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bobfalfa5
Samba Member
Joined: July 29, 2007
Posts: 255
Location: monza
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 Posted: Thu Nov 24, 2011 6:19 am Post subject: GATES commando tyres |
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possible that no one is interested in doing a repro of few sizes???
there is a big offer of vintage tyres, but for the offroad you can find only military tyres !
gates repro in 4 or 5 sizes could cover all production of offroad vehicles (broncos, blazers, jeeps etc) of 60s and 70s and all the dune buggies.
i think it could be a nice business.
who of you knows about tyre producing?
so impossible to think?
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GTBRADLEY
Samba Member
Joined: February 27, 2009
Posts: 578
Location: Texas
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| Posted: Thu Nov 24, 2011 6:44 am Post subject: |
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Call up Corkey Coker he is about the only one doing vintage tyres!
Just put radials on that bad boy 
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Thunderbug by Bugformance 1969 |
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BL3Manx
Samba Member
Joined: August 29, 2006
Posts: 6767
Location: Northern California
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| Posted: Thu Nov 24, 2011 8:30 am Post subject: |
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The Mickey Thompson Mini-Mag uses the old Gates Commando mold and the Baja Pro uses the old Gates Sand Command
http://www.mickeythompsontires.com/off-road.php
Last edited by BL3Manx on Mon Nov 28, 2011 8:07 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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EMPIImp69
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Joined: April 17, 2006
Posts: 3374
Location: Dirty Jersey
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| Posted: Thu Nov 24, 2011 9:58 am Post subject: |
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Yea I like those MTs, little pricy but nice tho.
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1963 Ragtop Bug |
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jsturtlebuggy
Samba Member
Joined: August 24, 2005
Posts: 4496
Location: Fair Oaks/Orangevale, CA
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| Posted: Thu Nov 24, 2011 10:18 am Post subject: i |
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The original gates tire used on the rear of buggies and on 4x4 had a flat tread surface.
The Mickey Thompson are more like the Western Auto Sand Blasters and what Dick Cepek was selling with the rounded tread crown.
It work better in loose sandy condition then the Gates as it actually has more surface area then a flat tread surface.
The first tires I remember seeing that had the rounded crown with a tread pattern were made by Goodyear. Don't remember what they were called only they were made out of Rayon material.
Second rounded crown treaded tires I saw where Bridgestone Alligators that were very popular for off road racing until the Sand Blasters came out.
Yes there were the implement tire made for farm equipment that people cut grooves in them to gain traction before the other tires came out, but you took your life into your hands since none were made to go over 30MPH without going egg shape. I know I used to run them on sand/play buggy I had.
Dick Cepek was instrumental in working with Armstrong Tires in developing the farm implement tire that was made to run on the highway. Selling those tires to others was one of ways his business grew as big as it did.
My Dad purchased a pair of Armstrong 11L-14 tires for our first trips to the sand with our buggy.
I think you would have a better chance of having a tire company in China reproduce the Gates type tire used in the 1960s then anyone in America now.
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Joseph
Fair Oaks/Orangevale, CA
Elrod Motorsports
Motion Tire Motorsports
Having fun with Dune Buggies since 1970
Into Volkswagens since 1960 |
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Manx102
Samba Member
Joined: June 07, 2010
Posts: 484
Location: California
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| Posted: Thu Nov 24, 2011 2:06 pm Post subject: |
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I'd be in for a set of reproduction ones. Right now I have Maxi Trak tires from around 1975 on the Manx. But it would be neat to have again the 11-15 Gates Commando tires that were on the Manx from back in 1967 to around 1971.
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"The simplest of outdoor adventures - the most treasured memories." - Bruce Meyers
54 years of "outdoor adventures" and "treasured memories" with our Manx in my gallery. |
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Ian
Samba Moderator
Joined: August 28, 2002
Posts: 4932
Location: 713
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| Posted: Fri Nov 25, 2011 11:45 am Post subject: |
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Gates is local here in Denver.....so I always look around for NOS Gates tires....
I wish they would remake the old ones, but I think they only make belts and smaller rubber stuff now.
the old factory, which took up like 4 city blocks, is being torn down now.
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All your Buses are belong to us.
Love and good roads!
