Page 1 of 5 123 ... LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 47

Thread: MT vs AT vs HT in sand

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jan 2020
    Location
    McGowanastan
    Posts
    694
    Total Downloaded
    0

    MT vs AT vs HT in sand

    Gday all,

    Does anyone think 1 particular type of tread performs better on the D3/D4 than others.

    i have just been in serious soft sand with MT tyres and I didn’t think they performed that well at all , although this was my first real foray into sand with the D3. I have lots of sand driving experience and did the DSC off etc.
    It just seemed the MT tread worked against the sand and I seemed to be pushing rather than rolling over the sand

    Bulletman

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Aug 2012
    Location
    Braidwood, NSW
    Posts
    308
    Total Downloaded
    0
    Yup, a slightly less aggressive AT is my choice for sand if I can. In theory good HT's can be good in sand as well. However, airing HT's down is a bit risky really, they aren't designed for it at all.

    So the AT's are the choice.

    As you have experienced, MT's tend to dig down into the sand. In the end that's exactly what they are designed to do in mud to get to a more solid surface below. I have run MT's on sand many times and have done fine by airing down a little further than I normally would. However it still isn't a "perfect" experience.

    In the end, the D3/4 are fairly heavy, which certainly makes tyre selection a bit more critical in the soft stuff.

    If I was made of money I would love to have a set of rims for each style and swap out depending on what I'm doing. Unfortunately, the missus disagrees and thinks eating and clothing the children is more important than situational optimal tyre selection!?!?!
    -------------------------
    Chris Phillips


    Offroader: 1996 Discovery 300TDI (The Green Donkey)
    Missus: 2010 Discovery 4 TDV6 (Fancy thing)
    Just 'cause: 1999 Discovery SE 3.9L V8 (Makes fun noises, sometimes...)
    Spares: 1998 Discovery 300TDI (Only vehicle actually in the garage..........)

    Run around:
    2001 Nissan Pulsar ST 1.8L (Soul crusher)

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jan 2017
    Location
    Geraldton WA
    Posts
    8,284
    Total Downloaded
    0
    My own personal preference is for an aggressive pattern AT for sand especially for damp sand as they tend to "Shed" the sand better and provide a better grip.
    I have been running Mickey Thompson ATZ P3's on my D2a for about 3 years now and find them Much better in sand than the less aggressive pattern on the Yokohama Geolander AT's that they replaced.
    HT tyres are fantastic on the bitumen But I personally find them completely inadequate once you leave the black top and find them particularly useless in the soft sand we Western Australians have on our beaches.
    Whatever tyres you are running on sand pay particular attention to the tyre pressures you are running because this one simple thing will save you a lot of time on a shovel or maxtracks
    You only get one shot at life, Aim well

    2004 D2 "S" V8 auto, with a few Mods gone
    2007 79 Series Landcruiser V8 Ute, With a few Mods.
    4.6m Quintrex boat
    20' Jayco Expanda caravan gone

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
    Location
    Whyalla, SA
    Posts
    7,064
    Total Downloaded
    0
    Let’s first air this (again)... A D3 is NO HEAVIER than a Cruiser etc...

    My best performing tyres in Sand were/are Baja Claws, followed by aggressive MTs.

    HTs are crap unless you go full Balloon.


    If your MTs were struggling, what pressures were you on (and roughly how laden was the vehicle)...

    And what box were you in?

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jan 2020
    Location
    McGowanastan
    Posts
    694
    Total Downloaded
    0
    Quote Originally Posted by Tombie View Post
    Let’s first air this (again)... A D3 is NO HEAVIER than a Cruiser etc...

    My best performing tyres in Sand were/are Baja Claws, followed by aggressive MTs.

    HTs are crap unless you go full Balloon.


    If your MTs were struggling, what pressures were you on (and roughly how laden was the vehicle)...

    And what box were you in?
    gday Tombie,

    18psi , fully loaded, including approx 160 Ltrs fuel, me and the boss no other passengers . I was following a prado with ATs and he was bogging and I had to slow down which is when the tyres really felt they struggled to stay on the sand rather than dig in.

    sand mode , DSC off and driving in sport mode 2nd gear high range.

    Bulletman

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    Central West NSW
    Posts
    13,671
    Total Downloaded
    0
    Quote Originally Posted by Tombie View Post
    Let’s first air this (again)... A D3 is NO HEAVIER than a Cruiser etc...

    My best performing tyres in Sand were/are Baja Claws, followed by aggressive MTs.

    HTs are crap unless you go full Balloon.


    If your MTs were struggling, what pressures were you on (and roughly how laden was the vehicle)...

    And what box were you in?
    Totally agree. I find MT's provide a lot of drive on the sand compared to HT pattern tyres. They will get you further than HT tyres which just spin. I havent found digging down in MT pattern tyres to be a problem, they don't seem to get stuck much like the others, just set your pressures correctly.
    Cheers
    Slunnie


    ~ Discovery II Td5 ~ Discovery 3dr V8 ~ Series IIa 6cyl ute ~ Series II V8 ute ~

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    North West Tasmania
    Posts
    869
    Total Downloaded
    0

    MT RUle

    Yep,
    here in Tassie on the west coast, a lot of mud, sand and wet roads.

    You cant go past MT tyres for all.

    Better all round. As the others have said, let them down to 18 off road and see how you go from there.
    If its really soft you may have to go to 12.

    Much better than an A\T in all types of terrain.
    Especially on wet roads.
    I would never buy an A/T.

    Some one who has 35 years experience and hundreds of thousands of km.

    Cheers
    Piddler

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Apr 2019
    Location
    Sydney
    Posts
    18
    Total Downloaded
    0
    Is everyone here running MT on 18’s only or are some of you on 19’s MT? Currently on AT’s and have yet to test out any tracks yet. Did some tracks in wolombi when I had Pirelli scorpion HT’s. Not too bad since most of it was dry. Was also running around 22psi all round. Some sandy bits got a little slippery on the HT’s but it kept going thanks to the terrain response system. Just lucky not to pop the beads at some of the trails there.

    .

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
    Location
    Whyalla, SA
    Posts
    7,064
    Total Downloaded
    0
    Quote Originally Posted by Bulletman View Post
    gday Tombie,

    18psi , fully loaded, including approx 160 Ltrs fuel, me and the boss no other passengers . I was following a prado with ATs and he was bogging and I had to slow down which is when the tyres really felt they struggled to stay on the sand rather than dig in.

    sand mode , DSC off and driving in sport mode 2nd gear high range.

    Bulletman
    Thanks for the details. You’ll find the D3/4 like to be in low box and a higher gear in tougher conditions.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    Canada
    Posts
    1,013
    Total Downloaded
    0
    Air pressure is the number one most important thing with sand. Everything else is of much lesser importance.

    Aggressive treads do slightly better when compared side by side at the same pressures. But they do use a bit more power.

Page 1 of 5 123 ... LastLast

Tags for this Thread

Bookmarks

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
Search AULRO.com ONLY!
Search All the Web!