looking at claws... just how good are they?

Post by **khany427** » Wed Jan 16, 2008 11:51 pm

hey there.

got a quote on some tyres the other day, so am planning on getting baja claws, the radial ones i think??? they quoted me $345 ea 35x12.5r15s

my problem is i see how all the books etc rave on about them but i dont know anyone personnaly who has run them.

how many kays should i expect to get out of them? (providing i look after them) bearing in mind it will see more bitumen than dirt/mud unfortunatly!
not heaps more though probly 60/40, i do want an aggresive tyre though coz when we go muddin its nasty clay type stuff as im on the murray river and standard issue mud type tyres just dont cut it!

just really want to know any info i can about them from people who have run them before i spend that sort of money on them.

or any other suggestions for a long lasting proven mud tyre the same size, similar aggresive style and around the $300ish mark would be great.

i dont want bfg's though...

Post by **Goatse.AJ** » Thu Jan 17, 2008 12:11 am

What sort of vehicle? I reckon if your doing mostly country miles, then as long as you look after them in terms of rotating them regularly and keeping wheel alignment sorted, then you should get reasonable mileage.

I haven't run mine for long enough to get a good idea of wear rates, but they are streets ahead of BFG's in clay, particularly with a bit of right foot. The only issues I've had so far have been that they can get a bit scary on side slopes, particularly if you're not aired down enough, and they're not an on-road performance tyre... prolly not such an issue in a place like Mildura, but in the wet in Melbourne traffic, you can't afford to have a lapse of concentration.

Post by **Bad JuJu** » Thu Jan 17, 2008 12:11 am

Radial Claws are OK, but when a bit worn I found they seemed to set up a suspension oscilation like they were not quite round. It was more than a bit annoying. I also have had Simex ET2s and found them to be excellent in mud and OK on the road. I would be tempted with the Simex JTs too.

Post by **khany427** » Thu Jan 17, 2008 12:28 am

aj... thanks mate, its a 45series ute with lift, power steer an all the usual stuff, got a 400hp chev in it so the loud peddle aint gunna be a problem

its not finished yet, still tryin to find a new cab for it coz mines rooted!

i need mudders/crawlers just for some of the bitumen roads around here anyway

juju... thanks aswell, yeah ive heard they can slide sometimes, ile have to live with that though!
have you any idea of the retail price of the simexs? i havent been to all the tyre joints here yet to find who stocks them.
how many kays did you get out of the simexs?

Post by **cloughy** » Thu Jan 17, 2008 1:57 am

Radial claws suck

http://www.outerlimits4x4.com/phpBB2/vi ... claws+suck

http://www.outerlimits4x4.com/phpBB2/vi ... claws+suck

http://www.outerlimits4x4.com/phpBB2/vi ... claws+suck

Post by **tna racing** » Thu Jan 17, 2008 2:00 am

radial claws suck nuts. crap on slopes expecially a side slope

Post by **khany427** » Thu Jan 17, 2008 2:23 am

ok then so the claws suck...

how about the mtz? anyone know much about them???

Post by **tna racing** » Thu Jan 17, 2008 2:26 am

got a mate that runs them. he is very happy with them. my old boy runs the stt's *coopers* and there been great. good allround tires

Post by **cloughy** » Thu Jan 17, 2008 4:04 am

khany427 wrote:ok then so the claws suck...
how about the mtz? anyone know much about them???

Yep got them, heaps better than radial claws, on the road and off,

Post by **pigletracing** » Thu Jan 17, 2008 6:22 am

I run radial claws,originaly they wernt the best,but they have since changed the desighn,ie side walls & carcase so the tyre now drives alot better,with more side wall protection,if you are doing that sort of road,expect 50-65K lifespan,MTZ have the same configeration/carcase as radial claws new concept,called a power cross ply,the tread is the only difference & you should expect 75-80+K lifespan I ran 35" baja claws in 05 OutbackChallenge where we had to play IN!!! those rivers you talked about,& they were great...
we ran 37" radial claws in 07 found them also great,but unfortunatly those stages were canceled #!#?*# anyway Jeff Redman ran MTZ's in 07 OBC & is running them again good luck PIGLET

Post by **Suspension Stuff** » Thu Jan 17, 2008 8:44 am

I would go the Radial Claws. In the sticky stuff with a bit of power they will make the others look like kiddies tyres.

I had more probs with the MTZ's not balancing up.

I found that my brother in-laws Khumo mud tyres went better then my MTZ's.

Shane.

Post by **mistaboz** » Thu Jan 17, 2008 9:17 am

I'd be very tempted to go a Trepador.
Speak to MUD-EMPIRE off this board for prices.

From what i've seen and read they seem like a pretty good tyre!

