Last spring, a TJ with our group couldn't even break into the mud at the springs, that I little more than idled through the entire section. So I idled back in reverse, through the entire section, hooked him up to the strap, and dragged him through- again, just idling.
Did the same thing later in the year, draggin a broken ZJ through the same section.

I'll miss that traction if I go back to MTRs, but fortunately mud is not the norm here.

[William]

Originally posted by cbassett
Those with MTRs spin helplessly, reset for a different line, try again.

I made it through the mude whole near the springs on my MTR's with no effort.

And I have witnesses.

[cbassett]

lol, so have I William. That section changes every year, even from wedk to week. It was particularly mucky this Spring and later in the season, and nasty when we went through. Plus a broken rig on one line made us go through the deepest section.. You would not have made it through the mudholes that were there when we went through. ARBs, 35s, and all valve floating throttle got that TJ nowhere. He also tried my approach of just walking through it. LOL LOL

[Milan]

Originally posted by mrblaine
I don't know what would have worked on that hill. It was offcamber, no ruts, slippery clay mud and fairly steep.

Sometimes nothing works. Boggers seem to have best success on average with stuff like this.

Originally posted by mrblaine
I only made it down because I say where Jerry erred and compensated by starting further up the side to clear the tree. I knew it was going to go downhill, I just guessed well.

It's all about the line. I always say that. Now if only I could always see the line or be able to stay on it.

Originally posted by mrblaine
It is a bit frightening at night going downhill on slippery ass mud, to have to bump the throttle now and again to maintain steerage. Not something I'm likely to do again.

We unfortunately have to do this almost year round. If not in mud then in snow. It's OK when you're sliding slowly. But once speed is picked up and trees are in the way, oh boy. Time for the extra pair of pants.

[bart]

Originally posted by Milan
Sometimes nothing works. Boggers seem to have best success on average with stuff like this.

Off-camber?

[Milan]

Even off-camber. Even in off-camber snow. As long as the side lugs get a bite.