THE DURABILITY AND MUD MOBILITY PERFORMANCE OF 16-20, 8 P. R., NDCC TUBELESS TIRES

The 16-20 tires had good wearing and riding characteristics, caused no difficulty in vehicle handling except the steering required more effort and were lighter in weight than the 11.0020 tire and wheel assemblies. They did not, however, resist penetration failures satisfactorily on Gravel, Pavement and Cross-Country and had the further disadvantage of being impossible to dismount for repair or replacement from the one-piece drop center safety rims, with hand tools, after the tires had accumulated some mileage. On a slick, 1 to 2 inch depth of mud overlaying a hardpan surface, the vehicle with 11.00-20 tires appeared to have a slight advantage in being able to exert a greater drawbar pull than the vehicle equipped with the 16-20 tires. Reducing the tire pressures did not appreciably affect drawbar capabilities under these conditions. In a 12 inch depth of very soft mud, the 16-20 tires, inflated to 12 psi, had a definite advantage over the 11.00-20 tires inflated to the same pressure.