bias claw vs symex 37/36

[bru21]

just a question for those that have run either.

i have just got rid of my claw radials to go to either

37 bias claw
36 simex

(will not consider mtr)

who has run either of these on the street and is it ok, its not my daily driver.

are the simex's better in the wet.

are the claws lateral stability off road bad enough to forget them?

my other option is the radial claw which i was very happy with, just dearer than a symex so makes for a tricky decision.

cheers fellas

bru

[Bingham]

just a question for those that have run either.
i have just got rid of my claw radials to go to either
bru

and the claws are looking good on my rig!!!!!!

Personally in order of preference radial then simex then bias last...

rubber in radials i believe is by allot of top competitors chosen even over bias for comps although larger sidelugs on bias very benificial..... bru you need to keep in mind you need at least a happy medium tyre for ya beast when the 38.5 clws not on

Legality and comfortability wise and as a general all purpose xtreme tyre id go the 37 claw radial....... the centrepedes seem to perform well in serious stuff but i think they may lack a little on road like the bias (sound like a chopper landing.... of course i may be wrong

ryano give us your thoughts!!!
Bingham

[MARKx4]

If need to the claw radial comes in 38's now.

[Ryano]

The Radial Claw from 37" upwards is a much stronger case construction. They take the 35" case with it's thicker body plys and add an extra ply. To put it in perspective, other 3 ply brands on the market have body ply say...the size of your pinky. Mickey Thompson have 2 body ply the size of your thumb and in the 37" and bigger they put another ply in on top of this. Makes for an extremely strong radial tyre with an extremely aggressive tread. Mickey Thompson use Polyester for it's body ply as it maintains a greater consistency through the temperature range. This leads to better case balance, less vibration and a lighter weight tyre.
The Bias Belted Claw is an off road oriented construction. The crossply case construction makes the carcass more resistant to impact damage and tearing. The massive sidebiter lugs on the upper sidewall and shoulder make climbing out of deep ruts a breeze and when aired down, the Bias Belted Claw increases its footprint dramatically, giving a greater amount of biting tread on the ground. The Bias belted Claw also has in it's arsenal fibreglass belting instead of steel belts. This has the advantage of giving it some road manners without the rigidness of the steel belts. Basically the fibreglass belts stop the case from growing/throwing or ballooning like other bias tyres at higher speeds and pressures, while still allowing maleability offroad over the rocks and tracks.
Simex Centipede is an aggressive traction pattern on a crossply light truck case. It's large outer lugs provide good mud traction. Case construction is a bit of a let down for me... personally speaking of course. As a second set of tyres it wouldn't be a problem, but as a set that is on the vehicle full time, I'd probably opt away from them. It has Nylon body plys. Nylon is prone to case distortion and vibration as the ply grow and shrink through the temperature range. It's also prone to flat spotting when cold or when the vehicle has been sitting for a while. No belts mean that at higher speeds the tyre will throw the centre giving less tread to drive on and more ballooning with pressure.
If you were running these tyres as a second set I would consider the Simex... but as you are running them the majority of the time I'd go with the Mickeys. THe choice between Radial or Bias is dependent on what you want. As you have a set of 38.5" Claws, do you need the Bias? If you want a tyre that is good on the bitumen and can provide some good off road traction go the Radial. Bias drive reasonably ok on road, give you no real hassles and provide excellent traction offroad, but if you plan on using the 38.5" for this... go with the Radial.

Radial construction gives a more comfortable and far better ride on the black top and the steel belts give better handling, tread life and steering responsiveness on road. If you want an aggressive off road tyre with road manners, Radial Claw is the choice. I run them.

*edit* - due to my slightly dated memory banks on Simex speed ratings.

[dogrooter]

Just a quick correction Ryano, The Simex is in fact speed rated and load rated for use on our roads.
Jeff
Qld Distributor Simex 4x4

[Ryano]

Sorry.... Correction noted!!!

The Extreme Trekker 2 Centipede in the 36" that Bru21 is looking at is speed and load rated for road use, as is the majority of the range.

