Interco TSL/Thornbirds/gearing question

[WellsLaw]

I was wondering if anyone had tried the Thornbirds and what they thought and what size they reccomend for the 16" wheels -- any pictures ...

Also, I wondered what the stock gearing is on a manual tranny, 4x4 1997 explorer sport with ohv V6 -- and what gearing changes are necessary for 31" or 32" or 33" tires.

I am trying to plan everything before I begin lifting and adding taller tires.

This is, in short, decision time>

 

[BenS]

I think 3.73 gears are standard but there was a 4.10 gear ratio option. My 97 sport (5 speed manual) has the 4.10 gears and with 32's it still has plenty of power. After I added a borla cat-back it was better than stock with 255's. If you're going to do a lot of highway driving, I've read that thornbirds are very loud and wear down quickly. They're supposed to be great offroad but, based on what I've read, I would not recommend them as a highway tire. Several people on here have the BFGoodrich All Terrain KO's and love them, including myself. Very good highway/rain traction and good offroad traction too. Plus they will last a long time on pavement. This started out as $0.02 but became a buck fifty.

 

[WellsLaw]

just out of curiosity: I have had bfg all-terrain, mud-terrain and trail terrains on my bronco in the past -- what are KO's??????? Never heard of them ...

And how would I go about finding out what my current gearing is : 3.73 v 4:10 optional and which is the lower gear -- I cannot recall from my years ago workings with such things -- I am a bit rusty on some things

thanks

bobby

 

[BenS]

The KO's are a new tread pattern that BF Goodrich came up with for the All Terrains. It is a little more aggressive than the original All Terrains and also has a much more aggressive sidwall than the originals. The 4.10 gear ratio is lower than 3.73. With respect on how you can tell what ratio you have, I'm sure someone on this site knows how. I would guess you have the 4.10 ratio since you have the chrome 16 inch rims...

 

[93SPORTIOWA]

THORNBIRDS

DO NOT BUY THE THORNBIRDS IF YOU DO ANY SORT OF TRAVELING I HAD 5000 MILES ON MINE TOOK A TRIP OF ABOUT 150 MILE AND THE DRIVERS REAR TIRE BLEW OUT I DIDNT HIT ANYTHING IT SEPERATED AT THE BEAD LINE AND THEY ARE LOUD AS HECK AND THEY ARE A VERY ROUGH RIDE I DONT REC. THEM AT ALL BUT THEY DID DO WELL OF ROAD I JUST BOUGHT WILD COUNTRIES AND THEY ARE MUCH BETTER

 

[WellsLaw]

Just saw the Winld Country RVT's -- what is the difference between the AW's and the FW's???

Also, are you ever in real mud with these -- no offense but they look like rockcrawler tires, and I live just east of the everglades...

thanks for any advice,

 

[JYoung]

Man,this is my cup of tea.I have wild country RVT's.About every other weekend I go play in the mud.The only time I get suck is when the truck bottoms out(BIGGER IS BETTER).The lugs clean out very well.I go through stuff I never thought I could.Let me tell you,when you do get stuck with these you are stuck.Make sure you have a front tow hook and some type of hitch for the rear.

 

[4x4Hunter]

Alright, I know a friend of mine who has had two sets of Thornbirds... basically if you're just looking for an aggressive tred go with them....but if you plan on doing any real offroading..espeically mudding, I'd steer away from purchasing them... We took them into a mud hole and got burried under, basically the problem with the treds are that they too close together and hold the mud, hence slicking the tires up. Good looking, but practical..no.