8 lug tires and rims

[hartbraker]

I have a 1986 k30 single wheel truck. What bolt patter do I have... and for those of you out there who have put tires to the test... what do you recommend in the way of an all purpose tire for mud, snow, road, and offroad that will get the job done best? I'm looking right around a 36 or 37 in tire.

Also, what differences, if any, would I want in a tire where I were going to have a tug o' war competition with a buddy... I'm assuming the more surface area touching the better... but i'm not sure.

POST THOSE PICS OF YOUR 1 TON RIM & TIRE COMBOS

[GCncsuHD]

Bolt pattern is 8x6.5" (8x165.1mm)

As far as tire choice, there are way too many to mention, and your requirements are too broad. What works in one situation would not be best in the next. Many tires that are great in the mud, are good in the snow, decent on the road, but scary when the road is wet, and downright deadly on ice. Whereas a milder all terrain would be good on ice, wet road, dry road, ok in snow, but might get stuck on wet grass much less mud. Tug o war? On pavement or grass or dirt or? Different tires do better for different surfaces, street tires with softer tread or soft all terrains do good on pavement, but not on dirt, oddball tires like Trxus STS are awesome pulling on dirt, but suck on pavement and everything else.

Your best bet for all around is a mild mud terrain tire, something like Cooper STT, Toyo M/T, SSR, MTR, to name a few, they have good aggressive tread with big voids for mud, but also have siped tread for decent wet traction and ok ice traction. You can also have sipes cut into other mud tires with solid tread blocks for better wet/ice traction.

[hartbraker]

I plow too, so for extra ICY conditions I'll likely have a set of chains on.

My main problems are in the MUD and would prefer to be able to drive damn near anywhere in the woods or in the sand. I don't wanna have ridiculous road noise either...

For tug o war... almost always on pavement! And I was also curious, what's the best width... I know it depends on the application... but for the things I've listed that you know I'll be doing with the truck... in addition to hauling wood ([B]so i'd like an e range tire[B]) What do you think the best width would be based on that info?

thanks for the quick response about the bolt patter!

[GCncsuHD]

Well mud vs sand is another catch 22, deep wide voids are great for mud, but will dig you deeper and get you stuck in sand. Wide, mild tires like street tires or all terrains are the best in sand for floatation and the least amount of digging.

Mud terrains will be no good for tug of war on pavement. Width depends on type of terrain. Narrower tires are better for ice and wet pavement, and wet sloppy mud, while wider tires will do better on trails, thick sticky mud, sand and snow.

Tire load range actually has less to do with amount the tire can carry than you think. It has more to do with the pressure the tire is rated at...C@50psi D@65psi E@80psi F@95psi (This is a general idea, but some manufacturers fudge the ratings). Generally the higher pressure rated tires will handle heavier loads per given size BUT a larger tire will be able to handle a heavier load than a smaller one of the given pressure. Therefore you can easily have a 37" Load range D tire with a much higher weight rating than a 31" Load range E. (i.e. my 38" Nittos are load range D and are rated at 3640lbs, while a 33" in the same tire load range E is only rated at 2600lbs)

[bodyworks]

Here's my 1980 K-30 with Weld 16.5x12 wearin' some 35'' Pitbull rockers. They are not radial, and are very heavy. For I do I like them, snow,gravel roads, ect.

[Rbcustoms]

Mine are American racing 18 x 10 Trax 8 and the tires are coopers 35 x 12.50 I really like them they are queit compare to others out there, also they have a good tread pattern for off-road use i hope this helps you

[Zane M]

For "all purpose" Radial All Terrain TAs are hard to beat. They are not exceptional for any one thing, but are a decent compromise for all things.

[79bonanza]

bfg all terrains. pretty all around good tire i think

[bikes&bowties]

Bfg km2. Quiet. Good traction.
Posted via Mobile Device

[GCncsuHD]

Originally Posted by Zane M

For "all purpose" Radial All Terrain TAs are hard to beat. They are not exceptional for any one thing, but are a decent compromise for all things.

Originally Posted by 79bonanza

bfg all terrains. pretty all around good tire i think

They are exceptional at throwing rocks and ruining paint Other than that good tires for on road, light trails, great in snow/ice, not a chance on wet grass or mud.

Originally Posted by bikes&bowties

Bfg km2. Quiet. Good traction.
Posted via Mobile Device

Great all around tires, still downright deadly on ice with the big tread blocks although since he mentioned he would run chains it might not be that bad, still better than the completely solid blocks of the KM1s.

The cooper STTs that RBcustoms mentioned still get one of my recommendations. Nice mild all around tire, still has decent siping for wet/ice, voids aren't overly big for sandy conditions.

[hartbraker]

I was thinking, I know they classify most trucks such as ours as "light duty" as opposed to heavy duty commercial trucks.... are there tires out there that are for semi's or dump trucks that would fit a rim that would go onto a one ton? And if so... do they make an aggressive/mud tire for them?

Just an idea, I figure if they're made for the commercial trucks then they'd wear MUCH MUCH better on a much lighter vehicle....

