Desert tire recommendations

7191 Views 152 Replies 28 Participants Last post by 2020RR, 2 d ago

McCarthy

Discussion Starter · 18 d ago

Hey guys,

Been a while! Haven't really been on the forum since I got back from the grand canyon trip this fall, we had a brutal and early winter so all the good riding was snowed in by Nov 1. Rode some of the lower stuff later in the winter with chains on all 4. Pic below, fun, but different tire for winter.

Wheel Sky Tire Ice racing Snow

Anyways, I currently run (in the the summer) 32x10x14 BFG KM3's, and while they are a good tire, looking for some improvements. The KM3's have had 2 catastrophic sidewall punctures, which I should note is the only 2 i've ever had, but in theory that could be really bad luck.

Needs:

-Tough tire that can handle sharp rock, shale, desert scrub etc,
-Good on rock. (KM3's were fine here)
-Tire that has good high speed stability, and can handle high load transitions at speed. (KM3's are okay here, looking for improvement. For comparison something like the ITP Terrahook (great tire elsewhere) is horrible here.
-Competent on the streets up to highway speeds (KM3 was great here)
-Acceptable in light mud/snow (KM3 was fine here)
-32x10x14 or 32x11x14 (wish there were options in an 11 width- KM3's only measure out at 9" wide, would like more width for more traction)

What I really want is a KM3 that is better in higher speed stuff, especially with cornering and lateral traction.

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DirtDawg

· #101 · 12 d ago

^^^ Lots of fans of Tusk Terrabite plus RMATV remains my preferred go-to source...

OTOH, the Maxxis Rampage we'll be installing claims 32.2" diameter - unsure how measured:

Product Rectangle Font Material property Screenshot

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BLR

· #102 · 12 d ago

MO_Hacker said:
-radial-tire-p" target="_blank" class="link link--external" rel="nofollow ugc noopener">https://www.rockymountainatvmc.com/tires-and-wheels/tusk-terrabite-radial-tire-p

Thanks, we have bought all our tires from RMATV

Checked about 6 months and didn't see 15 x 35.

If we stay with the stock wheels they would probably be close to 35.
32" was more like 31
With the air pressure we run

Barbara

Sent from my Pixel 7 Pro using Tapatalk

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McCarthy

Discussion Starter · #103 · 12 d ago

DirtDawg said:
^^^ Lots of fans of Tusk Terrabite plus RMATV remains my preferred go-to source...

OTOH, the Maxxis Rampage we'll be installing claims 32.2" diameter - unsure how measured:

View attachment 295963

I like the rampage just a bit more of a soft terrain tire than i'm looking for.

MO_Hacker

· #104 · 12 d ago

McCarthy said:
Terrabite 32x10x14 on their website shows 31 3/8" height mounted, on a car they are 31" tires. They run SMALL!

Yes they do, I’ve had 2 sets in different sizes and they both were about 3/4” smaller than advertised.

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McCarthy

Discussion Starter · #105 · 11 d ago

Hmmmm maybe I should get those in a 33x10x14, would be roughly 32.25". Perfect.

MO_Hacker

· #106 · 11 d ago

McCarthy said:
Hmmmm maybe I should get those in a 33x10x14, would be roughly 32.25". Perfect.

I’m running the 33’s and like them for the type of trails we have in the Midwest, no idea how they are as a desert tire. I’ll be trying roxxzillas next time.

DogRunner2

· #107 · 11 d ago

M2 Evils come in a 34". Great tire. DOT approved.

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Sandman_73

· #108 · 11 d ago

McCarthy said:
Your 32" KM3's measure out over 32" on the car? What PSI? My 32" KM3's measured out at 31.25" (new) @ 16PSI. at 18 PSI they were maybe 1/16th taller.

Got a pic? Never heard of a 32” BFG running small. Just the opposite actually. Always taller than advertised. Nearly everyone in our group runs em

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McCarthy

Discussion Starter · #109 · 10 d ago

Sure I can.

marcbohme71

· #110 · 9 d ago

McCarthy said:
Can you measure height and width on the car of the Chicanes? Thx!

I will when I get home tomm. Golfing in fairmont. The tire deff measure 33

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askRyan22

· #111 · 9 d ago

I have a set of Libertys I save specifically for riding out in Arizona . I thought they were great tires for that terrain ! Nice even tread wear, excellent for road use fairly quiet. Like mentioned allready they kick ass in sand . Only downfall i found is any wet or slick conditions they do not bite well. But very durable !! I just bought a set of km3s cant wait to see how they perform. Heard the itp coyotes are excellent desert tires but only come in 15s i believe.

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McCarthy

Discussion Starter · #112 · 5 d ago

2

Here's a 32x10x14 BFG KM3 on a 7" wide wheel. Look how short of true they are. Not even close. Tire has 14/32 of tread, new is 18/32, so 4/32nd= 2.90mm = 1/10th of an inch shorter than new. Tire @ 16PSI. Flat cement garage floor.

Tire measures 31.1"x8" wide.

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McCarthy

Discussion Starter · #113 · 5 d ago

Interesting. Everybody i've talked to insists KM3's run true to size. Does anyone else have a 32" KM3 on a car that they can measure?

marcbohme71

· #114 · 4 d ago

marcbohme71 said:
I will when I get home tomm. Golfing in fairmont. The tire deff measure 33

Sits 18inches high in rear 20 in front. 72wide rear 71 front. Tires measure 32.25 tall standing w 15 psi

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jknapier

· #115 · 4 d ago

marcbohme71 said:
Sits 18inches high in rear 20 in front. 72wide rear 71 front. Tires measure 32.25 tall standing w 15 psi

You must have your springs way to preloaded. You're going to blow out a CV with that setup.

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McCarthy

Discussion Starter · #116 · 4 d ago

marcbohme71 said:
Sits 18inches high in rear 20 in front. 72wide rear 71 front. Tires measure 32.25 tall standing w 15 psi

Thanks! Did you happen to measure the width of the tire? And to confirm, this is a 32x10x14? Not a 33x10x14?

McCarthy

Discussion Starter · #117 · 4 d ago

Ahhh the chicanes only come in a 32x10x15.

Anyone have a set of 32x10x14 STI X-Comp ATR's? Curious how they measure and ride.

DirtDawg

· #118 · 4 d ago (Edited)

McCarthy said:
I like the rampage just a bit more of a soft terrain tire than i'm looking for.

I've pondered your comment which seems contrary to stated "needs" in post #1. The linked video was 1k mile follow-up to one he did previously, which helped us choose these as replacements to Maxxis Carnivores. Ours are still unmounted until next week but could measure diameter on flat surface or wait until mounted and do then. In any case, combo of tread pattern, apparent sidewall strength plus durometer for longer than typical wear still indicates a winner for forested and/or rocky terrain.

Bullitt Outdoors: Maxxis Rampage 1000 Mile Review? Good or Bad?

Thopper

· #119 · 4 d ago

What is the optimum ride height for CV preservation? I believe the better question is what is the best angle for the axles for reliability. Understanding flat or parallel to the ground would be a terrible ride ht would flat be a good thing or a bad thing for CV’s and axles?

lelando42

· #120 · 4 d ago

Thopper said:
What is the optimum ride height for CV preservation? I believe the better question is what is the best angle for the axles for reliability. Understanding flat or parallel to the ground would be a terrible ride ht would flat be a good thing or a bad thing for CV’s and axles?

From what I’ve read, 18-19 degrees is the max angle you’d want your axles at for ride height on the 72” models. I’m not sure how that conclusion was come up with, but that’s what I’ve found

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