Sipes on Mud-Terrains?

[4ESTJP]

Can sipes by cut into BFGoodrich mud terrian for better traction on icy roads? My neighbor was trying to tell me I could get sipes cut into any tire for $6 a piece.

I have always wanted mud terrains, but they are not practical for were I live in the mountains. The roads ice over and the snow gets compacted. I wanted mud terrains because I also go offroad in the mud and snow where my all-terrains don't quite make it.

 

[8Mud]

I´ve driven MT´s in snow country, new they do OK, not quite as well as AT´s on ice. Most of the problems started after they were a couple few years old, rubber seemed to be harder. Had the feeling they don´t age well. On a new tire, sipes may help some, think after they age, the benefit will be less. IMO

 

[XJ667]

Pro Comp MT come siped new so i do not why the BFG's cant be siped. I just got mine so I dont know how well they will do on the ice with them siped.

 

[snow drifter]

Had my BFG muds siped last month at Discount Tire. $10.00 per tire and they only did down the center lugs. Not the outer and inner? I took a razor blade and did the rest myself. No snow or ice yet, so I don't know how they'll do.

 

[Chris S]

Greetings from up north. :canada:

I have run siped BFG muds year round for 5 years. The siping makes them a whole new tire on wet or icy streets and on wet rock. It also keeps them flexible as they age. I like to have them siped to half-depth, then get them re-siped as they wear down. This prevents big chunks being ripped out if you spin the tire against a sharp rock. The reason many shops only sipe the center is that if you drive on the street agressivly and the side blocks are siped you tend to tear chunks from them.

With the Muds siped they handle the snow as well as a medium quality all-season. Not great, but good enough if you drive carefully. The main thing to remember is that the sipes don't resist sideways motion, so they get you going but don't prevent you spinning out if you give it too much gas in a corner.

 

[X Factor]

Had my BFG muds siped last month at Discount Tire. $10.00 per tire and they only did down the center lugs. Not the outer and inner? I took a razor blade and did the rest myself. No snow or ice yet, so I don't know how they'll do.

i had my MT/R's done at Discount when i bought them in Aug. the definetly help on wet roads that's for sure.

 

[ucilxj]

TRXUS M/T's are the best siped M/T ive ridden, and they come that way. . . they're good in ice, rain, and snow

 

[Red97XJ]

I always thought siping was a cool idea, but if it is always so great, then why don't all the tire manufactures do it standard?

This is why I have never done it.

 

[jbjeepxj98]

I work at Discount and the reason why we only sipe the inner lugs is becauae if we do the outer ones they well weaken the side wall. But i did sipe some 35's BFG's today and went half way out the outer lugs only because he was friends with the manager. If you only run those on the street talk to your tire store to see if they will sipe them all the way out. Siping helps with your traction. It makes it so there is more rubber in contact with the road when you turn and what not.

Jeff

 

[afjeep2082]

you can sipe pretty much any tire, the cost might be a little more then $6 but it's not bad. I'm looking into it myself, let us know how it goes

 

[keel5]

I always like to sipe too. Specially when my coffee is hot.

Duh

What is siping?

 

[Special Ed]

Les Schwab out here in the northwest sipes all the way to the edges. Works pretty good and I have'nt had any sidewall or chunking problems that I know of. Looks like razor slits you can't really see it unless you bend the lug or look real close.

 

[planefixer]

TRXUS M/T's are the best siped M/T ive ridden, and they come that way. . . they're good in ice, rain, and snow

What he said.
jeff

 

[DMMcG]

Can sipes by cut into BFGoodrich mud terrian for better traction on icy roads? My neighbor was trying to tell me I could get sipes cut into any tire for $6 a piece.

I have always wanted mud terrains, but they are not practical for were I live in the mountains. The roads ice over and the snow gets compacted. I wanted mud terrains because I also go offroad in the mud and snow where my all-terrains don't quite make it.

Chris S.'s analysis is bang on, IMO. I emphasize his caveat that mud-terrain tires, even siped, don't measure up to a quality AT or winter tire for ice traction.

The auto-siping machines have a habit of getting a sipe too close to the edge of the lugs, making them vulnerable to chunking (tearing a piece of the lug off). If you've got the patience (and the hand/wrist strength), get a good exacto or box-knife and do the tires yourself. When you get down to doing the spare tire, your hand will be a bit stiff, so take a break and have a beer before going back to it...

When I did mine, I only did the centre lugs, and also only went 3/4 of the way across the lug, alternating from one edge of the lug to the other with the direction of the cut (so you end up with off-set sipes, perpendicular to the path of travel of the tread, along each centre lug). It's a bit of work, but I think it's preferable to cutting across the whole of the lug - better retention of structural integrity of the lug to reduce chunking when in the rocks.

Here's a site re this - note that the sipes on the BFG MT in the photo are not perpendicular to the path of travel of the tire, and not the way that I did my own tires, but you get the idea.

http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/CheapTricks/TireSiping.shtml


By the way, I still have a set of BFG AT's on the stock wheels for winter-road driving. With an auto-locker in the rear, I'm much more comfortable with the AT's on packed snow/ice - the MT's can be a little frightening on our mountain passes here in BC. A momentary lack of attention on a snow/ice covered road, a downshift of the auto tranny, and you're off the edge staring at >300 feet of air and wishing for a hellish big bungie cord..... :canada:

 

[fordtech]

Im a firm believer in sipes. Ive seen non-siped muds and siped ones on the trail and have seen the siped ones perform better. I live in NY now and see eveything from asphalt you could fry eggs on to black ice you can skate on in your boots. I really want the aggresiveness a mud, but also want the winter manners of a at. I really like the comprimise of my old big o xt's on my yj, great all around tire. I just cant find them up here in ny under any name.

Now that im looking at muds for my xj, my question/thought is: can you use, and is there a benefit, to something like a dremel tool with a cutting disk to make the sipes alittle wider than just knife cuts? More like factory sipes. Or is that not a good idea? I have some old BFG AT's Im going to try this on just to see how it comes out.

Thoughts?

 

[XJ_ranger]

I have some old BFG AT's Im going to try this on just to see how it comes out.

Thoughts?

i thought the BFG A/t's were already siped...

 

[xj92]

When I lived in Utah I siped my old A/T's myself and the increase in traction was amazing. Once I moved down here to AZ and started hitting the rocks, they tore the tread to pieces. I then got some Mickey Thompson Baja Radial MTX tires, which come pre-siped, and with only 4000 miles on them the tread is suffering badly from the sharp rocks. If you don't run sharp rocks often, it's well worth it to sipe them. You'll get more mileage and traction.

 

[y2kxj]

Why get the BFG's when the TRXUS are already siped, better traction, better looks, and way cheaper?

 

[ucilxj]

exactly!!. . .some dont understand that the trxus is way better on and off road than the BFG mt/t

 

[CW]

Most of the people who wheel around here sipe their swampers and they have an easier time than I do with my non siped tsl's so I'm getting mine siped this weekend, you can lose chunks of the lugs but, thats the price you pay for a softer rubber compound that is well worth having.