IN LOVING MEMORY OF ROB CRESS 1968-2012
**ACHTUNG DO NOT USE AA BRAND PRODUCTS OR BUY ANYTHING FROM PACIFIC PARTS INTERNATIONAL IN CALIFORNIA** |
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GeoffP
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Joined: July 14, 2002
Posts: 400
Location: Blaine WA / Vancouver
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| Posted: Fri Nov 25, 2011 2:02 pm Post subject: |
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| I'd love a set or two! |
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bobfalfa5
Samba Member
Joined: July 29, 2007
Posts: 255
Location: monza
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| Posted: Mon Nov 28, 2011 4:02 am Post subject: |
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they are nice, but they are completely different and wrong sizes!
i f you put a 30 and over inches diameter on the rear of your vintage buggy gear ratios will become completely wrong and then tyres will bump the sky of the fender every five seconds in offroad driving.
i've always sent a letter to coker tyres, without receiving any answer.
gates company is no more involved in tyres production, and i asked if they still have tools to make commandos.
they don't have anymore.
the only way to have them is to catch nos ones and repro them.
i think they could sell for paying new tools, and to earn on them....
but i have no money to think to start this thing...
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BL3Manx
Samba Member
Joined: August 29, 2006
Posts: 6767
Location: Northern California
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| Posted: Mon Nov 28, 2011 8:03 am Post subject: |
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| bobfalfa5 wrote: |
they are nice, but they are completely different and wrong sizes!
i f you put a 30 and over inches diameter on the rear of your vintage buggy gear ratios will become completely wrong and then tyres will bump the sky of the fender every five seconds in offroad driving.
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The Mini-Mag is made in the old Gates Commando (then later Western Auto) mold, they are nearly identical other than the writing. If you want a gates replica wider than the Mini Mag, the Baja Pro is all there is. The smaller size will fit a Manx. They are also bias ply for the purist.
Fender clearance has as much to do with setting up your suspension as tire size and ring and pinions come in different ratios, not just stock.
The tires on the back of this are 31" dia.
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jsturtlebuggy
Samba Member
Joined: August 24, 2005
Posts: 4496
Location: Fair Oaks/Orangevale, CA
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| Posted: Mon Nov 28, 2011 8:49 am Post subject: |
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You are not going to gain any friends by calling everyone wrong.
Are you forgetting that running larger size tires was one the reasons that close ratio gears where made.
Or that Bus reductions box transaxles were installed to turn larger size tires with the 36 and 40hp engines that were very common at the time.
Like I said before you are going to have better luck getting tires made in China than America with all the requlations required here.
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Joseph
Fair Oaks/Orangevale, CA
Elrod Motorsports
Motion Tire Motorsports
Having fun with Dune Buggies since 1970
Into Volkswagens since 1960 |
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bobfalfa5
Samba Member
Joined: July 29, 2007
Posts: 255
Location: monza
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| Posted: Mon Nov 28, 2011 4:48 pm Post subject: |
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can u please explain who are the"all" i called wrong???
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GTBRADLEY
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Joined: February 27, 2009
Posts: 578
Location: Texas
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| Posted: Mon Nov 28, 2011 4:58 pm Post subject: |
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Get over the Gates TYRES will ya. They're not going to make exact copies because the market is not there PERIOD. Talk to some Chinese tire manufactures and see if they'll make them. They seem to be stealing all of our other products. Gates Commando Tyres are no more, Gone, Nada, Zip, Done.
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bobfalfa5
Samba Member
Joined: July 29, 2007
Posts: 255
Location: monza
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| Posted: Mon Nov 28, 2011 5:00 pm Post subject: |
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| BL3Manx wrote: |
| bobfalfa5 wrote: |
they are nice, but they are completely different and wrong sizes!
i f you put a 30 and over inches diameter on the rear of your vintage buggy gear ratios will become completely wrong and then tyres will bump the sky of the fender every five seconds in offroad driving.
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The Mini-Mag is made in the old Gates Commando (then later Western Auto) mold, they are nearly identical other than the writing. If you want a gates replica wider than the Mini Mag, the Baja Pro is all there is. The smaller size will fit a Manx. They are also bias ply for the purist.
Fender clearance has as much to do with setting up your suspension as tire size and ring and pinions come in different ratios, not just stock.
The tires on the back of this are 31" dia.
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uhm. interesting.
sure it is a vintage look?
sure you are not confusing that one mile lift kit with suspension tune up?
sure mickey thompson have in catalogue same sizes of gates had?
sure baja pro are even little similar to wider commandos?
