Dudes,
I got new tires installed yesterday - Kanati Mud Hogs. I have not seen anyone else on here with Kanati tires, so I'd like to present another great option for others out there. My Duratracs had logged about 34,000 miles which included TRR 2013, Havoc in the Hills 2013, and Time Attack 2014. They still had tread left, but were badly chunked in some areas. I didn't trust them for Havoc in the Hills 2014, plus wanted to go with a more narrow tire. The Duratracs were 325/65R18, and measured nearly 13" wide. They were adequate off-road, but presented some issues for me with rubbing on my ICON upper arms and the rear of the fender liners.
Out with the old, in with the new: Kanati Mud Hog LT305/70R18 (35" x 12.2") They do offer several sizes in 17" that would fit the Raptor, including an 35 x 12.5.
The first thing that really appealed to me about the Mud Hogs, is of course their looks. They look very similar to the Toyo MT, but here's the kicker. In the 35 x 12.5R17 size, they are 20 LBS LIGHTER THAN TOYO MTs. The Toyos are listed as 83 LBS, the Mud Hogs are listed as 63.5 LBS.
* Edit: The tires shown on my truck are 305/70R18 (E load range, ~67lbs each)
The 35" x 12.5" R 17 I mention above (more standard Raptor size) are D load range, 63lbs each.
The next thing that can't be ignored, is the price. Most Raptor sizes are going to be under $300 each. I don't question their quality, because although I had never heard of Kanati before, they are a brand of tires made by Greenball. Some of you ATV/UTV guys will probably recognize GBC Motorsports...same company.
I only have about 50 miles on them, but I can speak to their initial quality. One big factor for me his how tires perform on a Road Force balancing machine. It's usually a good indicator of how the tires will ride and how consistent their manufacturing is. All 4 tires passed the Road Force balancing on the first shot. The highest road force measurement was 24 where 30 is the highest recommended. Come to find out, one of my Method NVs is bent and it was on that tire. It still only took 5oz to balance. The other 3 tires were 14,9,6 road force on the first try, with an average of 3oz balancing weights used. So, obviously the bent wheel was throwing the balance off that 1 tire. Those are the lowest readings I have ever had on a Raptor tire.
I am very pleased with the road noise (or lack thereof). For such an aggressive tire, they are extremely smooth. There is a faint howl at highway speeds, but nothing you can even hear with the windows up and the radio on. I was concerned they would vibrate but they do not whatsoever. I have them set @44PSI for now, I think they could easily go a little lower. I'm going to drive for a while and observe the tread wear and decide what to do from there.
Since there's so little info on these tires in the Raptor world, I will keep you guys updated on how they perform in rain, dirt, mud and before too long...snow
.
Definitely check these out if you're looking for new tires. Here's their website: Kananti Tires
Edit 9/6: After another several days I can say the dry traction and handling are excellent. Very little loss of traction under hard acceleration, and the stiffer sidewall is noticeably more confidence inspiring around corners.
I got new tires installed yesterday - Kanati Mud Hogs. I have not seen anyone else on here with Kanati tires, so I'd like to present another great option for others out there. My Duratracs had logged about 34,000 miles which included TRR 2013, Havoc in the Hills 2013, and Time Attack 2014. They still had tread left, but were badly chunked in some areas. I didn't trust them for Havoc in the Hills 2014, plus wanted to go with a more narrow tire. The Duratracs were 325/65R18, and measured nearly 13" wide. They were adequate off-road, but presented some issues for me with rubbing on my ICON upper arms and the rear of the fender liners.
Out with the old, in with the new: Kanati Mud Hog LT305/70R18 (35" x 12.2") They do offer several sizes in 17" that would fit the Raptor, including an 35 x 12.5.
The first thing that really appealed to me about the Mud Hogs, is of course their looks. They look very similar to the Toyo MT, but here's the kicker. In the 35 x 12.5R17 size, they are 20 LBS LIGHTER THAN TOYO MTs. The Toyos are listed as 83 LBS, the Mud Hogs are listed as 63.5 LBS.
* Edit: The tires shown on my truck are 305/70R18 (E load range, ~67lbs each)
The 35" x 12.5" R 17 I mention above (more standard Raptor size) are D load range, 63lbs each.
The next thing that can't be ignored, is the price. Most Raptor sizes are going to be under $300 each. I don't question their quality, because although I had never heard of Kanati before, they are a brand of tires made by Greenball. Some of you ATV/UTV guys will probably recognize GBC Motorsports...same company.
I only have about 50 miles on them, but I can speak to their initial quality. One big factor for me his how tires perform on a Road Force balancing machine. It's usually a good indicator of how the tires will ride and how consistent their manufacturing is. All 4 tires passed the Road Force balancing on the first shot. The highest road force measurement was 24 where 30 is the highest recommended. Come to find out, one of my Method NVs is bent and it was on that tire. It still only took 5oz to balance. The other 3 tires were 14,9,6 road force on the first try, with an average of 3oz balancing weights used. So, obviously the bent wheel was throwing the balance off that 1 tire. Those are the lowest readings I have ever had on a Raptor tire.
I am very pleased with the road noise (or lack thereof). For such an aggressive tire, they are extremely smooth. There is a faint howl at highway speeds, but nothing you can even hear with the windows up and the radio on. I was concerned they would vibrate but they do not whatsoever. I have them set @44PSI for now, I think they could easily go a little lower. I'm going to drive for a while and observe the tread wear and decide what to do from there.
Since there's so little info on these tires in the Raptor world, I will keep you guys updated on how they perform in rain, dirt, mud and before too long...snow
.Definitely check these out if you're looking for new tires. Here's their website: Kananti Tires
Edit 9/6: After another several days I can say the dry traction and handling are excellent. Very little loss of traction under hard acceleration, and the stiffer sidewall is noticeably more confidence inspiring around corners.
