What's everybody's opinion on running 37-12.5x17 MTR's without bead locks? I remember wheeling with Lee one time and he de-beaded his 17" tires twice on one run. I really want the new MTR's but I can't afford to buy the tires and bead locks at the same time. I'm thinking as long as I don't air down past 10 psi, I might be OK and I'll just pray for traction.
Do it...do it...do it...
I want some 17" MT/Rs too, so you can be the guinee pig 😁
Hooray for the guinea pig!
How wide of a rim would you be looking at?
"Justin" wrote: What's everybody's opinion on running 37-12.5x17 MTR's without bead locks? I remember wheeling with Lee one time and he de-beaded his 17" tires twice on one run. I really want the new MTR's but I can't afford to buy the tires and bead locks at the same time. I'm thinking as long as I don't air down past 10 psi, I might be OK and I'll just pray for traction.
this is what im hoping for too.....really used 37-12.5x17 (dont care brand at this point) without beadlocks on a 8 or 9 inch rim. do you remember what width rim lee was running?
I don't remember what width rims Lee was running but the rims I am looking at are 9" wide.
"JohnDF" wrote: Do it...do it...do it...
I have to do something soon. My current cheap steel wheels are so bent, I can't really drive on the street over 40 MPH. I would hate to buy another set of 15" wheels. The next decision I have to make is, if I buy new 17" MTR's, do I buy them from the idiots at a certain Good Year store in Rocklin for ease of warranty, or do I buy them online, or buy them at a different tire shop that might have an idea what a tire is. 😏
"Justin" wrote: I don't remember what width rims Lee was running but the rims I am looking at are 9" wide.
I'm pretty sure Lee had 10" wide rims.
so just for the sake of keeping this thread alive. can anybody explain the theory or science in regards to the whole rim width issue? why is a smaller width rim better at keeping a bead than a wider one? :rasta:
"lowrider" wrote: so just for the sake of keeping this thread alive. can anybody explain the theory or science in regards to the whole rim width issue? why is a smaller width rim better at keeping a bead than a wider one? :rasta:
I don't really want to go into the theory but I have been running 10" wide rims for a few years now and never have had in issue. I usually air down to between 8 and 10 psi.
But.....a 17" rim is a different story because of less sidewall.
ok. well can skip that part....what about the width of the tire then? i see lots of 12.5 wide tires but what about 13.5 or 14.5? would it be best to run a 14.5 on and 8" or can you even do that? :rasta:
I'm running the new 37 inch mtrs on steel 17x9s. I havent aired down much yet, but this weekend I am going to deer valley and will air down and let you know what happens.
For buying the tires I went to tire rack in nevada. No sales tax and it's an ok drive. Plus I got a deal through a buddy's wholesale liscence. 😉
"Justin" wrote: I don't really want to go into the theory but I have been running 10" wide rims for a few years now and never have had in issue. I usually air down to between 8 and 10 psi.
No issue except cutting side walls. I run an 8" wide rim shoot for about that tire pressure and have had good luck with both beads and sidewalls. I wonder if there's any relation to the rim? Maybe I'm just moving so slow the rocks can get out of the way. 😂
"finder_87" wrote: I'm running the new 37 inch mtrs on steel 17x9s. I havent aired down much yet, but this weekend I am going to deer valley and will air down and let you know what happens.
For buying the tires I went to tire rack in nevada. No sales tax and it's an ok drive. Plus I got a deal through a buddy's wholesale liscence. 😉
I can't wait for a report. I am curious on what air pressure you end up running and how well the traction was. 😀
"Bender" wrote:
No issue except cutting side walls.
I have cut 2 sidewalls. One at the Hammers that didn't go all the way through, and one on the Hell Hole trip a few weeks back.
"Bender" wrote: Maybe I'm just moving so slow the rocks can get out of the way. 😂
😂 😂 😂 😂 😂 good one...
I would suggest a min. width of 9". My mtr's on 8's were real bad. Only drove them home and parked it until I got wider rims.
12.5 wide tires seem to hold beads the best with 8" wide wheels. Especially if you are going to wheel on hard trails where low tire pressures are needed. I have only unbeaded one tire in eight years, that was in the snow with a tire pressure under 7 psi.
