Coming up for new tires on the BT50. How does one select the tyres, I want good wet weather performance, and good braking, which I understand is a softer compound, so a compromise with long tyre wear. I have Dunlop AT20's on at the moment, but have read the OEM tires are made from a different compound, and when buying them the quality of the tyre drops. How true this is I don't know. If one goes to a tyre retailer, how do they know how tires perform? they are just selling the makes that give them the best profit, its what the boss says to push this month. How would you select tyres to tow a big van mainly in the black stuff?
Dougwe said
01:42 PM Jun 12, 2018
G'day Ian,
I had BFG A/T's on a Prado many moons back and they performed great. When I got the Colorado 4x4 I changed the H/T tyres over to Cooper A/T3's but have never been all that happy. I found the grip a little sus and just, well. not happy. I will be looking at replacing them toward the end of this year to very early next year. By then they would have travelled around 80-90,000km I reckon and will be going back to the BFG A/T. They have a newer tread pattern since the last lot I had. I like to have the A/T so if needed they are there ready. They also perform well on the black stuff.
Just thought I'd throw that into the mix.
dogbox said
02:29 PM Jun 12, 2018
Pirelli scorpion a/t 265/70/17 great all rounder an quiet the 70 profile puts the bt 50 speedo right on 100 on the speedo 100 on the gps
Craig1 said
05:13 PM Jun 12, 2018
Mickey Thompson ATZ/p3 were great on my BT50 last year, think maybe a new model now.Make sure you check the load rating on whatever you buy though. The new BFG at/K02 are getting great reviews as well. The squarer shoulder will assist imho to make it a much better ride. cheers Craig
Hetho said
07:28 PM Jun 12, 2018
Stick with the Dunlop A/T's. Best tyre in the wet, quiet and a great all round performer.
Yes they are a soft tyre, but the safety factor is well work the extra $.
Have been running them on my L/C for 5 years. You can pick them up on Gumtree/EBay for $100.00 new.
Cheers. Hetho
Desert Dweller said
05:43 AM Jun 13, 2018
The main thing is to buy quality tyres, cheapies are false economy.
iana said
11:01 AM Jun 13, 2018
I am in the situation where the tires are not quite down to the wear strips, maybe a mm or 2 off, but they have been like it fir a while, just don't want to wear down further. Just running around in the Ute isn't a problem, and I wouldn't worry if it were summer time and the roads were dry, but I am worried about towing a big van right on the weight limits in the wet. I have had in the past (not towing) understeer which is scary, or my tires just sliding across the surface of the black stuff when I had to emergency brake.
I want tires that can handle the wet roads and brake, long lasting is not the main criteria.
Yesterday I had a look at some Bridgestone Duellers AT tires that looked good, had Nano technology what ever that is, but made in Japan, wide rubber strong side walls and plenty of gap to get rid of water at $289 each including the $100 rebate.
I have been looking on Gum tree for the Dunlops, but I have been reading that the OEM tires are made of a different compound to ones brought off the shelf, so replacing with the same the tires won't be the same. I brought this up with the sales person, and he said that was true.
Warren-Pat_01 said
11:10 PM Jun 13, 2018
Ian, you have stated what you need for the tyres so go to a good local dealer - most of the big ones are ok as they have reputations to maintain. Remember the WordOfMouth system. It is a powerful tool in Townsville so it should be the same where you live.
I'm on my second set of Bridgestone AT-LT 697s on my Patrol (the car had 694s on it when I bought it) but your needs are different to mine & my car may be heavier than yours. I've heard Yokohama makes a good 4WD tyre too.
To go down to the wear indicators may be ok for town driving in dry weather but when towing &/or travelling at highway speeds on wet or dry roads, any "saving" may be ditched after a blowout! On most of my tyre changes, I've wondered about the extra 5-10,000 kms that I could have squeezed out of them but as we do a lot of travelling, the risk isn't worth it.
dazz49 said
11:30 AM Jun 14, 2018
Have Toyo open country on my cruiser just clocked 75000 and about 30000 of those towing 2700kg van . reckon they have about 10000 k left in them very happy with the toyo and price was more than competitive when I purchased 3 years ago. Cheers. Daz
Hewy54 said
12:01 PM Jun 14, 2018
The good word from two reliable and knowlegeable sources in the industry (mate who owns a large Kuhmo dealership and daughter who has shares in a tyre company ) is Toyo open country or Mickey Thompsons.
