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Running Claws Backwards

B

BOX

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Canyon Village, WY
Anyone ever run claws backwards? How loud? How much more traction? How much worse tire wear?

I don't daily drive my XJ, but I do have to drive to the trails... sometimes long distances.
 
You'll certainly decrease tread life...I'd say put it to about half the estimated life....they'll dig better...I would think you might hear more drone when run backwards...but shouldn't be too bad. If it's not a daily driver, then you should be good to go.
 
why not run them normally on the street, and then swap sides when you get to the trail?
 
87manche said:
why not run them normally on the street, and then swap sides when you get to the trail?
Click to expand...
Huge PIA.


I had a guy I worked with DD his 37" stickies backwards on his TJ. He got new ones every season.
 
Mine are 37 radials, but I have a WJ I drive everyday... would only have to drive it to the trails.

ANY idea how many miles he got out of them?
 
Why would they wear faster when run backwards? All it means is that the tread bars are angled a different way. Unless you know someone who's run them both ways to get a comparison, if just speculating I'll speculate that it won't make any difference in tire wear.

Running them backward supposedly helps them to hold a line better. My rears are backwards, and they do work well, but since I've never run them before I don't have anything to compare to.
 
Scrappy said:
Huge PIA.


I had a guy I worked with DD his 37" stickies backwards on his TJ. He got new ones every season.
Click to expand...

it's not that bad, I swap 31" road tires for my 34" swampers when I wheel, takes 20 minutes, the time it would take to air down/up anyway, just a bit more work.
 
From what I hear... better offroad traction AND what I hate is getting almost literally TOSSED off rocks/boulders sideways because of the lack of laterall traction, which apparently running them backwards solves? Hence why I'm checking to see if running em backwards decreases tread life. End of the month I have to drive 4hours to the offroad park out in Pennistucky.
 
I think grooving them would make a bigger difference in lateral traction than turning them backwards.
 
BOX said:
From what I hear... better offroad traction AND what I hate is getting almost literally TOSSED off rocks/boulders sideways because of the lack of laterall traction, which apparently running them backwards solves? Hence why I'm checking to see if running em backwards decreases tread life. End of the month I have to drive 4hours to the offroad park out in Pennistucky.
Click to expand...

it's not that they have a lack of lateral traction but that like all directional mud tires they are designed to push the terrain to the outside so they can dig in to the harder stuff, so flipping them makes them pull the terrain to the inside keeping them on the obstacle
 
cjovertj said:
it's not that they have a lack of lateral traction but that like all directional mud tires they are designed to push the terrain to the outside so they can dig in to the harder stuff, so flipping them makes them pull the terrain to the inside keeping them on the obstacle
Click to expand...

Well Said
 
CanMan said:
If you only see street time a few times a month(or however often you wheel), I think you should be ok. They will still wear faster none the less though.
Click to expand...


just Drive BACKWARDS to the Trails and back Home and everything will be normal.. :D
 
I have heard it wears the sharp parts in the middle of the tread very quickly. I loaned some old already worn out baja claws to a friend of mine and he ran some of them backwards:looney:. The ones that were flipped wore tottally smooth quick.
 
Only run the front tires reversed. Helps you to back out of a bad situation, and you get the "enhanced steering" up front, without the additional wear in the back...In theory.
 
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