Tyres (again)

[Mud Dog]

Has anyone tried these, and what was your experience with them?

http://www.offroaders.com/tech/AT-MT-Ti ... ber-MT.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Anecdotally they've done very well and far surpassed the
BF Muds on the circuits (Isuzu Challenge was specifically mentioned). Apparently they are very well reinforced in the side walls and not prone to damage there - internal beadlocking cables (12mm) are twice as thick as the BF's and therefore less likely to de-bead when aired down. I'm further told that the tread blocks don't chip out and that heel-toe wear on the blocks is much less.

Price wise they're about half the cost of BF's - I can get for about R1500 ea. but what I'm really wondering about is their on-road performance, especially in wet conditions (don't want to unnecessarily jeopardise life, limb or vehicle).

[Oosie101]

In the Dec issue of Driveout(Wegry) magazine they had a(nother) tyre shootout with ALL TERRAINS where the Grabbers were rated as the best. They did not test the Coopers though, but the BFs came in stone dead last place. Not sure if the results will be the same when they do MUD TERRAIN only, but at that price... Sounds like a very good deal.

What are the chances that the MT will be really bad if the AT did so well in the tests?


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[Haboob]

Andy, your tyres are still good for another five years...
Tony (First Geer has the AT's & is very happy with them...
I would think that they would be good value for tour buck...
Sorry for the fellows who spent top buck for the BF's...

[JohanW]

I'm also looking at a set of General MT or even the AT ones to replace my BF's AT. I'm tired of the dreadful and often scary performance on damp/wet roads.But they are going 60k km puncture free and I guess it will be another 40k km before they are done...

[Haboob]

Ride them when it is dry...

[ThysdJ]

Andy, they are not bad tyres... But being a MT their performance on road in the wet will be bad. That means you'll have to keep that red devil in check when it rains and no more dicing little hatchbacks down the main road..

I read the whole tyre shootout thing in WegRy, and I posted my thoughts on their forum... I think their test was flawed, and here is my reasoning behind why I say that. It is in Afrikaans, please verskoon..

Ek het die artikel interresant gevind, maar vergun my asseblief die geleentheid om uit my eie ondervinding net 'n puntjie of twee uitlig waaroor daar sekerlik lank gedebatteer kan word, maar wat eintlik krities is om enige band se verrigting teen 'n ander te vergelyk. Soos met alles in die lewe moet ons appels met appels vergelyk, en ek voel dit is ongelukkig nie in die geval van hierdie bandetoets so lekker 100% gedoen nie. Die bandetoets is gedoen met een voertuig, met een bestuurder, met dieselfde grootte bande, en teen dieselfde banddruk... en net daar le die knoop wat van die appel 'n piesang maak...

Dit gaan alles oor die voetspoor. Die voetspoor van 'n band, tesame met sy loopvlakpatroon bepaal hoeveel traksie of greep daardie band op die grond onder hom kan uitoefen. Gewoonlik is 'n band se voetspoor ongeveer so groot soos 'n mens se handpalm teen normale padry-banddruk. Ten einde meer greep op los oppervlakte te bewerkstellig blaas ons bande af, om daardie voetspoor te vergroot. Dis 4x4-ry 101 en ek is dood seker ek hoef nie verder te verduidelik nie.

Die probleem kom egter in wanneer bande van verskillende vervaardigers teen mekaar opgeweeg word gee elke band 'n verskillende grootte voetspoor teen die voorgeskrewe banddruk, in die geval 1.2 Bar. Dit het alles te doen met die konstruksie van die band. Omdat die bande met die sagste sywalle die meeste meegee en 'n groter voetspoor vorm, sal hulle noodwendig beter vaar in al hierdie toetse weens die toename in greep op die grond.

Om alle bande van verskillende vervaardigers teen dieselfde druk te toets veroorsaak ongelukkig dat die bande wat stywer sywande het 'n onregverdige nadeel het teenoor die bande met sagte sywande. Dit is dan ook die grootste rede hoekom die vervaardigers van bande met stywe sywande nie bande wou beskikbaar stel vir die toets nie.

Jaco het genoem in sy Redakteursbrief dat sommige mense sal kla oor die feit dat vasgestelde banddruk as maatstaf gebruik is, en ja, sou al die bande teen nog laer druk gery word, sou die bande met harder sywande beter gevaar het, maar dan sou die met die sagte sywande nog steeds die voetspoor voordeel geniet het, en nog steeds beter verrigting gegee het as die res.

Wat wel interresant sou gewees het, is as die toetsspan voor (en na) elke toets, die grootte van die voetspoor van elke band gemeet het, sodat die lesers daardie verkille ook kan sien. Dan kan die koper/leser 'n beter ingeligte besluit neem deur die groote van die voetspoor ook in ag te neem wanneer die bande se verrigting vergelyk word. Miskien iets om in gedagte te hou vir die volgende groot bande toets?

Ek het begrip dat dit meer tyd sou neem om elke stel bande op te stel sodat die voetspoor aan die voorgeskrewe maatstaf voldoen, en dat tyd geld is vir baie van die betrokkenes, maar iets so groot soos 'n bande toets, waar publieke opinie geswaai kan word vir of teen 'n band wat onregverdig bevoordeel/benadeel is weens bogenoemde, verdien elke minuut wat nodig is om die ding reg te doen.

Daai is maar my 2 sente...

[Mud Dog]

Wat wel interresant sou gewees het, is as die toetsspan voor (en na) elke toets, die grootte van die voetspoor van elke band gemeet het, sodat die lesers daardie verkille ook kan sien

Thanks Thys, interesting ..... I've noticed and also commented that the BF's aired down to 1.2 bar makes only a marginal difference due to the thicker / stiffer side wall.

Ja, of course we know that muds will have poorer on road performance, but some muds fare better than others in this respect. Anyone that 'hammers it' on the tar with muds is looking for trouble, wet or dry. I just don't want to go into an unplanned drift around a bend at 60 kph when the bend is gradual enough that you would expect to still maintain traction, or find myself sliding along into the rear end of the vehicle that braked unexpectedly in front of me (normal following distances adhered to).

[4x4BEES]

R1500 a tyre is a very good price,
and I like the look of it as well.

I was just wondering, if a person like me,
with very little experience on off road tyres,
would actually feel the difference on the different
makes of tyre?

[venom38]

I dont have any experience with the General MT's but like many other 16" Vigo owners can tell you the tyres that gave me the worst SAFE km's of any tyre ever (incl car tyres) were the general grabbers that came on the vigo. After about 40k they were very unsafe on the road. Also deflation on them were rubbish. But they are road tyres and I am sure the at's and mt's are better.(Ps I am one of the lucky ones that has only ever gotten good BFG sets giving about 100k each and deflating easily to 0.6bar in sand and that was for a 400km trip without problems)