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Tire Sizes

Posted: Mon Sep 22, 2008 3:00 pm
by sailortaylor
Time to buy new shoes for the M37. I saw in Dave Ahl's guide that you could replace the stock NDT's with 305/85-16, 13/36-16 or 36x12.5R16's. Has anyone had success or not with tires of these sizes. Many thanks!

Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2008 5:49 am
by Cal_Gary
The "in" tire for a lot of folks is the 11.00x16 Michelin. I run the NDTs for the desired "look" of the military tread.
Gary

Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2008 2:15 pm
by bubba_got_you
Cal_Gary wrote:The "in" tire for a lot of folks is the 11.00x16 Michelin.
Gary
i just got 12 of those and only need 4 lol

Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2008 2:33 pm
by MSeriesRebuild
LT315-75R16 is the closest to original height I have found on the current production market. We run this size in a Yokohama Geolander M/T.

Posted: Wed Sep 24, 2008 4:07 pm
by peter e mark
Perhaps this is the post to which I may humbly inquire: What does NDT , and the other military tire ( four letters ) I always see advertised stand for? What about those tires I see pictured in the WW2 photos that look like they belong on a farming tractor ? Are they still availble?

Posted: Wed Sep 24, 2008 4:13 pm
by obxron
NDT- Non directional tread

Posted: Wed Sep 24, 2008 4:13 pm
by knattrass
Peter - Non-Directional Tires are still available from STA and Denman. The tread is a characteristic "ladder" capable of equal traction forward/rearward. I guess under fire you hope for more rearward traction? I actually have a set prior to the cost increases. See swaps.

Posted: Wed Sep 24, 2008 9:06 pm
by peter e mark
Thank You all, And however, what about the tires that had diagnal treads on them ( farm tractor tires ) ? Who has those ? Signed: Peter ( I have to be different ) Mark

Posted: Thu Sep 25, 2008 5:15 am
by Lifer
They're called "bar tread" tires. Farm King, Tractor Supply Co., Baines' Farm & Fleet, and Western Auto stores, along with major tire stores in agricultural areas and tractor dealerships will have them. They come in rim diameters as small as 8" for garden tractors to "humongous" for some of the modern diesel farm tractors. We used to have a David Bradley walk-behind garden tractor with 5.00-15 bar-tread tires on it. When I was stationed in South Carolina, I saw guys running them on 16" rims in the swamp buggy races, so I'm sure they must still be available somewhere.

Posted: Thu Sep 25, 2008 6:00 pm
by peter e mark
Thank You Lifer. I am going to check out those leads, and hopefully be the first MV'er on the block, if not the entire state of New York, to sport these tires ! Eat your heart out KNATTRASS

Posted: Thu Sep 25, 2008 6:17 pm
by Lifer
Word of warning, though, if you find some. They're low-speed, low-pressure tires (usually about 10 or 12 psi). They're great in sand or soft dirt, less so in mud or snow, and really awful on pavement. They'll ride rough as a cob on pavement and you don't have nearly as much rubber-to-pavement contact, which will make them skid-prone.

Posted: Fri Sep 26, 2008 8:51 am
by knattrass
Lifer - as long as he can't make it off the island. I'm good with that....

Posted: Fri Sep 26, 2008 9:39 am
by Lifer
:lol: I hear ya!

Posted: Fri Sep 26, 2008 10:50 pm
by peter e mark
Drat and more drat ! Come to think of it, it;s that time of year to sight in my potato gun. Ever see them in reeanctment? Why, if aimed right and loaded sufficiently, the "projectile" can even dent 16 guage metal ! Now lets see: what is the thickness of Kieth's newly restored, over polished, trailer queen vehicle again?

Posted: Sat Sep 27, 2008 7:18 am
by k8icu
Prior to WWII when the Army was dabling in vehicles in earnest the V shaped tractor tire was a "standard off road" tire. The problem is if you left a tire track the V could show your direction of travel and thus leave intel for the enemy to use. So they took the V and put it straight and off set like the NDT and walla the Non-Directional Tire. If you leave a track with these tires you can not tell which direction the vehicle was travling.

In this modern age of satalites etc the point is mute so that is why the Army runs Wrangle MTs on the HMMWV and the Michillins on other vehicles. A good all terrain tire. Unlike the Non-directs which suck on pavement and espcially the rain.

NDCC is Non-Directional Cross Country. Just thought I'd put that out there.