The TYRE chat

[Jesters Td5]

Okay so I know this has been done before, however I want to know what people are using right now and what they honestly think about performance and value for $$$$$

I have my 5th set of 235/85 R16 Toyo M55F on the 110 Defender now and after my current expedition will need new rubber as this is their 3rd significant trip.

With the massive price increase in Toyo and also this current set have worn down significantly more than previous I am thinking of changing.

60% of KM's per year are off road with a mix of sand, corrugations and the occassional mud / creek. I have a Defender to get to places NOT play in the mud or weekend warrior tracks.

Looking forward to comments and recommendations

[spudfan]

Currently I have Michelin Latitude Cross 235/85/16. They would be biased towards on road so are very comfortable getting where you want to go. I would say they are not bad off road driven correctly with the Land Rover gearbox and difflock. I have not tried them in sand but in normal mud and water they are fine. They were standard Land Rover fitment over here. They are very good on wet roads.
https://www.michelin.ie/auto/tyres/michelin-latitude-cross#ratings-reviews
I fitted Davanti Terratoura 235/85/16 AT which has the snow flake rating to my daughters 90 300 tdi. She does a lot of off tarmac in fields and mud including towing a horsebox and likes them. The snow flake rating probably will not be a consideration for you? Don't know if you can get then down there.
Terratoura A/T | Off-road Tyres |Davanti Tyres (https://www.davanti-tyres.com/terratoura-a-t)
No doubt others will chip in with tyres with more off road credentials.

[scarry]

I know some won’t have the same opinion,I have run BFG for the last 22 yrs,on the sons Defender,D2,D4,now the LC 200,never had an issue,ever.

Had numerous sets,travelled all over the countryside,one slow leak,from a coach screw,and the tyre was worn out,so didn’t get it repaired.

On the D2’s,and Deefer,they generally lasted around 70 to 80,000 Km,on the D4 around 60,000 KM,maximum.It’s heavier,more powerful,and IS on all corners,which I presume wore the tyres out sooner than the others.

Nitto are also a great tyre,I was going to try a set on the LC,but none were available at the time.

[Slunnie]

I’m am a massive fan of the GoodYear MTR with Kevlar for this. I think for a touring tyre that is designed to get you there and back in any conditions with zero problems then this is your tyre. They’re designed for traction and the carcass is as bombproof and as stable as you will ever get. However, since the carcass introduced Kevlar which makes it bombproof, this edition also rides a bit stiffer which isn’t a problem if youre loaded up otherwise you will need to run lower pressures (closer to placard pressures for me, where I normally run higher). Because the tyre carcass is so stable they still perform at lower pressures. This is what I put my money down for with my Disco2, for a touring tyre but I do daily drive on them. Because of the type of tyre, I would buy them on the condition that they can balance them perfectly with wheel rim weights.

If the tyre stiffness is a factor for you, then I have also been really surprised by the BFG MT KM3 tyre which is softer in the carcass but a really smooth tyre. If you’re spending more kms on the road then the carcass of this tyre is more compliant than the MTR/Kevlar and is is a better daily driver with some play type of tyre. This is what I put my money down for with my 3dr Disco, but admittedly it is really just a road Disco that can go off-road.

[scarry]

And to add to what Slunnie said about KM3,the KO2 is also a completely different tyre to the old KO.
Softer compound,just as robust,grips and handles better on wet or dry black top,and great off road.
Wear rates are no different.

It was relatively easy to slide the old KO,even with the D2,on wet bitumen,but I have never done it accidentally with the KO2,either with the D4 or the LC,and both of them are not short of power.

Many of the reviews and info around on the BFG AT are actually old and on the old KO.

The KO2 is also the OEM tyre on the top range of Rangers.

[W&KO]

BFT AT’s is what I run……fitted a new set when we started our lap 4 months ago

[Discosux]

The father in law is an old truckie who's done many million miles reckons...

Buy the new release tyres, where the manufacturers are trying to get a good name. Once they have that, they change and skimp on the compounds
and meh, they just turn into a normal sort of tyre from then on in.

