Sidewall wear

[AuroraNL]

Hello there I currently am running 18" argo rubber tracks on my 2019 Aurora 8x8. I have the 189 25" tires and my question is regarding sidewall wear. I only use the tracks in winter (2nd year) and I am getting a fair bit of sidewall wear espically on the 4 middle tires. I researched this issue on the site here and realize it is normal. Wondering is there anything you can do to minimize the wear? I have the recommended 5,7,7,6 psi in the tires. After about 900km in past 2 seasons with the tracks a lot of wear has occurred on the sidewalls. And finally if you were to get a flat on one of the 4 middle tires could you make it out on a flat? Thanks to anyone who can offer advice.

[Buzz]

Sorry to hear about your troubles. I’m going to vent for a minute-
I hear and see this a lot in Alaska with factory rubber tracks and frankly any track that has has moveable tire guide tips. Not only can the guides get leveraged into the sidewalls when a wider contact patch is flat on the ground, but many folks have actually had sticks fall/get trapped between the guides and gouge the sideswalls of your very expensive tires as you’re rolling along. There is also more guide pressure on the sidewalls simply because flat tracks like this are harder to turn with the edge of the track flat on the ground and a wider contact patch. Sometimes the Argo tire guides actually break and can leave sharp edges against your sidewalls.

*Disclaimer* I build strictly elevated belt tracks in Alaska because all of the typical “flat tracks” with moveable guide tips (for example full width flat rubber or narrower grouser tracks that have rubber belts flat on ground) side effects are magnified when carrying heavy loads and when traveling over uneven ground. Those tracks absolutely depend on track tension to help limit guide instability (They cannot totally eliminate it).

An elevated belt design solves all of them and offers more aggressive performance and floatation (no practical limit to belt widths) when needed w/o added skid-turning difficulty. In fact elevated belt tracks turn the easiest in all conditions (no comparison in my opinion).

Regarding flat tires on the middle, you’re usually ok but you might be forced to do mostly “hard lock” turns especially when off camber. If you instead leave the inside track turning, you’ll more easily roll it right off the tires.
It’s worse if you lose air pressure in the corner tires (by far). Corner tires make track tension, and increased track tension provides “some” additional guide stability on flat-style tracks like your factory rubber tracks.

I prefer elevated belt track for many reasons, one of the most important being they are very easy on tire sidewalls if built correctly, and the guides themselves are fixed position so they are not affected by a loss of track tension. Sticks or debris that falls on the elevated belt do not get trapped between the guides. They can instead just be pushed out of the way, and the elevated belt provides sidewall protection against sticks from below that might otherwise damage sidewalls.
Long story short, Factory Rubber tracks are very hard on tires and the machine as a whole, which is exactly why the factory keeps strengthening everything to better tolerate the abuse.
I’m pretty sure they won’t buy you new tires though. Many dealerships really push flat tracks because that’s what they have.
Your track will work, but look at your guides to make sure none of them are cracked, sharp, or otherwise rough. That will help with sidewall wear.

[john swenson]

great explanation buzz as always ......johnboy va.

[AuroraNL]

Thank you Buzz for taking the time to explain all this to me. I have a lot to learn that's for sure. I'll have to look into the elevated belt design because eating away tires is not good.