gummi

Hi !

I'm looking for new tires for my truck, and I want to explore buying the tires from USA instead of buying them here, giving that it would be less expensive.

I'm looking for 38" 15R Tires (12" wide wheels). (or 38,5)
1 or 2 sets (4 / 8 tires)

I need something RADIAL, the sides of the tires must not be too thick and heavy (thus Radial is better). Because they need to flatten well out when deflated on snow.

Anyhow .. my big question is, where do you suggest to buy tires from ?
I'm looking for the best price, since I have to pay for shipping, toll and sales tax when importing them.

For the shipping part of the whole thing, it would be better if I would buy it somewhere close to Norfolk Virginia or in Virgina. (will be exported from there).

We have many name brands here, and these tires are commonly used, as you might know. If I would buy them here I guess I would get Ground Hawk II or Super Swamper SSR/TSL (because they are good and lowest price here for what I'm looking for).

I currently have Gumbo Mudders 38" 15R

Tell me what you would do ! Thanks for the help guys !

kyle_22r

ever thought about a dick cepek tire? they're super wide and available in a 38" height with 15" wheels: http://www.mickeythompsontires.com/cepek_fc.html

they look like they'd be a really nice tire in the snow, they used to be popular on show trucks in the '80s here due to their monster truck-ness

gummi

Because it's not good when deflated.. they don't spread out when deflated.
Mainly the sides/walls are way too strong, because they hold up the waight of the truck when deflated, that also makes much heat (friction) and can quickly damage the tires.

Usually it's fine to deflate (down to even 1-2 psi) when in snow, since the snow cools the tires, so the walls don't burn up. (flexible tire walls)

HOJU

here's a question, what do tires cost over there? even with shipping/taxes/etc.... it would be cheaper to buy over here?

by the way, have anymore pics of your rig? I've always loved the Iceland Toyota's-

gummi

The cheapest I can get in 38" here now is a Ground Hawk II.
And the price for 1 tire is $474 here out of the store !!
A common pricetag here is around $634, for an average 38" tire.

Here are some pics:
http://194.105.235.169/gus/myndir/snjoleit/index.html
http://194.105.235.169/gus/myndir/jeppinn/index.html

For other pics.. Icelandic 4x4 club:
http://kjolur.f4x4.is/photoalbum/view.php

It can be cheaper to buy tires in USA, since the stores also have to buy most of the tires from over there too...

Here you can find one supplier here in Iceland, there you can see the local prices here in excel sheets. Divide price by 63... (current exchange rate)
http://www.gvs.is/jeppadekk.asp

BeaterToyota

You could try National Tire and Wheel. They're not exactly close to Norfolk, but they are in West Virginia so they're closer than a lot of places are.

HOJU

how about some Mickey Thompson Baja Claws? for a 38x15.150r15 they're $330

gummi

I did look at them, are they Radial ? Anyhow, found Super Swampers for under $ 200, but then I have to pay for shipping, guess that's some $$$ too

kyle_22r

radial claws can be had but i've heard they aren't that great in snow?

have you looked at radial IROK swampers? they're available in 37x12.5 and 39.5x13.5 so they might not be what you wanted

gummi

We need tires to have good traction when inflated and when deflated (they need to make a good surface area when deflated)

If you get stuck in snow, just deflate a little.. first step 12PSI on 38", then when you get stuck, go further down in psi. The less psi = more surface area thus more traction.

In difficult situations, tires are deflated down to 1-2 psi, in those situations, the truck floats, but a person could sink a little

aowRS

Gummi,
Hello there. I lived in Iceland for two years ('92 - '94) and found creative ways to get large tires shipped there for friends of mine . Send me an email and we can discuss. I tried to email you but somehow it bounced back to me.

Cheers,
Andreas

gummi

I'm not waiting any more.. after last evening I'm going to buy new tires... and I will have them under the truck tomorrow.

I lost control last evening on my way home.. to be exact my rear wanted to be my front.. (wet icy road... was just freezing when it happenend) I was really lucky not to roll over or hit a light pole.

I'm going to buy Ground Hawk II 38" 15,5 15R.
Have them micro-cut
Have them put 125 tire nails in each tire
and balance the whole thing..

Those will be my winter tires, and the pricetag ?? 170k ISK or $2698 !!

Well just the tires are only $2308 (yeah only.. ) the rest is for the work, nails and microcut.

Now I want to get another set of wheels so I can just but the old set under the car in spring and the winter ones in the fall.. save some money that way.

(I have 15" wheels 12" wide, some use 13" or 14" wide)

I'm considering taking donations, to fund this hobby of mine :cry: Just hope santa will bring me some :xmas3: hehe ..

Will tell you how I like the tires, but it usually takes a little while for the tires to soften up ..

joez

Your best bet for radial tires are going to be the Interco trXus STS's. Any directional tire is gonna hurt in snow when you need to back up or if flotation gets broken, they will dig to much.

The trXus STS's do come in a radial, and work great in snow and sand. But, i still think your absolute best option is the Dick Cepek Fun Country's. They may be kevlar, but they are still a very soft tire. Great flotation, and weak sidwalls, which sounds just like what you want. If i were running just snow, they would be my first choise, with the STS's second.

Ground hawgs are absolutely one of the hardest compound tire that exists. If you need sidwall flex that would be the LAST tire to look at. They hardly flex on rocks even when valve cores are pulled. They are a pure mud tire, that is all. They suck everywhere else besides pavement. They last forever on pavement, because they are rock hard!

Just because its a radial doesnt mean it will flex. There are a lot of bias tires that out flex most radials.

gummi

Hi,

The trXus has not been popular here, for whatever reason I don't know. But the ground hawk has been doing well. And they have been doing really good when deflated.

I'm not so sure what tire will perform the best, but at the moment the GH will give me the best bang for the buck, since it's cheapest tire here and it has a good rep.

They don't have the FC here in the size I'm looking for, for whatever reason I don't know.

Not sure if our opinions are different because we use the tires in a different way..