opinions please on my tyre/rim combo.

[gingerbreadman]

I have narrowed down my choice significantly. next week i will be buying either 15 or 16 inch sunraysias in either chrome or black. My tyre choice is split between mickey thompson mtz and kumho klz1,s .

give me your opinions on which way you would go?

[twocs]

Going on what ? Give me a clue.....

[80's_delirious]

have you had a look at these? http://www.procomp.com.au/default.asp?M ... CK_CRAWLER

I would go for painted rather than chrome, I bought chrome for my last set of rims, and 12months on the chrome was looking very second hand. at least with painted rims, you can rub them back and repaint.

[gingerbreadman]

good recommendations guys. its going on a 1979 fj45 ute. I already have a set of white sunnys but they are old. I was thinking i could paint these black and have chrome ones for something different.

to be honest all i do in this car is go to turkey beach every now and again and moreton island so i was thinking i could use my old rims with some skinny road tires for getting to turkey beach which is 5 hours north then when i get there pop on my good rims with the mud tires.

[alien]

what size tyre? KL71 are hard to find right now...

i wanted KL71 and they were unavailable in 31x10.5, so tried for maxxis 764 - same story... ended up getting KM2's for less than the 764s were going to cost =)

[def90]

chrome plated is a PITA and doesn't last especially when your doing beach work. alloys or blackies

[DamTriton]

Mud tyres are a PITA in sand. Bald old road tyres are more than satisfactory and at low pressures (12-15 psi or less if possible with beadlocks). You will be disappointed with the performance of any mud tyres in sand - get used to being on the wrong end of a snatch strap as you will be forever digging yourself in. Skinnies actualy are better in sand as there is less of a "ramp" to climb as the footprint on the sand is longer.

[-Scott-]

Mud tyres are a PITA in sand. Bald old road tyres are more than satisfactory and at low pressures (12-15 psi or less if possible with beadlocks). You will be disappointed with the performance of any mud tyres in sand - get used to being on the wrong end of a snatch strap as you will be forever digging yourself in.

Gary, where did you get this idea? In my experience, it is simply wrong.

I did Fraser, Simpson Desert & Beachport in my STTs without problems. 16psi in a comparatively light-weight shorty flew over Big Red.

At Beachport, there were about 6 vehicles all running muddies, with zero problems. A GQ running 33x12.5 muddies at 10psi made everything look easy.

At the right pressure, mud tyres work well in sand.

[lucy]

Mud tyres are a PITA in sand. Bald old road tyres are more than satisfactory and at low pressures (12-15 psi or less if possible with beadlocks). You will be disappointed with the performance of any mud tyres in sand - get used to being on the wrong end of a snatch strap as you will be forever digging yourself in.

Gary, where did you get this idea? In my experience, it is simply wrong.

I did Fraser, Simpson Desert & Beachport in my STTs without problems. 16psi in a comparatively light-weight shorty flew over Big Red.

At Beachport, there were about 6 vehicles all running muddies, with zero problems. A GQ running 33x12.5 muddies at 10psi made everything look easy.

At the right pressure, mud tyres work well in sand.

You are both right

Mud tyres at the right pressure can work well in sand. BUT, if you were going to by a set of tyres purely for sand work as the OP sounds like they were planning to, then a set of skinny but tall road-biased tyres at the right pressure would work much better and be cheaper.

The contact patch of tall skinny tyres when aired down elongate almost like a tank track, and road tyres tend to dig in less. Wider tyres have a wider contact patch, takes more to get them rolling - if they are also aggressive-patterned then more likely to dig in.

If you have one set of tyres, then learn to drive with them, but if investing in a second set, then buy them for the conditions you are planning to encounter. Muddies are THE most popular touring tyre for outback travel, not because of the aggressive tread - IMO it is not needed and more likely to pick up stones etc. but because mud tyres have the best carcase construction so are simply stronger (and they also look good too ). If one of the tyre manufacturers was really serious about off road tyres for Australian conditions, they would make a heavy carcase heavy sidewall thick ply highway tyre - they come close with stuff like the Goodyear Silent Armour.

[gu town]

If one of the tyre manufacturers was really serious about off road tyres for Australian conditions, they would make a heavy carcase heavy sidewall thick ply highway tyre - they come close with stuff like the Goodyear Silent Armour.

YES! imagine the drop in MT sales.

Very much agree. What the consumer wants, needs and gets are all very different things though.

As for the OP's question, its all about pressures, but a good AT will be better on the sand. BFG AT's are a much underrated tyre. Also have a look at the mickey t ATZ 4 rib for a more aggressive AT.

[Zookrider]

hehehehe, even with 3 complete sets of tyres/rims, I still managed to somehow not end up with a sandworthy set. I am planning for a sand trip, but can't take all 3 sets with me if I choose the wrong one. And it's an awful long way back for "opps wrong choice".

Suggestions please:
Set 1- Original sierra rims and tyres, i'm told same tyres that go on old commodores. So a tiny diameter rollerskate tyre, but 100% road(and sand?)
Set 2 - set of 30'" copper STT, wide (for a 1.3lt sierrato drive in the sand) and reasonalbe aggressive pattern.
Set 3 - 31" super swampers, narrow/tall tyre, but designed for diggin'.

[alien]

i used to have 31x10.5 cooper STT - let down to 6psi and they were brilliant on soft sand.

[-Scott-]

hehehehe, even with 3 complete sets of tyres/rims, I still managed to somehow not end up with a sandworthy set. I am planning for a sand trip, but can't take all 3 sets with me if I choose the wrong one. And it's an awful long way back for "opps wrong choice".

Suggestions please:
Set 1- Original sierra rims and tyres, i'm told same tyres that go on old commodores. So a tiny diameter rollerskate tyre, but 100% road(and sand?)
Set 2 - set of 30'" copper STT, wide (for a 1.3lt sierrato drive in the sand) and reasonalbe aggressive pattern.
Set 3 - 31" super swampers, narrow/tall tyre, but designed for diggin'.

I don't care what anybody else says, with those choices, Set 1 would NEVER be my choice.

As I mentioned earlier, my STTs have done Fraser, Simpson and Beachport with zero trouble. I wouldn't hesitate to consider them, but I do have a heavier vehicle, so my STTs might bag easier than yours.

If your Swampers are narrower than the STTs, then that's the set I'd be taking. As DAMKIA noted, narrower tyres work better in sand, because they don't create as much "bow wave" in front of the tyre.

Tyres dig because they have too much traction to spin, but the ground is too soft to push the vehicle forward - it's easier for the tyre to scoop out the ground rather than propel the vehicle. Drop your tyre pressures to increase the surface area, and it's harder for the tyre to scoop, but the increased surface area also helps traction, so the tyre still doesn't want to spin. So you're more likely to drive.

If you find you're spinning/digging, don't be afraid to try a higher gear. Every p-plater in an underpowered car knows that it's easier to spin the wheels in a lower gear. If you're getting wheelspin you don't want, try a higher gear.