From: Bjorn Brandstedt (super_deuce@hotmail.com)
Date: Tue Nov 16 2004 - 09:57:22 PST
Hi Marc,
Thank you for the information and pictures! Nice looking tires. I see that
you have the "right" wheels for singles too.
The tire hop is a problem that I run into when backing uphill. The load on
the front axle increases and the lighter rear "bucks" against the full
traction in the front.
Interesting observation about the side-to-side hop. Still it's probably due
to low loading (=low traction).
Installing interaxle differentails, including to the front, is probably the
ultimate solution, but may not be available.
How much, if any, load were you carrying?
Bjorn
>From: Marc Strangfeld <curlyjoe98@yahoo.com>
>To: "Military Vehicles Mailing List" <mil-veh@mil-veh.org>
>Subject: [MV] 12.5R20 tire report
>Date: Tue, 16 Nov 2004 01:01:48 -0800 (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
>
>http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/curlyjoe98/album?.dir=c396&.src=ph&store=&prodid=&.done=http%3a//pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/curlyjoe98/my_photos
>
>Marc
>
>
>
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