BAJA BELTED® SEMI-DIRECTIONAL TREAD DESIGN
All Mickey Thompson® Baja Belted tires are designed with what is called a "semi-directional
tread". In other words, depending on which way the tires are mounted, the tires will have a higher
degree of traction or a higher degree of flotation.
For maximum forward traction, mount white letters out (serial # in) on left (driver's) side of
vehicle, and white letters in (serial # out) on right (passenger) side of vehicle.
For maximum flotation, (or maximum reverse traction), mount white letters in (serial # out) on
left (driver's) side, and white letters out (serial # in) on right (passenger) side.
Since off-roading involves a fair amount of backing out of difficult situations, most people mount
tires with white letters out all around.
Also, the tires may be rotated to any location even after being run in one direction. Tires should
be rotated at least every 5,000 miles.
TIRE-WHEEL MATCH MOUNTING FOR OPTIMUM UNIFORMITY
Mickey Thompson® is pleased to advise you that all Baja Radial MTX™ light truck tires
will be identified with a yellow "match mounting mark" (yellow dot) on the sidewall (see
Figure 1). The purpose of the match mounting mark is to provide an aid in matching these
tires to a rim, when the tire is first mounted, to provide the best possible ride.
Details and procedures for proper match mounting are as follows:
Rim Details:
New passenger and light truck vehicles:
(A) Ford and Chrysler passenger and LT steel rims, and most steel replacement rims,
have a paint dot or small painted daub in the drop well portion of the rim at the rim low
spot.
(B) GM and most Japanese vehicle manufacturers use the valve hole to mark the low
point.
(C) Other manufacturers are using a removable colored sticker or a brightly colored
washable paint mark on the rim flange area of the rims. These are generally removed by
the vehicle dealer upon sale of the vehicle.
Aluminum and polycast rim low spots are located at the valve hole.
Unmarked rims of all types generally have the low spot at the valve hole.
Procedures:
Locate the yellow dot on the sidewall of the Baja Radial MTX tire. On a raised white letter
tire, the round yellow dot will appear on the white sidewall side (either above or below the
white sidewall). Blackwall tires will have the round yellow dot on the sidewall opposite the
tire identification number (also known as the D.O.T. or serial number). This indicates the
high spot of the tire. Note, the match mounting mark on a Baja Radial MTX tire will only
be in the form of a round yellow dot. No other marks or any other colored dots should be
considered as a match mounting mark.
Using the rim guidelines above, try to find the low spot mark on the rim. If no mark is
evident, then use the valve hole as the rim low spot.
Lube both tire beads and the rim on both outer flanges (where the bottom of the tire beads
will make contact with the flat portion of the rim when seated).
Proceed with assembly, mounting and balancing in accordance with RMA procedures.
After the beads have been seated, visually check the positioning of the tire bead aligning
rings molded into the tire. If spaced uniformly around the rim above the flange, the tire is
properly positioned on the rim. If the tire is not positioned properly on the rim, deflate the
tire and relube both tire beads and the rim before proceeding with reassembling.
The match mounting mark has been applied with paint. It is designed to remain for a period
of time in the event future service is required. Should the consumer desire the mark be
removed, it may be removed with a moistened steel wool soap pad or a small amount of
bug and tar remover. You should not use petroleum based solvents to remove the paint
mark as these may cause rubber degradation and lead to tire failure.
Additional uniformity improvement on larger radial LT sizes may be gained by:
Locating the yellow match mounting dot at the 12:00 position when tightening the wheel
nuts.
On dual tires, each tire/wheel assembly should be installed with the valve 180 degrees
opposite each other.
Ride will be optimized if the above match mounting procedures are followed during
mounting. Mickey Thompson recommends tires be dynamically (spin) balanced.
THE IMPORTANCE OF PROPER FRONT END ALIGNMENT
It is important to remember that when installing wider tires and/or wider wheels with more negative
offset than factory and when ride height is changed, especially on late model IFS (Independent Front
Suspension) equipped foreign & domestic P/U's & SUV's, it also changes alignment settings and load
on the steering components.
When front-end alignment goes uncorrected, it shows up on the tread surface of tires which have
excessive wear to the inside or outside portion of the tread. The same can be said of tires with a
'chopped' and/or 'feathered' look to the tread. Most often, we can trace tires requested for adjustment
due to "fast tread wear" back to a vehicle with poor or uncorrected front-end alignment.
Here is the way to avoid this unwarrantable problem:
Correct changes in front end alignment due to torsion bar or spring adjustment, lift or lowering kit
installation, severe off road use, wheel width and/or offset or some combination of the above.
1.
Note: Brand name suspension manufacturers and vendors always recommend front-end
alignment after lift or lowering kit installation or suspension height adjustments.
While a steering stabilizer is a good idea with the installation of any tire/wheel combination
larger than OE, and may disguise the 'feel' (darting, hunting, wandering, wheel shimmy) that goes
along with poor alignment, it will not fix this. Only a competent alignment to suggested specs is
2. sufficient. This may also mean replacing worn suspension/steering components such as ball
joints, tie-rod ends, idler/pitman arm, control arm bushings and wheel/axle bearings. Even on low
mileage vehicles, this is important, due to the possibility of low quality original equipment
components.
Finally, vehicles with oversize tires and wheels may need more frequent alignments, due to increased
load on suspension and steering components. Proper maintenance and alignment will not only increase
tire life and driveability, it will also extend the life of suspension and steering components.
Bottom line = Check your vehicle for worn suspension/steering components before/when suspension
height is altered and geometry changed; after worn components replaced, if any needed, get it aligned.
Tires being adjusted for fast/uneven tread wear on vehicles with poor alignment will not be warranted.
MICKEY THOMPSON®
ORIGINAL TREAD DEPTH AND WHERE TO MEASURE CHART
Baja Radial MTX™
M/T Part #
5561BLK
5562
5563
5564BLK
5550
5551
5552
5553
5554
5556
5572
5549
Size
LT225/75R16
LT265/75r16
LT285/75R16
LT235/85R16
30X9.50R15LT
31X10.50R15LT
31X11.50R15LT
32X11.50R15LT
33X10.50R15LT
35X12.50R15LT
LT265/75R17
P225/75R15
Original Tread Depth
16½/32
16/32
16½/32
17/32
16/32
16/32
18/32
18/32
18/32
18/32
13½/32
13½/32
TIRE SHAKE ON GM AND TOYOTA TRUCKS WITH IFS
Generally experienced with tires wider than 12.50.
Tires do not cause the shake. Weak factory components do.
To verify this, switch tires from front to rear. If the rear tires now shake, the tires are the problem.
If the fronts still shake, the vehicle is the problem.
Possible cures:
Change lower control arm bushing from rubber to urethane.
On 88 to 92 Chevy models with 2 bolt idler arm, replace idler arm with Moog #K6390
(3-bolt).
93 and up Chevy models have a factory 3-bolt idler arm. The problem is most likely a bad pitman
arm.
Set toe in to 1/8" - 1/4" negative (normal is "0").
Superlift is making a new, beefier, lower control arm bracket for Chevy pickups. It will be in their
kits in April, and available as a retro fit piece for earlier kits.