Big Extreme Tyre advice please?

[SOA 93]

I bet that Topic title has probably grabbed your attention...eh!

I'm having alot of trouble deciding on tyres for my Disco, I realise I can't have what everybody wants.

ie. Awsome off road, grippy and quiet on road and everlasting!

Do I really need 2 sets of tyres?

Does anyone run Simex or its copies on the road as a day to day vehicle?

I don't do a huge mileage, I use the Disco for work and rarely have to drive more than 20 minutes to get there, the majority of my mileage is running around locally.

The tyre choices are like this; Simex ET's relativley cheap to buy, availability, good off road.

Procomp X Terrain, Quiet on road, good longevity, ok offroad.

Swampers Irok/TSL etc, any advice?

Pit Bulls etc.

The Disco's on my business so tyre's can be set against Tax, which softens the blow a little. £200 per tyre is a ball park figure. 35" and 12" wide and has to be on a 16" rim.

I love the look of Simex especially the 36" ET2's theres no doubt about their credentials off road, but how long would they last as a day to day tyre? Anyone wore any out?

Is the noise on road unbearable or just the same as say, SAGs?

I know you have to go steady in the wet, but are they leathal?

The other tyre I'm leaning towards is the Procomp, I've heard of people getting huge mileage from these tyres, so they can work out to be good value. I think it was designed as more of a rock crawling tyre than a mud plugger anyone have any experience?

Planned usage is play days, green lanes and not to serious challenge events aswell as day to day.

Some people say you should not be using ET's on green lanes, any thoughts?

Are procomps a big disadvantage compared to ET's in the challenge arena ?

Are all the american Tyres E marked? Availability is much better now, but sod's law says when you need a replacement urgently the answers " We're expecting them in in two weeks time".

What would you buy and reasons please.

Do I go for procomps now and then later get a set of Simex copies?

Cheers

Andy

[LR90]

Andy,

don't use the90 every day but I've been done more than 15k on my Simex now, sadly mostly road, inc regular commute of 25 each way and longer trips like a round trip Pompey to N Yorks and back in 48hrs, Northampton a few days back,...

My only gripes are noise (they are worse than the SAGs I had previously) and cost (£200 a corner is a bit steep for me). But they have lasted very well. Fronts are now nearing replacement though rears look barely half worn.

Off road, well others can better testify to that. On road grip is fine in the dry, not as scarey as xply SAGs in the wet and generally more predictable than the steering wander from lift and soft bushes.

HTH

[freeagent]

if you are only going to do 'fun day' challenge events and laning, why don't you look at BFG muds... they are seriously long lasting (some people reckon 50,000 miles!!!!!) are excellent in the mud (what everyone used before Simex came along) and a bit easier to live with than Simex's every day.

one of the guys on here (Team tombraider i think) just bought some 35" BFG muds for just over £100 each...

you shouldn't realy use Simex's on greenlanes, as they'll tear the ground to bits, and they are a bit better behaved on wet tarmac that Simexes.... I lived with simeses as an everyday tyre, they look awesome, but the noise WILL get you down.....

[SiWhite]

Have a look at BFG Krawlers - not UK type approved just yet IIRC, but they are going to be soon. More aggressive than a mud terrain. Have a look on pirate4x4.com for piccys.

[pugwash]

Have a look at BFG Krawlers - not UK type approved just yet IIRC, but they are going to be soon. More aggressive than a mud terrain. Have a look on pirate4x4.com for piccys.

hey Si,

could you find a link to these for me? i've had a look but can't seem to search pirate4x4 at the moment.

quite fancy seeing some piccies!

cheers

Jim

[Tonk]

heres some from another site

[Jon White]

Ooooooooh they look interesting!!!

[SOA 93]

The Krawlers are a very interesting alternative, seem ideal. Not considered them before because I thought they were a special competition tyre, didn't realise they made a TA version.

Can only find 2 sizes at the moment 35" 15"rim and 37" 16" rim.

Alledgedly going to make a 40" version aswell.

Is the importer going to bring them in? Might try a phone call later.

Freeagent: if you are only going to do 'fun day' challenge events and laning, why don't you look at BFG muds?

Didn't consider BFG's because they don't import the 315/75R16 into the UK, only the 35 12.50 15 (shame).

15" rim won't clear the brakes.

Exellent opinions on the Simexs, Keep em comin. Nobody with Procomps?

Cheers

Andy

[Brett]

Didn't consider BFG's because they don't import the 315/75R16 into the UK, only the 35 12.50 15 (shame).

15" rim won't clear the brakes.

I run the BFG's in 12.50 x 15, no issues at all with clearance of brakes. 15" tyres are cheaper than 16" as well.

