109 tires and Michelin

[PH4]

Lot of food for thought. If I cannot find a second hand set of Michelin X series think I will go for Cooper Courser 7.50x16. Anyone have any experience with the Courser tire?

[fruitpunch]

Tread patterns....

Please correct me if you believe I am wrong....



This I believe is the original Michelin X pattern as on early 90's 110's.... and I also think very similar to truck tire treads.... might even be a truck tire R20 or something like that.



I believe XL, but very close to XCL....



XZL, also make sure if you spent the big bucks for these you know if they are new or retreads I have seen some scarry things happen with retreads @ speed, but fine for offroading only.



XL I believe...




XS but then Sand will be hard to find around here

[Leslie]

Fruity, I think you're on the mark...

I *believe* the XL is the larger commercial version of the XCL (more for equipment than normal passenger vehicles).

XZL's can be run w/o tubes. My tread looks nothing like the one that you've posted:
I'll find a pic...


The old TracEdge was a great tire. IMHO, the best, closest thing to it available right now would be the Dunlop Rover R/T. I'd highly suggest giving the R/T at least some degree of consideration, FWIW...

[Leslie]

http://www.michelin.co.uk/uk/front/affich.jsp?codeRubrique=20060301154613

For the XZL....

http://www.dunloptire.com/dunlop/display_tire.jsp?prodline=Radial+Rover+RT&mrktarea=Light+Truck

For the R/T...
And also http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....al+Rover+R%2FT

[fruitpunch]

For some reason it sticks in my mind that they changed the pattern from the original XZL's to the O/R version, at some point the XCL also was out of production. Or may be I am remembering the 9.00's on the 101's.

I still can't figure out what BFG was smoking when they stopped the Trac Edge, I guess volume was too low. Most Posers were buying MT's the daily drivers the AT's and the handful globetrotters the Trac Edges....

[JimCT]

Truxus

There is a 4WD shop in East Hampton that carries them, but the last set I found on ebay for a good price. Jim

[J!m]

I was shopping last night and found a perfect tire for the series. The Goodyear G171, which is a drive wheel tire.

Designed for off-highway, but still good on-road

It comes in 7.50-16 equivalent (31 inches tall) and is designed for commercial use, so no ugly white letters on them. No idea on price- I have to check with my local Goodyear dealer for that.

Check their web site- they look more aggressive in person, but allegedly quiet (ish) on the road.

I saw these on the Yukon Territories trucks up on the Dempster Highway, and decided to look them up.

Too short for my 110, but perfect for my series (both need tires now...)

[Leslie]

For some reason it sticks in my mind that they changed the pattern from the original XZL's to the O/R version, at some point the XCL also was out of production. Or may be I am remembering the 9.00's on the 101's.

I still can't figure out what BFG was smoking when they stopped the Trac Edge, I guess volume was too low. Most Posers were buying MT's the daily drivers the AT's and the handful globetrotters the Trac Edges....

There are different XZL patterns still; commerical equipment and larger truck tires look like the one you posted, but the 4x4 O/R one in Rover sizes is the one in my link above.


I concur, the TracEdges are legendary.

AND.... the BFG Commerical T/A-traction is NOT a good substitute for it. I put a set of those on the Disco, and it ran through them like butter, the regular BFG AT-ko is a much better tire than the Commericals....

[KevinNY]

For something like the Trac Edge and A tire that I have had unbelievably good luck on and off road with, I can not reccomend the Copper Discoverer ST highly enough. They also have the "right Look" in 235/85 on a series.

[TeriAnn]

I still can't figure out what BFG was smoking when they stopped the Trac Edge, I guess volume was too low. Most Posers were buying MT's the daily drivers the AT's and the handful globetrotters the Trac Edges....

Trac Edges were a funny sort of hybrid tyre. The all terrains and mud terrains were BFG's off road tyres that used their "armored side wall" casing. Those tyres were designed from the bead out to encounter nasty protrusions.

The Trac Edge, I think, was envisioned as a pickup tyre for people who drove a lot on dirt roads that got muddy part of the year. It was basically a street pickup tyre with knobby mud tyre edges added to help the pickup get through the muddy sections of the road. It was never marketed with the All Terrain and the Mud Terrain as an off road tyre with strong sidewalls. Instead BFG had it listed in the section with the other light truck tyres.

The Trac edge likely died because people who wanted something other than a light truck street tyre went to BFG's off road tyre offerings.

My Land Rover has been shod with BFG Mud Terrains for the past 160,000 or so miles (I get about 60K miles per set). I have used other brands & treads under my Land Rover over the years, starting with Michlin XCL's and have decided the the BFG MT's are the best overall tyre for the types of driving I do. There are better tyres for each kind of driving, but I have yet to try one that is as good an all around tyre that provided me with high puncture resistance and long mileage.

Just some thoughts,

[Clive]

X and XS are still available throughout Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Cost about GBP 200 a pop. No pun intended, they have thin walls and are not good with sharp objects around....amazing in sand 'though. Have been in 2 WD gliding over the desert sand of Northern Kenya with three other vehicles using different treads bogging in 4 WD.

[fruitpunch]

Yes the sidewalls of the Trac Edge was the weak spot, also worth mentioning is that I had some friends that had studded them for winter driving. If the only thing BF G would have done was put the M/T sidewalls on these it would get 98 points out of 100 form me. Originally it was a 92 point tire

Fruity's tire rating system....


Trac Edge 92
M/T 88
A/T 75
Radial Rover 86
XZL 96 (if you consider price and wear 85 )
XCL 90 ( just too soft for road )
X 82 ( long lasting but too scarry when wet)
Traxxus 87
Firestone 70 (original tire on my IIa if score was for original then 100)
Chinese 79 (currently on my IIa, wear sucks but soo bargainous)

Others to try Silverstone MT 117 on something with a big lift supposed to be up there with the XZL one size only. No DOT I believe

Also my old XCL's didn't have DOT markings and taking them past 65mph was scarry

[J!m]

Regarding tire markings:

Many of the Michelin tires noted are available to the military, and do not have DOT markings. They do however have MIL markings on the side wall. These are good up to 55MPH per mil spec, but do not have to travel faster on road to meet the spec.

Traveling faster on XL's for example can be a bit scary in any type of weather; however Mike reports his 11.00-16 XL's are much safer feeling than his 9.00-16 equivalent Buck-$hit mudders which are now rotting peacefully in the woods behind his house...

Again- not a road tire. If you go above 55MPH with any mud tire, you are taking a chance. If you wan to go fast, get a proper street tire, and enjoy the ride. I may get another set of six wheels shod with street tires for the long hauls, a Sankey loaded with six (enter favorite mud tire here) mounted on another six wheels, and swap them at the trail head... That is if the chain idea is too much trouble, but I think the chain idea is easier, and quicker, and takes up less space, less weight, no need for a trailer, etc...

[JimCT]

Truxus M/T

Here are the tires on our RR

[TSR53]

Here are the tires on our RR

...and the Unimog (right?!?) with Continentals?