"JohnDF" wrote: 12.5 wide tires seem to hold beads the best with 8" wide wheels. Especially if you are going to wheel on hard trails where low tire pressures are needed. I have only unbeaded one tire in eight years, that was in the snow with a tire pressure under 7 psi.
I agree, but my new mtr's seemed to be wider than the old ones. With a level on top of the tire I had 1.5" down to the outside lugs. I chalked the tires and roll tested, it was not good. My rim's were AR's that measured 8" between bead surfaces.
Justin, you will be fine on the rims you are talking about. You will find that the new MTR's really hook up in the rocks and you don't need to run lower pressure like you did with the old MTR's. I run my front tires at 11 and the rears at 7.5.
Checking the contact patch has nothing to do with wheeling. It only applies to driving on the pavement where the ground is flat and even. Dirt roads and rocks don't care about that, it is about a soft tire conforming to the ground and around rocks for traction.
If you can afford it, go for it 😏 You will love the new tires, and the sidewalls are way stronger than the old ones!!!!!
The contact patch for on road driving has never been a concern for me. It's usualy close enough to wear the tires evenly for the amount of time I own the tires. I would never own the tires past 75% of their life as they start to be unfriendly in the rocks. If the contact patch is a concern, you can manipulate the tire pressure to get them pretty close. For me, the off road performance is far more important than the tire tread life. I sure wouldn't want to blow a bead on some of the obstacles I run, that could have some bad results 😲
"jsmorrow" wrote: [quote="JohnDF"]12.5 wide tires seem to hold beads the best with 8" wide wheels. Especially if you are going to wheel on hard trails where low tire pressures are needed. I have only unbeaded one tire in eight years, that was in the snow with a tire pressure under 7 psi.
I agree, but my new mtr's seemed to be wider than the old ones. With a level on top of the tire I had 1.5" down to the outside lugs. I chalked the tires and roll tested, it was not good. My rim's were AR's that measured 8" between bead surfaces.
I run a 13.5" wide tire on both an 8.5" rim and a 9"rim. a 12.5" tire is more than fine on an 8" rim.
"JohnDF" wrote: The contact patch for on road driving has never been a concern for me. It's usualy close enough to wear the tires evenly for the amount of time I own the tires. I would never own the tires past 75% of their life as they start to be unfriendly in the rocks. If the contact patch is a concern, you can manipulate the tire pressure to get them pretty close. For me, the off road performance is far more important than the tire tread life. I sure wouldn't want to blow a bead on some of the obstacles I run, that could have some bad results 😲
Tread life has not been a huge issue for me, on road handling during duck season is. My brief time with new mtr's on 8" rims made me believe the handling would not get better in the rain on crap roads and highways that sometimes flood. They do feel much better on 9" rims. Oh, and I do drive bad, so I did get beadlocks this time because I blew 3 beads in one day at Barrett last year.
"jsmorrow" wrote: [quote="JohnDF"]The contact patch for on road driving has never been a concern for me. It's usualy close enough to wear the tires evenly for the amount of time I own the tires. I would never own the tires past 75% of their life as they start to be unfriendly in the rocks. If the contact patch is a concern, you can manipulate the tire pressure to get them pretty close. For me, the off road performance is far more important than the tire tread life. I sure wouldn't want to blow a bead on some of the obstacles I run, that could have some bad results 😲
Tread life has not been a huge issue for me, on road handling during duck season is. My brief time with new mtr's on 8" rims made me believe the handling would not get better in the rain on crap roads and highways that sometimes flood. They do feel much better on 9" rims. Oh, and I do drive bad, so I did get beadlocks this time because I blew 3 beads in one day at Barrett last year.
Blew three beads? Lost air, or had to re-set a bead? After two, I'd air up and just suffer getting off the trail!
was that on the 8 or 9 inch rims you blew the bead?
I just have to figure out where I am going to buy them. I'll probably end up at G.Y. in Rocklin just for ease of warranty.
Wait.......does 4wheel parts offer a warranty on Good Year tires? We do get a discount from them. 😀 😎
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