Radial Claws vs Creepies vs BFG M/T

[QIKAZZ]

Hey guys, im lookin at a new set of tyres, I was thinkin simex but not so keen now with the legalities of being illegal for onroad use, my driving will consist of 20% onroad and 80% offroad, mostly muddy areas, steep hill climbs and some dirt road surfaces, maybe a little bit of rock and sand areas but not much at all, can you guys suggest a good tyre and offer any personal experiances of the better tyres between Mickey Tompson Radial Claws, Maxxis Creepie Crawlers, and BFG Mud Terrains.

Cheers

Azz

[blkmav]

Goodyear MTR

[45punkbus]

having driven on both the bfg muddys and radial claws i wouldnt go past the claws.

[YankeeDave]

you realize creepy crawlers are bias ply. And IMHO would be the best with the options you gave.

However I'd say still go simex. and if you dont want a bias tyre then go the radial claws which seem to handle the mud better than the bfg's and everything handles the mud better than mtrs

[QIKAZZ]

Are the creepies road legal or are they in the same situation as the Simex pedes and not legal for onroad because they are bias ply?

[45punkbus]

Are the creepies road legal or are they in the same situation as the Simex pedes and not legal for onroad because they are bias ply?

if the creepies are bias ply then they are only legal on 4bs that came out with bias ply tyres, for example my 40series.(thats what i was told anyway)

cheers

[QIKAZZ]

I have a HJ60 Series 83 model, I have no idea what tyre they came out with.

[Ryano]

You are comparing two different case constructions....
http://www.mickeythompsontires.com.au/t ... mickey.htm

IMO:
BFGoodrich MT - As far as offroad tyres go this is the first step into them. Being a radial, they are good for everyday bitumen driving with moderate offroad use. Reasonably good offroad traction.

Mickey T Radial Claws - The step before Bias construction. Still a Radial so on road performance is still quite good for such a luggy pattern (just need to rotate them a bit more regularly). Quite impressive offroad traction across the many variations of terrain for a radial.

Maxxis Creepy Crawlers - Offroad orientated. They aren't speed rated for Aussie Roads so the fact that they are pretty average on the bitumen doesn't really matter. Offroad they can be dropped in pressure far more than a Radial which allows more maleability through the tread section and are far more tear and damage resistant. More of an "all terrain" pattern in the bias tyre option, it performs quite well in all conditions (far better than a Radial traction wise). My only hesitation with this tyre is it's high crown radius. Means that if you are even slightly overinflated it's not getting full contact patch and at higher speeds it has a tendency of 'throwing' the centre of the tread section which can cause a floaty feel at the steering wheel.

If you are considering the Maxxis Creepy, you should compare to Swamper. The Simex bias range and Mickey T Bias Claw are both speed and load rated to Aussie Roads.
Hope this helps.
Ryano

[QIKAZZ]

Although I dont drive on the road a lot, only to and from my 4wd destination, I will occasioanlly be towing my dirt bike around, so I think I would like to stick with a radial, im not to sure how any bias ply would handle with the trailer and 2 birt bikes on it. The only reason I mentioned the Creepy was because I thought it was probably the only reasonable bias tyre for the little onroad use and towing because of its less agressive pattern in comparion the the simex pede's. But as I mentioned I do want to stick to something legal.

[Ryano]

Have a look at the Simex and the Bias Claws. Most people I know that run these are quite happy with their on road manners.
The Bias Claw run a Fibreglass belting which keeps a flatter footprint at higher speeds, which in turn gives greater steering response. The fibreglass belting is also more maleable than steel belting so it still conforms to the terrain you are traversing when aired down.

We have a customer that travels some pretty nasty tracks for work. He has a Cruiser that is fully loaded all day, every day. He tried all brands of radials and they just couldn't handle the load over the rough terrain. He has put Bias Claws on and has had no issues with damaged tyres since. They drive fine on road as long as you drive accordingly.

Cheers,
Ryano

[QIKAZZ]

Ryano

Do you know if the Bias Claw is road legal on my HJ60 83 model cruiser? Although I do want something that is very good for offroad, I still want to stay on the legal side for the little onroad use.

[GRIMACE]

my creepys drove better onroad then my 34" BFG Muddies, and my Silverstone Extremes (there were pretty bad). They are also about the same road volume (noise) as a 35" radial claw.

luved em, will run them again in the future.

But as mentioned they are not rated to australian standards. and are a bias ply construction (and a damn tough one at that)

Reguarding the radial claw i have noticed that the 33" variaty has a fairly weak sidewall as opposed to its larger 35" varient... maybe Ryano can go into further details on the ply rating to explain this...???
I still like the radial claws as the best all rounder juts be carefull of the sidewalls in a 33"

A tyre you have not listed that you should list, or atleast consider is the Goodyear MTR, so long as your not mainly driving mud you will be happy with these both on and offroad.

goodluck...

[QIKAZZ]

Anthony, I would say a large percentage is going to be mud, Also I do plan of putting 35's on not 33's, im a bit mixed up on what way to go, basically what I want is the best allround offroader in a 35, with a larger percentage of the offroad being mud, but still good for other surfaces, and still to be legal for onroad use. I know I will have to sacrifice some offroad abilities to remain road legal.