Makes sense to my old cynical mind.

[Tote]

Currently running BFG KM3 in 265/70-16 on the Defender. Very happy with the performance and low noise levels on bitumen for a Mud Terrain tyre. They have about 45,000KM on them and will probably need replacement in another 10,000. In addition to the occasional 4wd trip the Defender does the run out to the farm with a mixture of bitumen and pretty ordinary shaly gravel roads then gets to play swamp buggy on the farm (for the last 6 months anyway). Tossing up whether to go the same way again or to try one of the hybrids like the Ridge Grappler or the Maxxis AT 811.

Regards,
Tote

[Saitch]

or the Maxxis AT 811.
Regards,
Tote

I put Maxxis Razrs on the D3 a while ago and even the missus commented on how quiet they are. I haven't done any extreme stuff with them, but have made a decent ascent on road pressures, going around blokes with Oriental makes, who were at the bottom, lowering their tyre pressures.

[V8Ian]

The father in law is an old truckie who's done many million miles reckons...

Buy the new release tyres, where the manufacturers are trying to get a good name. Once they have that, they change and skimp on the compounds
and meh, they just turn into a normal sort of tyre from then on in.

Makes sense to my old cynical mind.
I've stated this on previous occasions. Also, often cheap, oriental tyres can be the same except for the brand moulded on the sidewall.

[Slunnie]

I've stated this on previous occasions. Also, often cheap, oriental tyres can be the same except for the brand moulded on the sidewall.

I personally stay away from cheap, chinese or korean tyres and anything from the Cooper family of tyres.

[ramblingboy42]

I've done around 50k on a set of Falken Wildpeak AT3 and am quite impressed....except they ended a wonderful puncture and blowout free run for years. I don't think you can blame the tyre for running over a very squared sided ironstone rock.

I don't think any manufacturer in the last few years has released a tyre that makes everyone want to buy them.

People buy their favourite or pub recommended brand and everyone has a bad story to tell.

Because of the blowout and unrepairable puncture I currently run 3 different brands because of outback tyre availability.

Now all the keg experts will let loose here but don't , you have no idea of my situation.

I love a tyre thread , hehehe.

[Jesters Td5]

Previously ran Maxxis before moving to Toyo.

Honestly currently tossing up between M55F, BFG KM, and Dunlop SP

My Deefer is Expedition set up and not normally used for playing but for getting to those weird and remote places. Mud specific tyres always seemed over kill for me. (Before Maxxis I was always Pizza Cutters on split rims)

[Tote]

Since this is in the general section I got a set of Atturo tyres on 21" rims in exchange for 2 bottles of gin to fit the RRS. They are a really good tyre, considerably better than the Pirellis that were on the 20" rims that I bought for all terrains and as good as the worn out tyres on the 22" factory rims. I'll happily buy another set in 22" once I've worn these out if I can find some.
https://atturo.com/tire/az850/6770 I believe they are owned by Federal

Regards,
Tote

[DiscoMick]

Have had Hankook Dynapro ATs on the Defender for a couple of years now and I'm happy with them.
They are a good all-round tyre, strong, go well on everything from bitumen to Outback gravel.
I'm thinking of buying an extra 2 so I have 6.

[V8Ian]

I personally stay away from cheap, chinese or korean tyres and anything from the Cooper family of tyres.
Perhaps because you aren't running 22, 11R 22.5 tyres on a vehicle, Simon. Admittedly, I only ran premium tyres on the steer.

[scarry]

Talking about Chinese tyres,in Africa, many run a tyre which is an exact copy of the old BFG KO AT.
I think they are called Goodride or something similar.

[Slunnie]

Perhaps because you aren't running 22, 11R 22.5 tyres on a vehicle, Simon. Admittedly, I only ran premium tyres on the steer.

Hey, 42's should be boggers, not roadies! :lol2:

But you're right! :( Im HR but I'd love to drive a semi one day!

[350RRC]

I personally stay away from cheap, chinese or korean tyres and anything from the Cooper family of tyres.

