All terrain tyres: Are they all made equal?

I'm pretty sure I know the answer to this question, but thought I'd run it past the fine fellows here anyway, hopefully Ill even learn something.

I need to get some new tyres for my vehicle and was hoping to get some All terrains. Was looking to try score a deal and have been looking on trademe.
I've noticed though, quite a few tyres that are advertised and branded as A/Ts, yet the tread pattern on them look hardly any more agressive than some H/T tyres, at then some A/Ts I'd almost have classed as mud tyres.

Is it pretty obvious that not all A/Ts are made equal? Or are some magically made to look like road tyres, yet perform amazing offroad?

Tyres are sometimes categorized as a percentage of on road / off road e.g. 60/40 80/20 or the other way around for more off road tyres like 40/60. A/T is a pretty broad description :)

Attachment 45775Have been using these for a while,3rd set.road,River and grass I'm happy with them.Local tyre shop rotates freeAttachment 45774

No, AT tyres are not created equal. Generally with tyres you do get what you pay for.

Those Desert Duelers above are a good tyre, we got around 70,000kms out of the last set we had on our 70 series landcruiser before selling it.

I'm having a good run out of Hercules Terratrac DT's, they're more a 'desert terrain' tyre than AT, and quite chunky. Hercules are made by Coopers.

These are the first AT tyres I've bought, always had MT's, I probably won't go back to a MT after having these.

Done over 50,000kms on this set so far and they're still in good nick. Maybe squeeze another 10,000-15,000 out of them, then that'll get me to about April, and a new set for winter :thumbsup:

Tyreshoponline.co.nz is the place I got them from, Steve there is a very knowledgeable guy.

Attachment 45776

My current pattern and supply. Must understand your needs and the capabilities of the given tyre. My need: 80 on road, forestry roads would differ greatly from mine when I lived in the Deep South.

Contact @madmaori he put me on to the Cooper At3 all terrains, best all terrain tyres I have had. He runs a tyre outfit and his prices are real sharp.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Beetroot

I'm pretty sure I know the answer to this question, but thought I'd run it past the fine fellows here anyway, hopefully Ill even learn something.

I need to get some new tyres for my vehicle and was hoping to get some All terrains. Was looking to try score a deal and have been looking on trademe.
I've noticed though, quite a few tyres that are advertised and branded as A/Ts, yet the tread pattern on them look hardly any more agressive than some H/T tyres, at then some A/Ts I'd almost have classed as mud tyres.

Is it pretty obvious that not all A/Ts are made equal? Or are some magically made to look like road tyres, yet perform amazing offroad?

---

these guys do good deals TyreShopOnline - About Us i put some goodrides on this time last year and they are going really well they were only $159 fitted i really like them for price and wearing no worries in the wet on or off road, if you want to spend more for no good reason then look at Kumho KL78

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by JoshC

No, AT tyres are not created equal. Generally with tyres you do get what you pay for.

Those Desert Duelers above are a good tyre, we got around 70,000kms out of the last set we had on our 70 series landcruiser before selling it.

I'm having a good run out of Hercules Terratrac DT's, they're more a 'desert terrain' tyre than AT, and quite chunky. Hercules are made by Coopers.

These are the first AT tyres I've bought, always had MT's, I probably won't go back to a MT after having these.

Done over 50,000kms on this set so far and they're still in good nick. Maybe squeeze another 10,000-15,000 out of them, then that'll get me to about April, and a new set for winter :thumbsup:

Tyreshoponline.co.nz is the place I got them from, Steve there is a very knowledgeable guy.

---

Interesting. I was pointed in the direction of the Hercules by another forum member, and he said they were made by Cooper as well.
I asked the question at a seemingly reputable local agent, who sells both Cooper and Hercules, and he was quite adamant that they were not from the same company.

Cooper Tire manufactures the Hercules brand in addition to Cooper and other associate and private label brands.

