tyres-what's safe and also practical

G'day getme,

You'll get many opinions on your question, so here is mine.
I had the Bridgestone 694LT on my last Patrol, they were outstanding on bitumen dry & wet and very good on dirt roads. I didn't use them for extreme off road but on rocky and slippery gravel dirt roads they were great and made me feel confident. Of course having them at the right pressures and travelling at the corresponding speed helps.

I think they would be good for what you need.
Cheers
Ev

I too have a 120 Prado, and am just over half way off my 13,000km trip around Oz. I replaced the old standard Dunlop with some 694s just before leaving and the difference was incredible. The car felt alot better to drive, effortless steering and much safer when braking and turning.Plus heap quieter. I went for the standard 694s but the Ausisie made ones. If i were you i would go the 694LTs, only reason i didnt was because nowhere in WA could get them for me before i left so had to settle on the standards. I must say i am very pleased. I have always used Bridgestone tyres though, the 693LT being my favourite for A/T use. Mates who used BF Goodrich say that they need re balancing all the time. Go the Dueler 694LT and save yourself some money, you honestly will not be able to fault them and will be able to travel outback with ease. My 693Lts have never ever let me down all across the Kimberley, have done all the major tracks and millions of other tracks around the place and never had a flat or had any chipping, uneven wear or any problem whatsoever with them. These are fitted to my 75 Series Trayback though as the 693 arent available in 17'' for the Prado, hence why i had to go the 694s. i believe the 694LT will be even better made then the 693LT. Just make sure you get the Aussie made version as the japanese version dont last as long.

I have BFG ATs on my NS Pajero. There are great off road with a fairly deep and aggressive tread. They are amazing on-road.

Last Friday night (1AM) I was coming over the Blue Mountains from Lithgow heading back to Sydney. Steep winding ascents and descents, thick fog and greasy roads. The BFGs held the road at least as well as the OME Bridgestone HTs. I was very impressed ad definitely recommend them. Unfortunately I don't have any experience of the 694s or other comparable tyres to share. The only draw back with the BFGs is that they are very expensive lower profile sizes.

Good Luck!

Ben

Ive got 694s on 100 series. For what you are going to do I dont think you will have trouble with either choice. I was once told by a manager of a reputable tyre supplier when buying second round of tyres, "Toyota spend millions on developing a vehicle, why change tyre type ie,make/brand,replace with the same tyre". Needless to say my response was,"why would you put HT tyres on a 4wd". Something to think about though if you are not planning on doing serious off roading. By the way,I have done Gibb on HTs and no problem.
Glen

Have a look at the price difference for both the BFG and Bridgestones and make your choice.

Both brands in an AT tyre would be suitable but the Bridgestone Dueler probably the more economical of the two.

Had a set of D694's on the Jack and eventually replaced them with a set of D693's as I liked the tread pattern better. Both were compatible in handling and wear characteristics.

My new vehicle came with Dueler 693's (made in Thailand) and I have no reason to change them to anything else.

Bill.

Hi. I'll put in a vote for Cooper ATR's. My B-I-L has them on his Prado and swears it is a vastly improved car since installing them.
Cheers

Tim, I honestly think you won't go too far wrong with either of the options you are considering. If going the Bridgestones, the LT range are a tougher tyre but may have a lower speed rating which, if less than required for your car, could have legality issues.

My car came with BFG LongTrails and they were quiet - that's the only good thing about them. On wet bitumen, they were like driving on soap. On wet dirt roads & mud, they would make any track into a very LongTrail indeed! :)

I put BFG AT's on as soon as the LongTrials were worn out enough to justify new tyres and they were far superior in all conditions incl. wet bitumen. They can be difficult to balance though (my spare had at least 150g of weights stretching 1/4 way around the rim!).

While travelling the Birdsville Track, I destroyed a tyre and had to buy a new one at Mungarannie, unfortunately they didn't have a BFG AT in my size so I had to go a Bridgestone 693 and I was very pleasantly surprised at how good it was (I ended up buying another one back home so both tyres on that axle were the same). On rocky/gravel roads, the BFG AT's tend to 'chip' badly but the Bridgestones didn't. I never had any problems with the BFG AT's or the Bridgestones, on or off road and while I wouldn't have considered the Bridgestones before, I certainly would seriously consider them now.

Again, with either of the choices you're looking at, I really don't think you'll go wrong.

If you can live with 80% on road, 20% offroad the Pirelli Scorpion ATR are the best things since sliced bread. I have gone from BF Goodrich to Cooper ATRs and now the Pirelli ATR's and they are the best tyre I have used. The good news is that they have a size range for the Prado's as well.

On road they are very very quiet and comfortable and the wet weather grip is tenacious whereas the Coopers were almost dangerous in my opinion. Off road they also work well but they are not a 30% off road tyre, Pirelli spec them as 20%. They have been getting rave review in some of the recent Aussie 4B magazine testings.

Try this comparison.

A couple of years old, but still applies.

No mention of milage versus cost though. :o)


4WD Monthly AT tyre test

Thanks for the replies. I was almost sold on the Bridgestones (given they are cheaper, and sound like they do a good job) but looking at the link http://www.4wdmonthly.com.au/tips_tyres.php and posts, has made me seriously consider the Pirelli scorpions.
Regards, Tim