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Frustrating search for new tyres

Chris

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Just chucking this out there chaps as many heads are better than one. Especially mine.

I'm running 35" or thereabouts BFG Ats. On the road I cannot fault them. Except they pick up stones worse than kids pick up worms. Having had a couple of off tar excursions recently and adding that to what I have experienced in the past, the AT is just useless in any kind of off road situation ON AN 80. Good on snow oddly, but mud and wet ground has it stumped and that's with lockers in. Do remember that my 80 is very heavily laden and probably tipping the 3t mark. I have had them on lighter vehicle and found them superb even in deep mud. But this vehicle is just too heavy for them.

I am not trying to create another off roader, I have been there, but the thought of pulling off the highway for a coffee and being stuck in the verge has me waking with night terrors. So I do not want 44" Super Kingzilla Swamper tyres.

I have re geared my diffs and I am not swapping back so we can forget that. I could put standard tyres back on at 285 or something. Right, and I could hide an entire family of refugees in my wheel arch. Have you seen my lift?

The sizes I really need are equiv to

315.70.17 = 35.12.50.17
315.75.16 = 35.12.50.16

Current choices are Cooper STT. Mickey Thompson Baja MTZ. Maxxix Bighorn MT762. Hankook Dynapro RT03. I'd go with KM2 BFG if I could but they don't come in that size in the UK because they aren't EU rated unlike the rest of the range

The load rating has to be high. I can't fit Bingking Mashers from Singapore at £63 each. They'd disintegrate. Oh you can't get the Cooper ST Maxx in this size.

I'd need a new set of wheels on there too. I do have two sets of 80 alloys knocking about but I'd prefer black so I'd go with some new rims too.

For every review that says 'These have been the best tyres I've ever had' there is one saying 'Awful, mine exploded after 1 mile' so it's really hard to say. The evidence does seem to stack up against the Cooper though. There are some people out there who get through a lot of tyres (Oz) who really hate them

I don't need a superb mud tyre, I need a superb road tyre that won't leave me in trouble every time I pull over. Yes noise is an issue and so is wear, but I can live with those if grip is there. If I hit a wet roundabout in the BFGs, it's like driving a normal car. Brilliant. I do want to be able to stop!

So any thoughts? Experiences good or bad of any of these tyres would be helpful. Yes, I know I could just be more careful where I park and stay with my current tyres. Yes, that's just the sort of help I need. Going to Morocco in Oct so would like to have some new rubber on by then. I'd keep the BFG of course just for running around on.

I'd also like to keep below a million pounds so suggesting flying to the States to pick up 5 tyres and fly back with them one at a time isn't going to happen. Yes you know who you are!

Cheers chaps.
 
There's a set of ssts on eBay mate . £700 with wheels. Obviously you could sell the wheels
 
The trail blade gets quite a good write up Gav. Thanks.

Thanks Karl, but like I say so many people have said negative things to say about the STT. Other than that. it's the obvious choice. Superb in mud they say but out on the road, chunking, noisy, poor balance, wear etc. It makes me wonder if there are such opposites in the reviews, if there is a quality issue ...... I had a brand new Cooper blow out on the white one so I too have had an experience with them
 
Not sure I can help much other than to say that whilst Coopers last forever, they go hard and become horrible and slippery towards the end of their useful life... My 4Runner came with those on them, and as soon as I could I swapped them to something else (Nankang Mudstars... which were sort of an upgrade... not the best on wet roads, unless you like going sideways out of junctions and round roundabouts... which the wife does, so I'm OK!)

On the flip side, my mate in the UK is running General Grabber AT2's on his Navara that gets run into muddy paddocks and forests for maintenance and firewood/tree felling purposes; he seems pretty happy with them.

Another friend is running Kumho KL71's on his Range Rover P38a over here, and is pretty happy with them for the money.

Not sure how much help that is...

I like the look of the Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac range, the only one that is available in the size you are looking for in Australia is the Wrangler MT/R... no idea if that's available in the UK though, but there are some Wrangler Duratracs listed on a couple of sites....

Camskills have quite a good list of tyres (that was where my Navara mate got prices from for his tyres) in both the sizes that you're thinking of, as do Black Circles.com, Tyres direct, and Mytyres
 
I think you need to find some tyres with a high ply rating for your Chris its bloody heavy now. How about some 9.00 16 xzl like toby has i love them they are a bit noisy but are great in all conditions and last ages i have had a few sets in different sizes over the years they are bloody strong.

