I decided to try out Iroks even so I had no major problem with my BFG MTs but with a new lift (RE 4.5) they were looking small. The tire industry had also changed a lot in the last two year and options are now endless and mind numbing.

I could go with a more aggressive tire this time because the Jeep has migrated into a weekend warrior and no longer serves the daily drive role. I had always loved the Iroks since they came out but I was a little unsure about going 36×13.5 and really unsure about getting bias ply. After costing them and finding out they are cheaper than even the budget model 35s I was sold and kind of wanted to take a risk to try them out.  (Edit bias Iroks are no longer a budget tire)

I bought the tires from National 4wd in Fredericton New Brunswick and had them within a couple of days. I decided to try them on my old rims and leave the lift as is to see how they would fit.

As you can see they fit but not great.. The rims needed more back fitting and I needed more lift but I did manage to take the Jeep on a couple of runs this way and it worked out ok with just some fender rub and a reduced steering radius.

I decided to go with a 1 inch body lift that a friend made for me out of stock aluminum and rims with a greater backspacing. I stayed with a 8 inch width rim because I believe the 10 inch rims are too wide when aired down and could cause beads to pop.

The result was great! The tires still stuff into the Sahara flares and didn’t rub the frame. I had to slightly adjust the bump stop but nothing major.

Off-Road – The first impression was not great.

I aired the tires down to 12psi and was not at all impressed with how they gripped. Being that the tire was new on the market there was a lot of people interested to see how they performed… we were all discouraged. Half way though the day I dropped them to 10psi and noticed an improvement. I could have gone lower but I was a trail leader and didn’t have time to play around with my own Jeep that day.

The weekend after I was out with just one other Jeep and decided to play around with the pressure. Dropped them down to 5 psi to start and On my!! The tires were like glue on the rocks and it was a completely different experience.

The next run was the Fall Rally in Moncton and I ran 5 psi and the tires preformed I’d say the best in the pack. So the key to these tires are to run them low. In the couple of years I had them I never blew a bead even at 3 psi in the winter.

On-Road – The Irok is not a tire for everyday driving.

I knew this and was prepared for it. I trailered my Jeep to any event over 150km with my truck and hardly drove it on the road.

They are not really that bad and I found they hardly flat spotted but their road manors and behaviour on ice was not fun.

I originally ran 28psi but after a few months dropped to 22-24psi for the road. It isn’t uncommon for me to leave it at 12psi if I’m just going to a trail 10 minutes away.

Updates

I’ve had these tires for 3 years now and if I had to buy another tire tomorrow I think I’d buy the same for this jeep. I think they are the best possible tire for an off-road only Jeep.

That said I hate them and they are not on my new Jeep.

I hated driving my jeep on the road and is why I ultimately sold it. Now thinking back I should have tried a different set of tires to see if it was the tires or steering linkage but on the road it was impossible to keep straight and almost scary at times.

But off-road these things were unstoppable. The only time I ever got stuck was when I was high centered.

The tires wore really well for the amount of off-road abuse. Within the first year I did loose a lug or two that a sharp rock must have ripped off. The tread is still very deep but remember they have less than 1000km of pavement on them.

I never once got a flat, popped a bed or had any issues with them.

Pros:

• Great off-road traction
• Excellent in Deep Snow
• Look bad ass

Cons:

• Road manners are horrible
• Scary on Ice
• The tire loose lugs and get cut up fairly easy