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| Carving turns on the Johnson Valley sand dunes (at 12-psi), the XM/Ts provided good floatation and enough moxi to stay on the rim in aggressive turns. (The Legal stuff: this test was done for demonstrative purposes only. Off-Road Adventures recommends only using the manufacturer"s recommended tire pressure). |
Back in January 2007, we slipped a set of new meats under the Taco rig. Our first reaction, as happens any time you toss your howling, half-worn dogs for a new set of smooth-as-butter radials, was Ahhh, I can hear the radio now. And the smell, call us strange but there"s nothing like the smell (aroma) of new tires, it"s almost erotic. The subject of our euphoric state was a set of 33/12.5/15 Pro Comp Xtreme M/Ts.
We"ve been asked about the qualities of our ideal tire, the answer is simple. It"s one that has the demeanor of a Porsche on the autobahn, yet tears up the dirt track like a hyena through a pack of hot dogs. It is soft and sticky, yet never wears out (and at a few hundred bucks a pop for tires these days, longevity is a big deal). Though you can"t make one tire perfect for all things off-road, our initial impressions were positive. Considering the aggressive tread and deep lugs, on-road traction, tracking and performance was excellent. Road noise was minimal and weight needed to balance them was minimal. After putting the XM/Ts through the paces in Baja, Nevada sand dunes, the Sierra Nevada granite and Moab, our second report was at the 12,000-mile mark (Jan "08 Off-Road Adventures). They"d gone through about half the legal tread and were showing wear, but the performance, both on and off-road, had been good. This month, with just under 30k on the trip meter, we"re wrapping up our long-term ProComp XM/T test.
Granite, Mud and the Daily Grind
Traction was enhanced in the XM/T by modifying the rubber/carbon compound ratios. Pro Comp also added silicon to the mix; they call the resulting concoction XTC, or Extra Traction Compound. It is not quite as soft other compounds but enhances longevity and is more resistant to chunking.
You can"t compare an XM/T to the super gription of a SRC (Sticky Rubber Compound) competition tire. So we won"t. Due to the added silicon compound in the rubber, which enhances road life, the XM/T is not as gripy as say, the Pro Comp XTerrain. But they actually did quite well. The tight bead, soft sidewall and wrap-around tread design made up for it, allowing us to air down to about 10-psi without losing a bead (as long as you don"t push too hard in the turns). At that psi, the XM/T was marshmallow soft, the sidewall tread provided additional traction and the Tri-Ply construction reduced the odds of damage. In fact, we only had to plug one tire (the old nail in the driveway). To date, we"ve made three trips to Moab, three to the SEMA show in Las Vegas, trekked across Arizona, twice through Baja, and made a half-dozen runs to the Nevada desert. In February we took the Taco down to Johnson Valley to cover the King of the Hammers (May "09 Off-Road Adventures). After unloading the cabover camper and slipping our Bestop canopy on, we pre-ran all the desert sections of the course. On race day, running only 15 lbs pressure, we charged into the seven-mile sand wash near the Outer Limits trail. Tire-to-tire with a pre-runner F-150 and an X-Toy rock buggy, we pushed the XM/Ts and the Taco to the limits, emerging from the wash a quarter mile ahead of the pack.
30,000-Mile Wrap-up As we returned from the 2009 Easter Jeep Safari, the trip odometer read 29,874 and they are nearing the end of their useful life. As with any aggressive tread 4x4 tire with 30k under it"s belts, we"re needing to turn the radio up a bit due to the howling, but drivability at highway speed, in town and on the dirt is still excellent. And wandering with the grooves of the road is minimal. At the end of the day, the sidewalls are intact, one tire is carrying a plug, and they still have 5/32 life left on them. We may part with them before they hit the legal limit, but that"s only because we love that new tire smell (or maybe we are just getting soft in our old age). Overall, we"re giving the ProComp XM/T two thumbs up.
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17,200 Miles: The road to Moab 2008 - Now here"s a good test for your tires. Our Taco gets a full spectrum of uses, one of which is hauling a cab-over pop-up camper around the country. When we get on site, we off-load the camper and run our soft top on the trails. With camper, ARB bumper, Warn winch, gear and occupants, the Taco weighed in at approx 5200 lbs. At 60% of the maximum 2205 lb rating, the XM/Ts handled the load without protest and felt good on the road. Xtreme M/T sizes run from 31-to38.5-inches, 15-to 22-inch wheel size.
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18,500 Miles: After the 2008 Easter Jeep Safari we headed to the Little Sahara Dunes, Utah. We turned some serious heads when we carved the last turn at the top of Sand Mountain (700-feet) and parked next to the alcohol powered sand rails and quads.
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One of the changes in the design of the XM/T was removing the grip spur (the little cutaway on the outside of every other lug) and a curf groove was added (the deep sipe that runs the width of the tire from edge to edge).
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At 30,000, we"ve worn through the sipping, the outer edge of the lugs are showing some wear, but there are only a few small chunks missing. Considering the brutal bashing we"ve given them, not too bad.
See all Pro Comp Tires |
