digitaldelay
Explorer
Or have multiple sets of tires...
^^^ Agreed, I'm up to 5 sets of tires for 2 vehicles.
Jason
Best 'Aggressive AT' Tires?
- Thread starter NCtrail4R
- Start date
^^^ Agreed, I'm up to 5 sets of tires for 2 vehicles.
Jason
Hilldweller
SE Expedition Society
Or be like Scott and have 5 vehicles with different tires... :ylsmoke:^^^ Agreed, I'm up to 5 sets of tires for 2 vehicles.
Jason
All-Terrain
No Road Required
Any thoughts on the Yokohama Geolandar ATS tires in LT ratings?
Clutch
<---Pass
I almost bought a set of those, from what I hear they are 40K mile tire.
digitaldelay
Explorer
I have them in P-rated. They are very quiet. Good handling too, considering I went from an 18" to a 16".
Jason
Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk
Clutch
<---Pass
That is one of the reasons I wanted to try them....quiet and come in my favorite size 32/11.5/15, that and it looks like I am going to have a longer commute when I move, wanted a more pavement friendly tire...ended up with BFG AT's, since they last a bit longer.
I am coming off Cooper STT's...great performing tire, however very loud on pavement, had to rotate more often to keep them wearing even.
RubiconGeoff
Adventurer
...as is the ******** Cepek that was tested.
I just found it interesting that such street-oriented all-terrains (Cooper, Goodyear) were tested against traditional mid-range all-terrains (BFGoodrich, Toyo, General, Falken) and a hybrid mud/all-terrain (******** Cepek). I think the Cooper S/T Maxx, Mickey Thompson Baja ATZ P3, Pro Comp Xtreme A/T, Nitto Terra Grappler, and Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac would have been perfectly comparable in this test as representatives of the hybrid end of the scale.
And given the amount of siping on the Duratracs (as well as countless anecdotal supporting evidence on forums all across the web) the Duratrac's first home seems to be on wet roads and in ice & snow. I'm quite surprised to hear your assertion that they would "struggle" in ice and wet conditions. And if the Cooper S/T Maxx uses the same rubber compound as the wet-road king Discoverer AT3, then I don't think the Maxx's slightly-more-aggressive tread pattern would sacrifice enough performance to warrant the adjective "struggle" in ice and wet conditions. But who knows without a comprehensive side-by-side comparison test?
Perhaps a Part 2 of the awesome Overland Journal All-Terrain Tire Test is worth considering?
Scott Brady
Founder
The goal was to test popular all terrains. The ******** Cepek was at the more aggressive end, and was a last minute inclusion due to the non-arrival of the Nittos. Ultimately, its more aggressive nature did nothing to improve its performance in the attributes tested. As with every test, we simply cannot test everything, so we select options that are popular and/or new, and within a category. Even the seven tires we tested was a massive undertaking, and more $$$ than most magazines spend on an entire issue.
The most notable conclusion for me was that the "look" of a tire often has little to do with its actual performance, even in more technical conditions. The poor performance of the BFG was the ultimate evidence of that. . .
The most notable conclusion for me was that the "look" of a tire often has little to do with its actual performance, even in more technical conditions. The poor performance of the BFG was the ultimate evidence of that. . .
Applejack
Explorer
FWIW I am now running ST MAXX on my 4runner after 40k of Duratracs. Where I found the Duratracs superior in everything compared to the ever popular BFG All Terrain T/A's, a"traditional" style AT tire, as well as the Nitto Terra Grappler. I never had a negative experience with the Duratracs even in emergency maneuvers in wet. As well they were outstanding in snow and ice and carry the industries "severe weather" rating. The BFG's did as well but their performance in winter was outmatched by the Goodyears. As for the Nitto's, they were just out classed all the time.
With only about a thousand miles on the ST MAXX, I can't say anything too conclusive yet, but so far I am not real impressed. I am still having issues with them feeling like they are floating across the road. At high speed on gravel they plane much more easily than the Goodyears did, begging to be put into 4WD sooner. They are a tough tire though, I will give them that.
