Mis-matching tires

[Optimaldave]

Hi, I'm wondering what the thoughts are on mixing tire brands from the front to rear axle... (aka two brands of A/T tire, one on either axle)

or even putting two more aggressive tires on the rear and standart A/T's up front

for note, I am thinking mainly road/logging road use only, would put some proper M/T tires on if I was hitting the trails hard...

Mainly thinking this as I have two used Firestone A/Ts and can only find other brands to match in the used market...

Cheers
Dave

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

As long as they are the same diameter.

Check, some brands run bigger than others.

 

[straycat]

Just be careful, Bro!!! 2 different treads can be deadly. Never do it...period!!!

Saving money won't save a life. No magazine I have ever read has ever approved of doing this. The amount of drifting on the rear axle area will cause you to loose control especially if you use a mudder mixed with a street tread for example. And if you really have to (emergency) don't drive too fast or stupid.

 

[Ranger Sport Honduras]

ive done it and theres no problem.
just keep em in the same size.

 

[Bennybooster]

It kinda depends, as stray said if you mix a mudder with a street tire the results would be bad, i have mixed tires but the are all mudders with about same tread

 

[bobbywalter]

dont mix bias and radial.


if you want to use 4x4 on hardpan/pavement and it is geared equally, then you need the tire diameters to be close real close.


but an all season on front....say a long trail and a mt out back, will take some vigilance in wet weather, especially with a spool or locker....but thats always the case.

 

[Optimaldave]

Just be careful, Bro!!! 2 different treads can be deadly. Never do it...period!!!

Saving money won't save a life. No magazine I have ever read has ever approved of doing this. The amount of drifting on the rear axle area will cause you to loose control especially if you use a mudder mixed with a street tread for example. And if you really have to (emergency) don't drive too fast or stupid.

Are you mainly refering to not mixing the tire types (aka an A/T and a M/T type) or also to not mixing brands of tire (aka firestone destination A/T's up front and BFG A/T KO's on the rear) just for example, haven't checke their sizes.

I will certainly compare the true tire sizes before mixing as that is a good point.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Just be careful, Bro!!! 2 different treads can be deadly. Never do it...period!!!

Saving money won't save a life. No magazine I have ever read has ever approved of doing this. The amount of drifting on the rear axle area will cause you to loose control especially if you use a mudder mixed with a street tread for example. And if you really have to (emergency) don't drive too fast or stupid.

Magazines exist to sell products.

People run different tires on 2wd trucks all the time. Really common back before 4wds caught on to have aggressive traction type tires in the rear and ribbed street tires up front. Semi trucks still do.

 

[straycat]

Magazines exist to sell products.

People run different tires on 2wd trucks all the time. Really common back before 4wds caught on to have aggressive traction type tires in the rear and ribbed street tires up front. Semi trucks still do.

Yep...true...lots of highway fatalities as well. Just best to be safe and don't mix different treads on the rear...NEVER.
And now..most states don't have the state inspections anymore. They would never let somebody get away with that as you know. People with cracked windshields, no proper running lights or turn signals and motors that spew out black smoke since a lot of states don't check emissions anymore. Florida has stopped the inspections some time ago. I hate seeing people driving with blad or near bald tires and windshields they really can't see out of. Cops should pull them over more often.....

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

He isn't mixing on one axle, he is mixing front to back.

Same axle, I agree, bad idea unless as a spare in a pinch. Front to rear, big deal.

 

[Optimaldave]

Yeah, thinking about the geometry of the truck mixing a mudder and an A/T is likely not the best for the amount of street driving I do. But I can't see two A/T's giving me too much issue as long as they are the same true size seeing as most A/T treads are pretty much the same.

Cheers
Dave

 

[fastpakr]

I wouldn't spend a moment worrying about mixing different treads front and back, as long as you're not engaging 4wd on a high traction surface. Side to side is a different issue, but front to back is fine.

 

[JohnnyO]

Yep...true...lots of highway fatalities as well. Just best to be safe and don't mix different treads on the rear...NEVER.
And now..most states don't have the state inspections anymore. They would never let somebody get away with that as you know.

PA has some of the strictest vehicle inspection laws in the nation and having the same tires front and rear has never been a requirement. You don't know WTF you're talking about.

 

[Optimaldave]

PA has some of the strictest vehicle inspection laws in the nation and having the same tires front and rear has never been a requirement. You don't know WTF you're talking about.

Ok guys, before this starts as a flame war, lets discuss everyones opinion as an opinion which will change from case to case.

I belive it is correct that it would not make a huge difference front to rear treads on a truck as the odds of both tires on the axle doing something weird at the same time are slim to the truck would tend to auto correct itself.

I do know however that we will not install different brands or types of tires on the street motorbikes in our shop as two kinds of tires can handle very differently, and if you lose a wheel on a bike you are sliding on the ground before the end of your four letter word...
It is different for enduro bikes though as we will put a nobby tire on the front with a radial on the rear for people doing on and off road that don't want to blow through a rear tire in 5000KM...
So perhaps it is the same for trucks where in for street vehicles it is not a good idea to mic front and rear, but if you are using it dual purpose you are somewhat of expecting some odd handling anyways as you generally have other mods that affect your steering and suspension in negative ways for street driving...

just my 2 cents coming from the powersport world

Cheers
Dave

 

[fastpakr]

While it's not uncommon, the idea of mismatching tires being a problem (on a motorcycle) is far from universal. I've run mismatched tires before and there was nothing remotely weird about the bike's handling related to it. Good grief, some OEM's even cross the line into mixing bias and radial tires (BMW for one).