Bkennedy's SAS and Rebuild Thread

As some of you know, I am working on building a parts list for a shortened Dana 44, long radius arm with coil overs SAS. 5:13 gears to match my rear axle and an ARB, maybe an electric locker. I have a pretty good list so far. At the same time, I am going to swap out the rear drum brakes for discs off of a 99 Explorer.

Please note: The plan is to keep this project as simple as possible with mostly off the shelf parts. I am not a fabricator, just a decent welder with a what I would consider the minimum required tools (chop saw, cut off wheels, air tools, welder, etc.), who likes doing his own work. Your opinions are welcome, but what I really need is technical advice. I have been thinking about this for several years and now have the time and cash to make it happen. Please keep on topic with your advice and don't go off on a side track about how you would do it as a four-link, or caged arms, or leave the axle full-width because that is not what I want. I want a simple-ish set up that works.

 

[gmanpaint]

I run the MTR's on the trail rig. People love or hate them.

I love them for an all around tire. Very quite for what they are. I hear they wear fast on the street, but this is a very part time use rig, not a DD, so that doesn't bother me one bit. It makes sense as they are a sticky compound type tire. I had to wait 3 months for mine when I ordered them. Out of the 5 I ordered, 2 of them that would not balance without more than 7.5 oz of weight. I wasn't liking that, and Goodyear swapped them out for new ones. They had the new ones shipped to a tire shop near me in 2 days. On the 3rd day, I had them swapped over, but I had to pay for the tire swap. They are good about that aspect. Weird nobody had them for sale, but they had them to exchange right away. lol

Have you looked into the All Terrain PitBull PBX radials yet? Expensive, only available in 35's right now, but the reviews are awesome on them. Same deal with them and the wearing fast tho. Anything with a "Sticky" compound, is going to be that way. I think Fourwheeler has a review on them on their website. If I had the $$, and a need for a new set, that's what I would go with myself.

 

[Kirby N.]

I have ran them. They Wore too fast for me. Tough tread and side wall. Good quality. Just wore too fast. I thought the km2 wore better and I liked the looks a little better too. I run BFg all terrains on everything now for the wear and snow/ ice performance. I have ran intercos and others. I stick to BFG and Goodyear now because I like the quality. I loved the old mtrs the most but they gone

 

[Stic-o]

Goodyear has really dropped the ball in the off-road world I hear

 

[BKennedy]

I emailed my main supplier for off-road stuff (Davesoffroadsupply.com)today. Here is his response.

I also show the Goodyear MTR-K on back order, its actually a very large back order right now. Our supplier shows 85 on order already that they are waiting to fill.

Here are some other options, I put these in order as I would pick them.
MXXTL00521100: Maxxis 35x12.50R15LT Tire, Razr MT = $237/each x 4 = $948.00 (22 in stock)
***Been getting very good customer feedback on these, wanted them for our JK but Pro Comp pricing was better, see below comment***
PCT75035: Pro Comp 35x12.50R15 Tire, Xtreme MT2 = $250/each x 4 = $1000.00 (tons in stock)
****We currently have these on our 4 door JK, in a 37x12.5r17, so far they have been awesome, tread wear is great too. Pro comp runs buy3 get1 free deals about 3 times a year which is when I bought them for myself so they are quite a bit cheaper during those sales. Pro Comp also have a 40k mile warranty***
BFG27226: BF Goodrich 35x12.50R15 Tire, Mud-Terrain T/A KM3 = $225/each x 4 = $900.00 (tons in stock)
MXXTL18578000: Maxxis 35X12.50R15LT Tire, Trepador Radial = $265/each x 4 = $1060.00 (25 in stock)
TOY361000: Toyo Tires 35x13.50R-15LT, Open Country Mud Terrain = $302/each x 4 = $1208.00 (28 in stock)
***lots of customer really like these tires, I have never personally used them but based off the feedback I get they are great. I just can't get over the price tag***

Free Domestic Ground Shipping on any of these.

Now, I am thinking of the Maxxis Razr or Trepador radials. I think the Trepadors would wear way too fast and be way too noisy. The Razr have great reviews and are priced about the same as the Goodyear MTR's, they are also the exact same diameter (34.8").
I also have heard good things about the Pro-Comp MT2's.
I am going to spend a little time thinking about this. Would get 5 tires so I would have a matching spare for the first time in the Explorer's lifetime. The spare I have now is a worn down 15 year old ProComp AT.

 

[Stic-o]

I can talk to the Goodyear reps at the off road show if they are there tomorrow.

