Ordered new Kevlar MTRs

[Ldub]

MARLIN---
You could also watch them rotate in the reflection of the big store front windows in the mall (that's always fun).

And as an added bonus, you might get to crash test that bumper...

[etlsport]

as far as i know goodyear doesnt put white lettering on tires that have to be mounted in any specific direction.. like their fortera line only has white lettering on the non directional tires, same with their car tires that have the whitewall option, of course the biggest goodyears i typically see are 285/75/16 wrangler silent armors, so may be different with the MT-Rs if you have any Q's about them i can call our rep monday to ask about it

[Marlin]

Riff, as you frequently ask.....what have you been smokin'?...."hoping you'd go huge"...I'm confused, is the same Riff I know?....

And Marlin....I thought it was imperative to keep your spare the same O.D. as your new tires to prevent screwing up the TOD? 33.4" new tires vs. 32" old.

I believe that this only might matter to TOD in the front. I have been running a 32" on one side and a 31" on the other rear since Oct. No problems. As for running it on the front, I will have manual hubs and the front will be free wheeling except on trails anyway. I think there may be a lot of unjustified crazy no different size tire hype. I couldn't find anywhere that anyone put theory to practice.

[Triathlete]

As long as the smaller tire is placed in the right place...no problems (just like the donut spare).

[Ldub]

I have been running a 32" on one side and a 31" on the other rear since Oct. No problems.

Since you'll be replacing it with an Aussie Locker, It won't matter that two different size tires on the rear axle will prematurely wear out the clutch packs in the LSD.

[Marlin]

Well, it took 4 hours, but finally got the Kevlars mounted. They do not stretch and you have to get em warm to get a bead set on them. Boo!!!!! As for the tires, all I have to say is that they are awesome!!! Relative to my vehicle, my handling went from a 5 to a an 8. The stiff sidewall helped immensely with body roll. The noise went from a 7 to a 5. I am not knocking the AT2s, but these tires kill them on ride and sound. Of course, for the price of one MTR you can get two AT2s, so you figure out what its worth. Here are a few pics. I need to do some pounding/cutting on the front cladding, but no biggie. I know, I need to quit being lazy and get a license plate mount.

[handeeman]

Looking good Marlinstein.

[Riff Raff]

Well, it took 4 hours, but finally got the Kevlars mounted. They do not stretch and you have to get em warm to get a bead set on them. Boo!!!!! As for the tires, all I have to say is that they are awesome!!! Relative to my vehicle, my handling went from a 5 to a an 8. The stiff sidewall helped immensely with body roll. The noise went from a 7 to a 5. I am not knocking the AT2s, but these tires kill them on ride and sound. Of course, for the price of one MTR you can get two AT2s, so you figure out what its worth. I know, I need to quit being lazy and get a license plate mount.

Congrats MARLIN, they truly look awesome. It looks like you went muddin' even before you cleaned off the blue protecive white letter covering, LOL.

I agree with your comments regarding better corner handling & slightly lower highway noise levels when comparing to your previous set of lightweight Grabber AT2's.

The lightweight C-Load Range AT2's are only 6-ply in the tire sidewall, when compared to your stiff E-Load Range 10-ply M/T-R's with the added rigidity of Kevlar which gives an additional 35% more sidewall stiffness probably close in comparison to an F-Load Range (12-ply) tire. It's no wonder they needed to be heated-up before mounting, and will have zero tire roll when cornering. The super stiff sidewall M/T-R's will simply skid around a corner before they even attempt to tire roll.

The reduction in tire noise on the highway is quite apparent due to the tight-knit tread pattern near the center. It's a well designed tread to be highway quiet with the center rib portion, and offer superior off-road traction with it alternating shoulder lugs. The lightweight AT2's have 5-rows of traction lugs across the entire tread width and do not have a center rib or a tight-knit center tread portion like the M/T-R's to offer enhanced highway noise reduction.

While the VX OEM tires weighed only 34 lbs each; the Grabber AT2's at 44 lbs each, your M/T-R's are significantly heavier at 63 lbs each (almost 30 lbs each over OEM). Since your VX is focused to be more of a "trail rig", the added tire weight is a tradeoff in order to gain offroad toughness. You're a smart guy, so I know you'll take the necessary precautions when driving on the street with those much heavier tires.

Yes; as you said, the M/T-R's are exactly double the price of an AT2. For your kind of serious off-roading you need a tough tire that can withstand your type of abuse, and I'm confident the M/T-R is exactly the right tire "for you" regardless of price.

I can't wait to hear your report on how they perform offroad. Please keep us posted, as the new G/Y M/T-R with Kevlar is truly a unique tire with unique capabilites. Again, congrats on your purchase; they look simply stunning.

Lastly, consider the License Plate holder from JCWhitney that simply inserts into your 2" receiver hitch with the angled-up taper to retain your departure angle. Get the JCWhitney "illuminated" License Plate bracket to illuminate your plate at night and your done.

[Triathlete]

All this talk about tire noise...didn't your VX's come with a stereo?

[Marlin]

Yep, I upgraded that POS too...now I can't hear all the rattles I have on the truck
Played with the new tires in the mud today. Made me think of driving a tractor. That thing didn't even slow down. They were completely cleared in 20 feet or so. I am happy so far.

[pbkid]

hey, just to let you know... they will get noisier as they wear a little (at least my MTR's did...and everyone ive talked to who drives em says they get louder)

but they are an amazing tire... i was very happy with mine.

[Marlin]

Update on the kevlars. Performance was awesome on the trail, zero problems.
I pressure washed the truck today, noticed the tires looked funny. In order for white lettering, they paint the outside white, then put black over that, and shave off the outer part on the lettering, voila, white letters. Well, my black layer is coming off, so I will end up with a whole white wall. Boo!!! So I called Goodyear, they told me to take it in. I finally found an actual Goodyear store. They are ordering me four brand new ones, no charge. They said it will be a few months. Woo Hoo! I am driving around on free rubber!! I used 1/32" in 1000 miles. Not bad. The guy at the shop was not friendly at all, and kept trying to get out of it. He was like "its gonna be months, do you still wanna do it?" The longer it takes the better, as far as I am concerned.
SO I guess I just have to keep them covered in mud
He commented that there were rub marks and some nicks in the sidewall, so it might not be covered. I asked him to take a look at his own site, that is what the tire was built for, hence the 1" thick sidewall. LOL, what a tool.

[RamAirZ]

Truck looks great man! Ya some tire place guys are like that, they don't wanna deal with any "inconvenience" and will try to weasel their way out of it any time they can. If they let you keep the old ones, send em' my way, wink wink

[Marlin]

Truck looks great man! Ya some tire place guys are like that, they don't wanna deal with any "inconvenience" and will try to weasel their way out of it any time they can. If they let you keep the old ones, send em' my way, wink wink

Sheeit. If they let me keep, em they will stay on the wheels as is. I could honestly care less about the appearance, but at 1300 bucks for 4, might as well have em look nice if I can.

[RamAirZ]

for sure lol, those things are expensive! I was thinking about them and decided for the use I will put the VX through, not worth the cost lol