Mud terrains or All terrains....?

[Ray Hyland]

I used to run MTs but I realized that I spend most of my driving on roads (paved or dirt) so an AT was more appropriate. I carry a set of chains when going somewhere really muddy. Chains on an AT are impressive in mud. But only use them if you really need to otherwise they will chew up a trail. Take them off once you clear the bog.


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[Victory_Overland]

I have an AT set and an MT set. MT sit in the garage until I head out for a long trail excursion as they obviously wear much worse and cost more than AT. I would weigh your options on how much you would need a specific tire off-road, rain, snow! My bet is, like most of us, 90-95% of your Rover's life can be handled in any clime or place with AT.............BFG KO3 if you must know my opinion! hahaha

 

[Silmarillion]

BFG fanboy here. Can't help with other brands but here is my take:

For Georgia Red clay, you need mud tires. BFG ATs will slick up quickly and get about 1/4" of mud OVER the tread...as well as in the tread. This brings misery.

That said, you hunting in the wet a lot? Basically if its raining, I don't go out, but you might be different. Also if your access roads are flat and well taken care of and/or partially gravel, then ATs will be just fine.

Guess it just depends on what you expect. If you want maximum capability under any circumstances, BFG MT or similar is what you need. If you play it smart and don't put yourself into bad situations, then the AT is just fine.

I've got ATs on my LR3. They work fine on anything except muddy hillclimbs. I just don't take it out into such places. My 109 has MTs and they perform quite well, especially in the mud. Ride quality is good, can't comment on noise, because 109.

Can confirm! https://photos.app.goo.gl/9dtpES5c6LUCNWd8A

KO2 At haha hard to tell. I sunk straight down.

 

[Victory_Overland]

@Silmarillion doesn't look stuck to me! hahhaahahahha

Did the Matrax get you right out? I used them on occasion in the dunes (mostly for other people) not driving Rovers! lol

My BFG KM2 MT provide unbelievable traction in every instance I've had them on....wet, dry, rocky, sand, blah blah! I love them. Aired down with the 17" set up is a joy to have working with the traction control.

I have not had any experience on snow or ice with them yet but I am sure that will happen later this year. On that note, I know the BFG AT has great snow/ice capabilities from what I have experienced on other vehicles in the past so I am a solid brand lover of my two sets of BFGs.

 

[Silmarillion]

They are knock off Maxtrax from Amazon - like a 1/4th the price and they could get delivered on time. They helped immensely! I had to leave it there a week while we got stuff to get it out and had time to come back haha

We were definitely not ready for that kind of mud - didn't even have a shovel. We did have a 3 year old and almost no cell service! Luckily my friend's land cruiser with all weather tires made it out. Long story short, I was trying to back out and my tired started slipping off the trail towards the pond!

I don't think I would have gotten stuck at all if we only had one or two of those with us when we set out! Great tools.

 

[High Center]

Can confirm! https://photos.app.goo.gl/9dtpES5c6LUCNWd8A

KO2 At haha hard to tell. I sunk straight down.

Thats empirical data....Ha!

 

[LR Max]

Yeah they'll clog up. That said, it was a muddy spot, in a turn, with a rut, up a pretty significant hill. I kept backing up and hitting it again but no joy. In all honesty, my rover with MTs probably would've had to pull winch cable at some point on that hill. That said, could've just...you know...come the other way on the trail and bobsled down it. Because that isn't terrifying either.

[url=https://flic.kr/p/2eAq4RG]1219181630c by Max Thomason, on Flickr[/URL]

 

[Ray_G]

For the sake of discussion it's worth noting the MT>AT in mud is inargueable, but the LR3>D1 weight difference is a tangible facet too (in a lot of the experiences being related).

In my experience you'll want Maxtrax if you are doing anything significant with ATs, particularly in an LR3. Winch is good to have too.
Most of that is relatable to a D1 too, just with a lot less weight being thrown around to sink in.

 

[High Center]

For the sake of discussion it's worth noting the MT>AT in mud is inargueable, but the LR3>D1 weight difference is a tangible facet too (in a lot of the experiences being related).

In my experience you'll want Maxtrax if you are doing anything significant with ATs, particularly in an LR3. Winch is good to have too.
Most of that is relatable to a D1 too, just with a lot less weight being thrown around to sink in.

I have to admit to looking up the weight of both after reading this....Holy smokes that LR3 holds the curb down well. It weighs a full half ton more than my Disco....

 

[ChasingOurTrunks]

Another three points of consideration:

1) Road Noise. This may not be an issue in your Rover, since you have luxury appointments like a "roof" and "permanent doors", but I've run BFG Mts on our old JK Rubicon (they were the stock tires) and then switched to Cooper AT3s. The Mud Terrains were much louder on the highway. Uncomfortably so. They also required us to be Johnny on the spot with the tire rotations as they wore faster, causing a vibration through the driveline pretty quickly. If we didn't keep an eye on them, that means more and more $$ spent on components potentially wearing prematurely because of the vibrations.

2) Rolling weight of the tires. Some MTs are much heavier than some ATs, so I'd look into how much the tires weigh when making a choice. This can have impacts all the way through the suspension and handling of the vehicle.

3) BFG MT's were not very good in the snow or ice in our experience. You may not need to worry about this, but they performed substantially worse in the winter than the Coopers in daily driving. Keep in mind we are Canadian so our winters may be slightly more serious than the ones in your neck of the woods so this could be moot for you.


In short, in our application we preferred the AT style tire but we do a lot of long-distance runs on good roads, and tend to avoid mud.

 

[BikePilot]

I really like the hybrid tires like the ST Maxx. Same durable construction as a Mt, but much better on the street and in snow. Out here in the mountains they've got plenty of off road grip as well.

 

[High Center]

Tire weight has emerged as something I am concerned about thanks to this thread. How I had not thought of that prior to....I can't imagine.

 

[ChasingOurTrunks]

Tire weight has emerged as something I am concerned about thanks to this thread. How I had not thought of that prior to....I can't imagine.

Most folks don’t give it a second thought — I know I didn’t for years until a comment in one of the online communities got me looking into it. A small change in tire size can make a big change in weights too, surprisingly so!

Also I love the way you describe the colour of your rovers — way better than the official Rover colour codes! The marketers in Solihull should take note

 

[Arjan]

Hmm... For what it is worth from the other side of the Pond...

I ran my Disco's on 235/85R16 Continental Cross Contacts ans they have never let me down. Good on tarmac, good off it.. The Hybris sits on Maxxis MT's and they are good off tarmac but on wet tarmac, even on a Series, they can be entertaining and wear quickly..

Speed / load rating is also an issue

You could consider having 2 sets of wheels - 15 min. change.

Bon Couarage !