Tyre recommendations?

[Jeepboy79]

Hi all, I can't really see any other thread directly addressing this but apologies if I've missed it.

I'm considering the next tyre choice for my KJ, still good for about another 6-9 months but I'm trying to do my research early and then shop around.

I bought the car with Maxxis tyres fitted. To be honest, apart from being a little slippery in the wet they seem like a good tyre. I don't remember the exact tyre but they look mire like road tyres to be honest. For the next tyres I'm considering an all-terrain set instead.

Firstly what do people think about that? Worth getting all-terrains if I'm planning off road trips 5-6 times a year? Mostly camping and hunting not hard core four wheel driving.

Secondly, which tyre brand and type? I like the Goodyear Wranglers to be honest but I haven't had any experiences with them personally. I'd like to get a set with the white lettering on the side just for looks, but it's not essential obviously.

Look forward to your recommendations!

[bmwdakar650]

Just been through the tyre thing myself, had Cooper ST's on mine, stock rims, 225 width, once worn they are darn right dangerous in the wet, plus my lunchbox diff locker didn't help, replaced them with Toyo Mud Terrain 225's and am very happy so far. No wet test but went to the Big Desert and they were great, locally lot of steep hills and again great grip, done about 3500 km's so far and they don't seem to have worn much. For Mud Terrain tyres not to noisy.

Cost around $250 per tyre from Tyrepower.

Best tyres so far have been the old geolander from Yokohama but they changed the tread pattern and I always look for something with a bit of aggression.

Car owned since new and has done 209,500 km's, 3.7 petrol.

[Jeepboy79]

Originally Posted by bmwdakar650

Just been through the tyre thing myself, had Cooper ST's on mine, stock rims, 225 width, once worn they are darn right dangerous in the wet, plus my lunchbox diff locker didn't help, replaced them with Toyo Mud Terrain 225's and am very happy so far. No wet test but went to the Big Desert and they were great, locally lot of steep hills and again great grip, done about 3500 km's so far and they don't seem to have worn much. For Mud Terrain tyres not to noisy.



Cost around $250 per tyre from Tyrepower.



Best tyres so far have been the old geolander from Yokohama but they changed the tread pattern and I always look for something with a bit of aggression.



Car owned since new and has done 209,500 km's, 3.7 petrol.

Thanks Dakar! I like Toyo as we'll so I'll definitely look into those and the geoloanders.


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[Hanna]

In my opinion it's definitely worth going to AT's as a minimum. To be honest, I cannot see the logic in having HT tyres on a proper 4WD with low range. You may as well have a 2WD SUV instead! Plus I haven't found road noise or fuel economy to be that big of a factor with AT's at all.

I put a set of Hercules Terra Trac AT in P235/70 R16 on the wife's KJ and so far they have been faultless. Heaps of grip in wet, dry or sand, look pretty good and no road noise at all. Great tyre if you're looking for something that is cheap (Paid $160ea from memory) and also made in the USA.



I run Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac AT in LT245/75 R16 on my WJ which are just simply fantastic tyres. If you're looking for something a bit more aggressive than an all-terrain, but not noisy like a mud-terrain, these are the tyres you want. I have had mine for almost 25,000km and they are hardly worn, maybe 3-4mm off the 15mm tread depth they came with. They have been great in the wet and dry and they did an awesome job towing my camper trailer all over Fraser Island from Geelong and back. The only downer with the GY Duratracs though is the price tag - they retail for over $400ea! Luckily I managed to get my set of 4 slightly used and 2 brand new ones very cheaply.



Along the same line, Kelly Safari TSR AT are made by Goodyear and essentially are the same tyre as the Duratracs, with a different tread pattern and much cheaper. They are also a very aggressive AT.



In reality though, you're probably after something a little more street friendly, so the Yokahama Geolanders, Bridgestone Duellers, or something similar are probably a safer (and cheaper) brand-name bet for you. And personally, I wouldn't bother venturing down the BF Goodrich AT KO or older Cooper AT tyre path. Sure, they last for 100,000km's but the rubber is so hard after a couple of years that you be spinning out in roundabouts at the first sign of rain. Trust me, it happened to me a couple of times with my BFG's - scary shit!!

