Thoughts on tire selection for LR3 (AT vs MT)

[brickpaul65]

I am planning on replacing my tires in a month or two. I currently have hankook dynapro AT/M


I am trying to decide between the Dynapro MT's

http://www.discounttiredirect.com/d...do?pc=11961&tmn=DynaPro+MT+RT03&typ=Truck/SUV

Goodyear Wrangler MTR Kevlar

http://www.discounttiredirect.com/d...=30686&typ=Truck/SUV&tmn=Wrangler+MT/R+Kevlar

or the dynapro AT/M's in a larger size.

http://www.discounttiredirect.com/d...o?pc=10849&typ=Truck/SUV&tmn=DynaPro+ATM+RF10

I don't do a lot of mud or a lot of commuting. I am curious if MT's would be worth it for trail riding East TN clay and rock (Windrock/Coal Creek area). I am happy with the on road performance of the Hankook AT/M's and I don't have a lot of offroad experience to compare them to anything else i.e. I don't know if MT's would perform any better in situations I have been in. The kevlar is attractive for sidewall damage reduction.

Thoughts?

 

[Howski]

I would say an MT or at least an aggressive AT would be more suited in the southeast with all the red clay. I'm not sure what size you're considering but they have several 18" options for the Goodyear Duratrac, which is an excellent tire. Low noise on the pavement with a pretty aggressive tread pattern. I'd suggest these over the Hankook AT/M's the terrain in the southeast

 

[JAK]

I have the Goodyear with Kevlar and cannot recommend them based on the C Load rating. The C rating prevent airing down with significant sidewall flex. When the weight is shifted to the rear of the truck while rock crawling I have seen the side wall compress down to less than inch from the rim. The weight of the LR3 is simply too much for the C rating. With that said the tires have never let me down though. If you go with the Kevlar make sure you get the new black sidewall version. The white lettering leads to white sidewalls when you rub up against rocks. The Goodyear Duratrack is also a good tire and has the E rating.

 

[unseenone]

Don't forget Nitto Terra Grapplers, which are 8-12 ply I believe based on the tire.. Great tire.... NOT a mud tire though..

I'd like the idea of HanKook tires, however, the technical specs, such as plies seems to be an elusive beast. To me, if their not bragging about it, then it's not that good..

 

[telemike]

Kelly TSR 275/65R18

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[jscusmcvet]

I am a big fan of Hankook tires. However... I had the MT's on my 2003 Jeep Rubicon and they 1) did not perform up to standards off road, as compared to Cooper STT and BFG MT and 2) were louder than any tire I have had, including the ones identified above and even the Procomp x terrains that I figured would be loudest... and that was when the Hankooks were new. I did not keep them to see what happened when they wore in, but rather sold them to move on... mostly because of the lack of solid off road performance, it just was not up to par with the other MT tires I ran then or now.

John

 

[matthewp]

I am a big fan of Hankook tires. However... I had the MT's on my 2003 Jeep Rubicon and they 1) did not perform up to standards off road, as compared to Cooper STT and BFG MT and 2) were louder than any tire I have had, including the ones identified above and even the Procomp x terrains that I figured would be loudest... and that was when the Hankooks were new. I did not keep them to see what happened when they wore in, but rather sold them to move on... mostly because of the lack of solid off road performance, it just was not up to par with the other MT tires I ran then or now.

John

...And the Hankooks just get louder and louder. My MTs have been good tires (finally due for replacement at 50,000 miles) but they are LOUD when they get below 50% tread.

 

[nwoods]

You may find this article helpful. Be sure to read the comments as well: http://lr3tips.wordpress.com/2007031446-2/

I recommend the Cooper Zeon LTZ's

 

[brickpaul65]

Thanks for the information about the Hankooks. I really like the AT/M on the road. I have not done significant trail runs yet. I will keep my eyes open for other options. I think a tire thread/poll would be great information (not so much the size debate but who is running what and thumbs up or down etc.)

 

[iamdanwoody]

If I had to do it again, I would have stuck with the all terrains, I went with a mud terrain and the hum from the tires gets old really fast.

 

[nwoods]

Thanks for the information about the Hankooks. I really like the AT/M on the road. I have not done significant trail runs yet. I will keep my eyes open for other options. I think a tire thread/poll would be great information (not so much the size debate but who is running what and thumbs up or down etc.)

That is exactly the type of information you will find in the link I provided, assuming you read the comments.

 

[Haakon]

I don't do a lot of mud or a lot of commuting. I am curious if MT's would be worth it for trail riding East TN clay and rock (Windrock/Coal Creek area). I am happy with the on road performance of the Hankook AT/M's and I don't have a lot of offroad experience to compare them to anything else i.e. I don't know if MT's would perform any better in situations I have been in. The kevlar is attractive for sidewall damage reduction.

Thoughts?

I had the ATM's on my Tahoe, they were terrible in mud, the treads fill up, don't clean out and turn into slicks, like most AT tires in mud. I'd expect it to be even worse in clay. They weren't that great in snow either, but that's probably not an issue for you in TN. The Tahoe is my daily driver so I replaced them with Wild Country XTX tires, a little more aggressive than the ATMs, they've done great on FS roads and some easy rock trails in Idaho for me so far (only had them a few months).

I'd think since you aren't worried about commuting and are driving in clay that you'd want to go with a MT tire. I haven't used the Goodyear MT/R Kevlar but did talk with a sheriff deputy who had them on his duty 4x4 Explorer, he thought they were great. His territory is rural and includes many forest service and logging roads.

 

[A.J.M]

I have 255/55/19 Duratrac's fitted to my Discovery 3.
They have been on since January and have covered 7000 miles of almost every terrain possible.
From foot deep snow and ice, to flooded motorways, to sand, mud, gravel, rocks and clay.
They are a bit noisier than the road tyres i had before, ( Pirelli Scorpions on the front and Wranglers on the back ) but i don't find it intrusive or bothersome as i had a Freelander Hardback before and that had way more noise into the cabin.

I find them superb on road, in both wet and dry. I had them fitted and with only 7 miles of use, i took them to a local industrial estate to test them, i did a full Elk test on them at 30 in the pouring rain, my logic, if it fell over or skidded then no one else would be involved. It did a bit of tyre squeal and a light lit up on the dash but no drama, just gripped and turned.

They are good in mud, but clay can be a weak spot, purely due to the clay clogging the treads and me getting stuck so i couldn't get the treads clean. Got winched out by a mate with a D90 and drove away, which cleaned the treads and had no issues.

Sand is fine as well, air down a bit to help as any sensible driver would do and standard rules of sand driving apply.

Snow is good as well, going from a Freeby to the D3 was the main challenge, it's heavier and you are fully aware of that in hills and corners, the tyres always found grip and i had no issues with braking or changing direction in snow.

I know i'm rambling on a bit but i think getting a good overall picture of 7 months of use in 3 different season will help you either rule it out, or investigate further.

One thing to be aware is the sidewalls can be a tad vulnerable, i have one tyre in the garage with a hole in the sidewall i can stick my index finger through.
£208 of tyre fit only for the bin.

 

[brickpaul65]

NWoods,

I had not read the comments. Thanks for the heads up. There was a lot of good conversation and information in there. I am leaning towards Duratracs now I may waffle a bit as always. The Cooper STT sounded interesting too.

I think it is great that people have posted their tire experiences.

 

[telemike]

Kelly TSR by Goodyear. Awesome in in southeastern offroad conditions

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