Good Year Silent Armor's ...are they any good?

[TerryO]

Hi everyone,

Just wondering if anyone has had any long term experience with 18" Good Year Silent Armor A/T tyres on thier D3/4's?

If so what in your opinion is their strengths and weaknesses?

Cheers,
Terry

[Neil P]

They don't all have the same Kevlar side walls . Depends on which
factory production gets sent out here......... Don't expect a Dealer
to have a clue what you're talking about if you ask them what they
can order for you. LMAO !

[Graeme]

They don't all have the same Kevlar side walls . Depends on which
factory production gets sent out here......... Don't expect a Dealer
to have a clue what you're talking about if you ask them what they
can order for you. LMAO !
None have Kevlar in the sidewalls - its under the tread!

[Neil P]

My bad , Graeme . I should have said bands . The Hungary production
is rubbish according to LLRF buyers.

[petera]

My bad , Graeme . I should have said bands . The Hungary production
is rubbish according to LLRF buyers.

Fitting mine tomorrow hopefully..i'll see where they are made first.
Cheers,
Peter

[Narangga]

Hi everyone,

Just wondering if anyone has had any long term experience with 18" Good Year Silent Armor A/T tyres on thier D3/4's?

If so what in your opinion is their strengths and weaknesses?

Cheers,
Terry

Wrangler Silent Armor are made in USA.

Wrangler AT/SA are made in Indonesia.

General concensus is that the USA made are great (I have them but not used them much yet) and that the AT/SA are a lesser quality but some (including on the forum) have had a good run with them.

[peterall]

I have had Silent Armour's on my D3 TDV6 for 10 months.
I was originally very happy with them as they were silent on the black stuff with a tread pattern aggresive enough for general bush work.
Went across the Simpson last August towing a 1600kg Adventure camper with pressures around 18psi, sometimes 16psi. The side walls badly scuffed and in 2 tyres the lettering layer delaminated quite badly. This does not seem to effect the actual structure of the sidewall as it is the white layer that contains the lettering and only on one side, but they look bloody awfull.
The dealer replaced the worst one of them for $50 but I am still waiting for an offer from the GoodYear rep to replace the lot.
I am really dissapointed with this trouble as they are wearing quite well and as I said, they do the job.

[Jesse B]

Can confirm that mine (fitted last Friday) are made in the USA, but really can't add any more comments than those posted in the rim thread a few days back. For what it's worth, there are a lot of positive long-term reviews on TireRack - though with Peterall's comment about the Simpson crossing in mind I will watch with interest to see how they handle Australian conditions.

[bbyer]

Went across the Simpson last August towing a 1600kg Adventure camper with pressures around 18psi, sometimes 16psi. The side walls badly scuffed and in 2 tyres the lettering layer delaminated quite badly. This does not seem to effect the actual structure of the sidewall as it is the white layer that contains the lettering and only on one side, but they look bloody awfull.

I think I would be doing up a Good Year ad to the effect of a thousand miles on "flat" tyres and not yet walking. I know Australia is different, but here in the Arctic, we try to roll on the tread part; the sidewalls are to lift the 3 above the snow drifts or out of the ruts. The taller the tyre, the better - conditions really are different down under, I must say!

All I know is that any Good Year tyre I have had with Kevlar in it has been an outstanding tyre.

As an aside, the HP's, (no Kevlar), my 3 came with are the worst tyre I have every experienced - well they are OK in the summer on pavement, but on the snow, just plain dangerous. I just wish the Made in USA Silent Armors were available in the factory stock 19" size and I would have them on as my summer tyre.

[TerryO]

I have had Silent Armour's on my D3 TDV6 for 10 months.
I was originally very happy with them as they were silent on the black stuff with a tread pattern aggresive enough for general bush work.
Went across the Simpson last August towing a 1600kg Adventure camper with pressures around 18psi, sometimes 16psi. The side walls badly scuffed and in 2 tyres the lettering layer delaminated quite badly. This does not seem to effect the actual structure of the sidewall as it is the white layer that contains the lettering and only on one side, but they look bloody awfull.
The dealer replaced the worst one of them for $50 but I am still waiting for an offer from the GoodYear rep to replace the lot.
I am really dissapointed with this trouble as they are wearing quite well and as I said, they do the job.