Cheers Paul

Post by **hulsty** » Thu Jan 17, 2008 9:21 am

i've been running 33'' radial claws in my middy for about a year now, only for weekends though not a daily tyre. People will here you coming from down the street on tar, in the wet in traffic they arent the greatest ( but what serious mud tyre is ??) Mine actually drive smoother than my 31'' BFG road tyres, nicer balance. I have found on steep side slopes when not aired down properly they can be abit nervous. Now I air down to about 20psi and have no problems. In the thick mud and crap aslong as you can stick the right boot in to clear the tread they are awesome!!.

Out the back of warby there is a long steep clay hill that you couldnt walk up. Myself and a mate did it after a few days of pissing rain. Gq patrol with rear locker on 32 x11.5 BFG muddies and he slowly worked his way up the hill back and forth till he got no more. I then had a go in my unlocked middy and flew straight up and got a few meters further than he did no trouble. The claws just cleared the crap out that bit better than the BFG's in the same terrain.

Post by **Suspension Stuff** » Thu Jan 17, 2008 9:27 am

mistaboz wrote:I'd be very tempted to go a Trepador.
Speak to MUD-EMPIRE off this board for prices.

From what i've seen and read they seem like a pretty good tyre!

Cheers Paul

I changed my mind, instead of the Claws get the Maxxis trepadors, I have heard some outstanding stuff about these.

Shane

Post by **Lewis** » Thu Jan 17, 2008 10:19 am

trepadors start at 37" on 17" rim 580 a tyre, bit more than claws

Post by **CWBYUP** » Thu Jan 17, 2008 10:43 am

tna racing wrote:got a mate that runs them. he is very happy with them. my old boy runs the stt's *coopers* and there been great. good allround tires

If you havent driven on them ------------------------------> exit stage left.

Generally speaking most people I have spoken to that have problems with claws off road dont have enough power to spin them up so they self clear.

That said they aren't great on road but I think they make up for it off road.

Nick

Post by **bogged** » Thu Jan 17, 2008 10:58 am

why not run 2 sets of wheels.. You will never get excellent klms out of hardcore tires, nor will you get good road manners compared.

Best option is one set with AT' for weekdays, then some boggers or simex/swampers for weekends/play... you will get excellent klms out of AT's then you will get better life out of your hardcores since they are at their best for the first 10-15% of life while they have a good edge on the tread.

Treps really look the goods, but mega $$$$.. :(

Post by **T_Diesel** » Thu Jan 17, 2008 11:15 am

I run MTZs in a 33 and couldn't be happier with them. They have been great on the highway (no drift or deathl lane changes). Did a trip from Melbourne up to the Flinders and then up the Strezlecki track and back down the silver city hwy (4,000kms on mostly unsealed roads) and no chips scratches or abbasions. I have also had them in mud and they have been great and just had them up in the high country last week and was very happy with them. An excellent all round tyre and they are very quiet on the road also for an aggresive tyre.

Post by **Suspension Stuff** » Thu Jan 17, 2008 11:40 am

Lewis wrote:trepadors start at 37" on 17" rim 580 a tyre, bit more than claws

I don't know if these are a different tyre or if they are not available in Australia yet but here is a link of the Trepadors on smaller rims and smaller tyres. These aren't the competition ones so they may be useless.

http://www.maxxis.com/products/automoti ... sp?id=5485

Post by **tna racing** » Thu Jan 17, 2008 1:25 pm

flexytj off here has 35" trepadors

Post by **mistaboz** » Thu Jan 17, 2008 2:03 pm

Radials are available in a 35".

I'm pretty sure the bias ply are only available in 37" up though.

Post by **Suspension Stuff** » Thu Jan 17, 2008 2:27 pm

tna racing wrote:flexytj off here has 35" trepadors

Well flexytj needs to post up to tell us what they are like. Where are you flexy??

Post by **bogged** » Thu Jan 17, 2008 2:42 pm

4WD Stuff wrote:
tna racing wrote:flexytj off here has 35" trepadors
Well flexytj needs to post up to tell us what they are like. Where are you flexy??

and where from ??? 315x16s would sell like hotcakes.

Post by **MUD EMPIRE** » Thu Jan 17, 2008 2:56 pm

Maxxis have a 35 12.5 R 16 Trepadore listed but they aren't shiped to Aus. To get a set you can 'special order' them (up to 3 months wait) and the price can't be quoted until the tyres are here.

Other RADIAL sizes listed

35 12.5 R 17
40 13.5 R 17
40 13.5 R 18

Post by **guzzla** » Thu Jan 17, 2008 3:29 pm

Just got my 3rd set of Claws in 315/75/16 on my 80s and love em obviously.

