Thread: TYRES - not again!!

Originally Posted by NomadicD3

Hiya KT-
pirelli scorpion atr, surprisingly good offroad for such a passive tread
Coopers Zeon- even better and you get more mileage {well atleast I did}

Of course "IF" you can fit 18" wheels you'll have alot more options.
Whomever told you "you can't have AT's" on a disco4 you should steer well clear of as they obviously full of it!!!!

I changed my OEM supplied Wranglers on my MY10 D4 to Scorpion ATRs in standard 19" size and was super impressed for a while. Compared to the Wrangler (which to be fair, whilst a bit soft-sided and puncture prone after ~40,000Klms, they gripped really well in wet and dry conditions and were quiet), were just as quiet, very direct steering wise and appeared to grip just as well. And as was stated, they were surprisingly good in many off-road conditions. However, I've never used them again as I found they got very skittish in the wet as they wore (especially on corners) and my 12 year old son and I almost met our maker when the Scorpions aquaplaned at 100kph in rain .....pointing us towards a concrete wall. I've heard a few reports of this happening with this tyre.

I currently run a set of 18" 285, 60 Cooper LTZs as my camping wheels on my MY13 D4 and I'm pretty impressed. They are however, noticeably noisier than the standard tyres. I've driven in the wet a few times but have never pushed them .... but they grip pretty well.

Got them!
Yes they are noisier than the original road tyres but I think I will get used to it.

Originally Posted by Celtoid

I changed my OEM supplied Wranglers on my MY10 D4 to Scorpion ATRs in standard 19" size ....... However, I've never used them again as I found they got very skittish in the wet as they wore (especially on corners) .......

I agree with this comment on the Pirelli Scorpion ATR - they tend to lose grip in the wet as they wear. I had these on 18" on the volvo XC90, swmbo was complaining about the ABS cutting in in the wet ('the brakes are broken') . I would go so far to say that in my opinion these are dangerous. I swapped over to a set of Bridgestone D697 which have been significantly better. On the RRS it came with Pirelli Scorpion Verde All Season on 20" and these have been excellent so far. Much better grip and handling in the wet and dry, but possibly a bit short on AT credibility.

Just look at the pattern and you can see where the issues on each brand will be.

Originally Posted by NomadicD3

Hiya KT-
pirelli scorpion atr, surprisingly good offroad for such a passive tread
Coopers Zeon- even better and you get more mileage {well atleast I did}

Of course "IF" you can fit 18" wheels you'll have alot more options.
Whomever told you "you can't have AT's" on a disco4 you should steer well clear of as they obviously full of it!!!!

I changed my original “city” tyres for Pirelli Scorpian ATRs at 45k km. I like them - sure footed, little road noise, no issues in the wet - but, I think I will be lucky to get 40k out of them.

Dont know what I’m gonna do then!

After much deliberation I changed the Wranglers to Cooper Zeon LTZ's 255/55/19 at 47K.
My needs were simple .....
Strong tyre, although would have preferred Light Truck tyres
No extra noise, the misses can hear a pin drop from 100 metres and will let me know
Regular towing of 3000kg caravan on bitumen and gravel
Beach work and lighter off road driving, generally no mud or rock crawling unless have to

Verdict... after 15,000 klm I'm extremely happy with the performance, quietness and general handling of the D4

Good luck

Jaybee MY12 D4

FWIW - I am on my 2nd set of Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac's of the same size.

The first set lasted about 55k with about 20-25% useable tread left on them however I replaced them due to road noise they made after 20k on them or so.

Despite the noise and given the amount of off-road outback work I do in the vehicle, I purchased another set.

In heinsight though, if I knew I would be doing the sort field work in the car that I do today when I purchased the vehicle new, I would have definitely gone 18's to open up far more tyre options and to gain that little extra bag height. For now though, I just put up with the road noise until I hit the gravel / mud / sand, air-down as necessary and happy days.

Overall, I have found the Duratrac's to be excellent off-road, clear mud well, capable on sand, and drive well on the open road.

Good Luck...

Originally Posted by Tombie

Just look at the pattern and you can see where the issues on each brand will be.

You're so cryptic Tombie :-)

What isn't obvious from the photo of the Scorpion (bottom pic) is the fact that the outside tread blocks have a support bar. I've read .... and maybe it makes sense when you've seen the tyre worn, that that bar becomes a water block once the tyre wears a bit .... stops the tyre ejecting water from the inside of the tyre, thus aquaplaning potential exists.

I can't say otherwise on the design theory but I sure as hell won't buy them again. If it wasn't for the stability control and other electronic systems on that D4, I may not be sitting here today....melodramatic but true! That part of the whole experience was actually very impressive .... feeling the car 'Lite-up' and react to the situation. I just steered where I wanted to go and the car just controlled the slide (and my panicked oversteer). I literally could feel the D4 win the war at each cycle.

Pirelli have a great name and I'm by no means having a go at the brand .... but in the spec that I had (ATR 255/55/19) there appears to be an issue. I'd love to be able to say when I felt the compromise occurred wear wise, but I honestly can't remember. As I said before ... I was suitably impressed at the start.