To Sasquatch or not to Sasquatch, lots of Cons!

[Raptor911]

I am confused .. why are you looking up the The Wrangler MT/R with Kevlar?

The tire on the Bronco is the GY Territory and not the MT/R with Kevlar.

The GY Territory is a brand new tire and not yet listed anywhere.

Just checked the Tire Rack website and 315/70R17 MT/Rs are Kevlar reinforced and $341 each.

The Wrangler MT/R with Kevlar® (MT/R - Maximum Traction/Reinforced) is Goodyear's Off-Road Maximum Traction tire developed for light truck driving enthusiasts who take off-road traction seriously. The Wrangler MT/R with Kevlar is designed to increase tire toughness when it conquers mud, crawls over rocks and explores trails.

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[iamchewby]

I remember having a truck that I ran mud tires on. They were pretty loud. I also had an auto locker on it, those are surprisingly loud. It also had a rubber floor (before the Bronco made them cool). I also remember having to wear gloves on my 60 mile morning commute because the rubber floor and shitty door seals made that thing impossible to heat in winter (in TEXAS)... my truck now is too nice... i miss the noise. I want 35's.

 

[2Jeeps&PatriotX1]

getting the Badsquatch. I DD 35” MT tires at 75mph 54 miles round trip and in my truck isnt extremely quiet. In my jeep louder as I sit much closer to them, have a soft top and open aftermarket fenders. Wife DD hers w/ the 32.5” KO2 AT tires.

Shes getting this as her DD but it'll see Moab and majority of trails here in CO. Can’t have the Badsquatch on 33s while the offroad camper has 35” MT tires lol.

 

[Rutkap]

So does this nullify the point about extra maintenance for the factory wheels? That's the only thing on this list that surprised and worried me.

Badlands
big motor
auto trans
mid package
33” standard tires
tow package
black painted roof
roof rack
area 51

about 50k
it’s going to be Perfect !!!!!!!!

All the same for me - MAYBE white top/velocity blue if it is not more expensive.

 

[A_Locke]

I've been doing a little digging on the bead lock capable wheels and since you seem informed i've got a question. What is the point of having the bead lock capable wheels if you can't legally drive them to your wheeling destination? How do people who regularly rock crawl install their bead locks? Do they do it at the trail head or do they just drive with the bead locks clamped on and not worry about DOT regulations? I'm just looking at it from the liability side of things in the I don't want to install bead locks and then have an insurance company refuse to cover me if something happens with driving with non DOT approved wheels. Thanks for your input!

So as many people have noted on here, the point of beadlock wheels is to give you the ability to air down your tires to a much higher degree (<10 PSI), which is useful in very rough off-roading conditions to increase traction (intense rock crawling, sand driving with high lateral g's, etc...). They provide no benefit on the road. Because they are technically "modified" wheels, they make DOT approved wheels no longer DOT approved.

Typically, most people with beadlocks install their tires at home. Due to liability reasons, many tire shops won't install them for you so most people do it themselves. When I see people with beadlocks on the trails, they have towed their vehicle to their destination, or they have driven it there.

I am not a lawyer so I really don't know much about the legality, other than the fact they are not DOT approved. I do know that I would not want to be involved in an accident where I had a beadlock wheel mounted. I'm sure it would be hell. If an accident was caused because of a blown out beadlock wheel, that is something I could see result in legal action or fines. I don't know anything about insurance but I would assume insurance would pitch a fit if they found out as well.

At the end of the day, it's really your choice if you want to assume that risk driving with them on the roads. I haven't heard of anyone being pulled over for having them on their vehicle and driving it on the road. The main concern is being involved in an accident with them. Hope this helps!

 

[Dads_bronze_bronco]

Just checked the Tire Rack website and 315/70R17 MT/Rs are Kevlar reinforced and $341 each.

The Wrangler MT/R with Kevlar® (MT/R - Maximum Traction/Reinforced) is Goodyear's Off-Road Maximum Traction tire developed for light truck driving enthusiasts who take off-road traction seriously. The Wrangler MT/R with Kevlar is designed to increase tire toughness when it conquers mud, crawls over rocks and explores trails.

We think the Bronco OEM ones are closer to the Duratrac 315/70R17s based on the look of the tread pattern. Duratracs are definitely more All than Mud Terrain yet they have more open block than the BFG KOs.

 

[Raptor911]

Don’t forget to make them a true beadlock wheel you need to buy the beadlock rings and they run about $800

So as many people have noted on here, the point of beadlock wheels is to give you the ability to air down your tires to a much higher degree (<10 PSI), which is useful in very rough off-roading conditions to increase traction (intense rock crawling, sand driving with high lateral g's, etc...). They provide no benefit on the road. Because they are technically "modified" wheels, they make DOT approved wheels no longer DOT approved.