A question if you don't mind, was this on 18" rims? Running at 16 to 18 pounds for so long sounds quite low to me I must admit. I'm reluctant to run that pressure for any long period of time in the 33" BFG All Terrains that are on my locked and jacked D1 in the rough and a D1 is nearly 3/4 of a ton lighter than a D3.

At present the D3 has Conti's on it and they work quite well on road but I was looking at getting a more agressive all round tyre while not wanting to go to a full mud and had hoped the Silent Armor's would do the job.

I have had 18" Wranglers previously on the D2a so I'm a bit dubious about fitting Good Years but figured there should be some good feedback one way or the other from D3 owners as these tyres have been around for a while now.

cheers,
Terry

[Graeme]

I have had Silent Armour's on my D3 TDV6 for 10 months.
I was originally very happy with them as they were silent on the black stuff with a tread pattern aggresive enough for general bush work.
Went across the Simpson last August towing a 1600kg Adventure camper with pressures around 18psi, sometimes 16psi. The side walls badly scuffed and in 2 tyres the lettering layer delaminated quite badly. This does not seem to effect the actual structure of the sidewall as it is the white layer that contains the lettering and only on one side, but they look bloody awfull.
The dealer replaced the worst one of them for $50 but I am still waiting for an offer from the GoodYear rep to replace the lot.
I am really dissapointed with this trouble as they are wearing quite well and as I said, they do the job.
I'm surprised the dealer replaced any if you let on that you ran them at 16-18 psi!

[peterall]

Graeme & Terry.
The Simpson crossing was on 18 inch rims and mostly done at 18psi then down to 16 if the going was really tough (late on hot days). Also we were careful with the speed.
I certainly did not let the dealer know what pressures we were using but he was aware of the trip we had just completed.
Peter

[petera]

Placed SA today: made in USA, look good and very quiet.

[biggin]

I haven't got a D3, but have done 12,000km on USA Silent Armor 245x75R16. Reasonably priced, but shop around.
Very impressive on road and good off. Very quiet, little wear. Would definately buy again.
Also, they have no raised white lettering (all black), so may not have the issue peterall has.

[bbyer]

Also, they have no raised white lettering (all black), so may not have the issue peterall has.

Sometimes tyres have all black on one side and perhaps white lettering, (or a whitewall, if really a classic design), on the other side. This is done to reduce the number of tyre variations that have to be manufactured and hence stocked.

Then depending upon the "look" on the vehicle that one desires, the tyres are then mounted on the rims with the appropriate side out.

In other words, if you look on the "not visible side" of the vehicle tyres, you may also have the white lettering. I looked on the Goodyear site and could not tell from what I saw / read if the sidewalls on the Silent Armour are the same on both sides or different, but they do have the Kevlar cord and regardless of look of the sidewall, the Kevlar is the good stuff. :)

[biggin]

Sometimes tyres have all black on one side and perhaps white lettering, (or a whitewall, if really a classic design), on the other side. This is done to reduce the number of tyre variations that have to be manufactured and hence stocked.

Then depending upon the "look" on the vehicle that one desires, the tyres are then mounted on the rims with the appropriate side out.

In other words, if you look on the "not visible side" of the vehicle tyres, you may also have the white lettering. I looked on the Goodyear site and could not tell from what I saw / read if the sidewalls on the Silent Armour are the same on both sides or different, but they do have the Kevlar cord and regardless of look of the sidewall, the Kevlar is the good stuff. :)

Nope, black all round. Depends on size I think.

[petera]

the SA i fitted yesterday had white lettering on the sidewall. you can choose to have tis showing or not.

[Graeme]

Nope, black all round. Depends on size I think.
Definitely - no white on work-horse sizes...

[petera]

I fitted the SA last week so have missed out, however I am at the Goodyear autocare centre and they have a promotion starting 21 march ending 21 April buy 4 pay for 3 tyres. ? May influence decision to buy offshore.
Cheers,
Peter

[Geedublya]

Goodyear Autocare 265 60 18 Silent Armors $560 each fitted in Sydney. Quoted $2780 for 6.
Tire Rack 265 60 18 Silent Armors $US 188 each. Quoted Freight $US 350 and 6 x tires $US 1128 total $US 1478. As I can fit and balance myself Tire Rack looks much better even with GST and duty if applied.

Now to choose between SA and Yokohama AT/S.

[petera]

my silent armours were $480.00 per tyre fitted, balanced.
with the offer, the cost would be $360.00 per tyre if 4 were purchased.
Cheers,
Peter

[petera]

took them down a 20k track in torrential rain yesterday in blue mountains. some sections very clay/mud slippery. absolutely no problems, although the e-diff lock was working occasionally. The treads cleared the clay pretty well.
overall i am happy with them so far.
cheers,
Peter

[Geedublya]

What size Petera?

Which shop?

[petera]

265/60/R18
Goodyear Autocare Rozelle

[Geedublya]

They are the ones that quoted me $560. Maybe the price went up to cover the freebie. I even asked for a discount as I would be getting 6. He gave me $20 off the total.

[petera]

They are the ones that quoted me $560. Maybe the price went up to cover the freebie. I even asked for a discount as I would be getting 6. He gave me $20 off the total.

did you get the quote from that store? when i was getting prices, there was variation between Goodyear stores; I think they may be franchises.

As you can fit and balance them yourself, it looks like it is cheaper to import.

As an aside, i have taken the car back twice now to refit the balancing weights; it seems every morning i go to the garage and it is littered with balancing weights

[Geedublya]

Yes it was Rozelle. I rang Castle Hill as well but the best he could do was $536 a tire.

[petera]

Yes it was Rozelle. I rang Castle Hill as well but the best he could do was $536 a tire.
I dealt with Geoffrey ('the owner). Maybe mention to him that I was quoted $480.00?:confused:

[biggin]

Geez, you 18 inchers pay big bucks.
My 245/75R16's were $271ea from the local Beaurepaires:eek:

[TerryO]

Geez, you 18 inchers pay big bucks.
My 245/75R16's were $271ea from the local Beaurepaires:eek:



You know what its like Biggin ...most blokes would pay anything for an extra 2 inches

;)

cheers,
Terry

[DiscoWeb]

G'Day,

Based on my recent tyre purchasing experience, and with absolutely no affiliations, anyone in Sydney looking to buy tyres would be silly not to ring Tempe Tyres.

I was quoted anything ranging from $380 - $470 for Continental Cross Contact AT's in OEM size 255/60 R18 but purchased them for about $320 each balanced and fitted at Tempe.

Even when I suggested one of the dealers with a tyre outlet try and match that price, they laughed.

Might be an easy way to check pricing as they have been consistently the cheapest I can find.

George

[TerryO]

Well the decision is finally made I will be getting a set of the 265x60x18R Silent Armors for the D3. If and when I need to get something a bit more agressive I'll get some 17's and some muds.

I will have them next week sometime so I will report back how I find them after I have done a few thousand k's. I'm going to put the Conti's, which still have quite a bit of life left in them, on the D2a and take the 16's off for now.

cheers,
Terry

[petera]

Took this SA out for the first real off road trip and sliced one sidewalk 20 mins in.
Just bad luck I hope. Will post pic when I work out how!:eek::o

[TerryO]

Took this SA out for the first real off road trip and sliced one sidewalk 20 mins in.
Just bad luck I hope. Will post pic when I work out how!:eek::o

Bugger! :(

cheers,
Terry

[petera]

this the damaged SA:o

[TerryO]

Hey Petera,

a question if you don't mind, are you going to take it back to the dealer and ask them to do something about it?

cheers,
Terry

[petera]

Hey Petera,

a question if you don't mind, are you going to take it back to the dealer and ask them to do something about it?

cheers,
Terry
Hi Terry,
i thought about it, but i think it wouldn't be covered under warranty. Do you think i should take it back?

[TerryO]

Hi Terry,
i thought about it, but i think it wouldn't be covered under warranty. Do you think i should take it back?



