Green Diamond MT's

[Jolly Roger VX'er]

http://www.offroaders.com/tech/AT-MT-Tires/images/Green-Diamond-Tire-Icelander-MT.jpg

after much searching on the site about how large a tire I can run on a non-lifted VX, the results came to 31.54"-31.6".

Well, I just got off the phone and ordered (4) Green Diamond Icelander MT's which for 16" wheels only come in the size of LT 265-75-R16. They don't give specs on their website but since the tread pattern is a clone of the Yokohama GeoLander MT, I looked up those specs and it works out to 31.9" diameter. My currently mounted Revo's are 265-70-R16's @ 30.7" with little trimming.

Not worried about the rears but I think the fronts are going to require some more cutting and possibly a few cranks up on the torson bars. At worst, I might do what Orion did and go with 1.5"(or 2"...can't remember) rear spacers & torson bar crank.

They are 10 ply and are "remanufactured" with a cost of $145 each. I googled MT tires to death to find something that will go good in the snow as well as mud and rocks. Here is the article that swayed me over....read up and then flame away!!!!!!

http://www.offroaders.com/tech/AT-MT-Tires/Green-Diamond-Icelander-MT.htm

http://www.offroaders.com/tech/AT-MT-Tires/Green-Diamond-Icelander-MT-To-The-Test.htm

http://www.greendiamondtire.com/

http://www.greendiamondtire.com/productswest2.html

P.S.--I'm putting my original tires/wheels back on the VX and just taking my custom wheels in via my truck to get them mounted up. Then I can bring'em home and go from there with fitting them up.

On a final note...my Revo's have performed greatly and at approx. 50k miles of wear they are still getting me through the snow surprisingly well. I was very tempted to go with another set but deep down wanted some more aggressive treads but not sacrifice snow abilities.

[Riff Raff]

Hmmm. Snow tires, eh? Perhaps looking for tires that have the "Snowflake/Mountain" symbol on the sidewall would be a good start. Take a peek at the General Grabber AT2 or the Pro-Comp A/T (both lightweight tires with Snowflake/Mountain symbol). Time to ponder.

[nfpgasmask]

Yes, keep us posted. Those tires look pretty beefy and mean, and if they perform, that's a good price.

As for fitting them, I think you should just do what I did, throw in the 912s and crank 9-10 times up front and be done with it.

:) Bart

[Ldub]

If the "icelander" tread doesn't look almost like a dead ringer for the "REVO" tread pattern, I don't know what does...:smilewink

Keep us posted on these tires performance & longevity...:thumbup:

[Jolly Roger VX'er]

If the "icelander" tread doesn't look almost like a dead ringer for the "REVO" tread pattern, I don't know what does...:smilewink

Keep us posted on these tires performance & longevity...:thumbup:

yeah...snicker, snicker,...I noticed that too. The AT's are a knock-off of the Bridgestone Revo's, the C/T's (cross terrain??) not sure about, and the M/T's that I'm buying are a knock-off of the Yokohama Geolander M/T's.

someone on another message board emailed the owner of green diamond tires about why they don't make larger tires like 33" or 35". Here is his answer:

"At present, the largest GDTs that we build are as stated on the website. We receive many requests for 33, 35 inch GDTs on a 15 wheel and we are evaluting the availability of casings for at least the 33 for the coming 2009/2010 winter season.

The critical issue for us is that we reject over 80% of the casings that we evaluate for remolding into a GDT. Mathmatically, we need access to 1,000s of casings just to build 100s of GDTs.

So, regrets… nothing as large as a 35 or 36 in a 16 inch wheel in the near term.

Regards.

~rich"

http://forum.solihullsociety.org/viewtopic.php?t=3209&sid=66e54cf86b4005cd63632c57eb39760d



Here is another company I found:
http://treadwright.com/CustomContent41.aspx

[Triathlete]

Those tires should fit just fine with very little trimming. I ran that size AT's before the lift. a few twists of the T-bars to take the rake out of the VX will make them fit even better. I would skip the spacers though. That will just put your tires into the cladding when turning since it makes your turning arc wider.

[Jolly Roger VX'er]

Those tires should fit just fine with very little trimming. I ran that size AT's before the lift. a few twists of the T-bars to take the rake out of the VX will make them fit even better. I would skip the spacers though. That will just put your tires into the cladding when turning since it makes your turning arc wider.

