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I am looking at putting better mud tires on my 79 f-150 4x4. I have narrowed it down to several choices. Dunlop, BFG, Super Swamper TSL Radial, Super Swamper Thornbird, Yokohama, or Procomp. I am probably looking at either 31x10.50x15 to fit my current rims or 33x12.50x15 to fit wider rims. I do mostly street and gravel driving during the week and I mud all weekend long. I have the price of all of them and the Dunlops appear to be the cheapest and the Thornbirds are the most expensive. I really need a tire that can clean itself out really good.
Does anybody run these tires or have any advice on which ones are the best?
Also how do you put a picture in the message?
Thanks
"The Beast" 1979 f-150 4x4, 400M, C-6, camo painted
Best is the Swamper Radial, hands down. The Thornbird is not a mud tire, it is an all terrain with an aggresive sidewall, and is not even radial, so I would stay away from it.
The other three are comparable, they do pretty good in mud when new, but once the tread wears down 1/2 they are no better than the same manufacturers All-terrains. Of course All-terrains worn down are like street tires, but I digress.
So now the decision is are you willing to sacrafice street performance with the Swampers (they ride rough, and wear fast due to soft rubber, also they don't hold the ground that well in rain. Or do you want fairly good street performance and fairly decent mud performance. Then I'm partial to the BFG's cause they look good, and really do have better puncture resistance (although I have managed to puncture one right through the sidewall.)
fordmando
70 F-100 Ranger XLT 400 C6
78 F-150 4x4 400 4 on floor
George
My experience has been quite favorable with remington's which are nearly identical to the dunlop muds. When all of the factors are weighed including mileage, purchace price, load ratings etc., I found the best value for me was the remingtons. They are currently about 40% tread left and still work quite well. I use mine to pull a concrete form trailer that was weighed at 11000# on the odot scales. we pull onto muddy job sites,gravel roads,etc. as well as quite a bit of highway travel. Good luck.
-Never owned any, but hear Thornbirds are best in the sand.
-Swampers actually balance okay, and track straight down the road. They're loud, soft, and wear really fast; you'll hate them on the highway.
-I got 33,000 miles out of the BFG's, they still had a few thousand left in them too. The BFG's out lasted all the other MT's I've owned.
-Have you looked at the Goodyear Wranger MT's? They look like a good tire, and ought to be good crawlers, too.
BLUE OVAL FAN
Ever thought about Mickey Thompson's Baja Claw or Baja Claw Radial? I have no experience with this tire, but I have done a lot of reading on it. From what I have researched, it is an excelent tire. I am also in your situation, but I think once I have saved enough money I will go with the Baja Claw radial.
[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON 16-Mar-01 AT 00:16 AM (EST)[/font][p]-I wouldn't go any wider than 10.5 for the snow and ice; narrower tires will make a HUGE differance on the slick stuff.
-I would go with a wider tire for the mud if they're gonna be shorted than 33's; if they're tall enough they don't need to float.
-I recommend getting them siped, it's only a few bucks a tire, and will help them hook up on ice and with last loner on the road.
-Once again, I have to recommend the BFG M/T's.
I run swampers on my truck and I love em. They do great on everything but packed snow. Off road and in the mud they are unbeatable. They do have some on road quirks though. Mine are very wide so they follows ruts and dips badly. They make alot of noise, but I kinda like the sound. Worst problem is they wear badly. If you pay very close attention to tire pressure they can last upwards of 30,000 mi, but you have to get them to ride flat on the road. If there even a little overinflated they will wear the middle out real fast.
Siping is something that most tire shops will do. They basically cut the tire to make more lugs or to make the tire look more aggressive. I'm not sure if the largers benefit is helping with traction or if it helps with being self-cleaning. The one problem with siping, in my experience, is that the tires don't last as long as they would without siping.
Sometimes the shorter tire life is worth the extra traction.
i run 265 - 85 - r16 steel belted radial swampers. they have 20,000 miles and are about 50%. i am very happy with them. they are on a 94 f 250 with the t.t.b. front axle. i have rotated them twice. all four tires are wearing very even.
[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON 19-Mar-01 AT 10:39 PM (EST)[/font][p]No. 11 is right... I've found them to last longer, be better on ice, and on the rocks.