[dollythelw]

I know a chap with pro-comps and he seems pretty happy with them, tread wear seems ok, doesnt seem to have any probs in the mud, I thought they would clog but hes happy with them

Boggers are not really for everyday use - they take a bit of getting used to but they flex soooooo well, wear quickly and you have to get used to "Bogger hop" when you drive it after its been parked with hot rubber and left to sit for a while. Tend to find traction in ridiculous places, side slopes aren't so bad once you get used to very flexy sidewalls and "interesting" feedback they give. Cutting thin sipes into the blocks make a big difference to wet handling.

Simex - I ran 36x12.5s and thought they were pretty comfy on the road, not exactly limpet status in the wet but not the worst by a long shot (that goes to chen shin - £14 from local tyre monkey - oooh yeah! ), sidewalls are very very stiff so not so good if you need to air down. I didnt find tread wear to bad. The Polish lads seem to like cutting the outer rows of the 3 rows of central blocks out (leaving only the central row behind) - they say it makes them clear more easily

Krawlers look interesting - whats the feedback on pitbulls?

[Daves3]

The Krawler is a very tuff tyre and has done well in many Oz comps to date. A mate who runs this tyre in a 35inchis is happy with them, is not overly impressed with how they work and steer in deep mud and clay (he much prefers simex for this). Otherwise these are an awesome tyre for eveything else and seem to wear very well.

Other tyre to look at is Q78 Super Swamper. Not a great tyre to drive on, but they do work well on all surfaces, and tend to be a very tyre. They are also an ideal size (35.5 x 11) and suit a LR very well.

Dave.

[missingsid]

Boring bit (sorry).

A friend was looking for more extreme tires for his Rangey, he was warned that they must have a suitable speed rating for the vehicle (Defender/ Series motors were OK due to the usage).

This would affect the legality of road use and insurance of the vehicle?

Don’t know if it is true but worth investigating.

[SOA 93]

Boring bit (sorry).

A friend was looking for more extreme tires for his Rangey, he was warned that they must have a suitable speed rating for the vehicle (Defender/ Series motors were OK due to the usage).

This would affect the legality of road use and insurance of the vehicle?

Don’t know if it is true but worth investigating.

I had forgot about that! IIRC Simex are only rated to about 60/70 mph

I know Simon Buck has done 100+ in his rangey on ET's tyres (OBC).

I don't think they are liable to fly apart but it is something to think about?

Regarding insurance obviously they must be declared as part of your modifications.

I'm not sure about defining usage, whats the difference between a Disco doing 80mph and a defender doing 80mph.

Most crossplies/bias tyres are only rated to 75mph.

I suppose nobody takes any notice until something happens, then the book gets thown at them for having a dangerous vehicle.

Andy

[SteveG]

Boring bit (sorry).

A friend was looking for more extreme tires for his Rangey, he was warned that they must have a suitable speed rating for the vehicle (Defender/ Series motors were OK due to the usage).

This would affect the legality of road use and insurance of the vehicle?

Don’t know if it is true but worth investigating.

It has been and it's complete tosh. No legal issue with putting tyres on with a lower speed rating than the vehicle is capable of, just can't excees that speed rating.

Points to add on comments above - I wouldn't buy Simex for daily use, They are too extreme for mostly road. BFG MT's are a lot better that Simex on road -- seem like a road tyre in comparison

Simex on greenlanes - In my opinion they look too agressive for responsible laning, but as for them ripping the ground apart it's not true. In a lot of cases where an standard MT will be spinning a simex shod vehicle will drive through ok. Now take them into a grass field that's wet and go round and round in circles and yes you'll soon have no grass - but hardly the thing to do when laning.

Lastly if you want to fit 36" ET's you are going to have to cut arches out quite a bit too.

Cheers

Steve

[will_warne]

Andy,

First of all Simex. They're a great tyre especially for clay and deep mud but are brutal on the drivetrain and need some power behind them to get the best perfomance. On road they're OK; reasonable grip, not too bad in the wet (JTs are better than ETs) as long as you get used to the way they handle. The noise annoys some people but I don't mind it. I'm probably going to get annother set to use for clay and deep mud although they'll be 35x11.5x15s to get the most sidewall flex and as the treads a bit more open than 35x10.5x16s.

BFG Muddies are a great all round tyre. If you want one tyre that'll do well at events and on the road they're hard to beat. I was very fond of my old 255x85r16s (basicly 33x10.5r16s). They worked really well, handled nicely and were quiet. With a pair of locker you'll get a long way on these tyres.

