ITP Baja Cross 8 Ply Tires on ITP Type 7 Beadlock rims – Another in the Borneo Series

| November 30, 2009 | 0 Comments

itp6Ah, the age old tire debate.  When we were looking at the tire requirements for this Expedition to Borneo the debate raged. There will definitely be a LOT of mud, probably more than this desert rat has ever seen.  I have been to the Mud Nationals and seen what it takes to perform in real mud but our situation is a bit different.   While we don’t want to feel helpless in the mud we are not looking for performance per se.  This is not a race.  It’s about endurance.  In fact the driving this trip will not be my standard throttle pinned four wheel slide.   It will be much more sedate with an aim of returning will all parts in tact and not having to hobble hundreds of miles nursing broken parts or worse yet leaving the RZR S for the Orangutans latest play toy.  We are looking for endurance first.

itp1ITP’s new Baja Cross tire is an 8-ply radial.  I recently drive a set on this same RZR Sand found they handle extremely well.   I gave them a pretty good thrashing that day and they seemed to take it head on without complaint.  Some suggested we should use the ITP XTR because of its performance in the mud.  Somehow performing in the mud is not what I had in mind.  Surviving the entire trip is, I’ll save the performance for later.  This tire is just the mix of ruggedness and performance we need for the expedition.  There is no doubt it will do just fine in the mud and hold up through the entire ordeal.    A great feature of the Baja Cross is its super deep rim guard.  The rim guard creates a recessed area where the rim sits protected by the tire rubber. This means when you get into the rocks and the side wall is taking a beating the rubber is actually holding the rocks away from the rim helping to keep you nice new rims looking good but more importantly lessening the itp4chances of hooking a rim at high speed and busting the rim or causing one of those immediate turns that leave you wondering how you got on your top so fast.   Checkout the review I did on this tire here:  ( https://utvweekly.com/index.php/2009/09/itps-bajacross-8ply-tires-get-put-to-the-test/)

The last things we wanted was to get stuck in a mud hole and itp5spin the tire off of the rim or even unseat the bead.  If you have ever done this in a really nasty mud you know it can be nearly impossible to get the mud out of the inside of the tire and clean the rim and tire well enough to get the bead to seal again.  Particularly, when you are out on the trial without a hose and some water pressure.  The T-7 Beadlock is just what we needed to hold things together and keep the tire in place on the rim.    This wheel is a combination of the one-piece C-Series aluminum wheel with a billet outer ring that clamps the tire to the wheel holding it firmly in place.  The ring also greatly strengthens the rim.   The wheel ships with a polished ring but multiple colors are available in two different styles.

Bring it on Borneo!


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Category: Borneo Excursion, Polaris

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