Goodyear Wrangler MT/R or Conti CrossContact AT

You are trying to compare two completly different worlds... the Continental ones are like a Freelander and the MT-R's are like a Defender. You can go in a really smoot way with the Conti, they are quieter, safer and have a longer life than the MTR. If you want to use the Defender to their limits, you have to go for the MT-R. In any terrain, the MT-R and the BFG are really good, both equally capable. I have seen both in action and have something in common: both tyres were better in their former path, new ones are not as good in off road, both are better now for the road.

I have in my car the former Pirelli Scorpio AT, they were in the top-5 AT tyres. They are smooth, really safe, very quiet and can have a hit in the mud, but not up to the task if you want to use your Defender to their real capabilities. The Conti come as standar in the Kia Sportage they sell here in Colombia, so they have to be really good on road, but for their off road abilities....:(

Mitsu in Continental, HCPU in Adventuro MT (extremely cheap chinese tires but were the best in overall during this "rally"), NAS in Mickey Thompson:

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/im...014/11/150.jpg
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/im...014/11/151.jpg

BT-50 in Hankook AT-M (really bad in the mud):

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/im...014/11/152.jpg

Toyota in BFG MT (new thread), 110 in General SAG:

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/im...014/11/153.jpg

Yokohama "stuck"lander (were the worst, all the Toyotas that had them were stucked all the time....)

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/im...014/11/154.jpg

Sometimes it doesn't matter if you have the best mud tire:

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/im...014/11/155.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/im...014/11/156.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/im...014/11/157.jpg

Everyone will have their preferences, but may I suggest how you treat your tyres, pressure, speed, avoiding damaging objects, skill!, may be more important than the differences between two quality brands.
My first venture into the outback I was paranoid about tyre reliability and the Contis were faultless, it could easily have been different if I had ignored the copious advice on this forum.

Of course everyone will likely have a different experience. Ask anyone about any brand/make and there will be as many horror stories as there are praises. (Probably as many as if you were to ask the question, "should I buy a defender or a patrol or a land cruiser?").

Personally, I on-sold the Conti's from my 2014 a day after I picked it up, just because I found an alternative that I wanted to try and at a sensational price. I had also made this decision long before taking delivery of the vehicle.

The drive home on Conti's from the dealer had me thinking I was under machine-gun attack, due to the multitude of gravel pieces striking the undercarriage (the Conti's do tend to grab stones).

However, they have received a good review from plenty of long term users.

I think all terrains are a good choice for a vehicle that will do a lot of touring duty, including the hard-to-avoid long stretches of bitumen from time to time.

My own use is a daily drive to/from work of approx 35km per day, and play time trips into the Brindabellas. I elected to try a set of mud terrains (in this case 265/75R16 Hankook Dynapro RT03's) as I got a very good price and had read good reviews.

I love these tyres, and have no complaints after 10,000 km. However, I'm sure there are probably just as many folks out there that will tell you they are rubbish :)

Make your decision based on your intended use, decide which compromise will be greater (we all have them with tyre choice), and go for it !!!

Then you will be able to share your experience with others.

All the best,
Nige

Quote:

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Originally Posted by carlosbeldia

Yokohama "stuck"lander (were the worst, all the Toyotas that had them were stucked all the time....)

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Mostly probably due to the sheer weight of the Toyotas too...:o

JC

Another good point to be aware of..
I've fitted the same tyre size make and model to two different vehicles (both 4wd) and had completely different performance from them.

Some tyres suit certain vehicle configurations better...


For me, all my Landies have had Mud/Claw style tyres - until the current 2.

Am I satisfied with the performance of these 2 on ATs - absolutely...

Do I miss that little bit of extra grip when it gets sloppy.. Yes.. But it's manageable.

The current MTRs seen like a good tyre - they do howl a fair bit though with the outer edge Voids being as big as they are now.

Biggest suggestion...

Be honest to yourself about your use... Living with noise, vibration etc for 90% of the time for a 10% event or use isn't really a fun way to go.

If you intent to tour, daily and occasional mud play - consider staying with the Conti...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jackdef90

Ive had BFG all terrains on all my vehicles, Ive never had an issue, theyre solid
Im running BFG MTs at the moment, Ill see how they go

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jackdef90,

Everybody has their preference, but 16 years of BFG use has never let me doubt them. I ran AT's doing construction work in Central Africa and they worked perfectly in the long distance and varying conditions stakes. I finally decided they needed changing after I had a blow out (probably sidewall failure on some exposed shale) at 87,000km with 80% + of that offroad!

My current KM2's have now got 58,000km on them and they still have an average of 11mm left on them (measured by LR during my last service - 265/75/16 starts off with 18mm).

At least half of those kilos were done on the gravel roads of the Pilbara and the rest on black top. At 11mm they might not be at their optimum in the mud any more, but as you know we don't see too much of that over here in the west. Having said that, during the past winter they performed faultlessly when called upon in the mud (Harvey etc).

Cheers,

Lou

I ordered my 2013 110 with the MTR's & have found them to be great on & off road however I think next time I will go with something less aggressive due to noise.

Hopefully the nwe BFG KO2 is released in time for my next set.

In my opinion, and in the context of what the OP has said he is primarily concerned with - a lap of outback Australia without the Cape, the All Terrain Conti tyre option would be a far better choice. Be prepared to adjust tyre pressures and driving style for different environments too.

They might look cool, but you just don't need a Mud Tyre for this type of trip. All the pics in the mud above are great - but these type of conditions are rare in the outback especially at the times of year when tourists traverse such areas. What you are likely to find are gibber (stone) plains, hard/soft packed dirt and sand, but as above, not too much mud! Indeed, a mud tyre can be (is) a bad option in such environments as Pat has mentioned. Conversely, the all terrain tyre will likely be perfect for your needs.

Many thanks for all the great replies and advice guys!

My new Defender is coming with MTR's on the black 'Sawtooth' wheels and I was wondering about trying to get the dealer to swap the tyres over with another one that has Conti's!

If I was back in the wet muddy UK, perhaps it would be a different story! :D

I did take both tyres cars for a test drive on the bitumen and did not really notice a huge difference in tyre noise... perhaps that the good stereo however!!! ;)