Tyre advise from Mickey Thompson

[CheekyD1]

At the risk of flying into trouble (again) I have been asked about my experiences regarding Tyres

At a recent event in Coffs I had the opportunity to spend some time chatting with the NSW Mickey Thompson Rep. He had traveled from Canberra where he lives for the weekend.
When Go Kart racing one of the things our team did was to seek out the tyre reps, if they came to the bigger events, we found out lots of useful information by listening to a guy who makes tyres, they tend to know what they are on about.

Some of the things he had to say were surprising and some confirmed what I already believed.

The surprising bit was his recommendation to use the Baja MTZ instead of the Radial Claw.
I questioned him regarding the performance of the MTZ to clear mud.
He says that the MTZ is just as good as the Claw. He repeated this claim several times because I did not believe him.
He says that the Claw is an old design about 13 years old where the MTZ is a new/better design about 5 years old.
Further the MTZ handles side slopes better. (Claws known problem, shared by the Trepadore)
MTZ better on rock
MTZ better on road, both handling (especially wet) and noise
MTZ longer wearing
Just better all round was his closing comment.

Some time latter whilst out on the tracks, I gave a lift up a hill to a guy who’s car went up a difficult section without him.
I had noticed the MTZ’s on his car, so I took the opportunity to query the MTZ’s performance.
Not only was he completely happy with the MTZ, but he had previously run the Claws, and says the MTZ are better and he would not go back to the Claw.

The other recommendation from the Mickey Thompson Rep was in regards to wheel size. He noticed I was running 15 x 8 wheels.
His advise for 12.5 ” wide tyre was to run a 10” wide rim.
“Less side wall damage because the side wall of the tyre sits up straighter” was his reasoning.
“On an 8 the side wall is too bulged, you will get lots less staked tyres with the 10” he continued.

I questioned him regarding his opinion regarding 15” or 16” wheel.
Like all things at the pointy end, it’s a compromise. 15” bag better off road, but in his opinion not enough extra to offset the better road manners of the 16” wheel
He said “It doesn’t matter so much up to 33” but 35” or bigger on 15” rims have so much sidewall and therefore sidewall movement, this can lead to uncontrollable caster wobbles”
Again he points out the 10” wide rim will behave better, and he recommends 16” wheels as well if you are going to run 35’s or bigger.

The very next day after the reps warning regarding staking sidewalls, I managed to stake one. :oops2::no2::(:mad::dbcry:[bawl]:BigCry:
I have since obtained some MTZ, quite worn ones, but worth trying.
He was correct about the on road manners, lots quieter and better in the wet.
I am yet to try them off road, so I will report further soon.

Hope this was helpful

Regards

Gaz

[dungarover]

Directional tyres hate side angles, the Silverstone Mt117 sports are a PIA for this. Remember at Scenic rim last year in the dunga I had a brown undie moment when the Rangie slid sideways off the track and not far from tipping it on it's side down that creek run :eek:

I've never really been a fan of the claws myself, overpriced and overrated. I remember when they first came out everyone had them and seen them for myself they were good on some things but shocking in other areas.

Trav

[Slunnie]

I think the big thing with Claws is that they produce exceptional forward drive, seemingly much more than any other streetable tyre including the MTZ. That is only one aspect of them though.

[disco_thrasher]

i too have never been a claw fan but have had MTZ and rated to my current tyre Trepadore i will choose trepadore over and over again just simply a awesome tyre
but then again its my choice and what i use it for
oppinions are like arseholes every ones got them

my 2c

cheers kelvin

[DRanged]

hey gaz did you see the land rover sales yard at our place when you flew over today. We were waving but were directly under you.

Darth

[CheekyD1]

Sorry but NO
I was being mucked around by a new airtrafic controler

[Grimace]

Very interesting, I dont know if I like the reccomendation for a wider (10") rim thou.

I agree with slunnie regarding the claws forward propulsion, they work so well in a straight line, but their lateral traction is shocking. They also have a much too weak sidewall for my application.

The lateral traction isssue is not shared with the trapador, the treps like the procomp xterrains have much better lateral grip due to the smaller voids and siping found on all lugs, the treps go a step further by placing more missalignment in the centred lugs to further increase lateral traction.

The MTZ will again have better lateral traction then all the above, due to the added siping, the misalignment in the center aswell as the outer lugs, and the tread block width.

The MTZ while a good tyre still lack in the sidewall department, but are a good option for most who don't wish to purchase a directional tyre.

If your not worried about using directional tyres then the treps are the pick of the bunch offroad, due to better forward traction coupled with better sidewall strength!

[DRanged]

Dont tyres just do your head in sometimes;).

One thing I have learn't over the years is dont read too much into tyres. This can get very expensive when you start chasing the elusive perfect tyre. (personal experiance talking here and empty wallet). For the majority of club cars a good aggresive MT or slightly more radial can do the job for a good mix of terrain. Picking good lines and having lockers etc can get you to great places. Just remember you need to drive to & from the trip. These days 70 - 80% on the black stuff to do so. I keep telling myself you have the kids in the car. It has to handle what ever is thrown at you on the road as well. For me changing and carrying another set is a PITA. Trust me, cocking it up on a corner with rag ply tyres etc certainly puts the wind right up you.