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crashtestdumba$$
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Joined: March 19, 2011
Posts: 107
Location: california
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| Posted: Mon Nov 28, 2011 5:04 pm Post subject: |
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| who cares...cool ride. Nice look with the repro tires. Keep buggin boys and girls...keep buggin |
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bobfalfa5
Samba Member
Joined: July 29, 2007
Posts: 255
Location: monza
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| Posted: Mon Nov 28, 2011 5:07 pm Post subject: |
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| GTBRADLEY wrote: |
| Get over the Gates TYRES will ya. They're not going to make exact copies because the market is not there PERIOD. Talk to some Chinese tire manufactures and see if they'll make them. They seem to be stealing all of our other products. Gates Commando Tyres are no more, Gone, Nada, Zip, Done. |
you are a sage man.
but let's dream a little!
when i bought my split bus in 1997, we had only some brazilian crap body repair panels. they were very few.
now we are near to buy the whole bus in parts, choosing two or three qualities!!!
ida caburetors were gone too, for example...and now we have tons.
there is a market.. and vogues changes.
coker is making something even less sellable than a gates repro.
maybe in some years....maybe not coker, maybe one of us.
it could happen. isn't it?
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nightmanx11
Samba Member
Joined: November 15, 2007
Posts: 549
Location: Downstate Illinois
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| Posted: Mon Nov 28, 2011 5:10 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
possible that no one is interested in doing a repro of few sizes???
there is a big offer of vintage tyres, but for the offroad you can find only military tyres !
gates repro in 4 or 5 sizes could cover all production of offroad vehicles (broncos, blazers, jeeps etc) of 60s and 70s and all the dune buggies.
i think it could be a nice business.
who of you knows about tyre producing?
so impossible to think?
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A long time ago I worked in a machine shop that had a sign above the front door. It read: "We can do or
build anything, providing you have both the time & money for the project."
So if you want a period correct tire then find a company, or start your own company to build the molds,
and then have them produced. Then you can try to sell enough of them to pay the cost of design, production,
etc.
There is a reason that Gates quit making the tires, lack of a viable market in which they could make
a profit. It is a simple concept to not make what you cannot sell.
I wish you the best of luck. |
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GTBRADLEY
Samba Member
Joined: February 27, 2009
Posts: 578
Location: Texas
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| Posted: Mon Nov 28, 2011 5:20 pm Post subject: |
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What kind of tires did old red have?
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BL3Manx
Samba Member
Joined: August 29, 2006
Posts: 6767
Location: Northern California
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| Posted: Mon Nov 28, 2011 5:50 pm Post subject: |
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| GTBRADLEY wrote: |
| What kind of tires did old red have? |
Gates Commandos, front and rear.
| GTBRADLEY wrote: |
| Get over the Gates TYRES will ya. They're not going to make exact copies because the market is not there PERIOD. Talk to some Chinese tire manufactures and see if they'll make them. They seem to be stealing all of our other products. Gates Commando Tyres are no more, Gone, Nada, Zip, Done. |
Actually, if Mickey Thompson(Cooper) just made some wider Mini-Mags, they'd be a near perfect Gates replica for the the rear. Most people actually used 14" Commandos up front. MT make two sizes of Baja Pro, why shouldn't they add a wider size Mini-Mag. The Commando was actually original equipment on some early 70s Ford Broncos. I think they'd be a very popular tire.
Last edited by BL3Manx on Mon Nov 28, 2011 7:26 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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BL3Manx
Samba Member
Joined: August 29, 2006
Posts: 6767
Location: Northern California
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| Posted: Mon Nov 28, 2011 7:09 pm Post subject: |
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| bobfalfa5 wrote: |
sure mickey thompson have in catalogue same sizes of gates had?
sure baja pro are even little similar to wider commandos? |
NO, MT has one Mini-Mag size and two Baja Pro sizes. Gates had a many, many sizes of 14" and 15" diameter Commando XT tire sizes. There were also different model Commando Tires, XT70, XT Wide Trac and XT Special. Later, they added the XT Sand Command.
The Gates XT 10.50 X 15 had a 30.5" diameter which is larger than the small MT Baja Pro.
It gets old trying and explain to someone who doesn't read what you write. I said, The Baja Pro is nearly identical to the Gates SAND COMMAND tire.
Last edited by BL3Manx on Mon Nov 28, 2011 8:22 pm; edited 2 times in total |
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