[CanukRunner]

Greetings all,

I just picked up some Zamboni tires cheap........really cheap.

Just wondering your thoughts whether i should install or not?

They are 215 85 r16... they are 30.38 inches tall and unfortunalty 8.46 inches wide.

They are load E range.. but i noticed it says at 80 psi??? What tire pressure do i need to run if i do?

[brian2sun]

80 psi is the max pressure you can pump those tires up to. I would run those at about 32. Most Es ride harsh IMO, but they'll work.

[Socco]

That is a truly Canadian Mod !
But if you want skinny tires...I saw a Jeep GC at Princess Auto the other day with these on: Bridgestone Jeep Service | Bridgestone New Zealand Tyres - Bridgestone.
I had to stop and stare at them, but why didn't I take a pic??!!

[Singtoe]

Mounting those skinny tires on wide rims will let the tires wear uneven at the wrong PSI. You will have to test to find the right PSI.


Easy test is to spray the tire down with water, drive 20 feet on dry concrete and look at your tire marks. If the edges are not leaving marks, then it is over inflated, if the center is light on the marks, the it is under inflated.

10 ply tires will require 65+ psi any way to keep them from cupping.


BTW, Those tires will be awesome in the deep snow. It should be a mountain goat.

[CanukRunner]

Originally Posted by Singtoe

Mounting those skinny tires on wide rims will let the tires wear uneven at the wrong PSI. You will have to test to find the right PSI.


Easy test is to spray the tire down with water, drive 20 feet on dry concrete and look at your tire marks. If the edges are not leaving marks, then it is over inflated, if the center is light on the marks, the it is under inflated.

10 ply tires will require 65+ psi any way to keep them from cupping.


BTW, Those tires will be awesome in the deep snow. It should be a mountain goat.

Looks like ill give them a whirl!!

If they are great in snow I'll let everyone know because even new these tires are waaay cheaper then our stock and larger sizes,...

Thanks for the tip they are a gazillion ply so I'll try your meathod!!

My worry is on hard pack snow and ice.. I hear mud terrains are not the best for that..lol

[brian2sun]

Originally Posted by CanukRunner

My worry is on hard pack snow and ice.. I hear mud terrains are not the best for that..lol

^^They aren't. The skinnies will be great digging through deeper snow down to the pavement, but pretty much all MTs suck on hard packed snow (that's where ATs shine). I've found skinnies will dig too much and get you high-centered if it's really deep snow. Then it's better to have a wider tire that'll float on top easier.

A 8.5" wide tire will be fine if you have 7" stock width rims.

[the great him]

yes your MTs will not be so great on snow and ice, but there are a couple things you can do the help yourself out there, one have the center treat block sipped and you could restud them, but i dont like studs unless you drive on ice 99% of the time, on wet pavement they are bar far worse than a trailer tire. also the fact that you have a very narrow tire will help you in the now and ice as its a much smaller foot print still holding the same weight, so there for you have a much greater PSI to the ground than you would with a wider tire. your narrow MT tire i would venture to say will do just as good as a wide AT in hard packed snow and ice.

[ALBPM]

Zamboni tires!!!!!?????

Won't they make you want to drive in circles....

[Singtoe]

Originally Posted by ALBPM

Zamboni tires!!!!!?????

Won't they make you want to drive in circles....

Nah, Your confusing Zomboni with Nascar.

[CanukRunner]

Originally Posted by the kid

yes your MTs will not be so great on snow and ice, but there are a couple things you can do the help yourself out there, one have the center treat block sipped and you could restud them, but i dont like studs unless you drive on ice 99% of the time, on wet pavement they are bar far worse than a trailer tire. also the fact that you have a very narrow tire will help you in the now and ice as its a much smaller foot print still holding the same weight, so there for you have a much greater PSI to the ground than you would with a wider tire. your narrow MT tire i would venture to say will do just as good as a wide AT in hard packed snow and ice.

Re-Stud? It took me 1 hour per tire to rip them out..lol... I had better things to do with that hand..lol

Studs are illegal in this part of Canada or I would have kept them on till March.

How do you sipe tires? I was thinking about that actually! If that was possible these things would be a gold mine!

[Big John]

I don't know what tire stores you have available up there, but Discount siped all 4 of my KM2's for $52. Siping made the difference between me keeping my tires and getting rid of them as they were terrible on ice. Now I drive with as much confidence as one can have on ice and they are great in snow.

[Singtoe]

John, How deep is the sipping that Discount does?

[Big John]

Originally Posted by Singtoe

John, How deep is the sipping that Discount does?

I really don't know. I can tell you that by the time the siping is gone I'll be looking for tires. Sure is worth the money and it's my understanding that you'll get more life out of a MT as well. I'll never run an un-siped MT again living in snow country.

[the great him]

Originally Posted by Singtoe

John, How deep is the sipping that Discount does?

they have different depths they can do depending on how much you want and or thread depth.