TheHeaths said
08:18 PM Jun 14, 2018
For what it's worth, another vote for Toyo Open Country.
HT pattern on Cruiser, done about 70k each, and with another 10 - 15 before near the wear markers.
Have the AT 2 on the van. just put them on, but had them on previous Discovery tow vehicle, and very pleased with them as well.
Stretch60 said
09:37 PM Jun 16, 2018
Not sure how the Yokohama geolanders will last, but so far with regular rotation and balance I like the fact they are wearing well. The tyres were new on the car when purchased so had no choice (previous two sets on landcruiser were Mickey Thompson, but most driving on stoney desert roads). What i like about the yokies is their country sealed road grip in the wet. I will see how long they last before committing to another set.
-- Edited by Stretch60 on Saturday 16th of June 2018 09:39:39 PM
Coming up for new tires on the BT50. How does one select the tyres, I want good wet weather performance, and good braking, which I understand is a softer compound, so a compromise with long tyre wear. I have Dunlop AT20's on at the moment, but have read the OEM tires are made from a different compound, and when buying them the quality of the tyre drops. How true this is I don't know. If one goes to a tyre retailer, how do they know how tires perform? they are just selling the makes that give them the best profit, its what the boss says to push this month. How would you select tyres to tow a big van mainly in the black stuff?
I had BFG A/T's on a Prado many moons back and they performed great. When I got the Colorado 4x4 I changed the H/T tyres over to Cooper A/T3's but have never been all that happy. I found the grip a little sus and just, well. not happy. I will be looking at replacing them toward the end of this year to very early next year. By then they would have travelled around 80-90,000km I reckon and will be going back to the BFG A/T. They have a newer tread pattern since the last lot I had. I like to have the A/T so if needed they are there ready. They also perform well on the black stuff.
Just thought I'd throw that into the mix.
Stick with the Dunlop A/T's. Best tyre in the wet, quiet and a great all round performer.
Yes they are a soft tyre, but the safety factor is well work the extra $.
Have been running them on my L/C for 5 years. You can pick them up on Gumtree/EBay for $100.00 new.
Cheers. Hetho
I want tires that can handle the wet roads and brake, long lasting is not the main criteria.
Yesterday I had a look at some Bridgestone Duellers AT tires that looked good, had Nano technology what ever that is, but made in Japan, wide rubber strong side walls and plenty of gap to get rid of water at $289 each including the $100 rebate.
I have been looking on Gum tree for the Dunlops, but I have been reading that the OEM tires are made of a different compound to ones brought off the shelf, so replacing with the same the tires won't be the same. I brought this up with the sales person, and he said that was true.
I'm on my second set of Bridgestone AT-LT 697s on my Patrol (the car had 694s on it when I bought it) but your needs are different to mine & my car may be heavier than yours. I've heard Yokohama makes a good 4WD tyre too.
To go down to the wear indicators may be ok for town driving in dry weather but when towing &/or travelling at highway speeds on wet or dry roads, any "saving" may be ditched after a blowout! On most of my tyre changes, I've wondered about the extra 5-10,000 kms that I could have squeezed out of them but as we do a lot of travelling, the risk isn't worth it.
HT pattern on Cruiser, done about 70k each, and with another 10 - 15 before near the wear markers.
Have the AT 2 on the van. just put them on, but had them on previous Discovery tow vehicle, and very pleased with them as well.
Not sure how the Yokohama geolanders will last, but so far with regular rotation and balance I like the fact they are wearing well. The tyres were new on the car when purchased so had no choice (previous two sets on landcruiser were Mickey Thompson, but most driving on stoney desert roads). What i like about the yokies is their country sealed road grip in the wet. I will see how long they last before committing to another set.
-- Edited by Stretch60 on Saturday 16th of June 2018 09:39:39 PM