Hey subie-bredren,

It's time for new shoes on the Bluburu. I want something that is well suited for dirt-road driving.

They MUST be bi-directional, (can rotate either direction) since I'm setting myself up with a full sized spare.

In a few months I plan on getting some 17" rims and street tires, so in the mean time I'm looking for something fairly toothy for the dirt-wheels. On the other hand, you have to drive a lot of asphalt to GET to the dirt, so I'm looking for soething that isn't TOO annoying on tarmac...

Please feel free to offer suggestions, as I am clueless on this score.

Thanks in advance...
Mike

 

I got a set of real gravel tires;

http://www.subesports.com/products/?...lly&prodID=828

They don't last very long on pavement though, so I don't usually drive on them until I get out to where the dirt is, which means packing a jack and changing all 4 wheels twice when I go out on gravel adventures.

Sadly for us, there isn't much offered off the shelf as far as gravel tires go, While there are lots of great off-road tires for SUV's, those fitments aren't going to clear our spring perches and cheaper rally tires only come in 14" and 15" sizes

Your best bet is probably to try for an open treadblock all season radial, but you'll want to keep them pumped up to avoid sidewall pinches if you get into any rocks.

 

Heh, I would suggest rally tires, but man they are super annoying on the road sections.

 

re92

 

rofl

 

Yawanna buy some?


psoper,

Thanks for the suggestions. The set that you linked to is a bit more than I can justify spending (5rims), and I'm afraid that when I head out to the back-country, there ain't usually room in the car for a full set of wheels...

...gotta leave room for the rocks.

Seriously, whatever I get is goint to have to be dual-purpose.

Thanks,
Mike

 

I run a set of kelly-springfield snowtrackers in the dirt. I've run them hard on the pavment for a while and they wear really good... The do not have re-inforced sidewalls and the heat up and slip all over on hot pavement. Talk about drifting on pavement! It's way fun. The grip like hell in the dirt and actually can stop in the snow. http://kelly-springfield.com/auto/pr...agna_grip.html
You can buy them through the goodyear tire center on bascom in san jose. If you want to take em for a spin... go for it. I have two other sets to run on and these are just for fun.

Ash

 

Hmm,

They melt?

I've never heard of this behavior. How obvious is this effect? Would you still recomend them for a long summer road-trip that was only, say, 20% dirt?

Thanks for any help you can give this tire-noob.
Mike

 

No... they don't melt... the flex. Snow tires are made to stay in a lower temp range so they stay flexible in the snow. These tires don't handle good on summer pavement. But they do handle fun.... What I mean is you can drift them around corners on pavement with ease. I drove on them last year to RIM. Long drive , lots of great curves in the dessert with noone around, and it was warm outside. I was sad because I had to go so slow around the bends... they just wouldn't hold compared to the RE92's I swapped em for. I have two sets of 17's with good rubber to run on normally. I bought these because they were the most aggresive tread pattern I could find in the size that weren't made of racing compound. I wanted them to last and they have. I've put prolly 15-20k on these things of serious driving and all different surfaces. They still look and grip great.

There's another all season tire I've been researching too. Nokian tires. Euro tire made for rough service for vans and light trucks. Kinda pricey though. They might be a great alternative for guys like us that dont want to drop big dough on racing tires that wear out fast. http://www.tirefactory.net/NRW.htm

Ash

EDIT: like I said... come over and we'll put them on for a few days... I prolly won't buy them again... I like to keep experimenting... Next up! 1.5" suspension lift!!! I know... I'm insane.

 

Where are you in the Bay area?

I would love to try out those tires...maybe head down to Hollister. I would also love to talk to you about that lift. When I was last out on the desert roads, I was thinking how I wished I still had the ride height of the OBS...Hmmm.

I live near Boulder Creek in the SC mountains. Where you at?
What are your free times/days?

Mike

 

Just use RE92s

I mean re92s are pretty good tires for mud and snow. They are fine in the dirt. They meet the Bi-Directional requirement you seek. However, they are just fine on the road for your every day needs.

Better all seasons (espically dry grip), however NOT bi-directional, are RE950s. these were just great tires in the dirt/mud, but they have a rotation direction. you could always have a RE92 as your spare, that way, the full size spare will fit any flat tire spot. that's what i do.

-Gagan

 

I' m in Campbell. check your pm for my number. I'll be around tomorrow if you want to talk. I can't wait to build the lift kit... I'm thinking when I'm done I'll have more ground clearance than a forester and still hang corners on the track. It's all about versatility... She'll be able to take a beating, but I dont think I'll be able to jump without consequences. hmmm...

Ash

 

Hey Ash,

I'll try to give you a call today. I'm working part of the day, but I'll see what time I can free up.


For everyone:

I was working in the vinyard yesterday, pulling leaves and tying up canes for six hours or so, and thinking about my tire delema. And what do I have to show for all this meditation? A SONG, of course...




"Down to the Wear-Bars Again"
(Sung as an Irish-style folk song)


I was up on Mtn Charlie, with the redwoods in my eyes,
When I shifted down and pitched into a turn.
And the total lack of traction came as much to my surprise,
When I found I had no rubber left to burn.

Down to the wear-bars again.
Down to the wear-bars again.
I can't afford to meet you up on Hamilton, my friend,
as I'm down to the wear-bars again.

This Summer, I'll be headin', with my atlas and me 'gel
To where the Modoc meets the Basin and the Range.
We'll be hittin' up the back roads, we'll be raisin' dusty hell,
But before we go, I've got to make a change.

Down to the wear-bars again.
Down to the wear-bars again.
The gravel's gettin' slippery, as the rubber's gettin' thin,
and I'm down to the wear-bars again.

Some people lust for horses, with an up-pipe and a down,
And a turbocharger bigger than their brains.
But if ye dinnae have it happening where the rubber meets the ground,
And ye drive like me, yer bloody well insane.

Down to the wear-bars again.
Down to the wear-bars again.
I'm hopin' for some traction, but all I do is spin,
Cause I'm down to the wear-bars again.


someone shoot me,
Mike

 

Hey Gagan,

I didn't mean to ignore your suggestion. The RE92 idea is probably my fallback, but I hope to come up with somethng else.

The 92s work okay in the dust, but I've had a couple pairs of toothier tires that did a much better job. (Unfortunately, those were uni-directional).

The other thing about the 92s in the dirt is that they just DISOLVE. If you're driving on limestone or volcanic gravels, they wear down SO FAST it is amazing.

Thanks also for the 950 suggestion. What I'm hoping to do, however, is to rotate 5 or 6 wheels through my tire rotation, so that all the tires (spare included) wear down at the same rate. That wouldn't work if the main tires are directional and the spare isn't.

I'm probably asking too much, but I'll keep researching for a while longer...

Thanks for the ideas,
Mike

 

what i did was i went with a lower speed rating all season tire to replace my re-92s. currently i am using dunlop sp a2s and they are sooo much better than the re-92s in all conditions, dry pavement, wet pavement, dirt, mud, snow, etc. plus the treadware rating is 440 compared to the re-92 160, so they last quite a bit longer as well