Tyres for big lap, General Grabber AT2 255/60R18

[Richardli]

Hi All, We are heading on a 12 month big lap of Aus in 4 weeks & were looking for tyres that would suit the trip, Sand/Mud/gravel/tar & towing 3200kg caravan. My local tyre shop is suggesting General Grabber AT2 in a 255/60R18. Would like some feedback from anyone who is running these tyres.

[Pedro_The_Swift]

From someone actually on the road with 18's ,,
make sure you can buy replacements "out there"
ring the importer if you have to

[Grumbles]

A gold prospecting mate has these on his P38 RR and gets off road a bit looking for nuggets. In his prospecting endeavors he has done the east coast to west coast trip a few times now and no tyre issues at all. Can't comment on the size though.

[RobA]

For local availability across national distributorships I suggest Bridgestone D697

Rob

[Redback]

For local availability across national distributorships I suggest Bridgestone D697

Rob

X 2 for this tyre also, for the same reason and also they are a great tyre, quiet, good grip on and offroad and also has Light Ttruck construction, which the GG AT2 hasn't.

Super happy with our D697s

Baz.

[Tombie]

D697.. Far stronger - and I mean significantly stronger in sidewall and tread area...

National availability and great wear.. 66,000km of hard track, fast gibber and highway and still going strong.

[jon3950]

+1 for D697s and definitely -1 for the AT2s.

I ran AT2s on my D3 in that size for quite a while and whilst I never had any major problems I wasn't overly impressed as they were very prone to chipping.

My concern with your application would be the longevity of the tread - to me its too soft and doesn't cope well with heat and hard rocky surfaces. I think towing such a weight in hot conditions even on bitumen would see the tread break down and certainly any gibber would see them crack and chip very easily. They are a tyre more suited to cooler conditions and occasional lighter off-road use.

I don't think the carcass is overly strong either. Although I never experienced a failure, I didn't use them for what you're planning.

The D697 is another generation on and by all accounts far more suited to the conditions you will be using them in - and more readily available than the AT2s.

Cheers,
Jon

[RobA]

Some more information regarding tyre sizes which may also help drive your decision. Particularly the need to consider where you are carrying your spare.

BTW we were involved in durability and development testing for the 694 and 697 with Bridgestone and we have been using these tyres and other brands on our tour vehicles for around 12 years now. Having operated them all over Australia our experiences so far have been nothing but positive. So much so that I have just ordered a set of GOE rims and we will be fitting the 697's for the reasons above and below and I thank GOE/GGHaggis for the advice below. The one thing we can say is the durability of the 694's was around 50,000km at best but their overall performance was far above the other tyres fitted to our fleet.. Given the work we do my focus is on tyre performance and reliability not durability as we remove tyres at 60% worn as below this the risk of punctures increases significantly and I hate changing wheels and preparing punctures, it ruins a good day in the outback.

Regarding tyres, the BFG are available in 265/65R18 - this size will rub in the rear when the wheel is fully compressed up into the wheel well. It will only fit in the spare wheel area if fully deflated and the plastic heat shield is removed. The Bridgestone comes in 265/60R18, a far more popular size outside of the major centres, and will fit without any rubbing.

Regards

Rob

[jon3950]

Given the work we do my focus is on tyre performance and reliability not durability as we remove tyres at 60% worn as below this the risk of punctures increases significantly and I hate changing wheels and preparing punctures, it ruins a good day in the outback.

Couldn't agree more, I have a very similar replacement policy. However I have not had anything last much more than about 40k on either the D3 or 4, so I'd be pretty happy with 50k.

Cheers,
Jon

[Tombie]

I'm generally the same - never worn out a set of tyres yet...

Current set of D697s at 65,000km still run around 7-8mm tread depth