Grooving Iroks w/pics

[drummond]

Well I figured that I would be able to increase the performance of my Iroks by cutting some grooves into the center tread blocks.The center tread blocks are quite large, and do not offer a large biting surface in my opinion, due to this. I contemplated grooving the outer lugs as well, but I will not be doing that at this time, as the tread is still pretty sufficient, and I was worried about chunking due to the soft material of the Iroks.
I have had some more time lately due to some changes that have gone on in my life, and I have more time to work on my Jeep and get things done:hehe:, because becoming even more capable for this year is a top priority:rolleyes:

This is what I had to start with, take a look at the center tread blocks. I wasnt too happy with the large amount of surface area to those lugs, and wanted to change them.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v602/drummond/Tire.jpg

My design was to split that lug in half, at a width of about .5" wide, by .625" deep or so. I grooved the lug down flush with the rest of the tire. You can see the comparision to the standard tread block.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v602/drummond/100_1072.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v602/drummond/100_1065.jpg

Here is the tool that I was using. This is one of our clubs groovers, and is quite nice. Has four heat settings, and a pressure activated head, so when you press against the tire it turns on, and when you are done cutting it turns off. I think that it makes the blades last longer because they are not exposed to excess heat, and the blade is literally cool to the touch just a second or so after you are done cutting. It cut the Iroks like butter and was extremely fast.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v602/drummond/100_1068.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v602/drummond/100_1070.jpg

I continued to all the tires, grooving each one the same. It allows a much better biting surface for the directional traction of the tire. It should allow the carcass of the tire to flex even better (that was never really a concern), and help grip much better on rocks, mud, and slick surfaces. Only really took about an hour and a half to do this for all the tires.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v602/drummond/100_1074.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v602/drummond/100_1071.jpg

[Roadhouse]

Ironman did his Iroks the same, just not as deep.

[nick_n_ii]

Looks good I was also going to state they look a bit deep for grooving.. But none the less they look good...

[drummond]

Im not concerned with the depth, I wanted them that deep....for typical grooving though i guess they would be considered quite deep. I wanted them to match the lug depth of the rest of the tread block and you have to keep in mind that these tires have been run for a good 2.5 seasons, so the tread depth is not near stock either. These are really trail only tires....I dont DD this rig at all, except an occasional run down the road for a few miles to get to a trail. I wanted to increase tread gap for more grip offroad, and this should suit that purpose. Plus these are the center lugs, so I am not concerned with chunking as much as an outer lug. Several guys on pirate have been running a design close to this with good success.

[Roadhouse]

I don't think you went to deep Brent...like you said its the same depth as the factory cuts.

[sglide]

looks great brent, not to deep at all

[Grandman]

Ill give you a tip , take a small brush or broom and clean your tire off ahead of the groover and you will save blades big time .

I use a simular groover and it makes a big difference in keeping the knife sharp :thumbsup:

I cut my Swampers for the same reason , they flex much better afterwards .

[xj4life]

i'd be curious to see how this works for you. i just picked up a set of 36" Iroks. i used to have TSL's and had grooved them similar to that. i did see an improvement in dirt but nothing in the rocks.

[MuddyPaws 3.0]

Maybe we won't have to pull you out so much now.

:thumbsup:

[drummond]

Maybe we won't have to pull you out so much now.

:thumbsup:

:flip::rolleyes:

[Blackjackbender]

looks good. it will be intresting to see how it helps on the rocks/mud

[kickstand]

I too am interested to see if the grooving makes much of a difference on the iroks. I have some grooved swampers that were fairly bald, so the grooving helped. I just picked up some iroks and was pondering grooving them or just leaving them be....

[pre4runner]

Same here... nothing like taking good tire and making it meaner

[drummond]

Well I went on a deep snow run last night with some built rigs, 37's+. I think that the grooving of the Iroks really did help the performance. It made the tires more flexiable, being able to conform to the surface of the snow easier, and they provided much more grip IMO with that lug section removed.

[jeeperbrian]

that looks good, i just put 36" rtII's on my truck, would like to get ahold of a groover to open up the center lugs