Which tyres?
Submitted: Thursday, Nov 20, 2008 at 20:57
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GUey
Hi all
I'm looking at replacing my tyres on the car and camper - GU Patrol wagon and tvan with 17's alloys in order to reduce some weight. Currently have MTRs (265/75 16s) on GU steelies which have been great. Over the years have tried Cooper STs which were replaced under warranty and BFG AT's many yrs ago which were fine. I noticed on a recent trip through Pedirka to Dalhousie, that the MTRs seemed to be running hotter, than a similarly loaded Prado with BFG AT's, that I was travelling with. Any thoughts on that? The max wheel size for the camper is 265/75 16" or equivalent.
The car is a regular daily driver which gets up to the
Vic high country a few weekends each year, with a 3-4 week outback touring duty as
well - prob go the Cape this year. I don't frequent mud to often but it can get slippery up in the high country late in the season. Have often wondered whether I could get away with a slightly less aggressive AT, but at what offroad risk.
Is there anything new on the market that would suit my application better than the MTRs? Appreciate your thoughts.
Cheers, Mike
Reply By: Robin Miller - Thursday, Nov 20, 2008 at 21:11
Thursday, Nov 20, 2008 at 21:11
Mike if you wish to reduce the weight then put 235/85/16 on it on trak 11 16X7 steel
wheels.
As
well as less weight (about 4kg/wheel) it will steer better have
have improved track width.
Tyres - will depend on how agressive you really want but things like the BFG at come in that size as
well as many others including Bighorns which I also use.
I use toyo opats for general touring and around town but these are fairly road bias
AnswerID:
336279
Reply By: jdwynn (Adelaide) - Friday, Nov 21, 2008 at 06:53
Friday, Nov 21, 2008 at 06:53
Mike, you obviously get around a bit so I might be telling you what you know. Prado lighter car and that's a factor. Tyre pressure differences will affect temperature for sure. What pressures were you/Prado running? I'm on MTR's now and happy so far - have not noticed temperature issue. I personally reckon a muddy is best all round off-road tyre, and we do more sand than anything - just want it for times when we find ourselves in mud/
water, when things can go awry very quickly. Or put another way, MTR fine in sand but AT's can be useless in mud. cheers JD
AnswerID:
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Follow Up By: GUey - Saturday, Nov 22, 2008 at 16:40
Saturday, Nov 22, 2008 at 16:40
G'day JD, around 25psi cold, maybe slightly less. The Prado may have had slightly more pressure. We were both towing Tvans although he was carrying more fuel and
water, maybe +100 litres. I figured it could be weight, pressure & speed related, but also wondered about tyre compound. I've heard the MTRs have a soft compound which lends itself
well to rocky terrain. Not so sure how that relates to travelling on lumpy, gibber strewn outback roads. Interestingly they also seem to feel every bump in the road, especially when pumped up on the - so whether that's the 3ply sidewall or my imagination - I don't know.
The only other tyres that are catching my attention at the moment are the Mickey Thompson MTZ/ATZ/Cepeks. All look the business. In late 2006 the MTR's were only $238 fitted as opposed to $300+ for the others, so amazing bang for buck. That was a good buy then, but I'm expecting the difference to have narrowed now.
Mike
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Reply By: motor_head - Saturday, Nov 22, 2008 at 00:06
Saturday, Nov 22, 2008 at 00:06
Hi Mike, i only speak from personal experience but this would be my advice, a good AT tyre would be more than sufficient for your needs, a MT would wear alot quicker unless you spent most of your time in the soft stuff, dont under estimate a good AT tyre, it will perform just nicely in the mud, great on the bitumen and perfect for the outback, as for the alloy's no way, yeah they look great but they break....compared to steel which bend, i would prefer to staighten a steelie than throw away a few alloy's and rely on my bank account and communication system.
AnswerID:
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Follow Up By: GUey - Saturday, Nov 22, 2008 at 16:51
Saturday, Nov 22, 2008 at 16:51
G'day MH - I've heard that argument before but
not seen the evidence (yet!). So is that your experience or your opinion? And in what sort of conditions or incident would that occur - an accident, a flat tyre, what? I've driven cars in the Outback with alloys without incident. So I'm not sure whether it's academic or reality based. Ron Moon uses alloys these days as do many others (he probably doesn't pay for his though!)
Mike
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Follow Up By: motor_head - Saturday, Nov 22, 2008 at 17:34
Saturday, Nov 22, 2008 at 17:34
Hi guey, as far as the
wheels go it is my opinion, i have seen photo's of broken alloy's though, the main cause of this is low tyre pressure and rock. I wouldnt say it is a common thing but it does happen.
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