xcmountain80
Expedition Leader
Unless the OP already has KM2's, there are better options out there for MT's. Cooper STT, Toyo MT, etc.
A
To sipe or not to sipe KM2s?
- Thread starter Pskhaat
- Start date
Unless the OP already has KM2's, there are better options out there for MT's. Cooper STT, Toyo MT, etc.
A
dsy
Adventurer
I've been getting all my tires siped for years now. My last set of KM2's when I bought them the tech @ discount tire did not use the correct depth cutters so I ended up with pretty shallow cuts. When I pointed it out to the manager he said when they start wearing down bring them back and they would re-cut them. They still performed much better than without the sipes so I just drove it.
One day getting off on an expressway ramp curve in the rain at my normal speed I got the crap scarred out of me when I started sliding toward the edge of the down hill side.
As soon as I got to my stop I looked at the tires and the siping was worn down to where it was gone. Took them back to discount where they siped them to the proper depth and my confidence in their traction has been reassured many times.
Doug :smiley_drive:
One day getting off on an expressway ramp curve in the rain at my normal speed I got the crap scarred out of me when I started sliding toward the edge of the down hill side.
As soon as I got to my stop I looked at the tires and the siping was worn down to where it was gone. Took them back to discount where they siped them to the proper depth and my confidence in their traction has been reassured many times.
Doug :smiley_drive:
Hilldweller
SE Expedition Society
I agree with enthusiasm.
In my experience, KM2s are great in mud and only mud. STTs have worked much better for me on asphalt, rocks, & snow.
BTW, the Kelly Safari TSR tires are just another version of the GoodyearDuratrac/FierceAttitude/DunlopMaxxTraction family of tire. They're quite good but I don't think they have the sidewall robustness of the STT.
Buliwyf
Viking with a Hammer
So it pretty much comes down to: Do you want a regular truck tire that's also good in mud and snow? Or do you want an Offroad oriented tire with strong sidewalls that can be aired down and used for rock crawling. It would be easier just having two set of wheels and using less aggressive tires for longer trips and snow.
Pitbull makes some of the best Offroad tires. Especially if you cut the Rockers tread pattern. But do they make one that works on snowy pavement? The Growlers seem to have smaller lugs and sipeing that looks OK for snow use. That looks like a decent tread pattern for snow use. But they are wide 35x14.5 r17 and Bias Ply. But you do get the strong sidewall and tear resistant rubber.
I'd like to try these:
http://www.4x4groupbuy.com/store/pitbull-growler-tire-33x125015-p-7011.html
http://www.fourwheeler.com/techarticles/wheels/129_0805_pit_bull_growler_tire_test/index.html
http://pitbulltires.com/growler.php
Pitbull makes some of the best Offroad tires. Especially if you cut the Rockers tread pattern. But do they make one that works on snowy pavement? The Growlers seem to have smaller lugs and sipeing that looks OK for snow use. That looks like a decent tread pattern for snow use. But they are wide 35x14.5 r17 and Bias Ply. But you do get the strong sidewall and tear resistant rubber.
I'd like to try these:
http://www.4x4groupbuy.com/store/pitbull-growler-tire-33x125015-p-7011.html
http://www.fourwheeler.com/techarticles/wheels/129_0805_pit_bull_growler_tire_test/index.html
http://pitbulltires.com/growler.php
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Climber Rob
Human
Another huge consideration is the width of the tire. I live high in the mountains and travel snowy roads 8+ months out of the year. When I first moved here, I had big, wide tires on my rig and slid all over the place. After a local tire shop convince me to go tall/skinny, winter traction greatly improved. At some point, depending on the weight of your rig, a big, wide tire will turn into a ski no matter what the tread pattern is. I have found tall/skinny (no wider than 255 on fullsize, and 235 on tacomas, etc.) well-siped AT tires to perform the best out of the non-studded options.
Pskhaat
2005 Expedition Trophy Champion
I'm considering the KM2s because of price, which are an excellent deal now in the 255s.
I have extremely limited funds and cannot afford two sets of tires (nor wheels). I actually prefer a less-stiff sidewall for air-down/compliance reasons, so neither here nor there; so basically need my tire good in mud AND snow. Traditionally I have chosen soft compound MT tires and studded them with good success.
I have extremely limited funds and cannot afford two sets of tires (nor wheels). I actually prefer a less-stiff sidewall for air-down/compliance reasons, so neither here nor there; so basically need my tire good in mud AND snow. Traditionally I have chosen soft compound MT tires and studded them with good success.
Buliwyf
Viking with a Hammer
Can you tell me more about your Cooper STT's? They look nice. Kinda Pricey, better be good.
http://www.discounttiredirect.com/d...&typ=Truck/SUV&tmn=Discoverer+Radial+STT+TEK3
http://www.discounttiredirect.com/d...&typ=Truck/SUV&tmn=Discoverer+Radial+STT+TEK3
bfdiesel
Explorer
bftank has a set of stt's on his explorer and loves them. He can tell you all about them. I had a set on a duramax I owned and they performed awesome on and off road. Very good snow tire, good in mud, good on the street and mine lasted about 35k-40k. I have had bfg all terrains and would buy the stt before I will get a set of bfg's and I liked my bfg's.
Hilldweller
SE Expedition Society
I get a price quote from Treadepot.com and my local Discount Tire matches it.
When I bought the last set, Cooper was giving a $75 Visa card back and Treadepot was giving free shipping. The price was better than ANY alternative offroad tire...
http://www.treadepot.com/
jfarsang
Adventurer
I would sipe the KM2's, at the least centre lugs. There's no downside, just better grip.
Slightly off topic but if you have a choice, grab some Duratrac's and be done with it. Wheel with KM2's, no difference on the trails. In fact, I prefer the sidewalls on the Duratracs. I can't kill them and they don't chunk. On snow/ice/wet pavement, the Duratrac's stick like glue. I expect to get a good 35,000 miles at least out of them. The compound is soft when I bought them, during the winter below 0 and in the summer. Can't fault a good all around tire.
Slightly off topic but if you have a choice, grab some Duratrac's and be done with it. Wheel with KM2's, no difference on the trails. In fact, I prefer the sidewalls on the Duratracs. I can't kill them and they don't chunk. On snow/ice/wet pavement, the Duratrac's stick like glue. I expect to get a good 35,000 miles at least out of them. The compound is soft when I bought them, during the winter below 0 and in the summer. Can't fault a good all around tire.
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Pskhaat
2005 Expedition Trophy Champion
I ended up not pulling the trigger on the KM2s. I would really like to have given the price, but the truth is I can still manage another year on present tires. Had my old ones siped yesterday to get at least a little bit left from them. $1000+ is very hard for me to eat.
Will revisit come Spring.
As per the Duratracs, I read constantly how fast they wear, which would be good in the rocks but not in the pocketbook.
Will revisit come Spring.
As per the Duratracs, I read constantly how fast they wear, which would be good in the rocks but not in the pocketbook.
jfarsang
Adventurer
We have 18 work trucks on Duratracs and a dozen other people I know running them year round. They wear better than the KM2's, not by much but on average longer.
Wherever you are getting that they wear fast is full of it or over/under inflating their tires. Reading is one thing but real world experience trumps heresay.
Average run is 40,000 miles on the Duratrac's. That's not sub-par for a soft compound hybrid mud/AT tire.
Wherever you are getting that they wear fast is full of it or over/under inflating their tires. Reading is one thing but real world experience trumps heresay.
Average run is 40,000 miles on the Duratrac's. That's not sub-par for a soft compound hybrid mud/AT tire.