Tire Report, G177s

[rmgill]

So, I've been running G177 1100x20" tires since just before the Ga Fall Rally.

I had the tires there and they did very well off road. On road, they bounce a bit at about 30-40mph, but steer like the front end is on snot. Oddly, it tracks very precisely now, almost twitchy. There may be a camber/caster issue I need to measure and possibly fiddle with but it's not been bad enough at highway speeds to be scary, just twitchy, like a 5 ton tends to be. Steering has become VERY light and easy to manage. That could also be that that entire front end is freshly lubricated but hey...

Also, I just had the truck out in the Atlanta Snow/ice. On slick pavement these tires are VERY nice. Very predicable breaking and catching of traction I think. Add chains on the rear axle and the truck behaves very well. I finally chained the fronts after dealing with miles of black ice and having to thread the many morons who just stop in the middle of the road.

With chains on just the rear axle, I was able to tow a semi-tractor out of an icy intersection in low 1st/6wd. Lots of fun doing that to make the cops working that snarl.

 

[rosco]

Your steering sounds about like it should be. Sometimes Folks will think radials on the steering feels mushy. Toe-in should be 0-to 1*. Play with your air pressure. Its a compromise between an empty truck and a loaded one. Especially on the rear. There should always be that "radial bulge", on the bottom of the tire. As for traction, chains trump any other kind or type of tire, especially the big fat ones that are the rage, for any conditions, not just on ice and snow, but sand and mud too. If you chain the rears, always chain the front -- then your can steer. Thats why Medusa, always goes out with out with her Jewelry.

 

[MWMULES]

rmgill here is the thread for a fix resetting the shims to get a better ride and steering with the G177's. BTW it really works http://www.steelsoldiers.com/showthread.php?83547-Problems-with-Goodyear-G-177-tires

 

[EMD567]

What air pressure are you running? On my M814, I run 80 on the fronts, 60-70 in the rears. The change over from NDT's to the G 177's was like night and day. The radials make the M814 a sweet heart to drive, and the ride is much better also over the NDT's.

I have loaded the M814 to as much as 32,000 lbs gross, and she still handled very well, with almost no loss of control. The one change was that the turning circle got just a hair bigger on dirt, and I could hear the tires scrub when turning on pavement. I expected that, given that the weight was centered on the rear axles.

 

[Dipstick]

I concur with John. The steering with my T-831s was twitchy until I heeded the advice of a retired trucker and aired them up to 80 psi on the front and 55 psi on the rear. Sometimes the pronounced crown on N.J. two lane roads will require minor steering corrections, but I think that's normal considering the size of the tires and their aggressive tread.

 

[wilfreeman]

I'm getting ready to put G177s on my deuce bobber (dual rears). This is the information I needed to hear. Hey Dipstick, is your deuce bobber sitting on G177s? Is your bed 8' or 9'? We are doing ours with the stock bed shortened to 9' - do you have any pics you can share?

 

[73m819]

I have 177s on the front of the 819, sure is a DIFFERENCE on sticking to the road, with the ndts, the rears wanted to push the front, now where ever you steer, the truck goes, I have heard this from others that switched to 177s also, on the front of 819 I have 120 psi and the m62 100 psi, both for the weight and better steering. The 177s has to be one of the military's BETTER IDEAS

 

[tobyS]

Wilfreeman, have you looked at the M105 trailers, they are 9'2" and have center wheel-wells. The trailer a-frame makes lifting the bed and mounting it really simple and it has the proportions to look great with a bobbed deuce. Many straight and nearly rust free are available, with straight tail gates.

 

[wilfreeman]

Yeah, we have an M105 - we are going to paint it desert tan to match the truck. We have already cut the original bed and frame - it is in the blasting booth now. The rear of the truck is already blasted and primed. My brother's shop guy is supposed to be turning it around in the booth today and doing the front half (tight fit in the booth!). Should be doing body work next week. I ordered the cab seal kit and door window channels from Erik's today - getting closer! I am updating my build blog every time we get something important done to it. The link to the blog is in my signature (I know "deuce is spelled wrong in the web address - it's the only one I could get).