[GCncsuHD]

Yes and no. Most of what you would find is made for 19.5" wheels. Rickson makes SRW direct bolt on 19.5s but you will spend more on a set of wheels from them than a couple sets of normal tires for your truck. Then you will also have to deal with the HORRIBLE ride of a load range F/G tire on a light truck, and the intense weight of the huge steel wheel and heavy tire sucking down power and reducing your braking power. Even then the offroad tire selection is very limited and even then the hard tread will not flex making the tires cake up with mud easily and provide poor traction elsewhere on a lightweight truck. TreadWright does make 245/70R19.5 retreads with a better tread design, a direct copy of Goodyear MTR tread, but you are still only looking at a 33" tire.

Next step up would be to 20" wheels allowing you to run military issue tires that come in pretty aggressive treads, but you are looking at minimum of 42" tires, and they are incredibly heavy, weighing nearly double that of a similar sized Super Swamper or other light truck offroad tire, although they can be had pretty cheap. Tread will still be horrible for wet pavement/ice, and only mediocre in mud.

22.5/24.5 wheels would offer more in your size range, but again incredibly heavy, very few aggressive tread designs offered.

Basically the costs would outweigh any benifit hugely. Treadwear is awesome with them though on a lighter truck. Only reason to even consider those options are if you really carry that much weight and need tire longevity (in which case you need a heavier truck than a 1ton) or just like the looks.

[hartbraker]

well the only reason I'm worried about tire longevity at all is because I cut firewood A LOT. I have some pretty beefy springs and air bags for when I get real ambitious.

I added an extra two leafs to the rears and one extra leaf in the front in addition to what was already on my stock 1 ton springs.

I haul around 50 cords a year anywhere from ten miles down the road to sometimes 45+ miles when the price is right.... Sometimes that entails hauling three cords at a time.... two on a trailer and one in the bed. That's a **** ton of weight to be hauling constantly on tires that aren't even going to last me a year and a half. It'd be all work with no tread left for play! NOT COOL

[GCncsuHD]

Sound's like you need multiple sets of tires for all you are asking for them to do...

[hartbraker]

I figured that's what I'd end up doing... which sucks. But I suppose I'll see what type of aggressive tread tire is going to wear the best and give it a try....

if I don't like the results... I'll just spend the extra money and get two sets of rims and two sets of tires and just switch em out

[Psycho71]

Two sets is the way I'm going on my 4x4 burb.

I have a set of Hummer take off's (36x12.5x16.5 bias ply) for mudding and serious offroading, cause they drive like crap on the street. And I recently bought a set of radial BFG MT's, much more mild tread pattern, for light offroad and general street driving. If you watch craigslist and 4x4 forums, you can get some good deals on tires. The hummer bias ply's are some mud diggin' dudes, and can be had for about $100 a tire, with 80%+ treadlife. Then all you's need is a set of 16.5" wheels, which can be had cheap too. I have $450 in my offroad tire set-up. The 37" hummer take-offs can be a little harder to find, they have a milder tread and are radials. So that might be a solution for on-road use. I have read good things about them on forums. Seems they have a long life, and good driveability. And again, being surplus, they can be had for a fair price.

[thinair]

Originally Posted by bikes&bowties

Bfg km2. Quiet. Good traction.
Posted via Mobile Device

x2

[hartbraker]

FOUND THE SOLUTION!!!

look up the firematic custom irok 16 ply tire THEY'RE A SIGHT FOR SORE EYES

[GCncsuHD]

Originally Posted by hartbraker

FOUND THE SOLUTION!!!

look up the firematic custom irok 16 ply tire THEY'RE A SIGHT FOR SORE EYES

I've seen those before, they still use the soft compound and will wear out as quickly as any other IROK. But other than tire wear they are good tires. Also consider that you can buy an entire set of 4 tires for your truck for what you would spend for ONE corner at $1200 for the custom width 19.5 and the tire. So for the price of outfitting your truck with those tires, you will spend $4800, or the cost of 4 full sets of tires for your truck.

[hartbraker]

Ya those tires are much too expensive for what I'm looking for... BUT

I did find another tire that looks promising. Continental MPT 80 or MPT 81.

Radial, 16 ply tires. Great looking, fully functional, industrial strength tire.

[GCncsuHD]

Extremely heavy, and good luck getting them over here.

[hartbraker]

I ended up buying the american racing wheel: JUSTICE rim in 20X9's and they should be here shortly... I'll post pics as soon as they arrive

And I've decided on a IROK Radial by Super Swamper that's a 36X13.50r20
10 ply tire. Load rating is right aroudn 3200 a tire. If I keep it balanced well and rotate often I should get between 30-40k miles. HOPEFULLY.

will 13.50's be too wide or 36's too tall for just a 4 inch suspension lift. Keep in mind I've added 1 extra leaf soooo maybe 4.25 inches of lift overall.

I'm not overly familiar with the square body's and what lift is required for specific tire sizes.

[ghettoluxury]

I am running 35x13.5 BFG Krawler TA's with 4 inch suspension only and have no rubbing at all. The rims are 10 wide with 4.5 backspacing.

[hartbraker]

Here is the truck with new tires and rims after a day of firewood. VERY PLEASED WITH THE IROK RADIALS. Would recommend them to anyone who asked.

[Your41Plague12]

I second the Cooper STT's. I had a set in 285/75/R16, and they were probably the best all-around tire I've ever had. They really shined in the snow, though. I watched my dad's '02 F350 walk through 2.5 feet of snow like it was nothing with no chains on. They really dig for what you pay for them. Plus you get decent mileage out of them. My dad's have over 50K on them now and he's going to run them through winter. If they offered them in 38"+, I'd still be running them.