I appreciate that you got that size to fit...although I think my offset of +10mm could make it harder....we'll see.

about the spacers..I was meaning for the rear coil springs instead of buying the 912's. Orion did this before Moab, used spacers to gain like 1.5" to 2" of lift and he claims his ride didn't change & maintained his original handling characteristics.

I'm still not sold on the 3" lift ( I love the look but not the fear of boots 'o' break'in along with possible cv damage). Plus, I think a 3" lift will make my new shoes look too small!


Hmmm. Snow tires, eh? Perhaps looking for tires that have the "Snowflake/Mountain" symbol on the sidewall would be a good start. Take a peek at the General Grabber AT2 or the Pro-Comp A/T (both lightweight tires with Snowflake/Mountain symbol). Time to ponder.

These tires do have the "Snowflake/Mountain" symbol on the sidewall from what I see in the photo. As far as the others you listed, they are A/T's which is what I have now (Revo's). Great for alot of things but not so great for mud. The FireStone Destination M/T gets good grades for mud, snow, etc.. and was my 1st choice until I stumbled onto the Green Diamond's.

[Bieredalsace]

Thanks so much for that Green Diamond nfo. I went to the dealer locator and found a guy in New York about 2 miles away whom I always used to buy my tires from. Big Thanks again!

[WormGod]

I would love to hear those Icelanders at speed on a highway.

GROWLGROWLGROWLGROWLGROWLGROWLGROWLGROWLGROWLGROWL GROWL
GROWLGROWLGROWLGROWLGROWLGROWLGROWLGROWLGROWLGROWL GROWL
GROWLGROWLGROWLGROWLGROWLGROWLGROWLGROWLGROWLGROWL GROWL
GROWLGROWLGROWLGROWLGROWLGROWLGROWLGROWLGROWLGROWL GROWL
GROWLGROWLGROWLGROWLGROWLGROWLGROWLGROWLGROWLGROWL GROWL
GROWLGROWLGROWLGROWLGROWLGROWLGROWLGROWLGROWLGROWL GROWL
GROWLGROWLGROWLGROWLGROWLGROWLGROWLGROWLGROWLGROWL GROWL

:cool:

[tom4bren]

"I love the look but not the fear of boots 'o' break'in along with possible cv damage"

That isn't much of a problem now. Several members have installed the diff drop brackets & so far none have reported any CV problems.

[Triathlete]

Ah, did not think about the fact that you are not running stock wheels! And I was thinking wheel spacers not spring spacers. I need to stop reading and responding when its late at night and I've taken cough medications!:bwgy:

[Jolly Roger VX'er]

Thanks so much for that Green Diamond nfo. I went to the dealer locator and found a guy in New York about 2 miles away whom I always used to buy my tires from. Big Thanks again!

That's what sharing is all about! Good luck with them...mine could be in tomorrow (Wednesday) up to Friday. I already got my Revo's & wheels loaded up in my truck ready for the call to get'em mounted up!


I would love to hear those Icelanders at speed on a highway.

GROWLGROWLGROWLGROWLGROWLGROWLGROWLGROWLGROWLGROWL GROWL
GROWLGROWLGROWLGROWLGROWLGROWLGROWLGROWLGROWLGROWL GROWL
GROWLGROWLGROWLGROWLGROWLGROWLGROWLGROWLGROWLGROWL GROWL
GROWLGROWLGROWLGROWLGROWLGROWLGROWLGROWLGROWLGROWL GROWL
GROWLGROWLGROWLGROWLGROWLGROWLGROWLGROWLGROWLGROWL GROWL
GROWLGROWLGROWLGROWLGROWLGROWLGROWLGROWLGROWLGROWL GROWL
GROWLGROWLGROWLGROWLGROWLGROWLGROWLGROWLGROWLGROWL GROWL

:cool:

LOL...Actually, for a mud tire, according to the testing on offroaders.com they claim noise is limited more in the 10mph or less and they claim they balance well for a mud tire which can be a problem. Here is a claim from their site:

