[harjeev]

Experienced sirs
Please tell me what are the pro's and con's of using Sandgrips vs the AT's that I have mentioned in post no 246 above.

[Ricky_3007]

Originally Posted by harjeev

First of all you would have to change the rim as the army rim that we have in the 550, you will not be able to mount the 15" tyres
second these 235/85/15's will reduce the height of the tyre by 1".

If however you decide to change the rims to 15" then you have far more options in Goodyears, Kuhmos etc

I will not change my rims as these are in very good shape , I will try to source the same 235/85/16R size tyre for my jeep.

I suppose these are difficult to find but Pls help me if you have any suggestion for specific brandfor this size.

Tarkesh

[kittigadu]

Well Harjeev,
My sandgrips have some 2000-3000 kms left on them. Iam am also seriously planning to get some new tyres and this thread has been really helpful.

Please tell me what are the pro's and con's of using Sand grips vs the AT's

In all the OTR's i have been to they performed very well everywhere other than on slush. Infact i have got so stuck on these tyres, that now i am scared of any kind of slush.
I would summarize the Sand Grips as
1. Bad in slush
2. They make a hell a lot of noise on the road.

WRT to BFG A/T, i have read stories of dissatisfaction on slush. But i beleive it mostly depends on the individual.

I dont remember the size, but i have seen 16" Bridgestone tyres that are exactly the same dia as my sandgrips on my friends jeep.
Shall post a pic tomorow.

Regards,
Krishna.

[harjeev]

So krishna
what tyres are you thinking of putting on your jeep.

Any comments/ experience with regards to Yokos?
Goodyear dosent have a good range in 16". In Delhi I have only been able to find 235's and they are way too small a dia wise for my jeep. Michelins are too expensive.
I think nothing can beat NDMS in slush but sadly they (7x16's) are not that easily available.

So its either Yokos AT-S's Bridestone's for me. Any idea cost and expereice with will be of great help.
Regds
Harjeev

[DesertKing]

Originally Posted by kittigadu

I would summarize the Sand Grips as
1. Bad in slush
2. They make a hell a lot of noise on the road.

Thanks Krishna. To consider the value of money spend, one also need to know comparison of the life of NDMS and redial AT tyres. What somebody was telling me is that NDMS only runs only aprox 20,000 Km where as redial tyres 40,000. What is your experience about this.

[kittigadu]

Harjeev,
Even iam looking for answers on this thread. What iam very particular is about the diameter of the new tyres what ever the brand it is.
Because i still have time, i was not seriously hunting for them on the street. I was just following the posts on this thread.

Wrt to the life of tyres,
Sandgrips -> approx 5 K each -> 12-15K kms (Good performance except on slush, Noisy)
NDMS 16" - no idea on cost -> 18-24K Kms (good overall performance but compromised braking, thats what i heard)
Radial - 4-8k each -> 40-50K kms. (wrt to BFGoodrich A/T, good overall performance, long life and all that but smaller in diameter)

If i compromise on the dia, then Apollo Hawkz (what whitemm550 had) will be my choice as they are cheap and good.


Regards,
krishna.

[vishwaschettri]

+1 to krishna. Sandgrips performs great on rocky terrain, phenomenal on sand but they are horrible on slush. If they have less than half the tread depth left, they turn into slicks in no time in mud and keep spinning like idiots with no grip at all.
I too have to buy new tyres and am confused like hell. Don't want to compromise on ride height. I think 235/85 r16 will be the closest size to 7.50-16. Any one have any idea whether there are any options available in this size?

cheers
vishwas

Originally Posted by kittigadu

Well Harjeev,
My sandgrips have some 2000-3000 kms left on them. Iam am also seriously planning to get some new tyres and this thread has been really helpful.
In all the OTR's i have been to they performed very well everywhere other than on slush. Infact i have got so stuck on these tyres, that now i am scared of any kind of slush.
I would summarize the Sand Grips as
1. Bad in slush
2. They make a hell a lot of noise on the road.

WRT to BFG A/T, i have read stories of dissatisfaction on slush. But i beleive it mostly depends on the individual.

I dont remember the size, but i have seen 16" Bridgestone tyres that are exactly the same dia as my sandgrips on my friends jeep.
Shall post a pic tomorow.

Regards,
Krishna.

[khan_sultan]

Originally Posted by kittigadu

...
Sandgrips -> approx 5 K each -> 12-15K kms (Good performance except on slush, Noisy)
......

Originally Posted by vishwaschettri

+1 to krishna. Sandgrips performs great on rocky terrain, phenomenal on sand but they are horrible on slush. If they have less than half the tread depth left, they turn into slicks in no time in mud and keep spinning like idiots with no grip at all.....

IMHO, and after seeing them in action, I have the following views on the sandgrips.

• Sand: Excellent (obvious)
• Rocky Surface - Dry: Good
• Rocky Surface - Wet: Very BAD
  • If you want to see proof, look at the Ramanagram OTR thread and check out the video from TV9. There you will see this trye slipping in wet rocky incline
• Wet Grassy/Hard Damp muddy trail: VERY BAD
  • Have seen then in multiple OTR's spinning away to glory
• Slush: HORRIBLE
• Loose gravel/jungle trail - DRY: Good
• Loose gravel/jungle trail - Wet: BAD

Can't comment on life/noise etc.

