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tsl thornbirds?
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BFB
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PostPosted: Sun Apr 11, 2021 3:59 pm    Post subject: tsl thornbirds? Reply with quote

anyone ever run these and if so what'd you think about them?
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An interesting thing happens in forums where everyone starts parroting the same thing and "common knowledge" takes over.
“ The monkey see monkey do mentality seems to run deep in VW people. "Gene Berg said it was so 30 years ago so thats the way it is" “ - bdkw1
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Mickey bitsko
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PostPosted: Sun Apr 11, 2021 6:42 pm    Post subject: Re: tsl thornbirds? Reply with quote

My experience on a cj5 ok off road , not friendly as a dd.
Loud and hard to keep balanced.
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dustymojave
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PostPosted: Sun Apr 11, 2021 7:00 pm    Post subject: Re: tsl thornbirds? Reply with quote

Their VERY aggressive tread is good for breaking gearboxes on VW's too.
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BFB
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PostPosted: Mon Apr 12, 2021 4:50 pm    Post subject: Re: tsl thornbirds? Reply with quote

their no where near as aggressive as an actual super swamper or even as aggressive the bfg mud terrains i have on there now..
thats kinda why i was asking, my bfg's are soooo heavy! my tire guy say bfg muds are one of the heaviest for their size. and their really square , so not so great of a tire on a swing axle. i thought about a set of the terra type tires as their a lot lighter, but i do spend a fair amount of time on the road but not sure how they'd handle or wear, i also dont do over 60 with a rgb trans either...
im open to suggestions?
for the record though, i dont care about noise or a tire being dot approved. i could probably run tractor tires and no one round here would say anything about it ..
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Forced induction can overcome a lot of obsticles that gets in it's way
"You are the Engineer and the Mechanic.  
Build it your way not the way someone else does it. Their way might not work for you." - clonebug
An interesting thing happens in forums where everyone starts parroting the same thing and "common knowledge" takes over.
“ The monkey see monkey do mentality seems to run deep in VW people. "Gene Berg said it was so 30 years ago so thats the way it is" “ - bdkw1
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Mickey bitsko
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 13, 2021 5:13 am    Post subject: Re: tsl thornbirds? Reply with quote

If you're concerned about weight why not go with
Load range B tires?
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BFB
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 13, 2021 5:43 pm    Post subject: Re: tsl thornbirds? Reply with quote

Mickey bitsko wrote:
If you're concerned about weight why not go with
Load range B tires?


like what? most of what i could find was only available in lt truck
_________________
Forced induction can overcome a lot of obsticles that gets in it's way
"You are the Engineer and the Mechanic.  
Build it your way not the way someone else does it. Their way might not work for you." - clonebug
An interesting thing happens in forums where everyone starts parroting the same thing and "common knowledge" takes over.
“ The monkey see monkey do mentality seems to run deep in VW people. "Gene Berg said it was so 30 years ago so thats the way it is" “ - bdkw1
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SamT
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 13, 2021 6:42 pm    Post subject: Re: tsl thornbirds? Reply with quote

Best swampers I’ve run for all around are trxus MT. Awesome in mud and sand. Good highway manners. Tough as nails. Never had any on a VW though. Something designed for a side by side may offer traction advantages since they will be more appropriate for the weight.
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PostPosted: Wed Apr 14, 2021 5:05 pm    Post subject: Re: tsl thornbirds? Reply with quote

i tried utv tires but what i got i returned because their 31's were dead at 29". so i ordered 32's they were damn near 33". i gave up after that...
also sidewalls seemed soft on the set i got, baja drove like i was hauling a heavy trailer with only 20 psi in my tires and sidewalls were rolling around.
im sure there's others that are great but thats just the recent experience i had.
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Forced induction can overcome a lot of obsticles that gets in it's way
"You are the Engineer and the Mechanic.  
Build it your way not the way someone else does it. Their way might not work for you." - clonebug
An interesting thing happens in forums where everyone starts parroting the same thing and "common knowledge" takes over.
“ The monkey see monkey do mentality seems to run deep in VW people. "Gene Berg said it was so 30 years ago so thats the way it is" “ - bdkw1
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Lonesome Rider
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PostPosted: Wed May 05, 2021 9:10 am    Post subject: Re: tsl thornbirds? Reply with quote

i had thornbirds on a lifted dodge ram and they looked awesome but drove like crap on the road. Specially if it was cold out.
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earthquake
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PostPosted: Thu May 06, 2021 10:41 am    Post subject: Re: tsl thornbirds? Reply with quote

