Looking for feedback from people with actual knowledge about the performance of these tires. "Other" forums just want to flame anyone asking about them without giving any real reasons for their opinions.
I gotta admit, these tires look sick, but I want to make sure they can perform too. The reps at several notable shops stand behind these tires swearing they perform off-road, but I would like to hear from anyone who has tried them firsthand, not your cousins-boyfriends-uncles-bestfriends-wifes-sisters-babysitters-brother had them and said they sucked.

 

I've seen them first hand, the do pretty good off road because of the side lugs. On road, don't even bother. They suck horribly. They are near impossible to balance, and wear really really quickly. That's just my opinion though. I'd look at some MT/R's or some BFG MT's

 

what happend to the Firestone MTs?

 

They are similar to a BFG All Terrain off highway- if they didn't have the big side lugs, they would be worse by far. The lugs are huge- so there is very little void space for traction. My wheelin' buddy had a set on a FS Bronco- I was using BFG M/T's at the time. Even tho he was locked in the rear, my ol' 1970 GMC would go thru mud and snow much better.

 

Sorry i've never had them personally, but one of my really good friends did, and after seeing them perform I quickly turned away from them. I was going to put them on my 92 Toy PU when I had it, but after seeing him off-road with his, I'll never think twice about them. The biggest problem I saw with them is that they don't clean themselves at all when mud gets in the tread. We weren't even in thick mud; just regular mud you encounter on any trail and they quickly turned to slicks, beacuse they filled up with mud. I know they look awesome, but they're so many better tires out there. They ride horribly on the road and as said before they're almost impossible to get balanced. I would look at the real swampers if you want a true off-road tire or go with the Firestones, since not many people are running those yet. Good luck with your decision.

 

I ran 32x11.50 Thornbirds on my 91 v6 toy for a year and they were hands down the best mud tire I've ever used. I wouldn't base my choice on looks, when equipping an off road truck, altho these are definatly cool looking tires. That being said, I did switch to 33x12.5 TSL radials and a back up set of 33x12.5 Sidewinders, which are a bargian mudder with big lugs, not as agressive as the thorns but still good in the muck. I switched to this combo because the Thorns are terrible on the road. Turning a corner is a serious production because of the protruding lugs. Thorns are a purpuse built design and they are unmatched in the mud, even better than boggers; I ran a used set of Boggs for a few weeks before I got the trorns. They are NOT a multi purpose design and I would not reccommend them for a vehicle that is on the street often. I was really suprised at how quiet and steady the SS TSLs are on the street. I run on them 80% of the time and only swap the Sidewinders(made by General tire) in for really major bogging type stuff. The price between TSL and Thorns is close and I suggest you go with the TSL. Good luck.

 

It's a show tire. Might as well get some AT's and be done with it... they suck off road and they don't clean. At all. Side lug's my ass... maybe if your truck is on it's side...

J

 

SUPER SWAMPER BOGGERS>>>> shave every other lug off and youll have some mudding tires...

and youll hate your life on the highway... i promise

 

I am currently running the Firestones and wont be getting them again. They started off nice, did great off-road, and then went downhill....fast. They have gotten very noisy even though the tread is evenly worn and my alignment is fine. They are also wearing like pencil erasers, and chunking up on the shoulders from the trails. The price was right, but there is a reason they were so cheap I think.

 

Just as long as the ones you remove are all the little ones. Keep all the medium and large lugs. Serious grip straight ahead but quite lousy to the sides, excellent for mud though.

 

Why would you want to put something on your truck that looks sick? Why not add something that looks good?

 

i have them 33/12.5/15 i dont think they work well at all in the mud, they turn into realy big slicks, and they might do ok in the dry hard rock. i am locked front and rear in an '82 pickup and i know i could do much better with tsl-sx's or bogers/irocks. i will be going to a 36/12.5/15 tsl-sx soon.

 

the thornbirds suck! the only thing they do that is any good is look badass! and they make tons of noise too [well this could be good or bad, depending on if you are dimented like me-i love mudder tire noises ]

 

Well I'm glad I didn't go with them. I almost bought a set when I could get them for like $139 a tire, but I got a decent deal on my BFG's and they have a great reputation (which they have lived up to) so I went with them instead. Thanks for posting your opinion of the Firestones, no one really has any feedback on them yet so it's good to hear some (even if it's a bad review).

 

good pic's of Thornbirds doing what they do best- getting ya stuck in mud.

http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=268118

 

I had a set on my jeep for over a year, I liked them but they are loud. here are some steps to the brids.

#1) you need gears or hp to keep them clean
#2) the side lugs dig like crazy if you have to use them
#3) Rotate them EVERY 5,000 miles
#4) check air pressure ever week.
#5) they flat spot when parked. so you bounce for mile or so.
#6) they are very heavy.

All in all good tires and they look killer, I drive on mine to the beach, kinda loud at 70+ for 700 miles If its a daily driver i would get a radial for sure.

 

Hey Brad,
Sorry your Firestones are crapping out on you but I have to admit your truck looked awesome with the MT/R's so I'm gonna say the boring thing and tell you to get them again

No experience whatsoever with the Thornbirds but I heard they were designed as a show-truck tire so they could drive on pavement while keeping the super-knobby look. I don't know if that's true but that's what I've been told.

 

My brother's truck had them when he got it, and I drove it a few times onroad in the rain, and they were HORRIBLE. They would slide soooo easily.

 

Well, he still has quite abit of thread on the tires, so he wont be changing them anytime soon I think I really fell in love with those tires they look so awsome ... but they hold up much longer than my el cheapo tires...

 

Now I'm thinking of possibly going with the Swamper TSL SX, they make a 32x11.50/16, so I could still get a wider tire without having to go to the 15" wheels like I was planning, and still get a tire that is great on the trails and rocks. I'd like to see some up close and personal before really making a decision, and if I don't like them then I'll probably swap out my wheels to some 15's and get a set of 32x11.50R15 BFG Muds. I guess mileage wont really be too much of a concern shortly, as my wife's new car will become the "family car" and my truck will mostly be my play toy. I have my work truck that gets most of the driving every day.