Tyre recommendations (215/75R15 AT)

[poshbuggers]

I'm in the market for some All Terrains to toughen up the Glambulance on it's soon to be fitted Merc Pentas.

I'm looking for something mid range as I still need to iron out clearance issues and alignment so I don't want to go all out on rubber while those issues are outstanding.

Does anyone have any recommendations for a fitment/supplier?

[jed the spread]

Everyone is going to tell you to go either BFG a/t or General Grabber a/t. General Grabber have had the best reviews from some of the magazine but they are testing new tyres and after the General Grabbers have 20% wear on them I believe they are shocking in any sort of mud or slippery stuff and the BFG's are constant throughout their life until they get really low. I would be tempted to get a set of these myself for the amount of miles you do in your van Paul, http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-RETREAD-4 ... 232eae8f1d" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; and they are less than half the price.

My bet is you will have probably got board with the van and moved onto some other project by the time you get a third of the way through these . I was talking with a mate who spent years making remolds and he says they are not as bad as they used to be these days as they have stricter guide lines to follow.

Hope this helps,

Jed

[jed the spread]

I have been running some Insa Turbo Dakars for a year or so, they are basically the old style BFG m/t's and although a remold they have been pukka.

Jed

[poshbuggers]

Thanks Jed,

That's exactly the kind of advice I needed.

I've run used Colways, BFG and Wranglers before but they are - as you so rightly state - shocking after a while.

I only use the van for shows, outings and holidays now so it won't get as many miles as the old crewcab. Most of these will be roads and any serious offroading (which I intend to get around to over the next year) will be on MT's designed for the purpose.

AT's will give me the flexibity to handle day-to-day stuff and moderate road use. I'll look into those Ebay remoulds. I'm not a tyre snob and for the miles I do in it I can think of other areas where a few hundred quid could be well spent if saved on brand names.

[smokeyjon]

I had colways a few years back and they were rubbish - punctures galores, sidewalls ripping away etc. If those ebay ones are similar I would avoid.

I've now got goodyear wrangler atrs now and they seem a lot more robust. Having said that I must admit that, apart from a few blasts around mammut park (I struggled after the rain but that was cos my rear difflock was seized) they haven't seen much offroad action. They were £75 each when I bought them, but that was probably 3 or 4 years back now.

I think weight rating limits your options depending how much you're loading up (and whether you're bothered). The ATRs are 800kg each from memory i think

[max and caddy]

I can't be doing with cheapo tyres...false economy for various reasons including...faster wear, poorer performance, shorter life even if doing little mileage as the rubber degrades, and resale value is next to nowt..including when on a vehicle..who wants a set of half used re moulds? no one...but half worn BFGs make crazy money!

As re moulds go Colway is actually one of the better options...but still a worn out old carcass with new inferior rubber smeared round it..

[jed the spread]

I can't be doing with cheapo tyres...false economy for various reasons including...faster wear, poorer performance, shorter life even if doing little mileage as the rubber degrades, and resale value is next to nowt..including when on a vehicle..who wants a set of half used re moulds? no one...but half worn BFGs make crazy money!

As re moulds go Colway is actually one of the better options...but still a worn out old carcass with new inferior rubber smeared round it..

I agree with you Alex but how many miles do any of us really do in a Syncro, especially off road. Spending £700 on a set of tyres that will start to perish before they wear out or spend £250 on a set of tyres that will start to perish before you start to wear them out is worth some consideration. Re treads are not as rubbish as they used to be from the chats I have had with fellas that make them and the only reason we say they are rubbish is because when we first got into cars we were told they are rubbish by fellas when they were rubbish who are probably dead who dont even know how they make re treads these days. I am going to put a set of retreads on before we go to North Africa in our vans later in the year and measure the exact tyre depth on exact driving conditions and milage against a set of genuine thread tyres from Alan's or Jake's van and if after 6000 + miles there is 1mm difference in them and the side walls are OK after driving hundreds of miles aired down then I will be happy.

