Tyre choice

[NJV6]

I'm going to replace my half worn noisy BFG KO2's.

The KO2's are almost the perfect tyre for me for traction and robustness so I may yet just buy another set however also considering the M/T Deegan AT and Cooper AT3.

Has anyone used the Mickey Thompson Deegan 38 A/T on a gen 4? They look similar to the Cooper AT3 and given they come from the same place its hardly surprising. I'm struggling to go down the AT3 road given the interweb comments about noise and how slippery they are in the wet. Why do so many people hate coopers and so many love them?

Any other tyre choices I am missing?

[old Jack]

I'm going to replace my half worn noisy BFG KO2's.

The KO2's are almost the perfect tyre for me for traction and robustness so I may yet just buy another set however also considering the M/T Deegan AT and Cooper AT3.

Has anyone used the Mickey Thompson Deegan 38 A/T on a gen 4? They look similar to the Cooper AT3 and given they come from the same place its hardly surprising. I'm struggling to go down the AT3 road given the interweb comments about noise and how slippery they are in the wet. Why do so many people hate coopers and so many love them?

Any other tyre choices I am missing?

You will notice the off road traction difference between the BFG and a milder tread AT tyre, but they will as be quite and better on wet bitumen. So it really gets down to your use, expectations and what you are willing to compromise on.

My understanding is the new version of the Cooper AT3 has improved wet weather performance. Mickey Thompson AT38, Toyo OPAT AT2, Falken Wildpeak AT and Hankook ATM RF10 are all similar mild AT tread pattern tyre's than seem to get a good rap.

Most of the time it is not about bad tyre's but a bad choice in tyre's that are unsuitable for the user and this leads to negative feedback.
What are the things that are really important to you in a tyre and in what order?

OJ.

[NJV6]

Thanks OJ,

Unfortunatly for me the two main things are mutually exclusive! Road noise and strength. Traction less so, I have a set of 285/70's MT's for mud. I don't need ultimate strength - I'm never heavily loaded, strength for me is rocks when on skinny tracks above the snowline which are often sharp.

I am a little limited in sizes to go on my 9 inch rims as well, looking at 285/65/17 or 275/65/17. Currently have 265's on the 9 in rims and although legal, the rims are pretty exposed. Approx 25mm over standard.

General Grabber do that size in a LT and 118 load rating as well which i know nothing about.

[old Jack]

Thanks OJ,

Unfortunatly for me the two main things are mutually exclusive! Road noise and strength. Traction less so, I have a set of 285/70's MT's for mud. I don't need ultimate strength - I'm never heavily loaded, strength for me is rocks when on skinny tracks above the snowline which are often sharp.

I am a little limited in sizes to go on my 9 inch rims as well, looking at 285/65/17 or 275/65/17. Currently have 265's on the 9 in rims and although legal, the rims are pretty exposed. Approx 25mm over standard.

General Grabber do that size in a LT and 118 load rating as well which i know nothing about.

285/65R17 and 275/65R17 are not common size tyre so choice will limited. Even more limiting is 9" rims! A tyre that has been fitted to a wider rim than ideal is more likely to have failures in the shoulder and sidewalls af the tyre's.

In 285/65R17 in a mild AT, low noise tread pattern;
Hankook ATM RF 10 116T
Bridgestone D697 120S, also available in a 275/65R17.
General Grabber AT3.

OJ.

[NJV6]

Update, today I had Falken Wildpeak AT3W fitted in 285/65/17 121/118S. Instantly I noticed a ride improvement over the KO2’s. They are considerably quieter on smooth gravel and quieter on road. Still a bit of noise on rough coarse chip seal. To be fair to the BFG they were as quiet as these when new, just a bit firmer riding.
My wheel rims are 35p so 11mm difference and these fill the guards nicely. Wheel chains will be tight on the front with hitting the mudflaps but that is not a major, I always carry one set of chains in the boot and throw another set in if going to the high country.

[Paj11]

I was after some more info on the Pirelli Scorpion AT Plus, as they had no spec on the ply strength of the tyres, so spoke to a guy from Pirelli and said
when looking on then web for other tyres and also on a forum I am on, ply rating is quoted often, eg 6 ply, 8 ply and 10 ply, for puncture resistance, load etc etc. He said they and industry have moved away from quoting ply rating since the 80s, as load and speed rating is the standard these days and he is surprised other manufacturers still quote ply rating, but he said in reference to my size tyre which is the 265/70/17 which is a 121 S then that would equate to a 10 ply, thought that interesting.

[nj swb]

... on a forum I am on, ply rating is quoted often, eg 6 ply, 8 ply and 10 ply, for puncture resistance, load etc etc. He said they and industry have moved away from quoting ply rating since the 80s, as load and speed rating is the standard these days and he is surprised other manufacturers still quote ply rating, but he said in reference to my size tyre which is the 265/70/17 which is a 121 S then that would equate to a 10 ply, thought that interesting.

Yes, the "ply rating" figures are an "equivalent to..." sort of thing, which does seem somewhat archaic when manufacturers can achieve a "10 ply rating" with two plies.

You can also look out for "Load Range", which is a letter. I believe Load Range C is 6 ply rating, D = 8 ply, E = 10 ply. Maximum cold inflation pressures are also an indication - from memory, 55 psi, 65 psi and 80 psi.

[dean]

Yes, the "ply rating" figures are an "equivalent to..." sort of thing, which does seem somewhat archaic when manufacturers can achieve a "10 ply rating" with two plies.

You can also look out for "Load Range", which is a letter. I believe Load Range C is 6 ply rating, D = 8 ply, E = 10 ply. Maximum cold inflation pressures are also an indication - from memory, 55 psi, 65 psi and 80 psi.

You're close.. Load C 6 ply etc correct.
Re cold pressures...
Passenger 35 or 44
6 ply 51
8 ply 65
10 ply 80
And yes load rating is the more "modern" way, at least here anyway.
Either way if comparing tyres of the same size, and have the same load rating or ply rating or letter rating, ( most will have all listed ) you know they will have an equal carcass construction. The tread pattern etc will determine differences of course.
Dean

[old Jack]

Either way if comparing tyres of the same size, and have the same load rating or ply rating or letter rating, ( most will have all listed ) you know they will have an equal carcass construction. The tread pattern etc will determine differences of course.
Dean

Just because 2 tyres have the same load index, same load number or same ply rating it does not mean the carcass construction is identical. All it means is the tyre can take the specified load at the specified pressure. Different specification materials, different layer directions and different rubber compounds are used by different manufacturers so this means some tyres are tougher and more resistant to damage than others.

OJ.