Tyre suggestions

[WayneD40]

Hi all,

First off - I did a search and couldn't find the info I was after.

I'm looking to replace the tyres on the Nav. When I bought the car, the previous owner had put on 265/75/16 Maxxis Bighorn MTs, which while looking pretty tough, don't really suit the sort of driving we do. 95% of our driving is country/rural highways, with only a little bit of off-road. The sort of off-roading we do is more paddock bashing (to get to a nice fishing spot...) or sandy/rocky outback roads.

Given that most of our driving is highway, I was looking at highway terrain tyres, but I'm not sure these are going to be reliable enough on the few occasions we do go off road. We are already fairly remote, so when we head off anywhere, it'd be a real pain to get stuck. I guess that's why you carry a spare, but I don't want to be popping tyres all the time either.

So I guess I'm looking for recommendations for an all terrain tyre that leans more towards being a highway tyre. But if it comes in light truck construction for a bit more reliability that would be good. Any opinions on the Pirelli Scorpion ATR?

I'm not sure what size to get either. The car has a 2 inch lift, so the 265/75 fills it out nicely, but would I be better off with 265/70 for less weight/better fuel economy or is the difference negligible?

 

[sparra04]

bfg's wont let you down
get there new all terrain
good strong reliable all round tyre with a strong sidewall
not cheep, but you get what you pay for with tyres

personally I would stay away from Pirelli for 4wd's
they make a good road tyre but don't really have any solid experience in off road tyres

cheers

 

[mitch92]

The scorpions have a good reputation.


Will be more efficient on the 265/70 rather than 265/75

Consider maxxis 700/771 AT. I got good Km's and not too aggressive

 

[happy john]

The Bridgestone d697 is a good all round tyre for the price. Being light truck it can be let down low and bags out well in soft sand. It is however not a big fan of mud.

 

[4Burner]

I'm running 265/75 R16 BFG A/T's on standard suspension without any problems.
They are great to drive on road, mud, sand, search them on line as I got the price down to $260 a tyre (buying 5).

Good luck.

 

[sparra04]

The scorpions have a good reputation.

I have never seen scorpions fitted to any 4wd so I cant comment but I would love to read a review?
I know the salesmen push them hard but that's for commission reasons
where can I read about how good they are? .....apart from Pirelli's website

cheers

 

[happy john]

A mate got 40k from a set of Scorpions in his Triton driving normally. He had to remove them they became a safety issue in the wet. He now runs bfg a/t 70k and still going well. But that is just one persons findings, certainly not rubbishing Scorpion.

 

[WayneD40]

I have never seen scorpions fitted to any 4wd so I cant comment but I would love to read a review?
I know the salesmen push them hard but that's for commission reasons
where can I read about how good they are? .....apart from Pirelli's website

cheers

They supposedly won 4x4 Action magazine's AT tyre test a couple of years back. I can't find the article, only a few references to it. http://www.actiontyres.com.au/lates...wins-australian-4x4-action-magazine-tyre-test

Are the BFGs good on road? I've always thought of them as a more aggressive AT?

 

[Jased22]

Iv never used BFG all terrains but my mate has them and rates them very highly. I wouldnt say they have an aggresive tread.

 

[sparra04]

BFG's are one of the best wet weather at's on the market IMO

 

[Dks_nav]

Tyres

I have been doing research and everyone seems to go with the bf goodrich. But After speaking with a mate who does alot of highway driving and some hard off road highly reccomends the yokohama geolander AT's. I'm convinced and will be buying a set myself. Check the reviews out. You can get a 265/75/16 for about $280 a tyre.

 

[siringo]

Wayne, you've done it, you've opened the uncloseable can of worms.

Invariably what happens with tyre recommendations is, someone says XYZ is great, someone else says XYZ is utter crap, then ABC gets mentioned and someone else says ABC is useless, then another says ABC is awesome.

I've been running a set of 238/85x16 Cooper ST Maxx's done 40,000 on them, not one problem and they're about 33% - 50% worn. Great aggressive AT's, a bit noisey though.

I've been thinking of even going down to their AT3's which are less aggressive so should be a bit quieter.

 

[sparra04]

I have always been reluctant to buy a 4wd tyre from a company that has no "off road heritage"
Pirelli and yokohama both make good road tyres, but they haven't been playing in the 4wd arena long enough to get my coin

cheers

 

[WayneD40]

Wayne, you've done it, you've opened the uncloseable can of worms.
.

Seems that way! Maybe I should have asked Ford or Holden? PC or Mac?

Are you allowed to go down to a 235 on a D40? I had heard that was too narrow for the rim width.

And this might be a stupid question - but it seems the spare under the tub is a steel wheel. Is this the same size as the alloys? Or is it a 'space saver'? I would like to get 5 of whatever tyre I decide on. Actually, another thought. Will a 265/70 or 265/75 fit under the tub of a spanish built D40?

 

[siringo]

My 235 Coopers look like a perfect fit, maybe a bit thin. My 235 Hercules mud tyres do look a bit thin, I'll run them out and may go up to a 265 mud tyre when they run out???

Don't know about your truck Wayne, but my 40 had a steel spare, it was the same dimmensions as the alloys. I easily stored a 285/75x16 underneath my tray, I'd be surprised if you have any trouble.

 

[mike1303]

I saw one that thin tyres are better suited for mud, and wide tyres are suited for sand.
As the thin cuts through the mud to the ground underneath
And the wide deflates to give a larger footprint on the sand

 

[Ozzi]

My old man has had a set of Scorpions on his 4wd Mazda ute for about 40k. Not had much off-road use but performed fine on the dirt they did see, look pretty good and have worn well. 100% agree with Happy John though they do not feel good in the wet, I've had the rear end want to step-out a few times in the wet and was definitely not giving it a boot full.

Having said that you can see where this thread is going. Most of the new generstion ATs should meet your needs pretty well and yeah go for the LT construction well worth the small amount of extra coin.

 

[navtruckchic]

I'm going to sound incredibly like a female right now but that's partially ok coz I am one...
what size tyres are stock on the d22s??

 

[Jased22]

I was told skinny tyres perform best in rocky terrain

 

[Jased22]

I'm going to sound incredibly like a female right now but that's partially ok coz I am one...
what size tyres are stock on the d22s??

Different years came out with different size tyres, my 2006 came with 265/70/16 standard. Pretty sure the newer d22s run 245/75/16 as standard. Atleast thats what my mates 2009 d22 came with.