Summit Mud Hog, BFG KM2, Maxxis Bighorns or more aggressive AT’s

[martialllaw]

I’m after a new tyre to replace my Bridgestone 697s. The problem I have with the 697s apart from the uneven wear is that they clog up way to easily turning into slicks when going through the smallest of mud holes.


The vehicle is my daily drive (aprox 100km/day) plus my weekend (every second or third weekend) explorer 200-300km off-road (not extreme plus highway driving of a few hundred to get to wherever.



Am I better off with a more aggressive AT (please provide suggestions) that can clean itself better than the 697s or a M/T? Do M/Ts hold up to a good deal of highway driving?

[abw]

I've got Maxis MT-764 (275/65 18), and they are fine on road and I have had no problems in the wet. Going from the stock Dunlops to mud tyres took a bit of getting used to due to the noise. But they are awesome off-road..rocks, mud! And dam they look good!

[Brownie]

The vehicle is my daily drive (aprox 100km/day) plus my weekend (every second or third weekend) explorer 200-300km off-road (not extreme plus highway driving of a few hundred to get to wherever.

7 x 100 kms = 700 km's weekly
If you went 4wdriving every third weekend and you travelled 200 km to get there, every three weeks you will be travelling ( 3 x 700) + 200 = 2300 km.

With this sort of distance, two sets of wheels/tyres become an attractive option - get a HT set for road use and enjoy the traction and quiet, and then get an aggressive set of mud tyres for your weekend play. The muddies do wear quickly on the blacktop.

Of course, the downside is the cost and the pain of having to change the wheels around. The upside is you get to rotate your tyres really regularly, and you get a regular opportunity to inspect inside the wheel arches for any damage when changing the tyres.

I have been doing this for 5 years - and to be honest - I am getting sick of changing the wheels over.

[bakerboy]

Two sets if you're doing those sort of k's, muddies and bitumen don't work well together

[martialllaw]

Thanks bakerboy/Brownie,
Would love to have a second set of wheels but the cost of another set of rims and the storage space makes this a difficult proposition.
Daily drive is generally low speed (Brisbane traffic, Gateway) so this should be reasonably easy on the tires.

[kapnreynolds]

+1 To the second set of tyres. I don't drive big distances daily, but the off road stuff is once a month plus the camping trips. I was able to find a set of four steel rims with 90% tread AT tyres for only $400. I have just bought a set of four Hankook MT03's for the fun stuff. I am very happy with them so far and they were a huge improvement off road from the D694's they replaced, but on road they are noisier and feel a bit heavier. With one of the KCS 12 volt impact wrenches from autobarn and a trolley jack the changeover doesn't take long and then you will get the best of both worlds!

[Bundyk]

Sounds like you may need to go for the aggressive AT then if 2 sets of wheels are out of the question, because as the others have said high weekly kms and muddies don't go so well.

Look at tyres like Cooper ST Maxx, Mickey Thompson ATZ P3, Dick Cepek Fun Country etc. These are a 50/50 tyre, and are about as aggressive as you'll get when it comes to AT tyres.

[scruffy]

Also look at the Maxxis MT 753 tyres. Had these on a L/C and they performed well. They are also a good 50/50 tyre. Bob

[bilgeboy]

Ive been on my 764 bighorns for close on 40k on the road,with minimal off road as a comparison. Still have 10k left on them, wouldnt hesitate using them offroad still as they have comparable tred compared to an A/T.
Noisy.
I have second set of road tyres (BFG road tyres) that i use, well, never, but im about to change them back as i want to keep the muds for a while longer.
I paid $1000 fitted for 4, and will be getting another set when these are done as they are a fantastic, good value tyre that are outstanding offroad. And they look the business.

[bakerboy]

look on gumtree for second hand sets, I've been able to purchase a set of brand new AT's, patrol rims and a set of bighorns for less than the price of 4 new claws, storage does suck but in the end you're not wasting dollars on muddies getting chewed out. Also aggressive muddies are 100% shithouse at low speeds, the claws are like driving on blocks of rubber rather than a round tyre and you better be a shaken not stirred martini drinker to be able to put up with the ride.

[Paj man]

I've recently switched back to buddies from my at's and I'm hating on it already. The trouble with running 2 sets of tyres is they take twice as long (time wise) to wear out. I've been switching for the last couple of years and although my at's have a fair amount of tread left, they are 6 years old, dry and cracked. If you're going to run 2 sets figure out what k's your likely to put on each tyre type and buy accordingly/do what cam suggested and run a second hand set of the tyre which won't see daily driving.

I will note that I'm thinking about ditching the 2 sets and just going for an aggressive at. I have a winch

[Tombo89]

Have been running KM2's for about 12000km now. I do a weekly drive between sydney and the south coast for work then try and get out into the dirt every 2nd or 3rd week. With similar travelling distances to what you plan on doing. As others have said 2 sets is probably the best option but for me this was not an option due to storage constraints.

I was a little nervous going to an M/T full time but i shouldn't have been. Other than the tyre noise i have had no issues with lots of black top use. They are barley showing any wear so far and as long as you remember that you drive a 4wd and not a race car you will not have any issues with loss of traction on the black top.

[mk2grimace]

If you go down the aggressive AT route and start looking at St Maxx's, ATZ P3's etc look at the Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac too. Invariably cheaper than Coopers or Mickey T's, made in the USA, good strong sidewalls, great in mud, on rocks and on the road. Paid about $300 a tyre for 16's rather than $350-370 for M-T or Coopers...

[Ranger J]

I run the GY Duratracs.

If there is such a thing as an AT that is good on both the tar and the dirt - it's these.

Plus they are a damn sexy tyre to look at.

[grhyso]

Agreed GY Duratrac's are really good but I don't know of anyone who sells them cheaper than Mickey's or Coopers in a 265/60R17. You can get them in a 245/70R17 which is a similar diameter to the standard 265/65R17 for pretty good prices. Don't know how that works as I'd have though that'd be a less used size.