This is just my opinion based on my experiences. People will differ in their views on tyres, but just remember that everyone uses their vehicles and tyres very differently, so you're not always comparing apples with apples.

Good luck searching - it's fun!! (NOT)

[Jeepboy79]

Thanks Hanna, greatly appreciate the detailed response.

Over $400 a tyre is quite expensive for me but I agree, they're a damn good tyre. I've been wondering about Hercules, I've seen them being advertised so I wondered where they were from and if they're any good.

I will definitely look into those as well.

I agree, an all terrain is ultimately probably the best for me, the road noise from a mud tyre would probably do my head in so in some respects, the quieter the better.

Thanks again!

[Hanna]

No worries mate - I hope I can be of some assistance.

I was tossing up between the Hercules Terra Trac and Yokohama Geolanders for the KJ and I was pretty keen on the Yokies with their 4x4 road hazard program. This covers the tyres for 2 years for pretty much any damage or failure (including self-inflicted) which is hard to beat:

http://www.yokohama.com.au/Footer/Ty...d-Program.aspx

But then when I ran the 2 options past the Minister for War and Finance of course she picked the cheaper one..... Plus, the guy in the tyre shop was talking up the Hercules so much that I thought I'd give them a go - for $640 fitted and balanced it was worth a punt. They were normally priced at $760 for a set.

I did LOTS of research before I bought my GY Duratracs and in the end it payed off big time.. I wanted the most aggressive tyre I could get without the loud road noise and that's what I got! Honestly, these tyres are amazingly quiet for what they are - even noticeably quieter than the BFG AT's that they replaced. I was just very lucky that a set of 6 (4 which had only done a single 8,000km hwy trip and 2 brand new spares) came up on eBay for $1,200. I couldn't get the money out of my wallet fast enough! There was no way I was going to pay the RRP of $430ea or even close to that.

Most all terrains that are available these days will deliver exactly what you're after for a decent price. Unless you're doing regular wheeling and/or heavy towing you can probably stick with a P rated tyre rather than an LT which will help keep things nice and smooth on the road, lighter and will be cheaper for you at the register.

[Jeepboy79]

Originally Posted by Hanna

No worries mate - I hope I can be of some assistance.



I was tossing up between the Hercules Terra Trac and Yokohama Geolanders for the KJ and I was pretty keen on the Yokies with their 4x4 road hazard program. This covers the tyres for 2 years for pretty much any damage or failure (including self-inflicted) which is hard to beat:



http://www.yokohama.com.au/Footer/Ty...d-Program.aspx



But then when I ran the 2 options past the Minister for War and Finance of course she picked the cheaper one..... Plus, the guy in the tyre shop was talking up the Hercules so much that I thought I'd give them a go - for $640 fitted and balanced it was worth a punt. They were normally priced at $760 for a set.



I did LOTS of research before I bought my GY Duratracs and in the end it payed off big time.. I wanted the most aggressive tyre I could get without the loud road noise and that's what I got! Honestly, these tyres are amazingly quiet for what they are - even noticeably quieter than the BFG AT's that they replaced. I was just very lucky that a set of 6 (4 which had only done a single 8,000km hwy trip and 2 brand new spares) came up on eBay for $1,200. I couldn't get the money out of my wallet fast enough! There was no way I was going to pay the RRP of $430ea or even close to that.



Most all terrains that are available these days will deliver exactly what you're after for a decent price. Unless you're doing regular wheeling and/or heavy towing you can probably stick with a P rated tyre rather than an LT which will help keep things nice and smooth on the road, lighter and will be cheaper for you at the register.

That's excellent, thanks.

How long did you say since you put the Hercules on?

By the way couldn't help but LOL with the Minister for War and Finance, that's beautiful! Those are some heavy duty portfolios!!!


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