Thread: Aggressive AT vs mt vs 15" vs 17"

So the new ute needs a new set of shoes.
In the past I have always run mts at 15" (31x10.5)
The new ute came with 17" rims.
Im wondering wether to stick with the 17 or switch back to 15" steelies for the cheaper tyres
Also I do most of my kms on road but am a farmer so it does see off road use from time to time if the farm hack isnt available plus the usual with hunting and fishing duck shooting and I would also like to do a little beach running for Kontiki fishing also. I would like to have decent traction as I figure there is no point having a 4x4 ute that gets stuck in wet grass.
What are your thoughts and recommendations cheers.

most modern utes want take a 15" rim, maxxi have a aggressive AT that will do the job.

From a 4WD club point of view there is a big difference in performance capability between an AT and an MT. We don't allow ATs on many trips - simply not good enough traction. If you're driving a 4x4 and do some offroading then I'd go with the MTs. There is nothing more frustrating than a 4x4 that won't!! These days there are MT brands that perform well on road - a little more hum than an AT - but handling quite well and giving very good mileage. For just occasional an dry condition hunting/fishing trip then its an open choice.

You can spend heavily on name brands like Cooper or BFG for MTs, but you may not get better performance on or of road for the considerable extra cost. There are some less expensive makes that will give very good service. Have tried many sets of muds over decades with 4wds and club offroading. One surprising MT is the Korean Nankang N889 Mudstar - I sold one of my 4x4s with these muds at 66,000ks and they still had 7mm tread left = 100k plus run out. That's good - half the price of some brands and good offroad. Running them again on my present truck. Mudstar have introduced a new upgraded MT - the MT1 Conqueror. This has 3 ply sidewall, side lugs for added grip/protection, and is said to be improved for on road driving. I'll certainly try them when next MT tyres needed - well worth a try and good prices:

https://www.yhiautomotive.co.nz/View...N/MT1?Id=13341

Re rim size - 17" tyres will cost more and there will be less selection than 15s. A set of replacement 15" white/black spoke (get your offset right) steel rims will cost about $100-120 each. Be good to check your running tyre diameter now with your 17s, see what size rubber you'd have to run to replicate that with 15s - then do the $$ sums. 15 or 17 ok but if you have to run very big 15s to match rolling diameter and retain gearing, you might find you need to fit flares to truck as the big 15s could end up wider than say a stock 265x70x17.

For just occasional offroading but in varied conditions a set of 17" MTs at stock size will be fine..

15s over 17s all day. The extra sidewall height allows you to air down and the tyre to "bag" which makes a huge difference off road and can be the difference between driving or walking home, where most 17" tyres will come off the bead before you get any benefit from running low pressures off road. Better selection of tyres available at better prices also.

15 or 16 inch rims if they fit, better tyre selection and better pricing as already stated. 16 inch you can go for tall and skinny tyres easier than with 15 inch rims. Eg 33/12.50/15 vs 33/10.5/16.
Package deal of steely rims and tyres may get rims for $50+

Sent from my SM-G390Y using Tapatalk

Tyre conversion chart says 265x70x17 equates roughly with a 32x11.5x 15", and the 265x75x17 roughly matches a 33x12.5x15. These 15 tyres should be fine - they will be a little wider as the 265x75x17 will be more like a 10.5 width. Just a matter of checking one on truck for projection out past guards.

ATs fine until you hit wet mud, clay, snow, grass - then its all over rover! Narrow void AT treads fill up quickly losing all traction, and narrow treads don't self clear with spinning as do MTs. ATs can be fine if you pick your conditions for offroad use.

Yes a good idea to deflate tyres esp for travelling rocks or sand...more comfortable and bigger footprint. Dropping tyres down to 20-25lbs quite normal, and sometimes as low as 12lbs in loose sand - though then you have to watch for beads coming off rims.

How big are your discs and calipers, may only fit a 16

Some good stuff above.
What is the vehicle as this will effect what rims you can run.
I personally wouldn't go with any high end brands unless money is no object. I highly recommend the Goodride Sl386 as a great Mt that's quite on road handles well in both wet and dry, and has good wear life. They can be had usually around 1000 a set in 33s.
As for rims size 15s give more rubber and more sidewall to bulge when aired down that helps grip hugely. It will however in large diameters 35+ give poorer on road handling(I doubt this is an issue for modern 4wds as they won't fit these sizes).
Also I doubt you will be able to fit 15s on many
2010 on utes.

Most 16 inch and 17 inch tires come in metric an tend to be slightly narrower for there diameter. This can help with fitment.

Offset of the rims is very important as too much negative offset will mean the tires are outside you guards. It also means the swing radius when you turn is larger so they will rub more (you don't want any rub). For example a 33x11.5r16 won't rub on my ute at +15 offset but will rip my fenders off at -12. So talking to someone that knows your vehicle it important not just a sales person.

Also finally kind of related lift in an IFS vehicle will not help you fit bigger tires no matter what people tell you as they compress to the same point Offroad.

So I guess let us know what you drive and maybe some recommendations can be made.

Im going the other way because for what i use mine for its way better

17" and aggressive AT

Im running a BF ko2 275/65/17 on steel wheels they fit mint on my colorado,

I have found they hold there own on the 4x4 tracks around here exception being when im stuck on the diff because so many are running 35" tires these days, most are muddy / gravelly tracks
I don't play in the big mud holes but found them great on grass and clay and they kick ass ( had maxis bighorn before ) in the rivers and on the sand.

The 17" is way nicer to drive with on the road especially when your cornering a little hard and towing ( stockcar ) and don't feel like they roll over like 15"
I had maxis bravo 980 AT before this and they were not aggressive enough but very nice on the black top.

they sure ant cheap tho think this set was about $1900

ive also had a good run out of nangkangs

https://tyreshoponline.co.nz/shop/ca...4aAnrNEALw_wcB

Originally Posted by mimms2

Where??? I was quoted $410/tyre the other day, found them on trademe for about $370...

https://tyreshoponline.co.nz/shop/ca...4aAnrNEALw_wcB

Tireshoponline price includes shipping I think 30 a tire fitted at any of the locals they deal with.

Have just bought 2 of these from tyreshoponline for 6hundred hawksbys delivered.
Normally run Achilles on my swb safari which have been good. I don't like getting stuck as it gets expensive beer wise to get unstuck again, the hill tracks round here can get a bit dodgy at times, so will see how these go I guess

Originally Posted by mimms2

To be fair, I'm not sure what pixie dust goes into the BFGs but they're stickier than a stick insect covered in glue. The k-o are not a "normal" A/T.

That would be about right for 4...
I generally buy 5 or 6 at a time.

they make lots of smoke too

Originally Posted by mimms2

To be fair, I'm not sure what pixie dust goes into the BFGs but they're stickier than a stick insect covered in glue. The k-o are not a "normal" A/T.

That would be about right for 4...
I generally buy 5 or 6 at a time.

the BFG KM2 MT's on my Pajero have nearly 70k on them and still only half worn. My arse puckered when I brought them but ....well seem good value now ecen at $500 each. If I could get there AT's to fit 20 inch rims on the missuses Colorado I might be tempted to "pony up" for them