Best tyres I've had on the RRC and Courier ute have been Kuhmo, by a fair stretch. Maybe you're thinking North Korea tyres.

cheers, DL

[Slunnie]

Best tyres I've had on the RRC and Courier ute have been Kuhmo, by a fair stretch. Maybe you're thinking North Korea tyres.

cheers, DL

Thats not saying much. :lol2:

[goingbush]

I bought some Kenda Klever KR601 35x10.5R17RT for my Dodge simply because they were the skinniest 35" available, New to Australia and unknown here until recently. RT (Rough Terrain) is a new kind of tyre somewhere between MT and AT . Im super impressed, not sure they are available in smaller sizes to suit demand in this country but worth a look for sure.

180247

[spudfan]

Talking about Chinese tyres,in Africa, many run a tyre which is an exact copy of the old BFG KO AT.
I think they are called Goodride or something similar.

Yes they are called GOODRIDE. I have a set of GOODRIDE SL 369 AT on the LR 88 2.25 diesel. I don't do a lot of miles in it but over the years they did not throw up anything that would put me off them. They stop well and once four wheel drive is engaged I have never been stuck in them. Here is the thread on them.
SL369 A/T-GOODRIDE (https://www.goodridetire.com/index.php/products/info/sl369at/226)
Here is their Australian site page
Goodride Tyres (https://goodridetyresaustralia.com.au/)
P.S. Just an update. I have just found out that there is a brand called WESTLAKE tyres. These have the same model numbers and range as the GOODRIDE and it seems they come from the same umbrella company.
Here is the Australian distributor of Westlake tyres.
ABOUT US | New Westlake Website (https://www.westlaketyres.com.au/about-us)

[ramblingboy42]

....and talking yesterday to a Tyrepower technician, he swore black and blue that best offroad tyres ie AT are Coopers.

....to replace a tyre... Falken....that I paid $210 ea 2yrs ago now $320..

....now I'm off to buy 2 new dampers (shockers to you plebs) from Fulcrum who also swear black and blue and back up their product(hopefully) and do it cheaper than most other brands.

[DiscoMick]

Goodrides are fitted to some campers. Brother in law flogged his around the country for a year and they came up fine.

[prelude]

Talking about a thread wherein you mileage may vary, pun intended...

Bad dad jokes aside; I have been VERY happy with my goodyear wrangler MTR.s in 235/85R16. I wrecked one when I hit a submerged concrete slab with a jagged broken edge at 80kph (was a dumb lad, look at me splashing through here and then we found out...) I find their on road behavior to be very nice compared to most other MTR brands (cooper STT pro, falken wildpeak MT and the original wrangler MTR non kevlar).

Regarding unknown brands, check these guys they have a nice read. They often have to buy what they can get:

The Magic-number Car Tires for Overlanding – Why Skinny Overland Tires (https://landcruisingadventure.com/car-tires/)

I currently run a set of falken wildpeak MT and will do my first trip with them next week but so far I am not impressed with their on-road behavior, perhaps i am spoiled by the mtr's but since they are illegal in europe for some stupid reason I need to wait till I get abroad to find a new set.

Cheers,
-P

[ramblingboy42]

its amazing how different tyres perform, having just refitted my Wildpeak at3 set back on the ute after driving on the "i refuse to wear out" set of bridgstone RT rubbish for more than a year.

the Wildpeaks immediately improve every driving sensation, where you would expect the RT's to be better road tyres, theyre not.

[Epic_Dragon]

I have no idea the brand currently on my car, they were not my choice. Are basically cheap copies of Bridgestone desert duellers. All terrain but they do not perform well at all. Soft side walls, bad off road and really noisy!! Had them rotated recently trying to quieten them and it made them worse haha!
Currently slowly saving up to replace them with decent ones

[trout1105]

its amazing how different tyres perform, having just refitted my Wildpeak at3 set back on the ute after driving on the "i refuse to wear out" set of bridgstone RT rubbish for more than a year.

the Wildpeaks immediately improve every driving sensation, where you would expect the RT's to be better road tyres, theyre not.

