which brand/model Tire 235/85R16 would you pick for ...

[kookynet]

which Brand/model for Tire 235/85R16 would you pick for a use such as 60% bitumen and 40% tracks driving from the US to South America ?

Load E - weight 8000 lbs - 4 wheels

Why ? / Which criteria are meaningful for you ?

If you have already used them, how long ? years/mileage

I have to change my 6 tires (2 spares) and need some insight.

Thank you !

ps: free beer at Overland Expo 10 for the best post :coffeedrink:

 

[SOAZ]

My humble opinion for a long lasting tough as nails tire:

BFG Commercial Traction T/A.
If they can hold up to my bashing them off the bead and then running them another lap. After that they just needed some compressed air to re-set them on the bead and away we went to the next race.

I like them so much I'll be running one as a spare for my 4runner since they don't come in the 255/85 size.

Off the bead and still working pretty well:

Pealing off the rim finally at the finish line and it was NO worse for wear.

Most importantly. If I win I would like a "cold" beer. The brand is secondary to the "cold" part. Haha! :elkgrin:

See you at the EXPO.

Look ma! No sidewall tears!

 

[ashooter]

Here are a few I'm considering, in order of my preference (so far):

Yokohama Y742S

Toyo M-55

Michelin XPS Traction

I'm pretty impressed with the quality of the Toyo M/T's on my Cruiser, and the M-55's on one of our surveying trucks... But also impressed with the long life and complete lack of problems I've had with the Yokohama Geolanders I have on my surveying truck. The Geolanders don't have enough void for me, but I haven't had a single flat, or any balancing issues, etc in the 50,000 miles or so I have had them. If the y742s holds up as well, and has similar void as compared to the Toyo M-55, they look like they'd be pretty hard to beat for the money (about $60 less per tire compared to the M-55 or $80 less than the XPS).

I just wish they made them in 255/85r16!

 

[adi]

Any M/T that has some market penetration where you are traveling. I have BFG A/T's in that size, but its my daily driver, and sees lots of pavement.

If muddy trails/ regular trails are in your future, M/T's. Although, I have read an article about a guy taking a wrangler to South America with boggers. However, his track width was 4-5 inches wider than most of the cruisers/hi lux that the locals used, so he was having to straddle their ruts, and ended up winching a lot of the time, and broke the bead a lot. In his case, sidewall strength and bead locks were more important than any tread design.

 

[kookynet]

soaz, ashooter, adi,

thanks guys, very interesting remarks.

Soaz,
are you running 287 on your bike ? the commercial Traction TA intrigue me, are they off road tyres or used for tractors pulling heavy trailers ?
You made a point with their durability, however I can stop easily, not beeing racing but touring. Now I can imagine situations or places where I'd rather drive a bit more to stop at a better place...

Adi,
I imagine Mud terrain are maybe noisier that AT (a lot of bitumen miles to get to the muddy paces) and they are also heavier than the AT. By experience we try to reduce weight as much as possible...
You made a point re market penetration... we want to be able to easily find a replacement tire -"mainstream"- without having one to be shipped from the US to say Peru or Argentina.

That is why, Ashooter, I'd keep Yoko and Toyo on the B list since these don't have plants in South America and are probably much less in the market.
Now, I am curious to understand what you mean by "void" ?
Also, the Michelin XPS traction, is it an off road tire in addition to a traction tire ? Must be tough, too ?
Have you used them personnaly ?

FYI re South America, the 235/85R16 dimension is quite popular/mainstream.
I heard fronm serious overlanders that the "HALF INCHES" dimensions for Rims such as 17-1/2 or 19-1/2 etc are not recommended because quite uncommon.

I know Soaz will be at OX10, but what about you, Ashooter and Adi ?

I'll do my best to have cold beer... :snorkel: by the way, Soaz, why are you pointing in that direction ? Anything I should know about OX regarding the heat ? It is going to be our first time there and the first time we talk at a conference in the US... maybe we'll get very very thirsty ? :coffeedrink:

Thanks again,
Cheers,
Robert

 

[ashooter]

That is why, Ashooter, I'd keep Yoko and Toyo on the B list since these don't have plants in South America and are probably much less in the market.
Now, I am curious to understand what you mean by "void" ?
Also, the Michelin XPS traction, is it an off road tire in addition to a traction tire ? Must be tough, too ?
Have you used them personnaly ?

I'm not really an "expedition guy", but about 2/3 of the mileage I put on my 'Cruiser is off the pavement, rocky, occasionally muddy roads, sometimes out through the brush with no road at all. Not being an expedition guy, I hadn't really thought about availability of replacement tires, beyond 235/85r16 being a pretty commonly available size that shops keep in stock. I'm more concerned with not having them pop in the first place! I'd probably run 7.5r16 or 8.25r16 XZL's if they were available, since my truck VERY rarely goes more than about 30 miles at a time on the pavement before hitting the dirt/gravel/rocks.

Lots of tread void = mud terrains, or aggressive tread all-terrains.

I have no first-hand experience with the Michelin XPS Traction tires, but know a local rancher, who also owns the tire shop here, who has run a couple of sets of XPS Traction tires on 1-ton ranch trucks over the past 2-3 years. They are an all steel cased tire, so I'd assume they are tough and puncture resistant. This rancher said he's been pretty pleased with them, and has gotten 50k+ miles out of each set, but they are very expensive (close to $300 per tire). He told me a few weeks ago that he's planning to go with Toyos for his next set.