Tyre choice depends greatly on personal preferences to types of tracks driven also road handling capabilities. There a few who have had a bad experience with any brend of tyre and have blamed the tyre without any concession to the terrian driven, the way the vehicle is used and a general over expectation of the product in general. (Its pathetic when someone says they drove into this clay bog hole and their useless allterrains clogged up getting them stuck).

Unfortunately tyre choice is hit and miss sometimes but your best off looking at where and what you drive, see what your mates use and if it works for them. You also need to determine your driving style and modifications to your vehicle. These all help YOU make the best choice.

My experience with the radial claws on my 6in lifted and twin locked 80s has been excellent. I choose these tyres as they provide the most agressive tread pattern and thickest sidewall available that my engineer allows. I run them on 16x8s as low as 12psi without beadlocks on sand without incident and they usually spend their off rd time at 15 psi. They bag really well and I find they grip like shit to a blanket which is why Im on my 3rd set.

Tracks I drive would be like your 4wd club A & B grade tracks as a guide.
I grew out of the mud hole thing a long time ago but when I find myself in one I know ive got the tyres to get me out

I place more emphesis on the vehicles ability off rd than its driveability on rd with regards to tyre wear. I give the old girl a hard time everywhere so they wear quicker and I tend to get new ones a bit over half worn as muddies tend to become ineffective and I can justify the expense to do it.

On rd they still do well for the caning they get and ive not had an incident in the wet or dry because of tyre choice.

If you were looking for negatives Id say they give the vehicle a very subtle vibe due to the tread pattern and they arent the quietest on rd.

In 3 sets ive never rolled a tyre off the rim or staked a side wall. Ive only damaged 1 tyre due to extreme abuse on my behalf.

There is a big difference in performance of raials to biasply and you could never put them in the same class, not to mention legalities.

I just came back from Tassie with a mate in an identical truck as mine though he has MTZs. He was very happy with them as he previously had MTRs and hated them to death. He feels the MTZs are a bit softer than the MTRs so they may wear quicker but he is more than happy with their performance so far.

Post by **micks troll** » Thu Jan 17, 2008 4:30 pm

My biggest gripe with claws is there size compared to others like swampers, centerpedes, jt2s. My swampers are over an inch taller then them and you notice it off road, you'll be the first to get hung up (as we were) sideways stability is shit compared to the others mentioned to. But the claws did wear well on the road and because they are radial they didn't flat spot like all bias do. Horses for Courses

Post by **Dee** » Thu Jan 17, 2008 4:32 pm

Ive had my 33's on my GU for comin up to 3 years now. Ive recently thrown them on my zuk (which is my play toy) and have been airing them down to around 9 pisseyes (have had them at 8 front, 5 rear) and I love them.
I have, however, discovered the side slope thing when they were at high pressures...

On road, they are better than the 31" cooper highway terrains that were on the patrol! I seriously have no issues with them on road.

Would I buy them again? I think I'd probably go to MTZ's for my patrol, purely for the more km's id get out of them and the noise factor (because with the zuk i tend to do more road k's in the patrol), and the zuk, I might go to something bias ply or different size variant (ie something like 34" x 10.5? swamper instead of the usual 33 x 12.5 size)

Post by **Goatse.AJ** » Thu Jan 17, 2008 5:16 pm

CWBYUP wrote:
tna racing wrote:got a mate that runs them. he is very happy with them. my old boy runs the stt's *coopers* and there been great. good allround tires
If you havent driven on them ------------------------------> exit stage left.

Generally speaking most people I have spoken to that have problems with claws off road dont have enough power to spin them up so they self clear.

That said they aren't great on road but I think they make up for it off road.

Nick

X 2

We were playing around in the mud on Sunday, I think MightyMouse will agree that my Claws vastly outperformed his Cooper STT's in the mud. I had a late night on the Saturday and didn't lock one of my hubs in, so did much of the morning in 2wd, Claws did the job.

In the conditions that khany427 is expecting to use his vehicle, then I reckon the Claws are a good choice. As stated by myself and others, if you don't air down enough, then they can be a bit hairy on side slopes, but once aired down enough, they're not that bad.

Post by **macca81** » Thu Jan 17, 2008 5:25 pm

iv been running claws for a little while now, got them coz they was cheap off a mate, had only done 2300km when i got em, they were to small for his gearing.

i cant fault them yet! i was skeptical coz of what i had heard, but im yet to find a prob with them, they love the mud, they are not at all bad on rocks, and on road they are fine also. little bit noisier than the hankook muddies i had b4, but not much. i reconmend them

Post by **joshy** » Thu Jan 17, 2008 6:09 pm

had my claws for a few months now. love em. no complaints. bag out heaps. i dont understand why alot of people reckon there so bad in the wet...drive to the conditions and youll b fine. back end of the ute only flicks out when told to

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looking at claws... just how good are they?

looking at claws... just how good are they?

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