It's hard to find a good deal these days. From the gas pumps to the grocery store, living thriftily has come back in style. So does this mean our wheeling hobby has to suffer? No way! Thanks to companies like Tread Wright, you can still afford those mud-terrains you want at a fraction of the price. Now some of you may be weary of retreads, but don't be. Everyone from the U.S. government to long-haul truckers have been cruising around this nation and beyond with the revived rubber. And with the company claiming to save up to "70 percent of the oil and material" it takes to create a new tire, Tread Wright is looking out for your wallet and the environment.
With our buddy's weathered '95 Dodge Ram 1500 4x4 work truck greatly in need of a new set a tires, we knew this would be a great time to test out a set of Tread Wright's 33x12.50R17 Mud Terrains. With the truck equipped with full-time lockers and an onboard welder and seeing an almost genuine 50/50 split between on- and off-road driving, we gave the tires a few days to break in then headed to the California hills to see just how the new skins would hold up.
Our tester '95 Dodge Ram is a work truck through and through. We know that many of you bounce back and forth from varying terrain regularly, and stopping to air up and down isn't always an option. We kept our tire's air pressure around 30 psi. On the road the tires created a slight hum, but nothing more than you would expect from a mud-terrain. The one terrain that we really would have liked to see these dirt cleats go through was the mud, but with the dry climate here in SoCal, we didn't get the chance. Be sure to check out our website (4wheeloffroad.com) for a long-term update on the tires,and maybe we'll even find some mud!
Just because it's a retread...
Just because it's a retread doesn't mean you get shorted on new rubber. Our tester set of 33x12.50r17 Mud Terrains was built with an impressive stagger to allow the tires to self-clean, keeping the terra firma from sticking between the lugs.
Loose sand with crumbled granite...
Loose sand with crumbled granite was the lay of the land for most of our test and where the tires seemed to shine the most. With just enough bite to keep our 1/2-ton moving and not digging down to the abyss, they definitely get the thumbs-up in the desert dirt.
Towing is all part of owning...
Towing is all part of owning a work truck, so we broke out the massive dirt grader and put the tires under some additional strain. With the longbed loaded down with equipment and work supplies, the D-range Mud Terrains never bulged excessively and walked through the dirt without a problem.
The tires had no problem clinging...
The tires had no problem clinging to the first rocky section we hit. Though lowering the air pressure in the tires may have helped to increase their traction and performance on the rocks, the tires' overall grip and feel was consistent and we encountered minimal slip.
Hillclimbs are not only fun,...
Hillclimbs are not only fun, but part of this work truck's commute. With both axles locked, we hammered down the throttle and ejected everything from tiny pebbles to bowling-ball-sized boulders. After multiple launches and grueling passes, all of the knobs were still intact and sidewalls accounted for.