Nissan Patrol 4x4 (Africa)

True Ricster,... all your points were fair and within reason, and def brought up some interesting discussion. I'm sure anyone deciding on tyres has a lot more to think about now, i learned alot from Peters post, and makes alot of sense when i compare to my daily driving..

yeah absolutely !!

Fanus, I think what Cedric is saying is that there is no such thing as a perfect tire. In engineering, as in life, each choice is a compromise.

Generally, grip on the road (slightly wet or dry), is a function of compound hardness, in inverse proportions. However, tread design also plays a big role. The smaller the grooves, the more grip.

So if road traction is your goal, get HT's and forget you've ever heard of muddies. The same is probably true about rock. But don't expect them to last.

If the road is very wet, this changes. Then you want wide, deep grooves to get the water out and keep the rubber on the road. The exact design of the grooves plays a major role as well, but KM2's and Bridgestone and other muddies do this very well (actually, this just proves that they are good muddies, as the principle at work is exactly the same).

In sand, I think the following applies: on level sand (river beds and CKGR/Savuti/Linyanti), H/T's are great. Because they don't dig. But in dunes, they are next to useless, because in these conditions, you effectively need to displace sand, almost like an aircraft's propellor. Then "paddle tires" are king, with muddies second. But paddle tires are useless for any other purpose except mud bogging or driving on water, and can't go on the road at all.

OF course, the above has not dealt with sidewall stiffness and strength or tire robustness/reliability at all, and all the side-effects each has, but suffice to say that although H/T's may grip well in the rocks, don't expect them to last very long.

Yiou pays your moneys, and you takes your choices.

With regard to Rus's theory on tire life, to a point I think it's probably true, considering that racing teams won't race on tires that have been through more that two or three heat cycles, because they become measurably harder and less grippy (of course the heat cycles in racing are much bigger in magnitude). But I also believe that age makes tires wear faster. I noticed much more rapid wear on my last set of tires after they had passed the six-year mark. Not sure why that would be though.

+1

Totally agree. Look at your application and pocket and make a choice.

ricster wrote: The only tyre I really hope you DON'T put on is a Dunlop........ .... want dunlop hy hier and dunlop hy daar.....

Cedric I was off the same opinion until recently, not sure if I have changed my mind just yet. In January I ruined a sidewall on my Khumo AT's. I bought my trol with them on so I had no idea of age or mileage etc, but they were also starting to perish. The spare was a BFG so I decided not to mess around and get new tyres.

Since I'm still considering swapping the 4.5 for a 4.8 I didn't want to spend R3500 per tyre only to see them being driven off by someone else! So I found these Dunlop MT's. After going through a rollercoaster of emotions trying to decide I went for it. I have driven only a few hundred km's so far but - the wobble I experienced at 90-110km/h is gone, the vehicle pulling to the left permanently is also gone. Both symptoms I have given up trying to rectify after deciding they must just be a trol thing.

Like I said I have not yet changed my mind about Dunlops, but so far these have done pretty good trying to convince me!

Hmmm.... not bad looking tyres !!!

Let me be fair.... I did have a LOT of problems with Dunlop tyres that were fitted to a variety of vehicles I drove many years ago ( normal road cars and light delivery vehicles ). I hope that over the years their technology has changed and improved. I am just too apprehensive to try them again on a 3 ton vehicle. So please before you swap for the 4.8, give them a run on and in various conditions ( wet tar, dry tar, mud, gravel, sand and rock ). I think it would be very interesting to hear about the differences.

But I have another question, you said you had the Kumho AT's on your Patrol? I'm thinking of going the AT route on my next set and was thinking about trying the Kumho's as the Kumho muddies were for me fantastic. I am especially interested in their wet tar capabilities ( I understand that old worn tyres are not the best on any vehicle ) during the course if the tyres life?

Cedric apart from the ruined sidewall that I got while doing the Paradise 4x4 trail (where Fugly is) I got pretty good service out of them. Like I said there was a wobble and an urge to forever drive of the left hand shoulder, but that might be because of the age of the tyres. Physically the tread is not as aggressive as the BF AT's and the top edge of the sidewall that forms the bubble when deflated is also very mild. I am not sure if they would be my first choice in an AT.

Something else that I must mention about the Dunlops is that they are remarkably quiet for a muddy.

ricster wrote: But I have another question, you said you had the Kumho AT's on your Patrol? I'm thinking of going the AT route on my next set and was thinking about trying the Kumho's as the Kumho muddies were for me fantastic. I am especially interested in their wet tar capabilities ( I understand that old worn tyres are not the best on any vehicle ) during the course if the tyres life?

I have have the Kumho A/T's (285x75x16) on for exactly a year and 20 000 km's now;

Price - was brilliant at the time at R 2 600 per tyre.
Wet tar grip and braking - Much better than the BFG's.
Sidewalls - Hmmm - Was expecting possible problems but have been pleasantly surprised.
Grip on wet rocks - Awesome when deflated.
Ability in mud - Still to be properly tested but I am expecting not that great.
Sand - Because of the softer sidewalls this is also awesome when deflated.
Noise levels - Better than average.

Everything is give and take with tyres but so far they have exceeded my expectations.

Thanks for the feedback !!

Daardie Dunlops lyk baie oulik.