swinler
New member
I'm on my second set of Guard Dogs. 32" and now 35s. They're good but one of mine needed a lot of weight to balance. That might be my fault though because Treadwright recommends the static balance, but mine were done on a standard dynamic machine. Also, this isn't a performance problem but my second set (which are remolded bead-to-bead) has some of the new rubber squeezed out around the edge of the rims. It's just a thin layer of new rubber that was molded over the existing bead. They may have fixed that cosmetic problem by now, not sure. I'm happy with them and may go with the Claw II when my current set wears out (the Claw II tread pattern resembles the earlier BFG KMs but you can get them in 35s). Can't beat the price - where else can you get a set of 5 new 35" treads for around a grand?
On road, they seem to work like other off-road oriented tires. Never a problem on dry pavement. Their wet traction is probably average; I don't feel like I need the white knuckles every time it rains. As others have said the Kedge grip would most likely help with wet/icy conditions. They are molded for studs. You've always got that little shift lever on the console to help a little with the rain/snow, unless you have one of those strange 2wd JKs...
The Guard Dogs hum/whine/sing. I'm used to it. They do seem to get the animals' attention; but I'll never be able to say how many critters I avoided hitting because of the tire noise... My coworkers sometimes ask me what that noise is when going out to lunch; I just say that's the sound of liberal tears hitting the dry pavement :usa-flag: oops did I offend someone? :grouphug:
As for off-road: Again I've only tried the Guard Dog so far but they are excellent in both rocks and mud. I always air them down to ~15 psi (315/75 R17) on stock early Rubicon rims, air back up and drive anywhere from 20-40 miles back home and have yet to have a problem after 2-1/2 years, ~35,000 miles and maybe a couple dozen trail rides.
These tires tend to be on the heavy side, but that could work as an advantage in some off-road situations. I once considered getting a set of the earlier Mopar / Hutchinson beadlocks (which are a little more than twice as heavy as the stock Rubi rims if memory serves). You may want to look at some lighter tires for beadlocks, or screw it and explore the limits of the D30/D44s while building your ton axle fund :rock:
Treadwright supposedly ensures that all tires in a given order have matching carcasses. That is obviously a greater concern with their bead-to-bead tires, but there are almost certainly noticeable differences in the tires' inner surface from one brand to another. I checked my newest set carefully and did not see any differences.
I think there's a stigma associated with remolded tires that will never go away. That's OK by me because it helps keep the prices suppressed. Always chalk test your tires to find your optimum pressures, re-check them weekly, rotate etc. and they'll be as safe as any other tire.
On road, they seem to work like other off-road oriented tires. Never a problem on dry pavement. Their wet traction is probably average; I don't feel like I need the white knuckles every time it rains. As others have said the Kedge grip would most likely help with wet/icy conditions. They are molded for studs. You've always got that little shift lever on the console to help a little with the rain/snow, unless you have one of those strange 2wd JKs...
The Guard Dogs hum/whine/sing. I'm used to it. They do seem to get the animals' attention; but I'll never be able to say how many critters I avoided hitting because of the tire noise... My coworkers sometimes ask me what that noise is when going out to lunch; I just say that's the sound of liberal tears hitting the dry pavement :usa-flag: oops did I offend someone? :grouphug:
As for off-road: Again I've only tried the Guard Dog so far but they are excellent in both rocks and mud. I always air them down to ~15 psi (315/75 R17) on stock early Rubicon rims, air back up and drive anywhere from 20-40 miles back home and have yet to have a problem after 2-1/2 years, ~35,000 miles and maybe a couple dozen trail rides.
These tires tend to be on the heavy side, but that could work as an advantage in some off-road situations. I once considered getting a set of the earlier Mopar / Hutchinson beadlocks (which are a little more than twice as heavy as the stock Rubi rims if memory serves). You may want to look at some lighter tires for beadlocks, or screw it and explore the limits of the D30/D44s while building your ton axle fund :rock:
Treadwright supposedly ensures that all tires in a given order have matching carcasses. That is obviously a greater concern with their bead-to-bead tires, but there are almost certainly noticeable differences in the tires' inner surface from one brand to another. I checked my newest set carefully and did not see any differences.
I think there's a stigma associated with remolded tires that will never go away. That's OK by me because it helps keep the prices suppressed. Always chalk test your tires to find your optimum pressures, re-check them weekly, rotate etc. and they'll be as safe as any other tire.
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