New Tyres

[Crustypetee]

Pebbles is lucky she is not restricted to 18 inch rims. Your options are more restricted.
I have gone for the Bridgestone 697 LT construction which is a bit noisier than the HT tyres but has better grip when towing and better wet weather grip. If you are towing anything your best option is the LT. The wear has been good so far but checking pressures weekly and rotating every 5k.
Good luck with your decision.

[Having Fun]

Why not try some cheap imports? I've been using them a while now on an off road camper with excellent results. The "Goodride" brand have very good HT tyres. We have taken them to places you would not believe & they have been faultless. We have some cheap Chinese AT's on a 4x4 & they're brilliant too, but noisier than the HT's. They were about $165 per tyre, the HT's were cheaper.

There will be some who hang crap on this suggestion of course, but I think you'll find that the more noise the Nay Sayers make, the more likely that they fit into one of Old Jack's categories that he listed above.

[Pebbles]

New tyres

Crustypetee,

I'm interested in your experience. You have elected to go with the LT's. I take it you also are towing? How much noisier would you say the LT's are over the AT's ? The rig I'm towing is only 1500kg's hence only a light weight as far as caravans go and it doesn't get that much use unfortunately at the moment although I'm planning some long trips in the not too distant future. As mentioned, my present tyres are Khumo's. a quiet tyre and expect to get 60,000 k's which I thought wasn't all that flash compared to what some are achieving. I also agree with some of the comments relating to warranties..... not worth the proverbial and just a marketing tool. It does get down to personal choice. I will however do some research into the LT's.

[Lost1]

Pebbles, Running LT rated tyres would afford you an increased safety margin when travelling with a loaded car towing a van.

Noting most of your driving is on sealed roads or sometimes graded dirt roads, sounds like a 8 ply LT rated tyre with a moderate All Terrain tread pattern would suffice. Hankook or Maxxis have proven, reasonably priced options available to suit your needs.

OJ makes a fair point about Coopers and other heavier 10 ply LT rated tyres. If you decided to extend the scope of your trips it would be a sensible decision to pay a little extra to buy the 10 ply LT tyres.

If you are selling large volumes of tyres there will inevitably be people with bad news stories about your brand. There are plenty of bad news stories about the popular brands. Human nature, we always relate a bad news story but rarely comment when we don't have a problem.

The answer to what should I buy really depends on your budget and how hard you want to work these tyres when you go offroad. But a LT rated tyre of some description makes sense.

[Dicko1]

Crustypetee,

I'm interested in your experience. You have elected to go with the LT's. I take it you also are towing? How much noisier would you say the LT's are over the AT's ? The rig I'm towing is only 1500kg's hence only a light weight as far as caravans go and it doesn't get that much use unfortunately at the moment although I'm planning some long trips in the not too distant future. As mentioned, my present tyres are Khumo's. a quiet tyre and expect to get 60,000 k's which I thought wasn't all that flash compared to what some are achieving. I also agree with some of the comments relating to warranties..... not worth the proverbial and just a marketing tool. It does get down to personal choice. I will however do some research into the LT's.

Check out Bob Janes. Dynapro and Bridgestone 697,s may serve you well. As you very rarely go off road a HT pattern is probably all you need. Highway Tread are so much grippier in the wet and dry compared to All Terrain and as you do 99.9% on bitumen why not go for the safety of extra grip? Wouldnt life be simple if they just made one tyre fits all!! Good luck

[binda]

My last set of tyres were the Cooper ST MAxx and they wore out very quickly. I didn't mind the tyre and offroad it performed well, but the guarantee will only apply if you have wheel alignment and balance done every 10k and only at a Cooper reseller.

I took my car in for the guys to have a look at and they didn't want to know. I bought the tyres from them but had the alignments done at Bob Jane. In their eyes I had voided the guarantee.
Maybe this was just the local guys or it might be Cooper policy, I don't know but I won't be buying Cooper again.

[Pebbles]

New Tyres

Every chance I may go with the Hankook's RA33.They seem to be offering the best deal at $187 per tyre with a four for three price offer. All reviews are giving them a big rap. A highway tyre hence reduced road noise, good handling and increased mileage and fuel economy.

