18" D697 noise

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Originally Posted by Garfield

I have had a set of KO2''s on my D4 since new ( done 42,000km ) and as previously discussed with Scott on another thread, yes they do have a drone between 45 - 60 km/h - especially on the over run. They emit the same amount of noise when they were brand new to now ( 42,000 km ).

Anyway a few weeks ago I quizzed the technical rep at the BF Goodridge stand at the Melbourne 4WD describing the noise in detail, and told him exactly the same noise had been emitted from the same tyres ( KO2 ) fitted to other D4 owners on this forum. The rep said that yes this can happen on certain model vehicles and the way the wheel / suspension geometry is designed, and the same tyres would not necessarily make the same noise on other vehicles. The rep basically said that changing the wheel alignment or altering the tyre pressure would not eliminate the noise, as the noise comes from movement of air with in tyre , and not contact of rubber with the road surface.

I am not sure if this explanation is true or BS, but must admit the annoying noise doesn't sound like scrubbing with the road surface.

Apart form this annoying drone 60 -45 km/h I am very happy with the tyres - on and off road. On the bitumen I run front and rear at 40 PSI cold.

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The old model KO made exactly the same drone,at the same speed.
But on the D2,with KO, there was noise at all speeds,as there is with KM2's on the Puma.

My D4 actually gets a sort of buzzing noise from the tyres coming up the steering column on some road surfaces.
It did this on the old KO as well.

Whether the KO were new or worn out,the noise was still there at the 45 to 65k speed.

Happy with mine as well.Mine are usually on 42 PSI all around,on the black top.

The main problem with the old model was they used to go hard as they got older,and crack badly between the tread blocks.
The new model has supposedly been changed to not do this.

Interesting comments on pressures. I am running placard at the moment, empty so 34F and 38R and they are as stiff as a board around town. Whilst this is primarily a reflection of a stiffer side-wall my thinking is I will go lower around town to about 32-34 and see how that goes. Will be interesting to see what I settle on when loaded and towing the Q+ in a few weeks time

Noise wise for me it is nothing and only marginally louder than my old and well worn 697's

Rob

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Originally Posted by RobA

Noise wise for me it is nothing and only marginally louder than my old and well worn 697's

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Same as what I found, although perhaps the KO2 is currently slightly less noisy than the worn D697s, it's hard to recall. Either way, not obtrusive.

Scott

Hi,

I've been using D697/18s for several years on my D4 and found 33/38 placard pressure absolutely fine and responsive. Loaded I go to 36/42 and also find these pressures fine with wear along/cross the tire even. Noise is not discernible. Temperature increase over ambient always consistent. I consider these to be "light" light truck tires with only 8 ply and 114 LR. Great general purpose AT.

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Originally Posted by RobA

But the clincher for change, after 15 years of using Bridgestone tyres on our 4WDs was our local BJTM got the KO2's F&B for $415. For me that was enough incentive to make the change and see if they are as good as some seem to think. I have a good friend with them on his D4 and have been guided a lot by his positive feedback as well.

Heading to the High Country late Nov for the Victorian AOR Rally so will be a good opportunity to see how they perform on and off bitumen.

Rob

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Congrats Rob on your Q+, an awesome unit. We have a MkIII Matrix and we love it.

I have been to the last two AOR rally events in Vic and did not find the off road tough. But John who runs the show can arrange a tough one I'd bet. He also has a Disco, which is a fairly unusual vehicle in that crowd, where 200 series probably make up 25 of the 60 there last year.

One thing people have said to me about LT tyres is that while a tough side wall is tough, some are so stiff they don't lower the tyre as much as one might want. But as said, LT tyres for 18" Discos are hard to find.

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Originally Posted by Melbourne Park

Congrats Rob on your Q+, an awesome unit. We have a MkIII Matrix and we love it.

I have been to the last two AOR rally events in Vic and did not find the off road tough. But John who runs the show can arrange a tough one I'd bet. He also has a Disco, which is a fairly unusual vehicle in that crowd, where 200 series probably make up 25 of the 60 there last year.

One thing people have said to me about LT tyres is that while a tough side wall is tough, some are so stiff they don't lower the tyre as much as one might want. But as said, LT tyres for 18" Discos are hard to find.

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MP thanks and yes the Q+ is fantastic in so many ways and we live in it 3-5 months of each year now travelling around Oz. A very different animal from our Ultimates but exactly what we want for the next 10 years or so with any luck

Yep LT tyres are really not well understood. Whilst stronger they are directly heavier as a result so there is always an increase in fuel consumption. Stiffer sidewalls equates to being able to run more heavily loaded for longer and/or run lower pressures in really rugged low range environments. My comment comes from a previous post saying they are running theres at 42psi for normal daily use which did surprise me.

Given the KO2's are new to us, we have no experience of them so no data we do what we always do which is establish base lines. So that means running placard pressures for long enough to get our base data set. From there we normally run a 5 & 10psi range against the previous tyre data in order to establish what pressure range we will use. Hope that makes sense but it is essential when testing and we carry that discipline through to our day to day use as well.

I reckon for daily use we will go to 32F & 36R to start with and see how they perform at that

Regards

Rob