Typically, most people with beadlocks install their tires at home. Due to liability reasons, many tire shops won't install them for you so most people do it themselves. When I see people with beadlocks on the trails, they have towed their vehicle to their destination, or they have driven it there.

I am not a lawyer so I really don't know much about the legality, other than the fact they are not DOT approved. I do know that I would not want to be involved in an accident where I had a beadlock wheel mounted. I'm sure it would be hell. If an accident was caused because of a blown out beadlock wheel, that is something I could see result in legal action or fines. I don't know anything about insurance but I would assume insurance would pitch a fit if they found out as well.

At the end of the day, it's really your choice if you want to assume that risk driving with them on the roads. I haven't heard of anyone being pulled over for having them on their vehicle and driving it on the road. The main concern is being involved in an accident with them. Hope this helps!

 

[Ocarwolf]

What’s going to handle best in ice and snow?

 

[drugdealr]

How you gonna have the option to squatch and not squatch? Outrageous.

 

[securitysix]

How you gonna have the option to squatch and not squatch? Outrageous.

It's called "being poor."

 

[UncleBuck]

So as many people have noted on here, the point of beadlock wheels is to give you the ability to air down your tires to a much higher degree (<10 PSI), which is useful in very rough off-roading conditions to increase traction (intense rock crawling, sand driving with high lateral g's, etc...). They provide no benefit on the road. Because they are technically "modified" wheels, they make DOT approved wheels no longer DOT approved.

Typically, most people with beadlocks install their tires at home. Due to liability reasons, many tire shops won't install them for you so most people do it themselves. When I see people with beadlocks on the trails, they have towed their vehicle to their destination, or they have driven it there.

I am not a lawyer so I really don't know much about the legality, other than the fact they are not DOT approved. I do know that I would not want to be involved in an accident where I had a beadlock wheel mounted. I'm sure it would be hell. If an accident was caused because of a blown out beadlock wheel, that is something I could see result in legal action or fines. I don't know anything about insurance but I would assume insurance would pitch a fit if they found out as well.

At the end of the day, it's really your choice if you want to assume that risk driving with them on the roads. I haven't heard of anyone being pulled over for having them on their vehicle and driving it on the road. The main concern is being involved in an accident with them. Hope this helps!

Big help! Thanks for the response!

 

[tshaw2009]

There seems to be several good points made regarding pros and cons to consider, but my main concern is how the drive will be with 35s on streets and highway. I'm buying the Bronco for off-roading like many others, I'm not looking for a luxury ride, but I will do more driving on road, than off, unfortunately. I'm also new to off-roading, so everything I've learned is second hand from blogs, articles etc. I'm between Badlands 33s or upgrading to squatch. I'd love to get more opinions on those who drive or have driven on 35" muds and if indeed they typically do worse in the snow, rain, and really shouldn't be driven on the road...

Mud Terrains are notoriously bad in snow, rain, and ice. The tread blocks are too far apart on an M/T and there is barely any siping (zig-zaggy lines in the tread blocks themselves). I'll give you some picture examples. I always run an X/T or hybrid tire as it has an aggressive tread pattern similar to an M/T but handles like an A/T in bad weather due to the substantial siping and closer-together tread pattern.

Here is an M/T which is not good in bad weather:

Here is an X/T hybrid which do great in bad weather:

The siping, when under load, spreads and provides extra traction in snowy or rainy weather. The Nitto Ridge Grappler is another good hybrid option.

 

[Ocarwolf]

Mud Terrains are notoriously bad in snow, rain, and ice. The tread blocks are too far apart on an M/T and there is barely any siping (zig-zaggy lines in the tread blocks themselves). I'll give you some picture examples. I always run an X/T or hybrid tire as it has an aggressive tread pattern similar to an M/T but handles like an A/T in bad weather due to the substantial siping and closer-together tread pattern.

Here is an M/T which is not good in bad weather:

Here is an X/T hybrid which do great in bad weather:

The siping, when under load, spreads and provides extra traction in snowy or rainy weather. The Nitto Ridge Grappler is another good hybrid option.

Where does the squatch offering fall?
What about the 33s on the badlands?

I’m in jersey. Need something that can handle ice and snow in winter.

 

[tshaw2009]

Where does the squatch offering fall?
What about the 33s on the badlands?

I’m in jersey. Need something that can handle ice and snow in winter.

The Sasquatch Package sports a 35 inch M/T which will not be great in winter, but you may be able to ask your dealer for a tire swap upon delivery to a comparable A/T or X/T since they will both be brand new sets. The 33s on the Badlands are, I believe, a BFG K02 A/T which will do just fine in bad weather. The BFG K02 is a very good tire which has stood the test of time.

 

[Bullseye]

Just looked at how much Raptor wheels WITH the rings would cost.

That's $3,900 for 5 wheels! Not including tires.
Wondering if that $2,500 upcharge on the BL is actually reasonable now compared to buying real beadlock wheels and 35s through the aftermarket.

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