If not you cup of tea i think the micky t have to be the next choice as they have the load rating you require.

i am not to impressed with how my km2 need to be rebalenced alot once they start to ware. i have has it done twice now in 20k miles and needs doing for a third time again.

the big horns do get good reviews but never seen any.

i am tempted with the hankooks my self.

seems like a good reason to go 37 again!!

good luck stu
 
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Padler that is all useful thanks. I know all those websites by the way and use them to search for what I want. Seen the Wrangler but not sure about them. Had some Wranglers in the past somewhere and they had no grip. I doubt that your mate's Navara weighs the same as my 80 though. That's the problem.

Balancing isn't an issue for me as I put slime in all of my tyres, like Dynabeads they keep the tyre balanced all day long. I spoke to JCS (Chas) about load ratings and there are several that have the appropriate ratings, the STT being one of them. I can't seem to find any Mickeys though other than D44. They are bloody expensive. The STT is not too dear and it might be that I just go for those in the end. I don't do 5k a year in this truck so they'd last a long time I guess.
 
I think the mixed reviews on STT are down to what they were on , i can't imagine anything better on my swb but i don't think they would last long on your 80 . Hummer owners rate Wrangler well which addresses the weight issue somewhat .
 
i had the wrangler mtrs on my d22 navara and was not impressed at all with them they went sideways in the wet and any chanc3e they go and didnt even last 15k miles.

a good friend in SA has stt on his 80 and he says they are the best tyre he has ever had and his is very heavy when they go for trips. similar weight to yours 9i expect chris.
 
Charles has got 4 Mickys in 315/75/16 or he had last week when I picked 315 Coopers up from him, I had STT on WUGG and did find them to be a dam good tyre both on and off road and I did 10k on them until I sold it, that is why I brought the same again for my 80
 
He's just hard to get hold of David. I have mailed him, texted him twice and rung him. I dropped in twice recently and he wasn't there. He had the MTs when I was last in. I do fancy those. I need 5 though.

How are the STTs feeling? What size are your 315 - 16 or 17? I'd appreciate a side on pic if they are the 16" rims. It's a huge sidewall if you have 35 x 16.
 
He told me the 4 he has are not much more than the STT as they sent them when they had no STT in that size, thing is with him they don't start work till 11.30
2015-04-27%2017.23.47_zpswkdporlf.jpg

IMAG0758_zpsljwx7cqj.jpg

TBH it drives better on the 315's than to 285's i took of
 
Thanks David, they don't look anywhere near as balloon like as I thought they would in 16"

Might swing by his place on the way home tomorrow.
 
I have the 315 STT's Chris; first on Muxley; now on a set of rims for Oiley. I liked them on Muxley & they felt fine when I went to the Pyrenees with JW in Oiley...

Fraid I can't offer much in the way of long term test opinions though as I havent done much driving on them in either vehicle :oops: Currently running the 18" AT's down before putting the MT's onto Oiley again most likely...
 
Chris old buddy I have a set of 315's STT's on rims if you want to trial them for a week. Just a thought with the bank holiday coming up and a spare bit of time.

A.
 
Thanks Gav, it's all good stuff. Like Shayne says, different tyres on different cars isn't necessarily a far comparison. So hearing from 80 owners is good.

Thanks as always Andy. I don't think that I would dislike them in any way that would show up on a test drive. I am concerned about them chunking and chipping, plus then getting harder and noisier over time etc. Stuff like blow outs can't really be simulated.

It's a thought though. Hadn't realised there was BH coming up
 
The Amazon had RT03s on it when it arrived, a little bit of noise at speed but otherwise allowed me to drive like a eejit on road and did the business off it, didn't overly chew up or lose chunks.

In hindsight I probably wouldn't have bothered changing to the Grabber ATs, as the noise wasn't excessive and they didn't feel overly lumpy, but my loss was Mr Lomas' gain :lol:
 
Paul at West Coast has recommended the RT03's to me for when these AT's are done; I think the STT's will go back on Muxley in between times...
 
I looked at the Maxxix Bighorn MT762 overall looked ok and were a bit taller in 315 in STT but the side wall felt soft to me
My 80 had
Hankook Dynapro RT03 on it when I got and the 1st time up against a rock straight though the sidewall, so they had to go, but I only really off road in rocky places tbh
 
The Hankook tyre sorta gives me that impression too. Good tyre but it's significantly cheaper. Gets good reviews but sidewall strength is REALLY important here. Looking for 121Q area. Maxxis come out well too.

Just need the full package. I can fiind four here and there and wheels thereabouts, but wheels and tyres together in the type and size I want at the right price.... arrghh, Unicorn's tears again. JCS is really good on all of those things, but he never replies. So I'll get there and he'll have 4 tyres and three wheels in the right colour and size.
 
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