 

[rmgill]

If I recall I'm running 80psi on the fronts and 65psi on the rear. I was running about that on the 1100x20 singles for NDT's based on Bjorn's advice from years ago when he switched to Singles on the CraneTruck. That worked well for me on long hauls.

I'll be switching the caster plate/shim thing around when I get a chance, I just need cribbing to do the jacking to support the frame.

The main point of this thread was to note how the G177s worked on the ice. I did eventually fit the chains to the front and ran 15 miles with that, though sadly, the locking cams on those chains rubbed a small 1/8" deep cut in the fronts. The rears are fine, I guess I had those tighter or maybe it had to do with side steering thrusts that rubbed the spots. I'm going to have to swap those tires around to the rears soon for a better set of fronts. Annoying that.

 

[tobyS]

Ryan, is the truck in your avatar photo the one with the 11.00 G177's ?

I sold an 84 923 with really nice ones to a man who is bobbing it and putting singles on. He has a deuce that will probably get them. I thought that was a nice combination and I'm glad to hear they perform well in winter and ice.

My 817 will get a set after I stretch a bit more use from the lug type. They have a nice footprint for both on and off road.

I looked at the link and see that the angle of camber does have a significant effect on a deuce and this tire combination. Thanks MWMULES, it seems one goes with the other for best performance. Wonder if there is a TM about this?

 

[rmgill]

It was, though that was from the snow we had 4 years ago.

This new one is more recent (from thursday in fact).

 

[Dipstick]

My bed is 8' long. I wish it were 9' sometimes. His tires are 11x20 Firestone T-831s. I'm very happy with them. Their performance in snow is awesome. They seem to do well in dirt as well. That's what they were designed for mining and quarrying.

 

[Dipstick]

I meant logging and quarrying. Duh!

 

[Dipstick]

One more pic of my treads.

 

[Reaper651]

Correct me if I'm wrong but The Firestone T-831's and the Goodyear G-177's in the 1100x20 size are Drive tires. On the big semi trucks, usually there are drive or steering/all position and you generally don't want drive only tires on the steering as there sidewalls are not designed for the sideward stresses that are put on them when steering. Does this apply to a Deuce, especially a bobbed deuce? I was wondering because with pickup trucks it does not matter because they are not heavy enough. Maybe this is true with a Deuce also?? Just wondering. Both the Goodyear G-177 and Firestone T-831 look like they would be awesome All Terrain tires for the Deuce!! Thanks O.P. for the thread. Great info here.

 

[Dipstick]

They are drive tires. The T-831s are rated for a top speed of 55 mph. Perfect for a Deuce. Singled they are rated at 7,000 lbs capacity each. Dueled about 6,400. Both weight ratings are at 120 psig. I haven't noticed any steering problems with mine on the front axle. I've only driven it about 1,200 miles, but there doesn't seem to be any wear issues at all. The trucks that usually run these tires are typically loaded to between 80,000 and 100,000 lbs GVW. I don't think rolling around an 11,640 lb. bobber will faze these tires much. I run 80f/55r psig.

 

[tobyS]

I believe I have seen the G177 as an all position tire, not only drive. Too bad there is not an easy match in a wider flotation tire for the front in the 365/80/20 (or 14.5) range.

 

[Reaper651]

True but the all position G-177's are not made for the 20" rims. D.S., good point there, I kinda had a feeling that the weight was the main reason for the Class 8 trucks needing steering tires for the front. That's good to know we don't have to worry about it on a Deuce.

 

[tobyS]

You know the G177 is used on basic 5 tons on steering. My rebuilt 925 has them on front. Every MV I see with them as duals has them for steering.

Are you saying the G177 will not fit the deuce 20" rim?