I like the Mtr's on my samurai. not the greatest mud tire but they seem to wear well

I also want to know what you think about width, such as going with a 37x12.50 over a 37x14.50, the same with 35's.  

And finally, rim size. 15's? 16's? 17's? or 18's?

The "what tire should I buy" debate really depends on what you want to do and how much $ you are willing to spend.

As to size, let's redirect the debate I beleive that for 35-37 inch tires, stay with a 15 inch wheel. Airing down you have a lot more rubber for traction and you are less likely to loose a bead. For tire size, look at a compromise... 36s. I have a buddy with an 84 4-Runner who is running 36x12.50 TSL/SX on 15 inch beadlocks. His rig has a longer wheelbase than your 4 door Kick and he has no problems.  My .02. Let the debate begin

Yeah, fancypants. I'm going all the way with FF and electric lockers. And it's all FACTORY.

They're about 6 inches wider overall than the sidekick axle. (bit on the expensive side though)

Heather

Man, that sounds really sweet. why the switch? Just want more rubber?

I'm almost to the same point.  

I just ran across a set of 1/2 tread 35" krawlers for $350.  They don't look good at 1/2 tread.  Also they have worn that much in less then 6 months.   So at $350 a piece I would not use them for a DD / on road application.

I'm leaning towards the MT's for the Radial design, on road handeling, and long life.  I'm also looking at the 36" Irocks and I've found a deal on a set of 36" TSL sx's like new with wheels for $800.  I don't think I can use it as a commuter with the SX's.  But will I really commute 30 miles round trip HWY in the Kick    

I am looking hard at the 35's.  Any taller and imine gets really tippy, BUT you will have more width then me...  

Im running Krawlers on the street with almost no wear showing at all. Ive got around 12,000 miles on them. I have never been so impressed with a tire in my life. Ive always been a swamper guy but these really are worth the $

Mike

I could not make up my mind so I have three sets of tires and rims , 30x9.5 bfg at's for towing and mileage(20-27mpg). 31x10.5 tsl's for mud small enough to spin them,almost twice as heavy (18 mpg or so).and 33x12.5 wild country's on eight inch wide steel at 87 pounds ea. for rocks and snow runs(15 mpg or worse). I had a fourth set for the street high speed low profile type but left them out in the driveway for a couple of hours three weeks ago and somebody else needed them worse than me I guess  :-/ stock rim and tire wheighs in at 40 lbs.

Man, that sounds really sweet. why the switch? Just want more rubber?

I think can answer for Heather.  

Its not that we want to get more rubber under what she's got (we can fit 35s), but we need the width and strength.

Switch from...'stock sidekick'.
We break too many rear axles at idle.  (~9.7:1 in t-case gears alone)  Chromoly 27 splines would be the best I could get, (from Spidertrax) just doesn't seem to be enough.

Switch from...'stock fj40/60'.
We've got about 12 inches of suspension lift and need to offset the CG issue by going wider, without the use of massively offset rims and wheel spacers.  THEN I could get chromoly 30 spline and be way beefier then stock.

To address the size issue.
Since we're remounting the spring and shackle hangers to address a shackle issue we've been fighting with, I can relocate the tire placement to allow for 37s.  
(But it won't fit in the garage anymore )

~Nate

(But it won't fit in the garage anymore )

~Nate

       I always wondered silently how long those axles would hold up to that reduction. but explain that to a purist (not trying to start a flame war here ) who wants to stay 'all Zuk'.    Hey, just think, now a larger garage can be justified, HaHa!  That is my all time favorite 4-door, now it'll  be bulletproof in the driveline, nice. Post pics as it comes along!

id love a set of interco superswamper narrow ss tires, the tsl sx's arnt bad!!, its kind of a toss up, the mtr's are proven on the rock to be prety good, but then again so are krawlers.. havent heard much on the kreepy crawlers yet, they look kool though, a little wide...

I've added 225/75-16 Dayton Timberline MTs. They are a 'D' rated tire, have a very aggressive tread pattern, also has a sidewell tread pattern, and have actually outperformed my old Wrangler HT's on the street in the rain.
They are a bit tight for the stock height -7. They are 29's!!!!
I need to bump the front up to clear, then I'll do some wheeling and let you know how they perform.

I run a 33" Baja Claw, those tires have a 6 ply sidewall, they Bite really well in the mud and also have a good tread life

My vote is for the Krawlers!!!!!!! The MTR's I have are a great tire BUT the Krawlers bite amazingly well. Dirt, big rock, small loose rock, mud, it doesent matter, those things ROCK!! I have never seen a side wall that grabs like the Krawler does either. At Apple Valley, Mike had the tracker down into a sloppy mud ravine, all 4 tires in a DEEP rut and we hit an spot that was going to bottom out the Tracker. I suggested that he "try" to climb the vertical wall of the ravine and stratle the obsticle. When he turned into the bank the sidewalls grabed so well that he EASILY walked up the side of the ravine with no sliping at all. I was shocked.

Zig

I run a 33" Baja Claw, those tires have a 6 ply sidewall, they Bite really well in the mud and also have a good tread life

Do you feel that the Claws 'flex' enough when aired down.

Some of the ones I saw in Moab last year didn't seem to flex very well, (but I don't know how many PSI they were at either.)  The guy just said 'aired down'.

~Nate

Curious as to why you didn't list the I-ROC'S? A buddy has them on his 4-runner, and they are amazing in the all-around stuff. As for rocks only, unsure as we live in the soggy northwest.

Jeff

Curious as to why you didn't list the I-ROC'S? A buddy has them on his 4-runner, and they are amazing in the all-around stuff. As for rocks only, unsure as we live in the soggy northwest.

Jeff

I was recently with some guys and two of them ran big I-ROCs.  I was really dissapointed in them.  I was thinking about them as an option until I saw them in the real world.  I was also shocked at how short the lugs were, and they were brand new
Brian