 

[Kirby N.]

Maxxis are interesting. There is at least one tire of theirs that I like the looks of. No experience with them at all. I don’t even have buddies with them.

As for pro comp- it pretty much the same story with everything I have ever had with their name on them. Low quality junk. I had a set of their all terrains when they came out and my buddy had a set of their muds too. All o. The buy 3 get one deal. Lots of flats and side wall issues. They did t reach the mileage either and come to find out, the warranty was just a gimmick to keep you buying their awful tires. Same crap with g2 gears. I’ll tell you what, a couple rounds of using that warranty and the time and work it involves, I was ready to have a quality product that didn’t need a warranty. I like discount tire and their certificates. However, I found that when I buy a good quality tire I don’t need their certificates. The last few sets of bfgs and Goodyear’s-no flats, no sidewall issues. No problems. No certificate needed. When I do need to replace a tire I will be fine to do it and still be ahead

 

[BKennedy]

I usually buy either BFG's or Goodyears, whichever has the better deal. I have never had a trail flat with either brand. I like the KM2's I have now, they never seem to lack for traction. But, I am always trying for something better. The Maxxis Razr is a new tire with a 40,000 mile warranty.

 

[gmanpaint]

Both the KM2's and the Procomp MT's I ran, cupped on me at half tread.

The Procomps sidewalls was horrible, and cut 2 of them easily on simple wooded trails. I would never buy them again.

I loved the KM2 on the trails. Aired down they were a beast. Unfortunately the roar of them before they reached half life, was so great on the road I couldn't take it anymore. I would run these again, or the new KM3, if they was just used for the trails.

The DD uses the BFG AT's, and I couldn't be happier with them for that use. They work in everything but mud, and the DD doesn't see mud, so....yeah.

The MTR's on the FJ & the EX have worked great in every type of trail so far, including mud.

I don't know why, but...Choosing a new tire can be harder to decide, than a lot more important things in life. Best of luck!

 

[BKennedy]

I love the KM2's on the trail as well, but they do sound like a F18 making a low pass on afterburner on the highway. That is my chief complaint and I am tired of the noise. When they were new they were tolerable. I agonize about tires for the Explorer because if I don't like them, it cost me a lot to replace.

Toyo's I am disregarding altogether just because of the price.

I am leaning towards the Maxxis Razr for $237 each. I like the Trepador Radials ($260 each), but could only expect to get 15,000 out of them, and they are directional, which means no swapping sides with rear tires when I rotate which has been my standard practice. It gets the sharp side of the tread blocks on the front edge and I get a lot more time out of them that way.
Trepador Radial

Razr

 

[BKennedy]

A few days ago, I impulse purchased this rooftop awning. It was only $56.79 and I got it in two days.
Car Tent Awning Rooftop SUV Truck Camping Travel Shelter Outdoor Sunshade Canopy | eBay

The aluminum is thin in the poles and the framework, but its decent material and should work well for expedition type trips, and day trips to the desert on warm days. It came with some goofy mounts that won't work for my rack. I am going to fab up some weld on mounts on both sides of the roof rack out of flat bar and leave it off most of the time. I got the 6.6'x8.2' model because I didn't want it sticking out much past the roof. It's only a few inches longer than my roof rack so it won't interfere with the light bar or rear hatch.

 

[stephen93Eddie]

I emailed my main supplier for off-road stuff (Davesoffroadsupply.com)today. Here is his response.

I also show the Goodyear MTR-K on back order, its actually a very large back order right now. Our supplier shows 85 on order already that they are waiting to fill.

Here are some other options, I put these in order as I would pick them.
MXXTL00521100: Maxxis 35x12.50R15LT Tire, Razr MT = $237/each x 4 = $948.00 (22 in stock)
***Been getting very good customer feedback on these, wanted them for our JK but Pro Comp pricing was better, see below comment***
PCT75035: Pro Comp 35x12.50R15 Tire, Xtreme MT2 = $250/each x 4 = $1000.00 (tons in stock)
****We currently have these on our 4 door JK, in a 37x12.5r17, so far they have been awesome, tread wear is great too. Pro comp runs buy3 get1 free deals about 3 times a year which is when I bought them for myself so they are quite a bit cheaper during those sales. Pro Comp also have a 40k mile warranty***
BFG27226: BF Goodrich 35x12.50R15 Tire, Mud-Terrain T/A KM3 = $225/each x 4 = $900.00 (tons in stock)
MXXTL18578000: Maxxis 35X12.50R15LT Tire, Trepador Radial = $265/each x 4 = $1060.00 (25 in stock)
TOY361000: Toyo Tires 35x13.50R-15LT, Open Country Mud Terrain = $302/each x 4 = $1208.00 (28 in stock)
***lots of customer really like these tires, I have never personally used them but based off the feedback I get they are great. I just can't get over the price tag***

Free Domestic Ground Shipping on any of these.