It May just be me But I cannot understand why Anyone would fit RT tyres onto a 4WD, Doesn't it defeat the purpose of buying a 4WD in the first place?

[trout1105]

I have no idea the brand currently on my car, they were not my choice. Are basically cheap copies of Bridgestone desert duellers. All terrain but they do not perform well at all. Soft side walls, bad off road and really noisy!! Had them rotated recently trying to quieten them and it made them worse haha!
Currently slowly saving up to replace them with decent ones

I recently had a set of Toyo AT tyres fitted to the wifes Triton ute for about $1200 for 5 tyres.
They look the goods and come with pretty good reviews But it is early days yet as they have only done a few hundred K's so far however they feel pretty good on the road and dirt and are pretty quiet as well.

[BMKal]

I have no idea the brand currently on my car, they were not my choice. Are basically cheap copies of Bridgestone desert duellers. All terrain but they do not perform well at all. Soft side walls, bad off road and really noisy!! Had them rotated recently trying to quieten them and it made them worse haha!
Currently slowly saving up to replace them with decent ones

I put a set of GT Radial A/T's on my Disco 2 when I had it. Everyone warned me off them saying that they were cheap, Chinese rubbish (they are actually made by a Singapore based global tyre company).
I could not fault them. They were still on the vehicle when my son bought it from me - I think he replaced one after staking it down near Esperance on a fishing trip. They were still on the car when Nigel in Adelaide (a member of this forum) bought it from my son. They were cheaper at the time than most of the available alternatives, but performed and ;astedas well as any other A/T tyre I have had on any vehicle.

We still run GT Radial road tyres on the wife's Camry.

They have quite a good range of A/T tyres available. GT Radial All Terrain Tyres (http://www.gtradial.com.au/tyre-range/4wd-van-lt-tyres/all-terrain/)

[RANDLOVER]

It May just be me But I cannot understand why Anyone would fit RT tyres onto a 4WD, Doesn't it defeat the purpose of buying a 4WD in the first place?


its amazing how different tyres perform, having just refitted my Wildpeak at3 set back on the ute after driving on the "i refuse to wear out" set of bridgstone RT rubbish for more than a year.

the Wildpeaks immediately improve every driving sensation, where you would expect the RT's to be better road tyres, theyre not.

I think RT stands for Rough Terrain and not Road Terrain.

[trout1105]

I think RT stands for Rough Terrain and not Road Terrain.

I wont be sending you to get my tyres fitted for me[bigwhistle]

[RANDLOVER]

I have no idea the brand currently on my car, they were not my choice. Are basically cheap copies of Bridgestone desert duellers. All terrain but they do not perform well at all. Soft side walls, bad off road and really noisy!! Had them rotated recently trying to quieten them and it made them worse haha!<br>Currently slowly saving up to replace them with decent ones<br><br>I've had 3 iterations of Coopers A/T's on my Disco's however the latest set were noisy right away, so I had them moved from the front to the back which makes them seem quieter. I've found the off road tyres are quiet enough when new, but then seem to harden and get noisy, at first they start to squeal on smooth surfaces like in car park garages, then in roundabouts and finally they are noisy all the time on road.

[RANDLOVER]

I have no idea the brand currently on my car, they were not my choice. Are basically cheap copies of Bridgestone desert duellers. All terrain but they do not perform well at all. Soft side walls, bad off road and really noisy!! Had them rotated recently trying to quieten them and it made them worse haha!
Currently slowly saving up to replace them with decent ones

I've had 3 iterations of Coopers A/T's on my Disco's however the latest set were noisy right away, so I had them moved from the front to the back which makes them seem quieter. I've found the off road tyres are quiet enough when new, but then seem to harden and get noisy, at first they start to squeal on smooth surfaces like in car park garages, then in roundabouts and finally they are noisy all the time on road.

[Epic_Dragon]

I'll find out what brand mine are. I'm not sure what going to try next. Same size and AT at least. Maybe go back to Bridgestone as they were good. Or I'll try toyo or Cooper or something [emoji23]

Ok they are J-Trax All Terrains. Few years old but not done all that many kms on them yet.