Just my point on things but hope it helps.

Justin, aka darth

[Grimace]

For me changing and carrying another set is a PITA.

Only done it once to date and I already agree, got a lot more 'tyre swaps' ahead of me :(

[CheekyD1]

Looking at the Mickey Thompson catalog the claws come in as one step more “OffRoad” than the MTZ. (Best and second best)
That’s why the reps recommendation of the MTZ’s was so surprising to me.

And Darth is right it can do your head in, there is no perfect tire for every condition.
In mud the Centipede could be called king
On solid rock a all terrain will probably work better than a looser block mud tire.

Assuming that swapping tires is not for this little black duck, the most aggressive Radial tire is the Claw, that’s why I chose them.
Pulling up a wet clay hill, they are beyond belief,

Having said that I went off road with these ¾ flogged out MTZ last weekend.
2 MTZ’s on the front (33 x 11.5 on 10” wheels) and 2 Claws on the rear (33 x 12.5 on 8” rims)
I am not sure if it was the rims, but the MTZ’s felt much surer than the claws.
The front felt more planted than the rear.

Both tires have the great Mickey Thompson side biters, I have used these to latterly hold on to the side of a rut and run along, hanging on by its finger nails, without falling in.
I still have my reservations, the blocks are further apart on the claws, I fear that the MTZ might fill with mud, the claw is great at cleaning itself.
But I would be tempted to give a set of MTZ’s a go.

Gaz

[Psimpson7]

, the most aggressive Radial tire is the Claw, that’s why I chose them.


Not sure I agree with that comment Gary. Maybe in the Mickey T range, or a 33" size, but Treps and Krawlers are both radial. Both IMO are better that the claws. There are others too.


, Having said that I went off road with these ¾ flogged out MTZ last weekend.
2 MTZ’s on the front (33 x 11.5 on 10” wheels) and 2 Claws on the rear (33 x 12.5 on 8” rims)
I am not sure if it was the rims, but the MTZ’s felt much surer than the claws.
The front felt more planted than the rear.

This could have been down to absoloutely anything, such as tyre pressures, weight over the relevant axle. It would be interesting to do a scientific comparison but it wouldnt be easy to do. Also I am with grimace and wouldnt run a 10" wide rim. Even with my 13.5's I run an 8" rim and drove around coffs for 3 days at 8psi with no bother.

[Grimace]

One other thing to contemplate on the MTZ is the mixed reports all over the place. Some people have been horrified with them while others have been exstatic.
There is even some talk on the interweb about faulty castings etc etc...

I was tossing up between the mtz and the bighorns for my road/everyday tyres and after reading all the reports I was a bit hesitant to buy a second hand set of mtzs on my own assumption (propbably a false one) that they were possibly being sold due to the original buyer not being satisfied with them overall.

Keen to hear more feedback and hopefully another year of usage will bring more solid responses from peoples personal opinions.

Choosing tyres can be a PITA!

[dungarover]

For me (being a tight arse :() I go on price and value for money and refuse to pay too much. The Federals I got recently were dirt cheap for a 285/75R16 and have seen them on Shepps Disco and being impressed with how they went on a couple of trips they were the reasons for my choice. The Mt117 sports I do like off-road but they're bloody awful on the road, plus too many people in the club now have them too so time for something slightly different and not as common.

Also my Rangie doesn't get used on-road daily so a cheaper and slightly more aggressive tread is fine by me addto that I don't do touring or 'easy' trips (Fraser or any of the islands is the easiest trip I'll do, anything else is a waste of my time).

[def-90]

i can't talk about their 'offraod abilities' but on road i traded them in after a few short months as they howled like no other, they were supposed to be my dailys being a 33 x 12.50 and i had to get get rid of them as they were louder then my pedes or creepys!!

i now have a set of the new mtr's (35 x12.50s) as dailys ( same width though) and are wisper quiet and handle soo much better!!

one day i will trial them off road, but its hard to not to take sticky treps in swaps for mtr's!!

[TheLoneRangie]

For me (being a tight arse ) I go on price and value for money and refuse to pay too much.
The Mt117 sports I do like off-road too many people in the club now have them too so time for something slightly different and not as common.

Also my Rangie doesn't get used on-road daily so a cheaper and slightly more aggressive tread is fine by me addto that I don't do touring or 'easy' trips (Fraser or any of the islands is the easiest trip I'll do, anything else is a waste of my time).

Ahhh the good old Silverstone Sports - I reckon the best bang for your buck tire going - super aggressive - cheep and up to 33 inches of grip, who could want more?
They are so good, that I reckon that your club should have a Control tyre for Tough trips, and the big Silverstone Sports would be a good choice.

A control tyre would level the playing field like in V8 supercars, let the best driver win.
Also save everybody a heap of money and you would not melt your brains bickering about the best tyre.

HiHo Silver Away :twisted: