Truck with new tires

[The Warden]

Got some pics of my truck out in the desert last weekend. This is with brand-new Big-O X/T 255/85R16's; the mud caked the tire treads enough that they almost look like slicks *lol* My dad's sitting in the cab fiddling with my CB radio.

 

[The Warden]

My dad says hi

 

[The Warden]

Last picture...click on the Summer 2004 Project in my signature to see what the truck looked like before the tire change. I think she looks better with these tires, eh?

BTW, that small plume of smoke that appears to be coming out from under the truck directly below the forward fuel filler is where my road draft hose ends. It's a semi-temporary setup, but certainly better than the breathing oil cap I had on there before. The hose is coming from a Banks vent adaptor that goes between the oil filler pipe and the IP drive gear housing.

 

[Mike]

How well do the treads on those XT's clean out? Looks like they are holding the mud pretty tight. Cool pics. Funny that even in Central Cal there is soooooo much open spaces. Theres times I miss it, then I snap out of it a second later.

 

[Russ]

Mud and desert???? :***: I thought deserts were dry???? Last week I was shoveling snow

 

[Mike]

Its winter time in Ca, maybe you missed all the news out there a few weeks back with the mud slides and torrential rains.

 

[rthomas]

looks good, fills up the wells nicely, how does the ride&drive compare to the 235's

 

[Tristan]

I agree, they definately look better than the 235s. They probably help your gearing situation a bit. Is it noticable?

 

[Agnem]

Looks good! Yea, I was shocked to see mud too.

 

[93turbo_animal]

looks good why didn't ya go ahead and get the 265's

 

[The Warden]

95_stroker, the mud's caked into the tires in those pictures 'cause the ground the truck was standing on was actually still a bit muddy, and ther was a puddle not too far back. The tires actually do a good job of cleaning the mud out once I'm on dry dirt or on pavement, but they're general-purpose off-road tires (more aggressive than all-terrains, though) as opposed to mud-specific tires...but usually I'm off-roading on dry ground, so that's not a big deal for me.

Gary, I agree with you re: deserts being dry. I think this is the wettest I've ever seen the Mojave Desert...like 95_stroker said, CA's seen a deluge over the past month; even the desert got some (in fact, there was minor flooding at my dad's house).

RT, the ride didn't change noticeably, although I have yet to play with tire pressure to see where the tires are happiest at. I know that, at rated pressure, the tread's only touching pavement in the center, so I need to lower it somewhat. The steering leaves some to be desired. The shop that put the tires on also repacked the front wheel bearings and replaced the outer tie rod ends, but the steering still feels weird. Either it has to do with the tires, or they didn't align the front end properly. I'm going to have the front end re-checked by a shop in the Bay Area to make sure.

Tristan, not sure yet on the gearing. It doesn't feel noticeable, but I haven't changed the speedo drive gear, so my speedo's reading off somewhat. It probably would be noticeable with a calibrated speedo, but minor.

Mel, I was almost as shocked as you Now if the mud had sunk into the ground instead of forming puddles... *sigh*

Animal, I think that 265's weren't available at the same height, but I'm not sure. OTOH, it's only a 1 centimeter difference in thread width, so I think the 255's will work just fine.

Ugh I forgot how much of a PITA it is to type on a laptop; my computer's down for the count...hopefully I'll have her up and going again by Monday or Tuesday...

 

[Darrin Tosh]

Looks good Warden! A truck has to have oversized tires on em, It is written!

Now you just need some Polished Aluminum Rims!

 

[troutwest66]

What's the ply rating on the 255s? I only want 10 plys on my truck. I have 235s and I'm happy with what I have. They look fine on the truck. I have Avon SXT Mud Terrains and they clean out well.

 

[The Warden]

Darrin, 10-4 on that! I don't plan to replace the rims, though, unless I find a set of Alcoas off a PSD that are in my price range..and since the chances of that happening anytime soon are about equal to the chances of Chevy building a good truck in the next 10 years I think I get to stick with the steel rims. I am, however, getting the hubcaps from Tristan's original wheels...I think it'll look good with those (although that means I may have to actually wash the truck, heaven forbid )...

Mel, I was concerned about that as well. I can't remember the ply rating off the top of my head (and I'm not at home; home computer crashed badly so I'm on a comp at school, this is why you haven't seen me since last Thursday or so), but each tire's rated to hold a bit over 3000 lbs. So, while they're technically a "D"-rated tire, the weight capacity's within 100 lbs of a 235/85 "E"-rated tire. I figured it's worth the chance, and if I have a problem, I'll go back to 235/85's next time around. I had the same model tire on my old Scout, and was really impressed with the handling and wear rate. The Scout's tires were only "C"-rated tires, but they stood up to quite a bit of abuse...I treated that poor thing like a 3/ ton truck...

 

[Alcan]

Hey Warden,

What did the Big-O's set you back and where did you get them? My O's are about done-for and I'm in need of another set. FYI, they work great in the snow!

Thanks,

Paul