[Saitch]

I'm well aware of the horror stories with Cooper tyres, but my first hand experiences with the Cooper ST are quite the contrary.
From 2000 to 2018, I had four sets on my D1 and did well over 300,000k on them. I reckon half those kilometres, at least, would have been 'Off Bitumen' and include the Sandover, Gibb, part of the Canning, Gunbarrel, Birdsville, Walkers Crossing Public Access, a lot of the Vic high country, the Channel and Gulf country and numerous Western and AULRO jaunts. [smilebigeye]

In that time, I had one, slow leaking puncture, caused by a piece of rusty metal at the old Hatches Creek mine, in the NT.

I don't have Coopers on the D3 as I opted for the Maxxis Razr, mainly on price and the fact that the bloke who supplied them, has them on his 'Play Hilux' and reckons they're pretty good.

[shack]

This is only in my experience, and of course is only my opinion based on that experience.

We run in very difficult difficult conditions, I acknowledge that, but here goes.

Bf Goodrich KO2.

Not as good as the old KO, very few flats, strong construction in the carcase, but the rubber in the tread is extremely prone to chipping, in fact that is what has ended their life on most occasions.

UNBELIEVABLY noisy as they wear, especially if wheel alignment is even slightly out, they will scallop.

Toyo open country.

A reasonable quality entry level tyre, not as good as the KO2 for longevity, also chip badly.
Terrible for punctures.

Cooper AT3.

One of the better handing tyres in the AT range, reasonable longevity.. But for some reason you never get 2 sets the same.

Also a number of people locally have been caught out with them, Cooper tyres have vastly different load ratings based on profile, and sets have been fitted by Cooper dealers that are not high enough load rating for the job.

I.E. overweight when the vehicle is empty.

The quality difference between the different load ratings is staggering.

And they just go bang if a low load rating is fitted (blowout).

All Bridgestone tyres we have ever run seen to be of fairly good quality, few punctures etc.

Maxxis RAZR AT 811

Have only had 3 sets so far but to me seen to be the best tyre overall for our situation.

Far far quieter than the Goodrich, far less chipping, better wearing than all the tyres listed above.

Very few punctures, good traction off-road.

Possibly better than the KO2, there were some very very earlier trial iterations of the Razr than we not good with noise etc.

To put all this in perspective, we are extremely excited if we ever get to 50k km on a set of tyres, I once had Cooper AT3'S that got to 55k km, but then hit and miss after.

Every other brand we have tried has not been worth reviewing TBH.

Any one running on 70% bitumen can probably ignore all my comments as most tyres are probably then ok!

Cheers
James

[goingbush]

I wont be sending you to get my tyres fitted for me[bigwhistle]

Nor you for me , RT is Rugged Terrain , NOT Road terrain . I have a set of Kenda RT tyres, much better than both AT & MT as far as I'm concerned.

All Terrain vs Mud Terrain vs RT Tires - The Dirt by 4WP (https://www.4wheelparts.com/the-dirt/all-terrain-vs-mud-terrain-vs-rt-tires/)

[trout1105]

Nor you for me , RT is Rugged Terrain , NOT Road terrain . I have a set of Kenda RT tyres, much better than both AT & MT as far as I'm concerned.

All Terrain vs Mud Terrain vs RT Tires - The Dirt by 4WP (https://www.4wheelparts.com/the-dirt/all-terrain-vs-mud-terrain-vs-rt-tires/)

Looks like I have learnt something new today.
According to this new tyre designation I have been running AT tyres for about 6 years now (Micky Thompson ATZ P3's) which I was lead to belive were a hybrid between AT and MT with a more agressive tread patern than the average AT tyre.
So what are road tyres designated as now?

[prelude]

rant:

Error 1009 Ray ID: 73a00eedff4db896 • 2022-08-13 08:25:07 UTC Access denied What happened? The owner of this website (www.4wheelparts.com) has banned the country or region your IP address is in (NL) from accessing this website.



I guess I can understand why but man this is annoying!

end rant.