"On the Street

During the first 1000 miles or so John, the owner of the truck, made these observations about the handling, noise level, cornering and braking of the freshly installed Green Diamond Icelander MT. First to be said, they balanced well which is good for any tire but even better for a larger MT type tire that will quickly let you know the balance is out. On the street and highway, road noise is minimal. A slight hum from the tires but nothing that is annoying, and on the contrary, sounds good. Apparently the tread pattern is good for preventing lug slap and harmonics that is commonly associated with tires geared for offroad. Dry pavement cornering the tires feel strong and hold traction well. Air up to their recommended pressure, they felt strong with good stiff cornering especially for a tire with a tall Section Height, the height of the rubber rim to ground (for more on tire definitions and descriptions see this page). Stopping traction is good on dry pavement, similar to the siped all terrain that were on the truck previous. Wet weather stopping traction required a little more distance, mainly as we gather due to the lack of sipes in the large lugs, which would make it about the same as another MT type tire that did not have sipes. As the silicium carbide granules began to appear (just under the thin layer of rubber veneer), wet weather traction on the paved surface improved as the hard silicium carbide granules found in the tire tread become exposed and compliment the tire tread compound. Since the granulars are spread throughout the tire tread depth the hard silicium carbide granules are constantly renewed for the life of the tire."

Besides...I had a '79 Bronco with 6" lift and M/T's years ago and I'm pretty sure the redneck side of me still can handle it...:o


Ah, did not think about the fact that you are not running stock wheels! And I was thinking wheel spacers not spring spacers. I need to stop reading and responding when its late at night and I've taken cough medications!:bwgy:

Yeah...but your positive, alert, non-sedated opinions & advice vastly outweigh your.............................................. .other ones...:p


"I love the look but not the fear of boots 'o' break'in along with possible cv damage"

That isn't much of a problem now. Several members have installed the diff drop brackets & so far none have reported any CV problems.

I was under the impression those weren't available anymore...at least from Darlington. Plus..I read somewhere about front driveshaft binding causing vibration while driving???

I came away that you have a small window to work in where you take away cv angle for the good but increase front driveshaft angle for the bad..if I understood it correctly.

Believe me...I keep looking at Independent4X.com's lift kits & running their address in my Nav..lol. I might just crack yet..I saw alot of nice, lifted VX's @ Moab!!!!!!!!

2 Questions for you guys:

1) What do you guys make of the beefed up Custom Hybrid Isuzu 12 bolt w/ARB locker and 5.38 gears offered on Independent4X.com????

2) Why did Nerv_Gas have cv problems...was it the fact he went like 3"
suspenion lift plus 3"body lift....or was it that he went with 36" tires which seem to be 3" bigger than anybody else? Why did we hear rice krispies :rolleyes: ???

[mdwyer]

Basically, the look those tires give is the only real benefit to having them unless you upgrade several parts.

*sigh* But they look soooo goooood. I had the whole conversation with the lift-shop guy, and he basicly talked me out of lifting. It must have sucked for him to talk his way out of a sale, but I really appreciated his honesty. (Plug: It was the local Off Road Innovations.)

I've yet to have any clearance problems, and it seems like lifting would just make everything worse -- ride, reliability, cost -- except the looks.

But I still can't get over how much I *like* the looks... So I still ponder it from time to time... I imagine when I'm due for some new tires, I'll also start looking for some drop brackets.

[Jolly Roger VX'er]

I got home and threw the rears on first figuring I'd get the easy fit done first.

Then I put the fronts on expecting the worst...well trimming some more off the front cladding was easy..zing...gone. But, the more pressing issue was my rock-sliders. I had to cut off about 3/8" (on each side) with my carbide cutter. I used a rubber mallet to whack the bottom, rear of the fender weld back some :smack: (I thought this would be better than a sledge because it won't leave impact protrusions like a sledge might.) I took it out for a spin and the right side was good..but the left side rubbed on tight turns most of the time. Removed left front wheel again, and pounded :smack: /cut some more.

I probably need to crank the t-bars any way for off-road action and am leaning heavily towards a lift...but for now, on the road (and in my yard) they seem fine. They really aren't very noisy out on the road..that much I know already..gentle hum is pretty much all you hear and it mostly is at slow speeds...(that's with windows up for winter driving!)

Going to try them in the snow today as we supposedly got
5" over night and going to get 5" more this afternoon!

[Ldub]

Lookin' GOOD Man...:thumbup:.:thumbup:
Check your gallery for feedback...:smilewink

[Jolly Roger VX'er]

Thanks...I laughed at the comments in the gallery feedback!

Here is some more opinions on snow worthiness:

I won't know the full capabilities of these tires until I get 1000-2000 miles on them and the granules surface; but, on plowed & snow covered roads they are great out of the box.

On bare dry roads they seem to grip fine and the noise level is remeniscent of low range while driving...I caught myself looking a couple of times to see if I was still in low range because the hum is quite similar. (I use low range alot to go up my driveway 'cause its somewhat steep.)

