The new Goodyear MT/R with Kevlar sidewalls has made a great impression on us over the last year. We ran them on our Ultimate FJ Cruiser in last year's Four Wheeler Top Truck Challenge ("Turtle Fun, Turtle Done," Dec. '09), then bolted the same set of 42s on the Fun Buggy and ran them in the our 2009 Ultimate Adventure (Nov. and Dec. '09). In both events we were impressed with their performance in mud and loose terrain. It doesn't hurt that these 42s are comparable in height to other manufacturer's 44s. Then came an offer too good to be true: the same exact tire, only now in a sticky off-road-only compound.
Sticky compound tires aren't new. Many companies make a sticky or super-soft rubber compound for the competition rockcrawlers they sponsor. Unfortunately, these tires rarely make it to the general public. However, Goodyear has decided to release a limited number of these off-road-only tires so everyone can enjoy the same awesome traction the pros know. We wrestled a set onto our Fun Buggy and hit the rocks, where we soon became spoiled by the awesome new ability.
The 42x14.50R17LT Goodyear...
The 42x14.50R17LT Goodyear MT/R Kevlar sticky compound tire is identical in size and shape to our street-variety 42s. The actual size we measured was 411/2 inches tall, 12 inches wide, with a 3/4-inch tread depth and C load rating. To secure the new MT/Rs to our rig, we bolted them onto our Stazworks beadlocks and headed to the rough stuff.
The buggy is no slouch, with...
The buggy is no slouch, with a big V-8 engine, portal axles, and plenty of gearing and suspension, but it's also pretty heavy at about 5,500 pounds. This means climbing can be a throttle-down scenario. The Goodyear stickies reduced that immensely. We're not saying it will climb vertical walls, but the soft compound of the sticky tires definitely adds grip and allows us to crawl more obstacles a tad slower.
In our year of testing the...
In our year of testing the street-legal MT/R Kevlars we only had one puncture, not bad for the abusive wheeling we do. The sticky compound tires should have just as strong a carcass with the added benefit of the rubber that helps hold difficult side hill lines. We aired down to about 9 psi, and the buggy did so well we were getting brave and starting up stupid lines. That may be our biggest complaint: We'll soon be trying really dumb climbs!
The sidewall of the sticky...
The sidewall of the sticky Goodyears is pretty adamant that these are not for highway use, and rightfully so. Running a sticky tire on asphalt is akin to running a drag slick on your daily driver-not a good idea. The soft compound isn't designed or tested for your commuter truck and would be a waste of quality rubber there, as running them down the street will likely shorten their life.
You can really tell the difference...
You can really tell the difference between the sticky Goodyears and a regular compound tire in the rocks. The soft rubber is less likely to slide off sideways, while having even more bite for climbs. The tread design is the same, so we would expect mud and sand performance to be identical to normal rubber (we found both exemplary in our year of testing).
The Goodyear sticky tires...
The Goodyear sticky tires (also known as yellow-stripe tires for the Yellow manufacturing strip in the tread face) are not inexpensive, nor are they available everywhere. Expect the price to be about $100 more than a comparable street compound MT/R. Also, they are currently only available in 40- and 42-inch sizes. Although any Goodyear dealer should be able to sell them, you can contact Standage Tires in Blythe, California, if your local dealer cannot source them.