I have had tyres and wheels longer than I have had the vans to put them on and some of them are re treads

If they are rubbish then I will be happy to report back and give an accurate report on why. I did run a set of Conways for three years and have an opinion of those through using them, I wont be taking those to Morocco.

Hope this helps,

Jed

[max and caddy]

Horses for courses I guess...I see the wanlis, runways, nankangs, and all the other ting tong (car) tyre brands everyday and how they perform...bit different on an occasional use syncro I agree. Also is a remould tyre better or worse than a cheap Chinese tyre? Who knows what case went into the remould is my main concern on a syncro...all 4 tyres need to match in tread depths but if the carcass of the tyres are different they are likely to vary in size due to this...maybe...I don't know the selection process at the remoulding factory I admit.

[poshbuggers]

I agree with you Alex but how many miles do any of us really do in a Syncro, especially off road. Spending £700 on a set of tyres that will start to perish before they wear out or spend £250 on a set of tyres that will start to perish before you start to wear them out is worth some consideration. Re treads are not as rubbish as they used to be from the chats I have had with fellas that make them and the only reason we say they are rubbish is because when we first got into cars we were told they are rubbish by fellas when they were rubbish who are probably dead who dont even know how they make re treads these days.

#

What he said ^

I remember my dad and his (older) colleagues banging on about remoulds and crossplys when I was a learner driver. I was warned never to mix crossplys with radials - even though crossplys were no longer in regular distribution or use on any reasonably modern car. I was also told never to use remoulds but to be fair they were carp back then and didn't last anywhere near the time they do now.

I question how much difference there is between a modern remould and a 'budget' tyre. It seems half the population run the cheap tyres and I have seen some shocking examples where there is little to no grip on a brand new set of tyres. Young lads are running these on cars with over 200bhp so its little wonder they are smashing into things all over the place. Perhaps if insurance was cheaper they could afford better?

I'd be interested to see some proper reviews of remould AT's to see what the current situation is. I've had Colways which were poor and Insa's and BFG's which were good but there has to be more choice out there surely?

[hugomonkey]

about the same price as remoulds and not bad reviews
http://www.oponeo.co.uk/tyre-details/to ... -r15-100-s" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[hugomonkey]

just to add i have the new grabbers and the first year i would put them up against ANY tire on ANY surface but as soon as they get a bit worn the only thing they are good for is tarmac, now that i´ve bought the bfg km2 mt`s i wont be buying at´s again as these are quiet on the road and fantastic off road, i´ll just be changing to winter tyres when the snow and ice arrives

[poshbuggers]

For Busfest I stuck on a set of retreads. These are Goldline 195R15MT which I believe are a Colway copy.

I'm still in the market for a good AT tyre but now considering something bigger in profile/girth. The van already looks a bit top heavy on these and with the lift its getting and the clearance that will result I wonder how big is sensible with the GTI/AAN box combination.

On these acceleration is brisk, perhaps too nippy and top speed is around 95. I don't need either so much and would prefer better ride/grip and a lower top speed to keep me honest

[slippy8v]

Looking to replace my tyres as well priced 4 215/70/15 goodrich AT yesterday £120 each fitted, that gives me something to work round so will see if i can get better price.

[v-lux]

Anyone tried any Maxxis tyres?

They're are well known in the Mountain bike world as being one of, if not the best tyre manufacturer. They produce high quality rubber, very decent sidewalls and very competetive tread patterns.

I cant imagine their car tyres are any worse. Quite tempted to try them out myself for my next set.....

[ajsimmo]

I put Maxxis 751s on mefros on my Syncro, all I can say is they were a massive improvement on the stock 14s. Quiet and grippy on road, vastly improved ride, and plenty good enough to pull you out of all but the most extreme stickyness off road. Can't say how well they wore, as I sold the van.
They are NLA new but still some NOS here.
New version is AT771 Bravo, but you might have to go to 225s (70 or 75s) to find them.