He might want to brush up on his product knowledge then. I've run 5 sets of Hercules tyres now and rate them highly.

http://coopertire.com/News/Corporate...r-Anniver.aspx


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Cooper AT3s. Cant go wrong. huge warranty depending on size and construction, amazing grip, improved handling and fuel efficiency. I am never going to touch anything else. I didnt know about them until i got into the auto industry, but sure as hell know about them now. Great reviews.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by von tempsky fan

Contact @madmaori he put me on to the Cooper At3 all terrains, best all terrain tyres I have had. He runs a tyre outfit and his prices are real sharp.

---

Cheers von ,as its already been stated tyres definitely aren't all made the same ,there is a lot of shit floating into the country at the moment.you have to work out what youre budget is and what terrain you are going into and what you want from a tyre (if you are spending quite a bit of time offroad in the back blocks then I would steer away from the 4 ply constructions as they can be pretty weak in the sidewall and crown area and its no fun trying to change a tyre in the middle of the sticks if you have ripped the sidewall out of a tyre)
if you want a unbiased opinion on a tyre before you buy then just flick me a pm :thumbsup:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by madjon_

Attachment 45775Have been using these for a while,3rd set.road,River and grass I'm happy with them.Local tyre shop rotates freeAttachment 45774

---

Have always been a good tyre but as of late I think they have changed the compound or something as I have had a few customers saying they have been pretty slippery (probably doesn't help most 4x4s these days go like the clappers) and unfortunately very limited sizes as they only do them in a 9r15 or 10r15

I was always a bf goodrich all terrain and mud terrain user but the last sets didn't seem to wear as well as previous sets not sure what has changed with them.Friends swear by the maxxis tyres and both had about 100k out of theres.The maxxis tyres I had were stuffed by 39k probably would have got a little more if they were rotated but they were prone to punctures and seemed soft in the sidewall.I have a set of mickey thomson on there now and have been happy with how they are wearing.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by madmaori

Have always been a good tyre but as of late I think they have changed the compound or something as I have had a few customers saying they have been pretty slippery (probably doesn't help most 4x4s these days go like the clappers) and unfortunately very limited sizes as they only do them in a 9r15 or 10r15

---

Thats no good then, need r16s.
Good replies guy, will have to look into the Cooper options.

I am getting cooper sst maxx fitted on Monday. The warranty is pretty damn good imho

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Pengy

I am getting cooper sst maxx fitted on Monday. The warranty is pretty damn good imho

---

What are they costing?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Markgibsonr25

I was always a bf goodrich all terrain and mud terrain user but the last sets didn't seem to wear as well as previous sets not sure what has changed with them.Friends swear by the maxxis tyres and both had about 100k out of theres.The maxxis tyres I had were stuffed by 39k probably would have got a little more if they were rotated but they were prone to punctures and seemed soft in the sidewall.I have a set of mickey thomson on there now and have been happy with how they are wearing.

---

Were they buckshot? Local shop won't put them on modern utes as they are too soft and terms to tear chunks. I am a fan of maxxis and have some bighorns iirc which are wearing ok. But they maybe m/t

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by puku

Were they buckshot? Local shop won't put them on modern utes as they are too soft and terms to tear chunks. I am a fan of maxxis and have some bighorns iirc which are wearing ok. But they maybe m/t

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk

---

One of the sets on my friends were buckshots did 100k easily probably 18mths ago.Mine were the all terrain type of the maxis that my other friend and i had,His lasted 80k mine were shot by 39k both similar terrain and driving type.Mickey thomsons seem to be a lot better tyre so far.

Had bf Goodrich all terrains, they were an excellent tyre on and off road for what they were, did 16k on them and I'd say they would have gone to 30k before 'needing replacing'. These people that get 80-100k out of their mud/all terrains.... How capable off road is the tread by then?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Beetroot

Thats no good then, need r16s.
Good replies guy, will have to look into the Cooper options.

---

If they are a bit out of youre price range then have a look at the Hankook RF10,fantastic tyre

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by MSL

Had bf Goodrich all terrains, they were an excellent tyre on and off road for what they were, did 16k on them and I'd say they would have gone to 30k before 'needing replacing'. These people that get 80-100k out of their mud/all terrains.... How capable off road is the tread by then?