My apologies....
Ryano

[RoldIT]

I run 36" ET2s as a second set of tyres and at 40psi the tyre rides more or less on the centre 3 rows of tread. I haven't driven these on wet roads yet but am extremely pleased with their handling and ride. Considering their tread design, I can't believe how well they do ride, and they aren't as load as I thought they'd be. Don't get me wrong, they are load but I have driven on standard mud terrains that were at least as load.

[Ryano]

Definately, as a second set they are worthwhile considering. As a full time tyre with another dedicated offroad set however.... I would stick with a radial.
Running a 36" tyre at 40psi for a short period every now and again and then dropping them when you are off road won't be a problem...full time however is going to give a firmer ride and centre wear the tyres rapidly.

[RoldIT]

Ryano, I agree with you comments but my rig is a daily driver so I need the two sets. I think Bru is running a second car instead of a second set of treads so in essence it's basically the same, only driving on them when he's heading to the tracks, etc.

That's how I read it anyway.

[ludacris]

I love my Simex and am only running 35-10.5-15. I would not consider any other tyre. I have been out playing with mates with claws and they loved the way my Simex performed and are now reformed to buying Simex when they next buy tyres for there rigs. I am going to upgrade to the new 36's when the budget allows.

LudaCris

[Bingham]

Just a quick correction Ryano, The Simex is in fact speed rated and load rated for use on our roads.
Jeff
Qld Distributor Simex 4x4

to the non tyre gurus does this legality wise mean both tyres pass with dot no problem.. i always thought no belted or whatever it is isnt legal not that 37s are? but you know what i mean....hopefully

go the radial bru.... your falcons a shitter get ya beast going and burn it

[zzzz]

I have had the following simexs from 34" jt2's, 35" et's and 36" ets...

Out of all of them the 36's were the best all rounder.
Easily better on the road than the others as they ride on the centre lugs
The outside lugs are basically always clear of mud when you are offroad even though the centre fills up.

But if you want to play on the rocks more I would look elsewhere.
And that is my 2 cents worth

[bru21]

thanks heaps fellas. ryano do you have the 36x15.5r15 and 38x15.5r15 available and how do you think they will be on road, or are they too wide and unstable.

my real problem is that i have cut a shite load outta my guards and a big tyre to fill the hole so the truck doesn't look like it is 12" above standard.
the radial 37 looks the goods but a 15.5 wide 36 would be sexy as.

thanks again all

cheers bru

[Ryano]

Certainly do.... the 36x15.50R15 Radial Claw and the 38x15.50R15 Radial Claw are good to go.

I honestly think that they are going to handle the road work without batting an eyelid and it will increase the stability. Radial is definately the best option for more highway/bitumen orientated use, and the Claw is still such an aggressive pattern so if you do want to play with these tyres on the spur of the moment, they are very capable. Besides they look bloody tuff!!! Had one fitted up to a 15x12 rim to see what it looked like.... Big and staunch. You won't be disappointed in them.

dogrooter wrote:
Just a quick correction Ryano, The Simex is in fact speed rated and load rated for use on our roads.
Jeff
Qld Distributor Simex 4x4

Bingham wrote:
to the non tyre gurus does this legality wise mean both tyres pass with dot no problem.. i always thought no belted or whatever it is isnt legal not that 37s are? but you know what i mean....hopefully

The Australian Vehicle Design Rules basically states that a tyre fitted to a vehicle must be load rated to meet the maximum axle load carrying capacity of the vehicle and on a Recreational Vehicle it must have a minimum N (140km/h) rating, unless specified less than this. (Some of the Hilux's only require an L rating as it states it on the placard.)
There are a few off road designated tyres out there that aren't rated to meet these standards so legally they can't be run on Australian Roads as they don't meet the requirements.
As to whether it is legal to run Bias on the streets... as long as the above specs are met and the tyrew manufacturer deems the tyre as roadsafe (Which 99.9% of the time will be the case as it is load and speed rated and most manufacturers won't worry about this for strictly off road use),
vehicles up to 4.5tonnes GVM can run a Bias constructed tyre on the road as long as you do not mix construction (Bias/Radial) on an axle.
Hope you can make some sense out of this!!
Cheers,
Ryano