Cheers,

[Ricky_3007]

Originally Posted by kittigadu

Harjeev,
Even iam looking for answers on this thread. What iam very particular is about the diameter of the new tyres what ever the brand it is.
Because i still have time, i was not seriously hunting for them on the street. I was just following the posts on this thread.

Wrt to the life of tyres,
Sandgrips -> approx 5 K each -> 12-15K kms (Good performance except on slush, Noisy)
NDMS 16" - no idea on cost -> 18-24K Kms (good overall performance but compromised braking, thats what i heard)
Radial - 4-8k each -> 40-50K kms. (wrt to BFGoodrich A/T, good overall performance, long life and all that but smaller in diameter)

If i compromise on the dia, then Apollo Hawkz (what whitemm550 had) will be my choice as they are cheap and good.


Regards,
krishna.

Hi Krishna,

I checked yesterday with local dealer here for Michellin and BFGoodrich. As per him BFG is just another brand of Michellin (I dont know). And I like the BFG tyre. It is available in 235/70/R16 so the diameter is 16" diameter. same as my 550 tyres. Only change is Aspect ratio whih is 70 instead of 85 .This is the ratio of the height of the tyre sidewall i.e In this case, 70% of 235mm is the section height
I like the design and the built of the tyre. And as per the dealer 15% of the aspect ration difference does not make big difference. I am attaching the pic of the tyre here. BFG is not very expensive as Yokos but there is a difference of 1K in Michellin and BFGs.

Tarkesh

[harjeev]

Originally Posted by Ricky_3007

Hi Krishna,

I checked yesterday with local dealer here for Michellin and BFGoodrich. As per him BFG is just another brand of Michellin (I dont know). And I like the BFG tyre. It is available in 235/70/R16 so the diameter is 16" diameter. same as my 550 tyres. Only change is Aspect ratio whih is 70 instead of 85 .This is the ratio of the height of the tyre sidewall i.e In this case, 70% of 235mm is the section height
I like the design and the built of the tyre. And as per the dealer 15% of the aspect ration difference does not make big difference. I am attaching the pic of the tyre here. BFG is not very expensive as Yokos but there is a difference of 1K in Michellin and BFGs.

Tarkesh

Tarkesh
I was told the same thing by a Michelin dealer about the both BF's and Michelin being the same group.


BTW could you please share what prices for what specification of tyres have you been quoted.

I have been quoted Michelin LTX's 275/70/16 = 9300-9600
BF's dint inquire
Yokos Geos AT/S 275/70/16 = 7300

I am totally confused as sometimes I think to get NDMS 7x16 which are not available.
Then I think of getting Yokos 5pc. Then when I decide of buying yokos I talk to my bro and he says why not buy 4 pc of Michelin, whihch without doubt is the grand daddy of all tyres and if I buy 4 instead of 5 yokos it will cost me the same.

Totally confused

Also if anyone can please share "How is the performance of the Michelin LTX AT on different types of terrains"
Like Mud Wet Slush Sand Rocks etc
If I decide to buy these what are the pros and cons??

[testdrive]

Originally Posted by harjeev

I was told the same thing by a Michelin dealer about the both BF's and Michelin being the same group.
BTW could you please share what prices for what specification of tyres have you been quoted.

1. BFG is a Michelin brand, therefore available at all Michelin dealers.
2. See attached price list (sorry about the poor image quality) of BFGs available.

3. BFG should be a very good option for offroading, as I see them being used on a majority of the Jeep Wrangler and other vehicles used for offroading (pics on the internet etc). Michelin LTX A/T is basically used on pickup trucks, not really a tyre for the kind of offroading we do in NIOC.

4. Not sure about the side wall protection offered on other tyres, but the Geolandar AT/S I got for my Safari has very good side wall protection (see pic below). The pattern is also aggressive. Costwise better than BFG / Michelin. Overall, I would say the best value for money and you definitely need 5pcs...

[Ricky_3007]

Hi Harjeev,

I checked the price of 235/70/R16 of BFG and Michellin as I dont want to increase the tyre size than the original one. The guy said these tyres are best in the class and you can just forget after putting these in your vehicle. I think GTO has michellin on his Jeep and driven 25K Kms on it and still good tyre life left . He has shown pics of the same in this thread earlier.

BFG costs around 6.5K and Michelling costs just less than 7.5K for the same size . these are Tubeless tyres.

I will check the rate of 275mm for you. A small question Why do you want to put NDMS on your jeep? NDMS is Nylon I guess (No radial).

I will go for one of these - BFG,Michellin,YOKO or Bridgestone - will just compare life and cost of tyre.

Tarkesh

[vishwaschettri]

Between all the BF's and Michelin's and Pirelli's let me introduce a new entrant. Any reactions and reviews to fitting these.

cheers
vishwas

[iraghava]

Look like Tractor tyres to me.

[Ram]

These are Unidirectional Mud and Snow tires.

They are quite worthless for street driving. Can imagine the loud squealing and panic skidding when used on everyday tarmac.
Brings back memories of the unpleasant street performance of my vintage NDMS tires on the 1988 MM540DP4WD.