---

BF Goodrich are not the tyre that they once were ,don't sell them anymore.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Pengy

I am getting cooper sst maxx fitted on Monday. The warranty is pretty damn good imho

---

Shit hot bit of rubber the ST Maxx ,check out the STT pro if you want to get more serious

I'll be looking at some cooper muds once these mickey thompsons are done which are not wearing that well

I've just thrown a set of Cooper ST Discoverys on my ute. Tread pattern very much like BFG ATs. Still early days, but pretty happy how they're going. Salesman said a logging customer of his is getting up to 80000 km of 'useful' driving out of his, and gets a trade in price when he changes. At $330 a corner, I didn't think it was to bad. Sure ther is cheaper out there but when you factor in puncture resistance and total mileage, I think they will work out cheap in the long run

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Danny

What are they costing?

---

My left testicle :P

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Pengy

My left testicle :P

---

Attachment 45907 I've still got mine, there's a few things I'd swap it for but tyres isn't one.

Just a little different, I've got the GT Radial Adventuro AT3 suits my needs, not a serious offroader but for getting me around some of the places I go they grip well, wear is good so far, ride is good, not much noise at all...just something a little different, you know much about them @madmaori

Attachment 45981

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Double Shot

Just a little different, I've got the GT Radial Adventuro AT3 suits my needs, not a serious offroader but for getting me around some of the places I go they grip well, wear is good so far, ride is good, not much noise at all...just something a little different, you know much about them @madmaori

Attachment 45981

---

Not a huge fan of the GT product ,the AT2 before that pattern was a total write off ,weak as walls that felt like they were going to turn inside out under a bit harder cornering as well as being completely utterly shit in the wet.they may have corrected some of those flaws with this pattern but not holding my breath...but like they say the proof is in the pudding!let me know how they go @Double Shot

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Pengy

I am getting cooper sst maxx fitted on Monday. The warranty is pretty damn good imho

---

mate i can go through two sets of goodrides and save money compared to the price of coopers, is the cooper warranty still void if you drive on gravel, we had at3 had a 50,000km warranty but fine print stated void warranty if used on gravel road. almost a year with goodrides and i still have heaps of tread would of done 40,000 on them at least should get about 80,000km at the current rate of wear.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Beetroot

Thats no good then, need r16s.
Good replies guy, will have to look into the Cooper options.

---

Get a set of 15" rims then. I found it was cheaper to go 15" rims and tyres than 16" tyres. Also get a better choice in 15".

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by madmaori

Not a huge fan of the GT product ,the AT2 before that pattern was a total write off ,weak as walls that felt like they were going to turn inside out under a bit harder cornering as well as being completely utterly shit in the wet.they may have corrected some of those flaws with this pattern but not holding my breath...but like they say the proof is in the pudding!let me know how they go @Double Shot

---

Yep I hear you there on the AT2 @madmaori, they were complete shite, had them on a new Hilux back in '07... moved to the RF10 after that, they had been good but when I got the new Pajero it had 22" wheels on it, they got replaced with 20" however I'm limited in tyre choice at that size, the AT3 so far has been excellent, whether it be driving around crusty old logging tracks, gravel roads, fording rivers, tarmac or towing the boat, they seems to handle well and I haven't had any issues on cornering, I'm a little hard on my driving...baring in mind the wagon has a 40mm lift kit, it seems to handle well... So far I think they're a good tyre, but then there is nothing like the good ol' Savero, why oh why did GT stop making them...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by JoshC

No, AT tyres are not created equal. Generally with tyres you do get what you pay for.

Those Desert Duelers above are a good tyre, we got around 70,000kms out of the last set we had on our 70 series landcruiser before selling it.

I'm having a good run out of Hercules Terratrac DT's, they're more a 'desert terrain' tyre than AT, and quite chunky. Hercules are made by Coopers.

These are the first AT tyres I've bought, always had MT's, I probably won't go back to a MT after having these.

Done over 50,000kms on this set so far and they're still in good nick. Maybe squeeze another 10,000-15,000 out of them, then that'll get me to about April, and a new set for winter :thumbsup:

Tyreshoponline.co.nz is the place I got them from, Steve there is a very knowledgeable guy.

---

I've got the DTs from Steve too, I would recomend them and him.