TYRE MUSTER

[Grumpy Goat Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close Grumpy Goat]

I replaced the OE Dunlop AT20s very quickly when I discovered that they don't grip in the wet and squeal on corners like a stuck pig. The noise is reduced by running about 35psi rather than the 29psi in the handbook.

The replacement Yokohama G901s, in 275/65R17 were better at first, but soon degraded to shrieking like an opera-singing banshee. The Yokohamas did however last well. I got 65,000km out of the set on mixed asphalt and sand use. They had plenty of tread left but lots of plugged punctures when I changed them for...

Cooper Discoverer H/T 275/65R17. These are much quieter on corners, are more stable in the wet, and work well on asphalt and sand dunes. They're also cheaper than most other brands.

Would I buy the Coopers again? Probably, although 265/70R70 looks like attractive, as does the slightly more aggressive ATR tread

[Pat Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Pat]

Had Cooper ATR's when I purchased a 2nd hand Prado last year. They looked as though thay had a good tread but I slipped a little in the wet on and off the road. I had them for 6 months and they were pretty good I must admit, but they needed replacing (prpbably done a heap of k's)
Got new tyres 3 weeks ago. Done 700km and they are shot to pieces! :cry: I didn't get Coopers this time and I am wondering why the hell I didn't. :x
Instead I went for another popular brand of tyre. Only done mild off road, mainly bitumen and gravel and I'm picking pieces of rubber off all over the place! Not sure if I should name and shame them too much on an open forum just yet, as the tyre man said he would get the rep to come and have a look at em first before making any decisions. Chances are if they say I've blown $1,300 then I'll be naming them. :twisted:
I'll post some pics when I get a chance.

Pat

[Fazza Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Fazza]

Pat,
Name & shame we all would like to know. (700 hundred k's from any tyre is disgraceful) You would certainly have a claim with that type of performance.

Also keep use posted on the outcome after the rep has made his inspection.

If the hard work & under pressure moderators delete that kind of information they would be doing us all a big injustice.

Cheers,
Fazza

[Pat Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Pat]

Well I was going to wait until tomorrow when the sun shines, but I couldn't sleep. I had the tyre pressure down to 20psi all day.
Here's some pics of the tyres that chipped after 700km's. You can still see those little rubber whiskers on the side that haven't worn off yet.




And here's a pic of some of the terrain I was in on the weekend. To be honest there were a few areas where the terrain was a bit rougher, but we never went off any roads at all. All the roads were either bitumen or gravel/rocky road.

These pics are a bit small, but you should be able see what I mean.
Do you think I am in the wrong by expecting some sympathy from the manufacturer, or is this actually due to my driving them too hard off road? I was told that they would be fine on and off road!
The other guy with me on the day had Cooper STT's and didn't get any problems.
Pat

[lc120_man Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close lc120_man]

Looks like you are talking about Coopers ST

[Pat Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Pat]

Nup. But they are a popular brand of tyre. :?
Should I just expect this wear after a hard day on a rocky road? The tyre guy said they can take a real beating no worries. But I guess there are limits to everything...
Pat

[Hutch Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close Hutch]

They look like Mickey Thomposn's to me in the ATZ all terrain pattern.

[Pat Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Pat]

Bingo! :wink:
I know the photos don't really show how bad some of the missings chunks of rubber are, but I was pretty shocked when I saw them yesterday. Is it normal for the Mickey Thompson Baja ATZ's to go like that after one weekend offroad? Some of the lugs I can almost lift up around the edges.
Should I be worried about those missing bits and pieces, or should they be ok?
Perhaps the Mickey T rep will just say "well if you take 'em off road like that what do you expect."
I don't know. See what happens.
Pat

[lc120_man Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close lc120_man]

Coppers and Mickey Thomsons made on the same factory - so they are
pretty much the same thing but different names used for marketing...

[Hutch Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close Hutch]

Bingo! :wink:

Do i win a prize!!! ''

[clifton Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close clifton]

You done good Hutch, Pat I would be asking the rep for my money back so I could go and buy some decent tyres, that damage is terrible for 700k's.

[Pat Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Pat]

Cheers Hutch. I reckon you do!
But like all contests we must abide by the rules. They are as follows:
All correct answers go into the general prize pool where your name may be chosen at random to enter the major prize pool. At this stage the major prize will be a set of 4 (not 3) Mickey Thompson ATZ's (slightly unroadworthy).
The major prize winner will be announced in 3 to 36 months. You may enter as many times as you like (at a cost of $3.00 per entry).
And Hutch, if you're under 14 you must get your legal guardian's ok to enter. :wink:

[Hutch Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close Hutch]

I just rang dad, he said i can enter!!!!

[zjed Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close zjed]

I just got a new set of rubber and thought I'd put in my 2c worth.

Whats off:-
cooper ST 240/70R17. These were put on the car when new and I bought the car when it had 35k on it. When I bought it the STs were in bad shape on the front and soso on the rear. They had ripped lugs front and rear, front were badly worn on the outside, the spare had a split in the sidewall and they hadn't been rotated properly. I put an extra 5k on them and got another split in the sidewall around town.
So with 40k on them they were shot and I couldn't even get a roadworthy with them. They are noisy and I wont buy them again.

Whats on :-
BFG ATs 265/70R17. Very quiet, speedo = gps, . I was always going to get all terrains as I am going around the western half of Aus and will have a lot more sand than mud.
This is the size is what I think the prado was designed for, I gives it a bit more clearance and the speedo = gps. I reakon toyota reduced the tyre size to make the fuel figures look better.
I have friends who are split 50/50 on BFG/coopers, I'm sure either would be good but I went BFG as I didn't like the way the old STs had worn. Also, when I spoke to 7 4wd tyre dealers in adelaide and melb who sold BFG and coopers, all said american was better japanese, 4 said they'd use BFG ATs before copper ATRs, 1 said ATRs better than ATs, others said they were both good and it didn't matter.

Very happy so far, I'll have to review them again after a few 1000 km of dirt and sand. 8)

[boof Member Find all posts View Profile Close boof]

Coppers and Mickey Thomsons made on the same factory - so they are
pretty much the same thing but different names used for marketing...

Yes they are made in the same factory but having run both they are actually very different. They use similiar technology but again they are still very different I also believe they run different compounds etc.