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4x4 Clubhouse - Baja Claw

Baja Claw
Project YJ
By Offroad Exchange Magazine

We were very excited the first time we saw the new Mickey Thompson Baja Claw tires. These tires have a look that turned heads and it seemed they could back up the hype but you just never know until the rubber meets the dirt. That's why we jumped at the chance to test a set on our Project YJ. This is a very capable Jeep and it needed to have a set of tires that could get it into and out of some really challenging trails. After our first serious test we have some results I think you're going to like. These tires have more bite than bark and we haven't found too many situations where they do anything less than amaze. Follow along and we'll show you what we mean.

This is a perfect place for the Baja Claw's, wheels up and taking no prisoners! With our axles locked front and rear we knew that we would be the rig to beat for traction! Those massive Sidebiters® saved our bacon on more than a few occasions and made believers out of all that were watching the brutal treatment these tires got time after time. Twice the Jeep was on it's side and we just bumped the starter to get us back on all fours! That's raw traction and you can't beat that out in the rough stuff.

	Tire pressure is always something you have to experiment with on the trail and a new tire makes for some interesting conversations around the campfire. The 6 ply sidewall makes this tire pretty stiff so we thought that the pressure would have to be fairly low. We started at 15psi but that bounced down the trail. 13 was a bit better but 8psi was the winner. It even went 7 miles down the paved road to town for gas the first day. Even with this low pressure we had very little deflection and the tire held it's shape over rocks. 8 psi shown here with full suspension compression

Look at this picture and see if you can tell what's wrong here. The tire hasn't shredded itself on that stump! Toothpicks and kindling were flying out as we tried to free the Jeep from this predicament. The tube bumper (Now about 6" shorter on each side thanks to a Sawzall) got hooked on the stump and the tire was wedged in under it. As the 6 ply sidewall just rubbed and burned away everyone was waiting for the next sound, POP! It never happened and we were able to drive away unscathed. Not one person there, even me, thought that was going to be possible but there it was. This was the moment about 4 people in the group decided this was going to be their next tire. In fact, I was lucky to have gotten out of there with these tires. I was warned not to stray too far from the Jeep or they wouldn't be there when I got back.

	The last test we had for them was the Mud! There were two lines of thought here, either they were going to eat it like corn flakes or they were going to do the China Syndrome thing and head for the earth's core. We were happy to find it was the first and these tires hold the distinction of being the only ones the make it through the hard line un-assisted. We were on our side with both right side tires in the air and the Sidebiters® got us up and out of the hole. Sorry there are no pictures but I was in the Jeep at the time and it's a little difficult to get the shot from there. I hear it looked awesome!

So are these tires worth it? Considering they will get you through some pretty serious stuff and live to tell about it I think Yes, they're worth every penny. It's better than walking home, right? The other big thing are it's street manners. Most people use their trail rigs for at lease some street use and the tires should have some ability to handle this. These tires do more than just handle the street, they excel at it. We had a 100 mile drive both ways to the trail and were really happy how they handled. The noise level is similar to an all terrain tire and the grip on the road was excellent. Most of the drive was on curving mountain or windy roads and they really gave us a very comfortable feel. These are soft tires so I can't imagine they are going to put up with too much street use but they are a good tire for whatever you do. We still have to test them in rain, snow, ice, and sand but I think we'll have to give them the benefit of the doubt from now on.
For more information check out http://www.mickeythompsontires.com/ for all the details.