Pro Comp Radial Mud Terrains
April 16, 2000
When you're a major manufacturer of off-road products, entering the tire market is fraught with the danger of high customer expectations and harsh critics. Explorer Pro Comp has entered the tire wars with a new line of truck tires, the Radial All Terrain and the Radial Mud Terrain. So how does the new kid on the block compare against the established tiremakers like BFG and Interco? Very well, as it turns out.
Since Project YJ finally got its differentials re-geared from 3.55 to a 4.10 ratio, it was ready for taller tires. Because it's a daily driver, bias ply tires were out of the question. They were noisy, had a short life span, and their handling vague on most paved surfaces. Radial tires would last longer and provide better pavement manners with much less noise. We decided to try a set of Pro Comp Mud Terrains tires because they were new and Pro Comp had a long history of involvement with the off-road industry. We ordered a set of 35x12.50R15 tires, opting for the Mud Terrains since we wanted maximum off-road performance.
The tires are officially manufactured by one of Explorer Pro Comp's subsidiaries, Pro Competition Tire Company. Made in the USA, the Mud Terrain features an aggressive, high-void open three stage lug pattern. This is pretty standard fare for today's mud tires but Pro Comp has gone a step further by siping the centre ribs. Hardcore off-roaders in northwest Washington have been siping their tires for years to improve their snow/ice performance. They have also reported longer tread life and improved traction on rocks as a result of the sipes. Obviously, Pro Comp is aware of this performance trick and is one of the first tire manufacturers I know of that has incorporated sipes into an aggressive mud tire. Another feature I liked was the presence of tread along the bottom of the sidewalls to provide extra traction and resistance to punctures when the tire is aired down.
Pro Comp incorporated the latest off-road performance
thinking into their
Radial Mud Terrains: sipes on the centre ribs.
|
Side-biting treads improve performance and puncture resistance.
|
By the way, if you look closely at the left-hand photo, you will see that there are stud holes in the outer tread blocks. This is another nice feature that will appeal to northern climate off-roaders who don't park their 4x4s for the winter. This tire should be great for year-round off-roading fun.
I ordered the tires along with a set of black spoked Rock Crawler steel wheels as a complete package from Pro Comp. When they arrived, I was impressed by the small amount of weights required to balance the tires. This was quite a change from my old tires which required a lot of lead to get them properly balanced.
It was the beginning of the week when I mounted the tires on Project YJ so the first few hundred kilometres were spent on the pavement commuting to and from work. The daily drone was made more pleasant by the Pro Comp's excellent highway manners and the fact that they were noticably quieter than the 33" mud tires which they replaced.
The following week I headed down to the Walker Valley ORV park in Washington with some friends. This system of narrow, twisting trails is notorious for inflicting damage and is almost always wet. Its combination of mud, gnarled roots and sharp, wet rocks would provide the perfect proving ground for the Pro Comp Mud Terrains. To make things more interesting, two of the other trucks in our group were also shod with new tires. One had 35" Baja Claws, the other had 36" Swampers. Walker Valley lived up to its reputation and we encountered lots of mud, rocks and roots. All vehicles performed equally well. Project YJ's street-friendly Pro Comps allowed it to follow the other similarly-built 4x4s even though they were running more expensive, shorter lifespan, off-road-centric tires.
The Pro Comp Mud Terrains provided fantastic traction. Even though this wet rock was taller than the radius height of the tire, it had enough traction to crawl straight UP and onto the rock.
|
The high-void tread pattern shed the mud very well. I never had a problem with the treads getting packed with mud and turning into "slicks."
|
One observer was compelled to ask what kind of tires I had after witnessing the Project YJ take a particularly tricky line that none of the previous vehicles was able to follow. A large part of that was due to the fact that the Pro Comps flexed extremely well when aired down to 8-9 psi. But even at this low pressure, they were never in danger of unseating from the rims.
I aired the rear tires to 8 psi and the fronts down to 9 psi. You can see how well the tires fatten out for greater traction. Notice how well the front tire is conforming to the shape of the rock.
|
Of course, there are trails where special purpose tires like the Swampers will outperform the Pro Comps. The question you need to consider is whether or not that additional level of performance is something you need, especially in light of the fact that the Pro Comps are less expensive, longer lasting, and superior on the pavement. In the case of Project YJ, the Pro Comps are a perfect match. They allow it to continue fulfilling its role as a fun commuter vehicle during the week and then playing with the "big dogs" on the hardcore trails during the weekend.
...lars
