ricster wrote:Unkredible, is the Bridgestone Duellers not an "All Terrain" tyre? I had Duellers on my Maiden.... I didn't like then too much, for the 4x4 driving I do. I put a set of Kumho 33" MT's on, and loved them.... but I need to get new tyres soon
Nope, they are MT's. I had the all terrains previously, but they were as useless as a boob on a bull...
2005 Patrol GL ex 3.0d now TD42
285x75x16 MT
40l S/S Nat Luna Beer Fridge, with Draught tap...
Bigger Intercooler, EGT, Boost Gauge
DC-DC Charger
I have had the Bridgestone Duellers MTs on my trollie for the past 14 months.
Prior to that I had Continental ATs which were surprisingly capable, considering that they do have much of an aggressive look.
Pros and cons I experienced with the Duellers MTs:
+ Sound is probably the best among the MTs (this is of course not an issue for the poor diesel drivers who can in any event not hear much while driving! )
- It wears down, I suspect quicker than the Khumos - considering Cedric's experience.
- I did not find them particularly good in mud or snow.
+ It was however very good in sand and on rocks.
My next tyre:
I will go back to AT's
The low mileage makes the plusses of MTs not worthwhile for me.
I had cooper STT on the troll when I bought it. Hard compound and not the best tyre for sand (did not "bulge" that lekker when deflated). My use was 40% town tar and 35% dirt road and 25% off-road and dunes. They did not last very well, even the replacement ones I bought were wriiten off in 15 000km.
Then bought a set of 2nd hand (thanks to being broke from buying a cooper every month) bridgestone dueller MT's, and have done 90 000km's now, my guess is 10k km's left ont two of them (rear, now mounted front) and 30k km left on other two . The handling is very good, even in wet whilst giving a comfy ride. Very good in mud and very impressive in snow. Competent in dry off-road as well. For ride quality and handling, much better than the coopers. OK, the dueller M/T's are 33 and the coopers were 31 (or maybe 30, the "standard" GQ size in any way) which will obviously not yield a fair comparison, especially in ride comfort devision.
Did a number of trips to Mosambique and lesotho - work combo holiday travels, on trails that makes a iced up Sani Pass seem very beginner-like. Mixture of sand, rock and mud. They served me very well and only one aquired a puncture that I could not fix, bubbles seemed to come out everywhere and one day it just gave up the ghost.
My spare wheel is now a BFG KM2 MT which hints at the direction I'll be following next. This I fitted due to availability. Work taking up much of my time when shops are open, Autowiel in Centurion being close to the Lanseria Watertower/Reservoir building site and being recommended on the forum - this was my choice from their selection, also some brainwashing from Tinus :) All I can say about the performance of the single KM2 I have is that it looks mean on the spare wheel brakcet and makes one not want to put on a cover.
Someone told me this weekend that BFG lost their contract to the US army and has recently changed the rubber compounds, to the detriment of the consumer, in order to remain profitable/competitive. Can anyone confirm the truth behind this?
Oh, and I have high expectations, as far as service is concerned, when parting from my hard earned cash. Autowiel Centurion is one of the few place I've found to live up to these expectations - I can really recommend them.
Pros
Quietest MT I've ever had or driven with - sound like my old BFG AT.
Good in snow, mud, tar, gravel, rocks
Great aquaplaning character for those big surprise puddles at 120kmh.
Handle high speeds really well, noise wise at 140 is like the KM2 at 60.
Cons
Can chip
About 80k km on a set (softer compound probably why it grips so well on the black and less rattle ie more padded)
Haven't tested on true SAND tho - yet
Compared to BFG KM2's which rattle (feel the studs) to about 20km/h these only have that feeling when driving at around 3km/h.
To be honest I was looking at two patrols the salesguy said people aren't used to muds and their "rattle and noise" having muds I thought ag big deal I have a set, the difference was day and night. My sunroof makes more noise.