A Highway patten and as Dicko states, extra grip in wet and dry. I'm really not interested in the off road thing. The closest to any off roading would be a dirt/gravel road when and if encounted. My only other concern was the towing a caravan. Lost1 suggested a light truck tyre that being my other option. The difference being a harsher ride and a little noisier. I'll have a chat with Hankooks re either option. I still have some time up my sleeve.

I'll review all your comments again before I dive into the pool. It has been a very informative chat. I have gleaned a lot of information from all of you and I thank you all very much.

Merry Christmas to you all

Pebbles

[Lando]

My last set of tyres were the Cooper ST MAxx and they wore out very quickly. I didn't mind the tyre and offroad it performed well, but the guarantee will only apply if you have wheel alignment and balance done every 10k and only at a Cooper reseller.

I took my car in for the guys to have a look at and they didn't want to know. I bought the tyres from them but had the alignments done at Bob Jane. In their eyes I had voided the guarantee.
Maybe this was just the local guys or it might be Cooper policy, I don't know but I won't be buying Cooper again.

Serious? I got 85k out of my last st maxx set on a heavy paj and 2 of the tyres i kept for my two spares as they had plenty of meat left? And that was 95%+ highway....not enough off road unfortunately

Also they are awesome off road and could not fault them

My every 10k rotation and a full alignment is done free of charge by my local coopers dealer and they do a "proper" alignment as ive watched them and discussed the need to do so..i also do an interim 5k rotation myself at home

The free alignments, balance and rotations more than make up for any downfalls if there was any....they even flip them on the rim when its due for free....im a very very very happy coopers customer

[binda]

you must have more competition in town for your dollars. I'm not happy with my BF's at the moment. A large crack has developed in the sidewall and when I took it to Bob Jane the boss there (who inspired no confidence in me) said it was fine and it was accidental damage from offroad use.

I asked if we could contact the BF rep (not in town but in Brisbane) the bob jane guy said sure but he is an ar$ehole and will say its accidental damage. Sure enough thats what came back.

I'm not looking for a free handout and I'm sure these guys get bogus claims all the time but a premium tyre should be able to handle offroad work without developing cracks at least in the 1st year.

Since then I have spotted another crack. The tyres are 12 months old now and are wearing very well, they hum like crazy but thats muddies for you.
I don't know what to do for my next set. I drove BF's for 20 years and had not one issue.

Maybe just get some big horns. You know what you are getting and if they make it to 60k its happy days.

[spot01]

you must have more competition in town for your dollars. I'm not happy with my BF's at the moment. A large crack has developed in the sidewall and when I took it to Bob Jane the boss there (who inspired no confidence in me) said it was fine and it was accidental damage from offroad use.

I asked if we could contact the BF rep (not in town but in Brisbane) the bob jane guy said sure but he is an ar$ehole and will say its accidental damage. Sure enough thats what came back.

I'm not looking for a free handout and I'm sure these guys get bogus claims all the time but a premium tyre should be able to handle offroad work without developing cracks at least in the 1st year.

Since then I have spotted another crack. The tyres are 12 months old now and are wearing very well, they hum like crazy but thats muddies for you.
I don't know what to do for my next set. I drove BF's for 20 years and had not one issue.

Maybe just get some big horns. You know what you are getting and if they make it to 60k its happy days.

Don't accept being fobbed off.

Get a second opinion from another tyre store (try to find one who cares & is independent from BFG). Perhaps talk with the RACQ or Consumer Affairs. Unless you have been using them in extreme conditions or at very low pressures I would think you have a valid claim under warranty (there are several: "manufacturer's", statutory, "not fit for purpose", "not of merchantable quality", etc.)

[Scoteye]

https://www.beaurepaires.com.au/services/4wd-road-hazard-warranty

This is the best warranty you can have and why i will only buy tyres from them. Used it heaps for both repairs and replacements due to staking (no tyre could of survived) Now on LT265/70R16 Dunlop AT3G's and they are absolutely awesome and quiet too 30,000k and look like new. They also rotate for free but i pay for alignments.

[T-Roy]

On my 3rd set of coopers now and will be buying them again early in the new year. 2x sets of the old ST pattern on my NJ and put a set of the ST Maxx 265/75/16 on the NP when I bought it. 70000 km still have at least 10 - 15k left. 70% road 30% off road and regular towing 2t boat and camper. Never had a puncture with any of them. Not the cheapest option but when you add up the safety ratings, extra km and no punctures its worth a few extra $.