Mount and Balance, Maxxis Bighorn LT285/70R17D

Almost enough debris inside to weigh!

It was obvious these Bighorns had been stored outside as there was varying amounts of desert grit inside the tires. A thorough cleaning with compressed air prepared them for a trip to the tire shop.

Inside of the bead, this sand was difficult to blow out.

The Bighorns were not going on my nicest set of wheels, but my local Les Schwab Tires still used their nice, new rim-clamp machine to insure damage free mounting.

Rim Clamp tire machine.
New high-pressure valve stems were purchased for the TRD Rock Warrior wheels.

My experiences with Maxxis tires, all LT255/85R16D prior to buying this set of used 285s, have been positive. The Bighorns are a little loud, a softer, nicely gripping tire, and I’m usually impressed with how little weight they require to balance.

Having the correct, small center cone for the balance machine is important.
Hunter Road Force GSP9700 tire balancer.

These 285/70R17s did not disappoint, the Hunter GSP9700 balance machine indicated the tires needed little weight to balance, even with their uneven wear.

Tire #1. Amazingly little weight for a dynamic balance of a 33" mud tire. The final balance required 1 ounce on each side.

Balance Data

On my shop scale these 17-inch Bighorns weighed 55–57 pounds depending on how much rubber remained, and 80 pounds mounted on the very light forged aluminum 17″ TRD Rock Warrior wheels. Although I’ll often use a static, single-plane balance for truck tires, these Bighorns were dynamically balanced.

  1. 1.00/1.00
  2. 2.50/2.00
  3. 2.00/4.75 (The most cupped, unevenly worn tire.)
  4. 3.50/1.50

The lack of wheel weight required to balance these 33-inch mud tires was amazing. Tire #3 needed 6.75 ounces, still very respectable for a new tire, and simply impressive for one that has notable uneven wear.

Copyright © 2012 James Langan