From: Marc Strangfeld (curlyjoe98@yahoo.com)
Date: Tue Nov 16 2004 - 01:01:48 PST
I finally got all the 12.5R20 Michelins mounted and on
the truck. I haven't done any extensive testing and
doubt I'll get a chance until next spring but for now
I can pass on a few observations.
1. I lost some of my speed gain that I had with the
NDCC 11.00-20's. The 12.5's are in between the 9.00
and the 11.00 for height so that puts them around
40-41" I suppose.
2. They are designed for a wider wheel than the stock
7.5" they are on now. This was a cause for concern
but the tire man said he thought they would be ok.
3. The side of the tire states plainly "50 psi" but on
the front axle they were squating more than normal for
a radial so I added 10, then 15, then 20 psi. 60 psi
didn't help much and 70 psi caused the truck to act
real light and almost squirrelly on the highway but 65
psi seems just right. The advise I got was go ahead
and run them at 65 psi, just keep an eye on them. I
left the tandems at 50 psi and that seems to work
well.
4. At slow speeds I can't tell much difference in
turning effort but at higher speeds it is better than
the NDCC's.
5. The tires dig much more than the NDCC's but it
seems like the power swaps from side to side through
the differential so it causes a lot of wheel hop.
This I don't like because the last thing I want is a
busted up drivetrain. I tried climbing a loose sandy
hill that caused the truck to lurch from side to side
rather violently. With the old tires the truck would
just loose traction and spin. I did not try airing
down the tires yet but that may solve the problem.
In conclusion I must say the jury is still out. I'll
have to put some miles on them and observe the wear,
especially on the fronts as well as doing some more
offroad testing. If anyone is thinking about using
12.5 Michelins I wouldn't tell them not to, but there
are probably better options out there unless you get
them cheap. I had to pay about $40 a tire for
mounting, disposal and a radial tire tube so take that
into consideration when making the deal.
Below is a link to some pictures of the tires
Marc
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