Deuce Blown Michelin Fun.

[olewhiskey]

So what are you guys doing for replacemnt tires? What is the deal with some saying 395s will work and others say it will not. What is a MPT wheel. Where is the date code located on the 14.50 A3 tires?

thanks

Yes there is a date code, I can't rember at the moment how to read it but if you call TOM as CSI Tallapoosa, he can tell you date codes.
I AM going with the 395s based upon others experience with them.Cannot be worse than the factory XLs I have

 

[SETOYOTA]

I can't find a picture of a M35a3 with the 395s mounted on the A3 wheels. Can't be much room between the tandems

 

[Rustygears]

With 395/85R20, there is less than 1.5 inches between tire edges based on the tire diameter specs and a 48" spacing between axles. Expedition Imports in Vallejo, CA stocks new continental 365/85R20 tires which is the modern name for 14.5R20 in the mpt-81 style. These are 22 ply rating tires. Scott told me h buys them by the container load 88 tires at a time. He was the best price, with shipping and tax, that I could find. I am picking up two tires this week!

 

[gringeltaube]

Got to love those Contis... a very good option when it comes to replacing original, overaged A3 rubber.
The size actually is 365/80R20.

G.

 

[patracy]

I can't a picture of a M35a3 with the 395s mounted on the A3 wheels. Can't be much room between the tandems

There's not. But unless you've got dogbone link issues, there's no problem.

 

[AceHigh]

I can't a picture of a M35a3 with the 395s mounted on the A3 wheels. Can't be much room between the tandems

Try hard to picture it!

 

[spicergear]

I know tire pressure was asked a couple of times in this thread but I don't think it was really really stressed like it should be. Wanna delaminate ANY tire? -run it with the pressure low and it will build up heat until it goes. The Michelin radials are tough tires and not some fly by night tire manufacturer. If you leave a vehicle sit through summer and winter the pressure will be lower. 25psi is not 50psi but may look identical. I had an M105 trailer with a good 4500 load on it and stopped for fuel and checked the tires for heat. Both sidewalls were quite warm. Turned out boty tires had dropped air pressure through the season. I got them back up to full pressure and the next leg of the trip and they ran cool. Tire pressure is really important!!! We're driving these things off of bases or straight off the trailer and getting lucky.

 

[Jump Start]

The warranty just expired on these tires, because they were not rotated every 5,000 miles. Sure you had the summer air in the tire and not the winter air? Not a good day.
J

 

[Rustygears]

Got to love those Contis... a very good option when it comes to replacing original, overaged A3 rubber.
The size actually is 365/80R20.

G.

Sorry about the typo. 365/80R20 indeed! For the person asking about tire dates, check here Tire Tech Information - Determining the Age of a Tire. This link explains all about the DOT code on the tire.

 

[Rustygears]

I calculated the spacing for a few candidates for mounting on an M35. The axles are 48" apart.
for 14.5R20 (365/80R20): 4.6" -- Stock Setup on A3
for 365/85R20: 3"
for 395/85R20: 1.2"

These spacings are based on the tire manufacturer's published diameter data. Actual spacing may vary and be different due to tire pressure, tread wear, etc.