What is the most interesting is, I am certain that their are people who have the exact opposite experience which goes to show that it's good to stick with what you know works for you, no matter how well something else may have worked for someone else. Tire pressure, load range aside, there are still a ton of variables that arise, even in the manufacturing process. Personally I am starting to wonder if my Coopers may be defective, and may need to be returned.
With only about a thousand miles on the ST MAXX, I can't say anything too conclusive yet, but so far I am not real impressed. I am still having issues with them feeling like they are floating across the road. At high speed on gravel they plane much more easily than the Goodyears did, begging to be put into 4WD sooner. They are a tough tire though, I will give them that.
What is the most interesting is, I am certain that their are people who have the exact opposite experience which goes to show that it's good to stick with what you know works for you, no matter how well something else may have worked for someone else. Tire pressure, load range aside, there are still a ton of variables that arise, even in the manufacturing process. Personally I am starting to wonder if my Coopers may be defective, and may need to be returned.
RubiconGeoff
Adventurer
Thanks for the insight! Believe me, there's no doubt that Overland Journal put a ton of money and effort into the tire comparison test, and I can assure you the readers appreciate it! That's one of countless reasons why the premium subscription price over that of other publications is money well-spent.
Too many automotive enthusiasts make their purchases based on form over function. For many consumers, certain brands and certain "looks" are held in higher regard than actual performance results. That's part of the reason why there's so much disinformation out there, which in turn is why Overland Journal's comprehensive tests are such a valuable resource. Keep up the good work!
I have seen several people bemoan the loss of 3-ply Duratracs, looks like there is a new option in the Kanati Trail Hog (made by Greenball). These look basically like Duratracs, despite what the article says, and have 3-ply side walls. Unfortunately very limited sizes right now. The only 16" is 265/75, 4 options in 17" sizes, and a few more in larger wheel sizes which I doubt many people here are using.
http://www.fourwheeler.com/news/1406-kanati-trail-hog-first-look/
I don't know a lot about Kanati, but what I have seen has been good (about their Mud Hogs). Apparently their parent company, Greenball, mostly does ATV/UTV, commercial, farm and military tires.
http://www.fourwheeler.com/news/1406-kanati-trail-hog-first-look/
I don't know a lot about Kanati, but what I have seen has been good (about their Mud Hogs). Apparently their parent company, Greenball, mostly does ATV/UTV, commercial, farm and military tires.
SSF556
SE Expedition Society
I wonder how heavy these are and where are Kanati tires manufactured....I have a hunch Taiwan or China...anyone know?
RubiconGeoff
Adventurer
I don't know where the Kanati tires are manufactured, but you can bet I'd researching any "off-brand" tire before making a purchase. Here's why.
01tundra
Explorer
I'm talking realistic expectations and experiences, not test data.
If you base all your vehicle decisions on RTI ramps and wet skid pads then I would agree.
Bottom line is "seriously struggle" is a misleading statement and not accurate in my opinion, and I'll stand by that statement based on my personal experiences.
An accurate, non subjective statement would be "I witnessed the AT/3's out perform the S/T Maxx and Duratracs on a wet skid pad test on a GMC Tahoe, I believe this is due to the tighter tread pattern on the AT/3's".
The AT/3's seriously struggle on dry pavement........on an F1 car.
Ahhh! That answers one of the questions I had while reading the article. The Cepeks seemed out of place--and not all that popular--and I would have expected to see the Nittos and/or the Toyo Open Country A/T IIs instead.
Regardless, Scott, kudos to you and your team for the best AT tire test I've ever seen. I'll take hard data over anecdotal evidence any day, and your article was the first real hard evidence I've ever seen on AT tires. Until this article, the best I've seen are some anecdotal comparisons of one or two different tires on different vehicles, run on the same trail--hardly a good way to understand each tire.
Of course, I wish Michelin's LTX A/T2 had been included since that's what came on my F-250, but I'd already been eying the Coopers as replacements for my Michelins so I was very happy to see those included.
Yep, the look of the tire tread used to be a clear indicator of performance back when there was very little difference in the rubber compounds (say 30 years ago). Compounding has become a very advanced art since then, though, with silica, carbon black, and other proprietary substances having an equal or even greater effect on overall tire performance.