off road tire suggestions

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Jetwagon
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off road tire suggestions

Post by Jetwagon »

So this past weekend I crewed for an ultra marathon in the George Washington Forrest between Front Royal and Luray. The point is I got to take the Subie on unpaved roads between checkpoints all night. Who knew that would be so much fun?!?!?!

I'm currently running UHPs and I have a set of RE01s that go on for the summer. Neither will do very well on gravel. I already know from this past weekend the UHPs don't. Has anyone had experience with good tires for this? I'm definitely going to do more of this and need some more suitable tires.

ContiExtremes? http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp ... emeContact
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drwrx
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Re: off road tire suggestions

Post by drwrx »

If your moving in the ultra high performance all season area I would say Sumitomo HTR+ 205/55R16. Price: $71.00.
I don't think the Contis will have any better off-road capability.
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zaxrex
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Re: off road tire suggestions

Post by zaxrex »

Snow tires, maybe?
I have never tried, but the thought just came to me.
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drwrx
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Re: off road tire suggestions

Post by drwrx »

The only issue with snow tires is that hard pack and gravel (along with tarmac driving) will tear them apart and they just won't last long.
I can't recommend spending upwards of $100 on a tire that wouldn't likely last more than a year or so if driven regularly on tarmac and gravel.
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Mr Kleen
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Re: off road tire suggestions

Post by Mr Kleen »

call the Tire Rack. :wink:
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complacent
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Re: off road tire suggestions

Post by complacent »

Hasn't Dave done a bit of experimenting w/ tires offroad in PA? I bet he could make a suggestion or two.
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Cereb Daithi
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Re: off road tire suggestions

Post by Cereb Daithi »

For gravel and dirt I personally favor the Pirelli PZero gravel tires.

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One of the mroe important things that people overlook when they are starting to get into rally is just how important a true rally tire can be. You can get plenty of aggressive treads from tires off tire rack but none of them are really good for what you need and none are quite aggressive enough. You also want a very thick sidewall, something else which can't really be found on a set of winter tires.

Pirelli and Michelin are good brands. Hancook also makes a nice affordable rally tire although it might not be quite as high quality. I have had no experience with any other brands but there are plenty of other reputable names out there. If you plan on using it for rallyx and just light faffing about you can check around for used rally tires. On stage rally you need to scrap the tires as soon as the shoulder blocks start to wear. For more amateur driving you can pick up a set of used ones for a good price and they will last you a whole season. You will want a 15 inch wheel if you can at all help it. Rally tires become incredibly expensive and incredibly rare in the 16inch size and even more-so in 17inch. Personally I use Team Dynamics wheels. EXTREMELY high quality. They can be a bit $$$ but well worth the money.

One last thing. You do not want to use these tires on the road. Not only are they unbelievably loud and uncomfortable. But they handle poorly on tarmac (no suprise). Most importantly though is they don't take to the heat and friction well. They chunk quite easily and are quickly rendered pretty useless once they see any time on public roadways at any sustained speeds. Believe me I know.

Check out these sites to find some tires:

http://www.teamilluminata.com/Shop/UsedTires.htm
http://www.rallyclassified.com/
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drwrx
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Re: off road tire suggestions

Post by drwrx »

I think one option would be Yokohama Geolandar A/T-S: 215/60 R16 for $99.00 (each).
They are only .8" taller than the stock 205/55 R16 RE92s, which shouldn't cause any rubbing issues.
They are an Off-Road All-Terrain tire, but can still be run on-road.
They have a deep tread 12/32" and a 500 wear rating which is damn high.
I don't think these are legitimate "rally" tires but would likely do well for off-road situations while still being able to function on-road w/o destroying the tire or killing the occupants with a horrible ride.
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Cereb Daithi
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Re: off road tire suggestions

Post by Cereb Daithi »

I'm actually in a tricky situation on what to recommend for you.

Rally tires are specifically designed for one purpose and one prupose only. And they excell at it. Winter tires are not developed for gravel/dirt. True they have an aggressive tread but it's not suited for what you intend to use it for. Dirt is not snow. The compounds used in winter tires and the tread patterns are specifically designed for cold weather and snowy/icy surfaces. They'll work but only so well... and there's a good chance you'll do some damage to them. The other concern is safety. Depending on how hard you push of course the thick sidewalls of the rally tires can prove to be invaluable. Not just for the beating your tires take but under hard cornering you can have some problems with thinner sidewalls.

At the same time I also don't think you should make any large investments that you won't get use out of.


That being said. A winter tire will sure do a hell of a lot better than slicks. That logic is sound. I'd recommend getting a cheap aggressive winter tire just as an experiment unless you really want to spring for rally tires. Maybe check out those Yokoks
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