[-Nemesis-]

That's not very nice, comparing the Radial Claws with the latest poo BFG Muds

I've got the Claws and love them, will buy them again only bigger. I've done probably 20,000km and they still have over half the tread left.

[GRIMACE]

Anthony, I would say a large percentage is going to be mud, Also I do plan of putting 35's on not 33's, im a bit mixed up on what way to go, basically what I want is the best allround offroader in a 35, with a larger percentage of the offroad being mud, but still good for other surfaces, and still to be legal for onroad use. I know I will have to sacrifice some offroad abilities to remain road legal.

go the 35" radial claws and beside they have alot of sex factor too

[-Nemesis-]

go the 35" radial claws and beside they have alot of sex factor too

Even with IFS




Note* These are the 20k old ones......

[QIKAZZ]

So

Out of this page
http://www.mickeythompsontires.com.au/t ... radial.htm

Which ones in the 35's should I be choosing. I am going to have to get wheels as well regardless because I only have 7" rims now, so whats the best tyre one out of thier 35 range.

[QIKAZZ]

Nice, I do like the look of them, I agree lots of Sex factor haha.

[Ryano]

How hard you play and how far you travel on the bitumen are the deciding factors on Radial or Bias.
Either which way......

GO THE CLAWS!!!!!!


Cheers,
Ryano

[QIKAZZ]

Ryano

Well at this stage me and my mates are still learning, so playing hard is not yet a big factor, also as we are just learning we generally are not going any further then 1hr of black top travel to get to our offroad places.

Which Radial Claw size should I get? There is a few different ones availible with different ratings, they will be going on my HJ60 Cruiser.

Cheers

Azz

[-Scott-]

If you're still learning are you sure you need the grip of the Claw? Is your 'Cruiser good enough to use them properly? Open diffs and limited articulation may mean your Claws spend too much time spinning in the air, and not enough time on the ground providing traction.

What do your mates run? Will your Claws end up dragging them all over the countryside? Are they good enough to keep up?

As an alternative, you could consider a cheaper traction tyre (BFG muds, or whatever you can pick up s/hand) and spend the money you saved on improving suspension and/or buying lockers. You may discover cheaper tyres will do everything you require. Either way, you'll learn to drive much better if you spend some time NEEDING to pick the right line, so when you eventually graduate to Claws you'll be a better driver than if you get them now - and you will be able to drive further.

That's my theory, and I'm sticking to it.

Scott

[bogged]

If you're still learning are you sure you need the grip of the Claw? Is your 'Cruiser good enough to use them properly? Open diffs and limited articulation may mean your Claws spend too much time spinning in the air, and not enough time on the ground providing traction.

What do your mates run? Will your Claws end up dragging them all over the countryside? Are they good enough to keep up?

As an alternative, you could consider a cheaper traction tyre (BFG muds, or whatever you can pick up s/hand) and spend the money you saved on improving suspension and/or buying lockers. You may discover cheaper tyres will do everything you require. Either way, you'll learn to drive much better if you spend some time NEEDING to pick the right line, so when you eventually graduate to Claws you'll be a better driver than if you get them now - and you will be able to drive further.

That's my theory, and I'm sticking to it.

Scott

Good advice. but I think its more interest in Bling.

[QIKAZZ]

Scott

Thanks for the advice, the rig I have already has ARB airlockers front and rear, so im already a step ahead of my mates, (I only paid 6k for it and it came with roadworthy, diff lockers, under chassis water tanks and long range fuel tank) my mates have a Nissan Navara (its his company car supplied by his work) and my other mate has a fairly new hilux, that is stock standard. I do want to do suspension upgrade and I am going to have to, to fit 35's anyway, im seriously considering SOA, but not sure yet. Im not quiet ready for tyres just yet and will get some more experiance with the BFG M/T 33's that I currenty have on it, im just reseaching new tires now so I can start saving and also because I have a bit of free time at work to be asking now, rather then waiting until I NEED tires and rush into something and making the wrong decision.

Cheers

Azz

[Ryano]

35x12.50R15 113Q Radial Claws part no. 5756. This would be my choice.

Cheers,
Ryano

[Guy]

Your worried about legality .. but not worried about running a 35's ..


If your doing mud get simex's

[QIKAZZ]

35's are not legal on my model??

[bogged]

Your worried about legality .. but not worried about running a 35's ..

and spoa

[QIKAZZ]

I will get an engineer cert for the SPOA.

[Guy]

35's are not legal on my model??

did it come out with anything close to a 35 on it ... then no

In most cases you will struggle getting any 12.5 inch or wider tyre legal as most manufacturers say that they will need to be on a rim wider than 8 inches.. and getting a engineer to sign off on that is kinda difficult..

So a nice skinny 35/36 like a simex is looking good eh

[bad_religion_au]

As an alternative, you could consider a cheaper traction tyre (BFG muds, or whatever you can pick up s/hand) and spend the money you saved on improving suspension and/or buying lockers.

claws and bfg muds were about the same price when i priced em