What do you mean by more offroad friendly?
Go compare the sidewall of an unmounted all season vs an all terrain.. its like over 1/2in of rubber vs hardly 1/16in of rubber.. one easy going loose shale mountain pass can take out multiple all seasons, I've seen it happen.. last weekend in fact, to a friend of mine, took over 12h for the tow truck to haul him away.
When I took off a set of all seasons and put on my All Terrains the difference in sidewall was stunning, unmounted I could deform the all season sidewall with my thumb almost no force, the BFG KO2 I could put all my weight on a knuckle and the tire hardly recognized my existence.
Which would be relevant on a vehicle you take to track that otherwise has excellent suspension and a low C of G. On a 4wd vehicle loaded up for a trip? It's not making a significant difference.More sidewall also creates more roll in turns.
I've seen sticks poke right through KO's as well. Just luck of the draw.
I'm not against A/T's. I have and use them. Just not for a car like an MDX. Which spends 99% of the miles on the road. Give me the more supple sidewalls. Carry a fullsize spare for the 1%.
Which would be relevant on a vehicle you take to track that otherwise has excellent suspension and a low C of G. On a 4wd vehicle loaded up for a trip? It's not making a significant difference.
In my opinion, slapping A/T's on a car like an MDX makes no sense as it lives on the road 99% of the time.
Fortunately, there's a wide range of ATs available today, from the relatively lightweight Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac - Load C to a heavyweight like the Cooper Discoverer S/T Maxx - Load E. OP can decide if the extra traction of an AT is what's needed, and if so, find one with the desired durability. I mentioned those two because I changed from the first to the second when I decided I needed the additional durability for the places I was going.
Properly inflated with a decent suspension, a good AT should work just fine on the road, with the only penalties being the potential drop in fuel economy and an increase in noise/vibration.
I think that argument has merit. Especially since we are talking about a sporty crossover, not a true 4WD. Even if we're talking 4WD, loaded for a trip, I'd want stiffer handling/less chance of rolling. But that could be mitigated by airing up as well.
In my opinion, slapping A/T's on a car like an MDX makes no sense as it lives on the road 99% of the time.
Which would be relevant on a vehicle you take to track that otherwise has excellent suspension and a low C of G. On a 4wd vehicle loaded up for a trip? It's not making a significant difference.
More of a an issue for performance cars on streets, than off-roading vehicles. More sidewall more better for airing down and smoothing out a rough road. And if you have a roll problem off-road you need to either work on your gear stowage / center of gravity or slow the hell down.More sidewall also creates more roll in turns.
That's basic physics / 'moment arm' and not a design flaw of the tire, as you seem to be thinking of it.Every single truck that I have put taller tires on has experienced more body roll.
That's basic physics / 'moment arm' and not a design flaw of the tire, as you seem to be thinking of it.