Tyres - 4wd factory fitted all terrain tyres vs mud tyres
Submitted: Monday, Apr 05, 2010 at 17:40
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Member - Karen B (WA)
Hi,
We've got a 100 day 4wd trip coming up and will be doing
Gibb River Road and
Mitchell Falls and Kalumbur on our way from
Perth to
Darwin and back. We have factory fitted all terrain tyres fitted to our 2008 Landrover defender.
Would we be better to swap over to a stronger side wall and meatier tread ie mud terrain tyres, and if so, do you have a recommendation? Also, how are they for highway noise?
Reply By: Member - John and Val - Monday, Apr 05, 2010 at 18:44
Monday, Apr 05, 2010 at 18:44
Hi Karen and Bernie,
As Bonz has said - should be fine.
BUT, very important - Are you aware of the importance of tyre pressures on roads such as the GRR and
Mitchell Falls? You should reduce tyre pressure on the gravel and especially on the corrugations you will meet going in to
Mitchell Falls. Others may have different ideas, but personally, on gravel such as the GRR I drop from the bitumen pressures by about 30%. (The GRR has a reputation for destroying tyres - softer tyres survive much better.) On the
Mitchell Falls road, which has some awful horrugations, I reduce pressure to about 50% of bitumen levels. It will pay to stop every 20 or 30 minutes on this road and
check the temperature of the shock absorbers too. (Softer tyres will help the shocks, as
well as preserving self and vehicle.) Obviously you must drop your speed too - this is very important, and avoid aggressive steering when using low pressures.
Suggest
check the Articles (tab at the top of this page) for further info on tyre pressures.
Have a great trip!
John | J and V
"Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted."
- Albert Einstein
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AnswerID:
411724
Follow Up By: Richard W (NSW) - Monday, Apr 05, 2010 at 18:53
Monday, Apr 05, 2010 at 18:53
Agree on pressures and shocks.
I was about to stop and
check my shocks on the
Mitchell Falls road. Too late the smell of oil through the air con system and it turned out the front passenger shock had a damaged seal and leaked a bit of oil. The shock held up for the rest of the trip back to
Sydney though.
FollowupID:
681755
Reply By: Fatso - Monday, Apr 05, 2010 at 20:39
Monday, Apr 05, 2010 at 20:39
I reckon you will have absolutely no troubles with anything. I am not familiar with your tyres, but any tyres with plenty of tread would suffice. Even highway tyres.
As for checking shockies. That is one of the things you pay the mechanic to do at service time.
If you want to care for your car, the first thing you do is not overload it. The lighter the better. Most cars carry about 600 to 700 kg from the assembly line. That includes all accessories, fuel, passengers & gear.
If you load your car correctly & drive steady you will have have no trouble. Guaranteed.
AnswerID:
411749