I wish they still made 15" old style "Armstrong Tru-Trac's"!

eQ
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PostPosted: Fri May 07, 2021 7:43 am    Post subject: Re: tsl thornbirds? Reply with quote

earthquake wrote:
I wish they still made 15" old style "Armstrong Tru-Trac's"!

eQ


Or even the old Norseman tires but we are dating ourselves(old farts)
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BFB
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PostPosted: Fri May 07, 2021 4:41 pm    Post subject: Re: tsl thornbirds? Reply with quote

i just picked up a pair of good year tracker a-t's from a tire shop thats been around since i think the 50's. i bought them then took em to another tire shop i know to get them mounted after my wheels were powder coated. and the 2nd shop was looking for a dot date on them and the one feller said to the other " their aint no date on these, must be from before dot dates on tires". my wife googled it and dot started dating tires in 1971. musta been better rubber back then too
_________________
Forced induction can overcome a lot of obsticles that gets in it's way
"You are the Engineer and the Mechanic.  
Build it your way not the way someone else does it. Their way might not work for you." - clonebug
An interesting thing happens in forums where everyone starts parroting the same thing and "common knowledge" takes over.
“ The monkey see monkey do mentality seems to run deep in VW people. "Gene Berg said it was so 30 years ago so thats the way it is" “ - bdkw1
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dustymojave
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PostPosted: Sun May 09, 2021 9:39 pm    Post subject: Re: tsl thornbirds? Reply with quote

stevebaz wrote:
earthquake wrote:
I wish they still made 15" old style "Armstrong Tru-Trac's"!

eQ


Or even the old Norseman tires but we are dating ourselves(old farts)


I've worn out a few pairs of Norseman tires. My Baja Bugs. My F100. They were very good tires. On pavement. On Dirt. Desert. Mountains. The Dick Cepeks were just never the same in spite of the same tread. Different casing. Different tread compounds.
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Offroading VW based cars since 1965
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Retired from building Bajas, Fiberglass Buggies and Rails in the Mojave Desert. Also Sprints & Midgets, Dry Lakes, Road Race cars. All types New and Vintage
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dustymojave
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PostPosted: Mon May 10, 2021 12:29 pm    Post subject: Re: tsl thornbirds? Reply with quote

richardcraineum wrote:
i just picked up a pair of good year tracker a-t's from a tire shop thats been around since i think the 50's. i bought them then took em to another tire shop i know to get them mounted after my wheels were powder coated. and the 2nd shop was looking for a dot date on them and the one feller said to the other " their aint no date on these, must be from before dot dates on tires". my wife googled it and dot started dating tires in 1971. musta been better rubber back then too


When I was selling tires in 1973, I was required to write the DOT date on the invoice.

HOWEVER! Goodyear Tracker tires were not introduced until about 1978. A guy I worked with thought the new tires would be good for his new Dodge pickup. They got crappy traction on any surface and didn't last very long. The Norsemans on my Ford lasted longer than 2 sets of Trackers on his Dodge.

I have some early 1970s Bridgestone Alligator 33 x 9.00 tires for spares for my Hi Jumper. They are rather worn. But the tires are still in GOOD shape. No cracks. Still hold air very well. I got the Alligators used in 1973, from a guy who had used them to race 2 seasons including the Baja 1000 on his Bronco. They were too big for my Baja that I got them for, but were fine for the Hi Jumper. I used then new Sand Blaster 9-15s for my primary race tires, as they were lighter weight than the Alligators. I've put many miles on the Alligators and so have a couple of my friends who borrowed them for a while. My SandBlasters are still good too. The front tires on my Hi Jumper are still the Cooper Extra Traction 6.70-15s that I bought to build the buggy in the mid 1970s. None of the tires listed here have EVER gone flat. They're all still in good shape. I wish ALL my tires were as durable as those.

As for Armstrong Tru-Tracs, They were pretty popular on 4x4s back in the 70s. Kinda soft casings. A friend had them on his '62 Jeep 4x pickup. Lasted him pretty well and he replaced them with the same when they wore out. Crawled quite well when aired down to about 12psi. Might have worked fair on a buggy or Baja with the soft casings. But kinda big for a buggy then.
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Offroading VW based cars since 1965
Tech Inspection 1963 - 2012 SCCA/SCORE/HDRA/MORE/MDR +
Retired from building Bajas, Fiberglass Buggies and Rails in the Mojave Desert. Also Sprints & Midgets, Dry Lakes, Road Race cars. All types New and Vintage
SoCalBajas Member
Kicked Cancer's A$$...1st and 2nd round...Fight ain't over yet.
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