Regarding the Toyo M/T's, the main reason I got them is because the oil field seismograph crews here run them on their trucks and this rancher/tire-shop-owner told me this: When they ran BFG's, they were in the shop every few days getting flats fixed or buying replacement tires.... When they switched to Toyos, he stopped seeing them.

 

[SOAZ]

thanks guys, very interesting remarks.

Soaz,
are you running 287 on your bike ? the commercial Traction TA intrigue me, are they off road tyres or used for tractors pulling heavy trailers ?
You made a point with their durability, however I can stop easily, not beeing racing but touring. Now I can imagine situations or places where I'd rather drive a bit more to stop at a better place...


I'll do my best to have cold beer... :snorkel: by the way, Soaz, why are you pointing in that direction ? Anything I should know about OX regarding the heat ? It is going to be our first time there and the first time we talk at a conference in the US... maybe we'll get very very thirsty ? :coffeedrink:

Thanks again,
Cheers,
Robert

Despite the name implying that they are for delivery trucks, the Commercial Traction T/As do pretty well offroad. They have a very stiff sidewall and ride, but in return the tire should never fail you. (If you go this route make sure to get the "Traction" version. The normal commercial T/A's are not as aggressive of a tread pattern)

The OX shouldn't be too warm. In fact the nights might be a little cold. By cold I mean put on a light jacket, nothing extreme. :sombrero: I'm always thirsty after a long day for a cold drink. :friday:

See you down there and good luck with your choice!

Tim

 

[pete.wilson]

Hey

I would also recommend the Hankook Dynapro MT's in your size. Very nice tire and not overly expensive but good traction and quiet with good road manners. I had that size on a 94 Chevy Suburban 4X4.

Pete Wilson

 

[strider3700]

My 350 runs that size and I seriously considered getting another set of the toyo m55's for my truck. The previous owners had run them as bald as race slicks so I changed them out within 200 km. A lot of loggers run them up here and they were highly recommended. They were also expensive and since i do 90% or more on road I decided it wasn't worth the extra money.

In the end I went with a set of goodyear wrangler silent armour because they seemed aggressive enough, had a great treadwear warranty had the severe snow service rating and I could haggle the dealer down to a point where I could afford them.

They're quiet on road, handle the rain just fine, did fine when it snowed one day, and even at 70psi have been ok on some fun rutted gravel roads. Airing down would go a long way towards making them more off road friendly.

one thing they aren't is a mud tire. the AT tread pattern plus the weight of the 1ton truck means entering serious mud is begging to be towed out.

 

[ashooter]

Just FYI, the surveying truck I mentioned above that has M-55's was running the GY Silent Armors before. Within about 25-30k miles, we had a total of 4 prorated and replaced for unrepairable flats. The M-55's have about that many miles and have had one flat from a 1/2" diam bolt through the tread.

I would stay away from the Silent Armors unless you're pretty easy on tires and don't need more than a pretty mild AT type tread. Also, the tread compound seems pretty soft with the Silent Armors - the one original tire that was still on the truck at 30k miles was down to roughly 1/4" or less depth. I'd class them as a highway tire that occasionally goes off the pavement, where the M-55 would be more of an off-pavement tire that occasionally goes down the highway.

 

[Redline]

Many of the good/proven ones were mentioned above. I have always been intrigued by the Michelin XPS Traction but have never owned a set. In fact I have owned only a couple sets of 235/85 even though I think it is a good size.

I recently purchased a set of Toyo M55 (in 255/85) wanting to give them a 2nd chance. The tire has it's pluses and I think they are very rugged. The excellent Toyo MT is also available in 235/85 if you want that open of a tread design.

 

[ashooter]

Hey Redline, when can we expect an updated review (and pics) of the M-55's? I'm interested to see what your 2nd impression is.

I'm leaning toward the 255/85r16 M-55 for a replacement set on my FJ80 when the M/T's get too chunked up for my comfort, but may end up with Yokohama Y742S 235's... Price is almost $100 per tire lower on the Yokohama's, and the reality is that 235's will work fine for my use. No doubt the 255's will LOOK better on the truck, though!

BTW, I've ruled out the Michelin XPS Tractions simply because they cost as much as the 255 M-55's. For almost $300 per tire, I would definitely prefer the larger M-55's on my rig.

 

[housedad]

Also, the tread compound seems pretty soft with the Silent Armors

Just curious about the Goodyears. What size were they and were they standard or pro grade? The Pro grades have a denser compound and seem to wear longer in a heavier truck than the standard grade.
I just bought a set in December. I don't know how they are going to wear.

 

[ashooter]

Just curious about the Goodyears. What size were they and were they standard or pro grade? The Pro grades have a denser compound and seem to wear longer in a heavier truck than the standard grade.
I just bought a set in December. I don't know how they are going to wear.

LT285/75R16... Not sure about "pro" vs. "standard" grade. Probably "standard", because he got them at Discount Tire and they had them in stock... and I think they were load range "D". I would assume anything meant for commercial use would be "E".

 

[housedad]

Yeah. almost all of the pro grade are E range. I have heard the same things about standard grade. That they wear out really quick. The ones I have are the 285/75-16 E Pro. I hope they last a little.