BFG Krawlers. Mmmmmm. I've got my eye on these. Neil Redpath at Redpath tyres is the man to speak to. He's going to bring some more sets in soon although, to date, there have only been 4 sets (ie 20 tyres) imported, all 35x13.5x15s. I've seen one of the sets in action on Nick Feild's white bobed Disco and I was very, very impressed. I think for bog, sand and rock these tyres will outclass Simex. I'm probably looking at getting a set and then having some Simex as spares. The question really is size.... 37s would be nice but I couldn't do any COR events on them. Decissions, decissions.....

Edited to say, check what compound of Krawlers you'll get if you do buy them, some are seriously soft

[SOA 93]

A few Speed ratings

Simex ET's 35/16 N 87mph, 36/16 L 75mph

BFG's MT's Q 100mph

Procomp Xterrains 35&37/15 Q 100mph, 35/16 (315/75) N 87mph, 37/16 (325/80) Q 100mph

Pit Bull Rockers 35&37 Q 100mph

Pit Bulls are bias tyres that have a 100mph speed rating Shows you how much I know!

Andy

[RPR]

I used to run Simex ETs - the first week I had them I kept looking out the window and above me ton see whether the C-47 was actually trying to land on top of me. Great off-road, not great on road.

Krawlers and BFG muds are great tyres - I have driven other people's vehicles with both. I believe the Krawlers will wear substantially more quickly with onroad use as they use a softer compound designed for rock-crawling. The narrowest you can get in a 33"+ size is 12.5".

I have Q78/16 Super Swamper TSLs (bias). Offroad I would put them right up there with Simex ETs. They are not as aggressive but they air down much better. On road they are substantially better than Simex ETs. If you forget to air up and leave your rig parked up a while, you will get the "Bogger hop" that Jez so aptly refers to. They are 35.5"x 9.5" width rather than the 11" width mentioned above. They are a great Land Rover tyre! The radials seem somewhat less aggressive but will alleviate "Bogger hop" and be even more road friendly. The best size in the radials is 36" x 12.5/16 but the actual tread width is only 9.5" so also a good call.

[SOA 93]

I used to run Simex ETs - the first week I had them I kept looking out the window and above me ton see whether the C-47 was actually trying to land on top of me. Great off-road, not great on road.

Krawlers and BFG muds are great tyres - I have driven other people's vehicles with both. I believe the Krawlers will wear substantially more quickly with onroad use as they use a softer compound designed for rock-crawling. The narrowest you can get in a 33"+ size is 12.5".

I have Q78/16 Super Swamper TSLs (bias). Offroad I would put them right up there with Simex ETs. They are not as aggressive but they air down much better. On road they are substantially better than Simex ETs. If you forget to air up and leave your rig parked up a while, you will get the "Bogger hop" that Jez so aptly refers to. They are 35.5"x 9.5" width rather than the 11" width mentioned above. They are a great Land Rover tyre! The radials seem somewhat less aggressive but will alleviate "Bogger hop" and be even more road friendly. The best size in the radials is 36" x 12.5/16 but the actual tread width is only 9.5" so also a good call.

The Q78/16 has me bugged! Can't find that designation on the website http://www.intercotire.com/site24.php

there are several TSL's which ones?

The width refers to the section width on all tyres, where the tyre bulges at its most, not the tread width.

Yourself and Daves3 now have me very interested in these tyres.

Any experience with Pit Bulls over there?

Edited to say found em'!

Andy

[Daves3]

The Q78/16 has me bugged! Can't find that designation on the website http://www.intercotire.com/site24.php

there are several TSL's which ones?

The width refers to the section width on all tyres, where the tyre bulges at its most, not the tread width.

Yourself and Daves3 now have me very interested in these tyres.

Any experience with Pit Bulls over there?

Edited to say found em'!

Andy

http://www.intercotire.com/site33.php

Q78's in 15 and 16 inch rim sizes.

I have found that my swampers feel worse (steering and braking) than a set of simex I borrowed from mate. The simex were noisier but handled and did steer far better. The swampers seem to slide and understeer more when you take a corner a bit to fast.

Most guys over in Aus tend to run Simex, but there as many who have tried all and fall back to running swampers.

This is just in my experience.

Dave.

[marsie]

Have just replaced my 34" jungle trekkers for 36" extremes.Did around 5000 road miles(used to be my only car)as well as several big winch challenges and they still had about 12mm of tread in the middle when i sold them.Took my 90 to over 100mph a couple of times on the motorway with no probs(except almost sh**ing myself ).Think you would have some serious body mods on a disco to fit 36" tyres and still have articulation for off roading-but then again i was told that 36" tyres wouldnt fit my 90 but i didnt listen