265/75 16's, but which ones

[k100dennis]

Time for new tyres, got 75,000 km's out of the Kumho's without any problems. I'm tossing up between BFG KM02's and Goodyear Duratrac's. Opinions welcome, don't want to start a tyre war or anything. The main of my off roading is on my father in law's property, steep, creek ford, boggy in winter, mostly getting firewood, so towing a trailer as well.

[old Jack]

The KL78 is an AT tread pattern, the BFG KM2 is a mud tyre and the DuraTrac is a hybrid AT/MT tyre so both of these will give you better off road traction in muddy conditions. The DuraTracs will be easier to live with on the road but will not have the off road traction of a full MT tyre.

Plenty of full blown MT tyres to consider but you really do get what you pay for especially with on road handling and tyre longevity. The cheaper MT tyres provide the off road traction but do not last as long and can be down right dangerous on the bitumen.

Other AT/MT hybrid tyres to consider are Kumho MT51, Mickey Thompson ATZ P3 and Cooper ST Maxx. and all of these tyres have reasonable onroad manners considering their off road ability.

OJ.

[k100dennis]

Thanks Jack, I've asked some Cooper users about them and some have commented that the tyres get a bit hard in the latter part of their (long) life and this can be a problem with wet road grip etc. Again, just opinions from some. We also run the Cooper's at my workplace because they perform well in the quarry environment. Our garage guys say they see hardly any punctures with them. I'm told the Duratracs are reasonably quiet and also have sipes which assist with wet road grip, so I was leaning a bit that way.

[old Jack]

Cooper tyres, people either love them or hate them!

I have had 5 sets of Coopers in total, 2 sets of ST on a previous 4wd and 3 sets of ST Maxx on the Challenger, best AT/MT tyre for my requirements of outback touring and beach work at GVM+ loads.
Each set I have got between 60,000kms and 70,000kms out of 4/5 tyre sets being rotated every 5,000km to 7,500kms. I change tyres when they are worn down to 3mm to 5mm just before winter on the 3rd or 4th year of use, the insurance excess is greater than the value of the residual tyre life and I do not like running on 3/4 to 7/8 worn tyres. It is just not worth the risk.

With almost 40 years of 4wd ownership I have used Pirelli, Michelin, Uniroyal, Yokohama, Toyo, Bridgestone, BF Goodrich over the first 25 years and Cooper tyres for the last 15 years.

All tyres get noisier and harder as they age and the ST Maxx are no exception.

All AT/MT tyres consume extra fuel, 1.0 to 1.5 litres/100km if they are standard diameter and 2+litres/100km is they are a diameter and or width up.

OJ.

[chippy4x4]

I was put onto SAILUN tyres by a good friend of mine a few years ago. He is a mechanic on a far northern Queensland cattle station. They have tried all sorts of brands and tread styles and only ever got 6 - 8 weeks out of a set due to the rocks etc. Then the rep gave them a set of Sailun to try and now they won't buy anything else until a better one comes along. They are getting 2 to 3 weeks longer between sets and on the road vehicles they handle well. I have been running them on my Pajero and also on my Ford BA ute, and I am very happy with them. They grip well and are Quiet on the blacktop. Sure you can get better or worse, but I have found these to be a good value to $. I have a property and have found their off road ability to be good. But lets face it, with all the driving that most of us do, 99% of it is on a road of some sort. The Kumos are great and as you said you have had a good run. The pink roadhouse at Oodnadatta told me he only uses them or their sister tyre Nankangs, and that he could not remember the last time he had a flat or failure. At the end of the day it all gets back to cost, how many KMs they last, and are you happy with them. High cost does not always translate to better. Hope this helps, but then again it is my thoughts and I am getting old and dottery

[Jasonmc73]

I was put onto SAILUN tyres by a good friend of mine a few years ago. He is a mechanic on a far northern Queensland cattle station. They have tried all sorts of brands and tread styles and only ever got 6 - 8 weeks out of a set due to the rocks etc. Then the rep gave them a set of Sailun to try and now they won't buy anything else until a better one comes along. They are getting 2 to 3 weeks longer between sets and on the road vehicles they handle well. I have been running them on my Pajero and also on my Ford BA ute, and I am very happy with them. They grip well and are Quiet on the blacktop. Sure you can get better or worse, but I have found these to be a good value to $. I have a property and have found their off road ability to be good. But lets face it, with all the driving that most of us do, 99% of it is on a road of some sort. The Kumos are great and as you said you have had a good run. The pink roadhouse at Oodnadatta told me he only uses them or their sister tyre Nankangs, and that he could not remember the last time he had a flat or failure. At the end of the day it all gets back to cost, how many KMs they last, and are you happy with them. High cost does not always translate to better. Hope this helps, but then again it is my thoughts and I am getting old and dottery

Interesting, sounds like your doing alright out of these.
Just had look online for interest sake, come in 10 ply, 17" quick look at price $700 + Fit for set of 4.