Now, I am thinking of the Maxxis Razr or Trepador radials. I think the Trepadors would wear way too fast and be way too noisy. The Razr have great reviews and are priced about the same as the Goodyear MTR's, they are also the exact same diameter (34.8").
I also have heard good things about the Pro-Comp MT2's.
I am going to spend a little time thinking about this. Would get 5 tires so I would have a matching spare for the first time in the Explorer's lifetime. The spare I have now is a worn down 15 year old ProComp AT.

How about cooper MTPs? the discount tire does a sale once or twice a year that's "$100 off $400" think my MTPs were $633 from ebay. bought 2 tires in one transaction, 2 in the other transaction. That's $200s off 4 tires. So far they're quiet and grip great in the snow aired down to 2/3 psi cant say much about rocks. I bet they probably clog a bit in mud given the tighter center tread pattern.

 

[BKennedy]

I do like the MTP tread pattern. For 35's, they are closely priced to the Maxxis.

 

[tdavis]

PCT75035: Pro Comp 35x12.50R15 Tire, Xtreme MT2 = $250/each x 4 = $1000.00 (tons in stock)
****We currently have these on our 4 door JK, in a 37x12.5r17, so far they have been awesome, tread wear is great too. Pro comp runs buy3 get1 free deals about 3 times a year which is when I bought them for myself so they are quite a bit cheaper during those sales. Pro Comp also have a 40k mile warranty***

I have the metric version of these on the Jeep; I bought them at a 4wheelparts truckfest event (free install, free rotation, tire warranty that includes off road damage) . They have been pretty good, quiet until lately (they have worn down). To stop cupping and get maximum wear, you have to rotate the tires every 4k to 5k miles on a solid front axle vehicle. I didn't on the original Jeep MT's, and they cupped badly and was gone by 35k miles. I now have about 30k miles on the Xtreme's, and looks like I'll get another 10k to 15k out of them.

But mileage isn't everything on a tire, age also is big factor. Any tire over 5 to 7 years old will be more likely self destruct..

And you've seen these in person.. You just didn't realize it.

 

[Rick]

I'm glad the clattering was an easy fix. Sucks that it broke on the maiden journey though. In all the time I've had my Atlas I have never put my hand on it to see how warm it gets. LOL

 

[BKennedy]

I'm glad the clattering was an easy fix. Sucks that it broke on the maiden journey though. In all the time I've had my Atlas I have never put my hand on it to see how warm it gets. LOL

You probably also didn't crawl under it 3 times in 100 miles to check on everything either...

 

[BKennedy]

I ordered 5 of the Maxxis Razr tires. Looking at them and reading reviews, I think I will like them. From what I have seen / read / been told, they are a new radial version of the Creepy Crawlers.

Tom, I know what brand tires you have. I always look at tires and shocks on most off-road vehicles I come across. Its become almost a ingrained instinct, like sitting with my back to a wall facing the door of a restaurant.

 

[BKennedy]

I spent some time today making up some mounts for the awning. I wanted them to not look like mounts for something that wasn't there. I spent way too much time on this, but it did come out pretty good.
Mounts (center hole is for looks)

Welded to roof rack

Awning installed. The top of the awning is less than an inch above the roof rack, so I might make up some tabs to lower it a little to help keep it from being damaged.

Painted (wrong paint, I should have used the satin black, so its getting repainted tomorrow, too shiny)

New tires are supposed to arrive tomorrow, maybe I should let the wife know. Or maybe, I will just mount them and see if she notices.

 

[Stic-o]

A wise man years ago named Brian once shared this video with me. . Now I reshare this knowledge.

 

[BKennedy]

Oh, man that's awesome.

 

[BKennedy]

Got tires. First thing I noticed is they have a wider tread area than the KM2's. KM2 = 9" tread width, RAZR = 11". I should get them mounted next week. Want to go for one more long drive with the KM2's before I change the transfer case fluid, install the skid plates and call the case swap good.

Luckily, I got outside through the garage as the UPS dude backed into my driveway so he didn't set off the doorbell camera. My stealth tire purchase mission is still a go!! I stashed them in a out of the way area not real visible, but I have plausible deniability of hiding them if discovered since they are in plain sight.