Yes I do, nothing ventured nothing gained.

cheers,
Terry

[petera]

Yes I do, nothing ventured nothing gained.

cheers,
Terry

i'll give it a go, but i ain't confident:mad:
What do you think i should say to them? i am sure they'll say they aren't covered for damage from rocks etc.

[101RRS]

What do you think i should say to them? i am sure they'll say they aren't covered for damage from rocks etc.

Why not - it is an AT tyre supposedly designed for some offroad use - it is marketed as such.

[petera]

As mentioned in previous post, i had a flat with a hole through one of the lugs on the tyre. I had it repaired today and the hole was so small, the repairer had trouble finding it. Showed dealer the other damage to sidewall and he is not interested in replacing under warranty.
i still like driving on these tyre, but i am not so confident in their abiities to resist damage.
Cheers,
Peter

[101RRS]

i still like driving on these tyre, but i am not so confident in their abiities to resist damage.
Cheers,
Peter

Bummer - they were on my list of tyres to consider - now leaning towards the BFG AT KO - 265/65/18 and they are a LT spec and the same price as the Silent Armours.

Garry

[unseenone]

I prefer these, I am hard on tires, typically ruining one or two per set.. so far, I haven't ruined any of these. I seriously considered the BFG, couldn't justify the price difference here. I also here that Hankook makes some that work well.

Choice
Nitto Terra Grappler LT285/60R18 E125R Part # 200-880 31.5" diameter
tread depth 15.6 32nds
Choice 2
Nitto Terra Grappler LT285/60R18 E120S Part # 200-410 31.38" diameter
tread depth 13.6 32nds

I've run 2 sets of #2 and 1 set of #1, good stuff. NO Flats, no ruined tires. Hold up well because they have a lot of plies, 8-12 I believe, with also helps in desert cactus and thorns.

http://lr3tips.wordpress.com/2010/10...ove-this-wire/ (http://lr3tips.wordpress.com/2010/10/01/bigger-tires-move-this-wire/)

http://lr3tips.wordpress.com/2010/10...ger-tires-rub/ (http://lr3tips.wordpress.com/2010/10/01/will-bigger-tires-rub/)

for LR3/DIII/RRS Differential Rebuilt Kits pm me, name, address, e-mail, phone. Gallery: DISCO3.CO.UK Photo Gallery - Home > Member Galleries > tlt (http://www.disco3.co.uk/gallery/index.php?cat=11463)

[Jesse B]

For what it's worth, I've just taken part in Gordon's "extreme" weekend on my SilentArmours and they came through unscathed. We were among some pretty savage rock in places, and a few of the hills were - umm - challenging, might we say? I'm no tech-head and I don't have a whole lot to compare by, but I thought they hung on pretty well, and handled both rock and mud pretty well for what is after all an AT tyre. The couple of times I got stuck were more likely due to driver error or lack of clearance than the tyres - but Gordon may have something more to add.

This experience has left me feeling quietly satisfied with the choice I made. All tyres are a compromise, and these seem to fit my needs rather well. Having said that, the D4 on Cooper LTZs performed very well indeed, and the extra width seemed a help - if you're prepared to deal with a little rubbing and the deflate-the-spare-first issue.

[Discoboy7308]

Hi people,this is my first post! I've been considering Silent Armours,BFG KO, General Grabber AT2 and Mickey T STZ. My fave was Silent Armour,but now am totally confused after reading this forum section..

[amtravic1]

I am on my second set of Silent Armours. Absolutely no problems at all. The first set were 235/70x16, the second, 265/75x16. I am very impressed with them for an all round tyre.

[Discoboy7308]

I am on my second set of Silent Armours. Absolutely no problems at all. The first set were 235/70x16, the second, 265/75x16. I am very impressed with them for an all round tyre.
Thanks for the reassurance but I got a product card on this tyre from a Goodyear dealer earlier this week and is says on it that they are original equipment on some Jeeps (I hate Jeeps!),the tyres are probably the best thing on the pieces of ****:twisted:.... I'll still definitely keep them on the top of my list though..