I found a road that wasn't plowed and had fields off to both sides so the wind had duned up the snow to about 1.5 feet deep and at slow speed..say 20-25 mph in low range they ate it up with no trouble at all.

I did hit a road that wasn't plowed..but had been heavily traveled and had about 10" of snow with ruts...I did get squirrely here and had to get out of the gas in TOD. Pulled over and put it in low lock and at about 35mph it seemed pretty stable. Any faster and the back end would kick out a bit.
I attribute this to the fact its a bigger tire than normal for snow use and that there is no siping in the tire for snow use...

On a big positive note...I had a doe run out in front of me at about 45-50mph and had to slam on the brakes and wasn't expecting them to stop so good...there was alot of doubt in my mind at the time...so when they break in they will only be better!!!

[Jolly Roger VX'er]

@ approx. 500 miles of wear on tires...some of their teeth are beginning to show :bgwb:









It supposed to take up to 1k miles for the full effect to begin.



*****on a different topic, I would like to send special thanks to LDub for helping me get a minor lift done on Friday. It was 34 degrees here in PA and snow on my driveway....thought "no way am I gonna lie out in that to do a 2" lift on my VX". Went inside...watched weather channel and noticed how cold it was in Fargo...thought "wow, its pretty warm here..heck..I'm going to go outside & do that lift!" LOL!

[pbkid]

hey, just a note...

be careful how far you crank your T-bars without raising the rear...

if you go past -1 rake to the front you will have drive axle problems in the long run...

bimati had this problem with his and he couldnt solve it, caused him to sell...

i found this out because i bought my ome912's from the guy who bought bimati's ride....he works at a tranny shop and he said that trooper and VX cant have less than -1 rake to the front or else they have drive axle problems...

he lowered bimati's front torsion bars and BAM problems gone....

just some advise...

[Jolly Roger VX'er]

hey, just a note...

be careful how far you crank your T-bars without raising the rear...

if you go past -1 rake to the front you will have drive axle problems in the long run...

bimati had this problem with his and he couldnt solve it, caused him to sell...

i found this out because i bought my ome912's from the guy who bought bimati's ride....he works at a tranny shop and he said that trooper and VX cant have less than -1 rake to the front or else they have drive axle problems...

he lowered bimati's front torsion bars and BAM problems gone....

just some advise...

I'm not 100% sure I grasp what you're saying completely; but, I used Independent4X.com's (2") coil spring spacers for the rear and raised the front 8 turns each side (4 turns = approx. 1"....so 8 turns = approx. 2") which should end up raising all four corner's approx. 2".

Stock I had some small rake where the front-end was a bit lower than the rear. After lifting, I still have some rake where the front-end is a bit lower than the rear. I got it aligned today, and the camber was off as expected after cranking t-bars. Thanks for the head's up! I'll keep an eye out for any trouble. So far, I had it up to around 60 today and it felt good!

[pbkid]

ok, ya all im saying is that if your front end isnt lower than your rear you will have problems...

[Jolly Roger VX'er]

The Good news....I love these tires and was planning on replacing them when they wore out with the same and possibly 33" if they offered that size by then....................

The Bad news.....I was passing through a small town I've never been to before and ran over something really nasty...saw it fly out my rear fenderweld in my side mirror...looked like about the same size as a brake pad...thought it might be mine...yikes...pulled over (was only doing 25mph) and as I hopped out to investigate could hear air rushing out of the tire. It wasn't flat until I got out my jack. I didn't want to put the new spare on the rear axle as the other tires are probably about 1/3 to 1/2 worn...afraid of the limited slip having issues. Put the new spare on the left front and rolled the worn left front to the left rear as a spare. So far...no issues with TOD that I can notice.

Tried to get the flat repaired as I had road hazard...they said it was too bad to repair and I really had felt that way before I asked. Tried to order a new one for replacement and found out the company had gone out of buisness about a year ago. Was told that another company had bought them out and was supposed to resume production but my tire dealer has not heard when that is to happen. I gave them a week to see if they can locate another one laying around somewhere for a spare...probably not going to happen! Figure if I don't hear anything positive in a week, then I'll buy a 265/75/R16 Yokahama Geolander as a spare as it will have the same diameter & tread pattern but will be load C as opposed to my G.D.'s being load E.

If I can't get these when I need new tires I'll probably have to mount my original wheels up with dedicated snows for winter and buy MT's for these wheels for other duties.

Really liked the duality I was getting out of these for winter/summer use...darn it all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[JHarris1385]

New company. Treadwright.com. They are double the price but they look AWESOME.