tire groover

[snj8198]

Anybody have experience with tire groovers? Preferences? Are there certain aspects and features a guy wants to consider when purchasing?

[obijuan]

Rillfitt is the best ever. It is professional grade German blades have been the best and last a long time. All blades need to be filed every few feet. Crappy blades are more frequent sharpening.

Ebay cheap groovers will do fine if it's one set of tires but I was grooving 20 18 wheeler tires a day. You may not need a 600 dollar machine but I was so pissed using the cheap one knowing there are better tools.

What are you trying to accomplish?

[snj8198]

Ya I should have specified this would be for one set of 4 tires. I'm knocking lugs off a new set of LT tires.



I have a Polaris Rzr 1000 that i bomb around town on and do a lot of pavement/ and hardpack riding on. I like the stock Bighorns but they wear quick on the pave. So to save my good mud tires, last summer I bought a second set of 15" wheels and some cheap 235/75 LT AT's. I thought I was being really smart thinking there's no way that a 1,500lb machine would wear out a set of 40,000 mile tires. The problem is that the Rzr has a spooled rear end and the LT's have a lot more tread in contact with the pavement. This added traction is binding the rear end and really stressing the drivetrain, transmission, belt and especially the weak reverse gear when turning. Not to mention that I squeal the tires everywhere I go drawing attention. The Bighorns don't do this because with the big lugs there's less contact patch so the tire gives easier but wears out faster. Rather than selling these tires for a fraction of new, I am going to groove lugs off in a pattern that will alleviate the pavement pressure. I can't post a pic of the tires right now but the tread pattern may lend itself for me to do some kind of a three stage outer lug design and work a center pattern. This may even make the tire more dirt track friendly on days I take the scenic route home from getting groceries.

Anyways, I think I found my solution. I am going to grab an oscillating multi-tool and blades just wide enough to knock each lug off. Harbor Freight has one for $15 I am going to try. At that price it's cheap entertainment!

[snj8198]

Here's a close up of the AT tire im running.



I picked up an oscillating tool and some cutting blades today. I'll chalk up the treads and see what kind of patter i can come up with.

[snj8198]

No going back now! Here's the after: