I run 235/85R16 Treadwright Crawlers on my 96' Ram 3500. I am quite pleased with their performance, especially Kedge Grip. Kedge Grip is the ultimate proof that good solutions don't always have to come at greater expense... mix some walnut crumbs and some glass shards into the the rubber compound for the tread and voila, continuous siping of the tires as they wear.

I highly recommend TreadWright tires, but there is a cost/benefit decision to be weighed when you include the shipping, mounting, balancing, and alignment part of the process. Town Fair Tire (my preferred tire shop) does all of those things quite inexpensively if you buy tires from them, and they have a wider selection of brands so that you can ultimately find something comparable. There is also the nasty look you'll get from the tire shops when you tell them you want to install retreads from TreadWright.

Note: Seems they are now doing free shipping and delivery for all tires, which is pretty awesome and definitely helps give them an advantage. It was $185 for 6 tires last time I ordered.

Ive never got free shipping, but was usually around $50 for all 4. I always wanted to try the kedge grips but on a daily driver didnt think it would the best idea. They do offer road hazard insurance now at $7 a tire which is pretty cool.

One thing I will say is my buddys have ordered 3 sets in the last year or so and they all had issues balancing. Took a lot of weights, but they all did balance.

Well it's both, but if you look closely at modern tire treads they are asymmetrical, even if the tread blocks are nearly the same they are spaced differently. That is huge in not creating standing waves and for breaking up resonances.

They can take a bit of effort to balance, but I've never had an issue with a decent tire shop getting them balanced. Yes they do take a lot of weights, but once they're balanced they're just as good as any tire on the road.

That's an interesting thought... I'd love to see some literature on it if you know of any documentation produced by the tire companies. I'm one of those people who is ridiculously interested in understanding everything about tires.

Asymmetry also allows for combination of tread patterns for behavior under different conditions, the perfect example being Continental ExtremeContact DWS (my favorite all-season performance tire):

Each section of the tread provides different benefits to the overall performance of the tire. For example, the longitudinal bars and voids provide excellent resistance to hydroplaning in forward motion, while the crosshatch pattern provides exceptional traction in the wet while cornering. These tires are amazing in the wet, the best I've ever experienced.

Google is your friend, (and mine).

The Fight Against Tire Noise - Tire Review Magazine

http://articles.latimes.com/2004/may...os/hy-wheels12

Performance - Noise and comfort | Michelin The tire digest

I'm sure there are more.


Ooooh, here's a white paper that might hold you down for a bit.

http://www.eng.auburn.edu/files/cent...4/rep04-02.pdf

Good stuff, my Google fu failed me it seems.

I actually used to have spacer lift. And ran 285 with stock wheels and stock UCA. And it didn't run the UCA. Could barley fit my pinky. But it didn't rub.

As far as balancing. Skip the weights and get your self a balancing bag. It's a bag full of beads that self balance the tire as it rotates. And it looks cleaner without weights. My buddy uses it on his Cummins with big tires.

Dyna Beads is a Dynamic Balancing Solution that continuosly balances the tire while you drive. The amount of material will distribute itself in weight and position dependent on the balance requirements of the individual tire. The result is a smooth, comfortable ride and higher tire life. How can we say higher tire life? Easy. Your tires are rebalanced every time you start up from a stop. Pick up some mud or ice? No problem. Dyna Beads shifts around and compensates for the additional weight. Try to do that with lead weights !

http://www.lastgreatroadtrip.com/4x4.../lead-balance/

Well, alas, I ordered the 265/75R16s on Friday for installation next Friday.

I had never heard of balancing beads/bags or balancing tires with antifreeze. I did some research and it might help with the TreadWright's on the Ram. Definitely something I'll be checking into.

Best part is you don't need to go to a shop. You throw them in your self.

Like I said. My friend uses it on his big tires. Never complains

My day one review of the Eldorado Mud Claw Extreme MT tires:

First, the name is just way too long. Eldorado Mud Claw Extreme... ok that sounds fine. Eldorado Mud Claw MT... ok I get that too... but Eldorado Mud Claw Extreme MT is just redundant and long.

On to the tires:
They are definitely louder than the General Grabber AT2s they are replacing. It's bearable for me, but definitely noticeable. It seems there is something to the symmetrical pattern causing vibrational harmonics theory.

I went with standard balancing by the tire shop and all vibrations are now gone from the vehicle at any speed I've driven (<80mph). So they balanced fine and that is a great improvement over the previous tires.

The sidewalls have very frilly designs on them. The superflous pattern on the sidewall is my least favorite feature of the tires. It is very noticeable once the tires are tucked into the wheel wells.

The lugs are very large and sturdy, appearing to be made from a medium-hard material and therefore may not perform as well on slick rock or ice. They also have very minimal siping and performance in icy conditions will be interesting to test this winter.

I will probably post a separate review thread when I have more information and have driven on these tires for longer, but for now, these are at least my first thoughts.