[goingbush]

Looks like I have learnt something new today.
According to this new tyre designation I have been running AT tyres for about 6 years now (Micky Thompson ATZ P3's) which I was lead to belive were a hybrid between AT and MT with a more agressive tread patern than the average AT tyre.
So what are road tyres designated as now?

HT = Highway tyres , not suitable for off road .

[chuck]

Got a set of Maxxis AT 811'1 on the Cruiser.
285 75 16
Very impressed
Great levels of grip on road
Quiet
Good on gravel - even in two wheel drive

Thinking about some for the D2a in 265 75 16 after suspension lift is in installed

[trout1105]

HT = Highway tyres , not suitable for off road .

Thanks [thumbsupbig]

[superquag]

Silly Question: What are we going to do when a nearby big country invades a tiny island.... and Australia needs tyres, - seeing that we no longer make them.
Or, as I've just read, the urea for Ad-Blue ?

[bigsad][bigsad][bigsad][bighmmm]

[trout1105]

Silly Question: What are we going to do when a nearby big country invades a tiny island.... and Australia needs tyres, - seeing that we no longer make them.
Or, as I've just read, the urea for Ad-Blue ?

[bigsad][bigsad][bigsad][bighmmm]

Plenty of other countries produce tyres other than China and we Do have the resources to produce our own urea[thumbsupbig]

[350RRC]

Silly Question: What are we going to do when a nearby big country invades a tiny island.... and Australia needs tyres, - seeing that we no longer make them.
Or, as I've just read, the urea for Ad-Blue ?

[bigsad][bigsad][bigsad][bighmmm]

Australia isn't tiny.

[superquag]

Australia isn't tiny.

Think Oriental equivalent of .... Oz, invading Fraser Island [bigwhistle].

It's not "IF" more like "When..."

(Trying to keep out of the politics area....)

[spudfan]

In the U.K. Goodride Tyres have this, Guarantee – Goodride Tyres (http://goodridetyres.co.uk/guarantee/). I do not see it mentioned on the Australian site. Maybe an email to Goodride Australia might clarify things?
Video review of the Goodride SL369
Goodride SL369 budget all-terrain tyre - Unbiased review - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Fj7UypRe7g)

[Saitch]

Hey, Spudfan! When you do a tyre rotation in the Northern Hemisphere, is it the same direction as when done in the Southern Hemisphere?[bigwhistle]

[spudfan]

i JUST GET THE BACK ONES ONTO THE FRONT AND THE FRONT ONES ONTO THE BACK

[ramblingboy42]

price rises.....I think 2 weeks ago I mentioned the price increase on Wildpeaks from $210 to @320each.

yesterday my indy tried to get a pair for me at ring a round best price of $360ea an increase of $40 in two weeks.....explained away by new shipment.

I should have bought them 2 wks ago in hindsight plus a couple cartons of suds.

it must really **** the retailers off never being able to hold a firm price on goods.

[scarry]

it must really **** the retailers off never being able to hold a firm price on goods.

A bit off topic,but try quoting smallish jobs,that is less than $1M,its very difficult in todays market.

Not only changing prices from suppliers,but also the availability and delays on supply of equipment is a huge issue.

(Over $1M are jobs not for us.)

[DiscoMick]

My brother who runs an aluminium fabrication workshop, says some of the things he orders have risen by up to 80% this year.

[trout1105]

price rises.....I think 2 weeks ago I mentioned the price increase on Wildpeaks from $210 to @320each.

yesterday my indy tried to get a pair for me at ring a round best price of $360ea an increase of $40 in two weeks.....explained away by new shipment.

I should have bought them 2 wks ago in hindsight plus a couple cartons of suds.

it must really **** the retailers off never being able to hold a firm price on goods.

I am of the opinion that many of these price rises (including fuel) are simply "Gouging" by various individuals and companies and I think that prices will "Settle" to a more reasonable level when people simply won't or can't afford to buy the products at the inflated prices and it starts to affect the turnover (profits) which will equal a lesser demand which will eventually equate to a lower price at the till.