Tires, can it really be this hard??

[David IPFD]

I am the LT of our cities volunteer fire department and have been tasked to find tires for our M35A3. I have found the elusive 14.5 X 20, however i would like to know from the experts ( Y'all folks ) if going to the 365 80R 20 or the 395 85R 20 would be a better choice? On top of that our local commission ( Fed's left overs ) shows to have new 365 85R 20's. So knowing that the 365 80 is more or less the mach for the 14.5 will either 85 work? Keep in mind that this is a wild-land brush truck and put through anything and everything. Thank in advance for any help.

*** Truck was verified to be an M35A3 ***

 

[cranetruck]

Why not go with the original 1100-20 bias-ply tires? Perfect fit for the wheels (rims), drive all day long aired down off road, etc.
Radials are generally not good aired down on side slopes, weak side walls, and are actually too wide for the deuce rims.
Sipe them and they are good on the pavement too. Just my two cents, as they say...

 

[NDT]

Agreed with cranetruck. The NDCC tires are better in the mud than 395s as well, is what we are hearing from the mud bogging crowd.

 

[sac]

Why not go with the original 1100-20 bias-ply tires? Perfect fit for the wheels (rims), drive all day long aired down off road, etc.
Radials are generally not good aired down on side slopes, weak side walls, and are actually too wide for the deuce rims.
Sipe them and they are good on the pavement too. Just my two cents, as they say...

What do you use to sipe them?

 

[SCSG-G4]

Siping tools are made and available. From the YouTube videos I've seen, it is a chore! One tire is not too bad, six or ten is another story.

 

[red]

Stock the deuce came with 9x20"s, pretty old stock. To keep your cost low the 11x20"s fit on the stock rim and work pretty well offroad when you air the tires down.

395"s work great in sand/dirt/rocks and handle the pavement.

 

[silverstate55]

From my experience the 11.00x20 bias-ply tires will rub sidewalls if run as duallies on the stock Deuce rims...in that case better to stick to 9.00 or 10.00 tires. You can buy these sizes in radial as well, although the bias-ply will have stronger sidewalls.

ETA: If you decide to run the larger radial tires (e.g., 365/85R-20), steering will be very difficult at slow/low speeds...especially if installing the MRAP wheels with adapters, and if the tires have run-flat inserts. In the long run it would be better to stick with 9.00 or 10.00 tube-type bias-ply tires for your uses.

 

[gimpyrobb]

You guys assume this isn't an A3. I say go with the 365 or 395s. There is lots of data that says singles do better off road. I recommend going with the newest tire you can get.

 

[silverstate55]

You guys assume this isn't an A3. I say go with the 365 or 395s. There is lots of data that says singles do better off road. I recommend going with the newest tire you can get.

My bad, thought he mentioned in the original post that it was an A2.

If it's an A3 you are absolutely correct.

 

[gimpyrobb]

I just re-read it and your right he said A2. I still think singles aren't a bad way to go, though I wouldn't put them on stock rims!

 

[gimpyrobb]

Also, unless the 14.50r20 is BRAND NEW, it shouldn't be considered. They have a high failure rate cause they sit flat on trucks with CTIS.

 

[silverstate55]

I just re-read it and your right he said A2. I still think singles aren't a bad way to go, though I wouldn't put them on stock rims!

PM'd the OP for confirmation.

I also initially thought it was an A3 due to the immediate mention of the 14.50 tires...but then I had to re-read it to see that he listed it as an A2.

I all too frequently put my figurative foot in my mouth while posting, so I had to re-read it a few times to make sure.

But I PM'd him to see if we could get a confirmation.

 

[David IPFD]

Well I was told that this truck was an A2. But y’all are right i need to run over and check for myself. We currently have the 14.5 super signals on her and we would really like to keep the price low ( small town budget ) so changeing over to duallies maybe more than we have. Sorry i didn’t get the info before thanks again for the help.

 

[The King Machine]

I would stay away from duel tires if you have the choice. Just for simplicity sake. Personally I found the singles to be better off road in almost all conditions. The Stock a2 tires in the mud, snow, and sand are just too narrow for the weight sitting on them, more so in the front.
It makes airing up and down so much easier, radial tires can be plugged in minutes or changed out faster. Plus you wont have debris getting lodged between the rear duels.
If you are running the truck off road under loaded conditions 395's might over stress the axles and drive line.
I have 395's on mine but I'm never going to be using the truck at its load limit off road.

I would go with the A3 tire and rim set up for this application.

 

[gimpyrobb]

David, is the truck an auto or standard shift? If auto, its an A3. The A3 has a more powerful motor, but the auto isn't overdrive so its a slower truck. The slightly taller tires actually should have been oem issue imho.

 

[VPed]

I believe the tires you mention in the original post will be problematic on the stock A2 wheels. If I recall, there is incompatibility with the tire bead area. So you may now need to embark on the search for the elusive A3 wheels.

I have MRAP 395's with bead locks and run flat inserts on Peashooters adapters. I have not found it to be any harder to steer with these compared to the stock 9 x 20's. With the run flats, you can keep driving if needed, if you manage to slice a tire. These tires and wheels have been plentiful and therefore, somewhat cheap.

 

[tobyS]

How about going to 365 with the A3 rim on the front and duel the back with 11.00? That is the match on rev's/mile.

A friend bought 14.00's recently and in my opinion, they are too much for a deuce.

 

[gimpyrobb]

1400s don't fit on a deuce with 3 axles.

 

[rustystud]

You guys must remember this is a firefighter truck. It must haul heavy loads, like a huge water tank. Giant super singles are not good for the axles and drivetrain. The most I would go would be 11.00-20's , with duals in back. If this is not an option then stick with the standard 9.00-20 tire. There are still plenty of this size tire out there. You do not need to go with the military design. Most all of you guys who run these super singles never load your trucks to the maximum so you can get away with the extra strain you put on the axles and drivetrain with these tires. A firefighter truck is ALWAYS loaded to the max ! Just remember there was a reason the military and manufactures went with the 9.00-20 size tire.

 

[tobyS]

1400s don't fit on a deuce with 3 axles.

How do the 395's fit on Vped above?