Punctures on AT's or Muddies ??

[Steve M Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close Steve M]

Have been reading up here and there about mud tyres and A/T's in regards to punctures. They say your better to run an A/T as the tread pattern is closer so less chance of the tyre getting spiked by some thing then with a mud tyre as the tread pattern on the mud tyre leaves a lot bigger gap for damage to be done. Whats peoples thoughts on this ?? I imagine due to there more versatile use more people would be running A/T's ????...........Im just debating now wether to run muddies on my second set of steel rims or just fit some good quality A/T's to them.....Im still sticking to the grandtrecks for around town and freeway driving on the alloys as the grandtrecks are nice and quit for everyday use........There is also a few opinions that the A/Ts are actually better for grip on rocks and things as there is more tread pattern trying to grab hold to climb ??? Muddys are purely as described and that is for mud and nothing else. Probably not some thing i really would need if that is the case.Even roothy is running A/T's by the look of it or a very very mild muddy on milo ?? Also the muddie if using on sand will want to bury itself a lot more so more fuel usage as well ?? Cheers Steve

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

ppls opinions are going to vary, in my opinion it is comes down to where and how much you get out in the slippery stuff, if you do it once a year well possibly stick with the all terrains, if you do it once a month that might warrant getting a 2nd set of tyres, the tyres roothy has on milo are a cooper st maxx, like ive got on

or you can do what i did, buy an agressive set of all terrains and give them a crack, i had sts on for a few years and i was happy with them, they were pretty good for an at in the mud, these will be getting a test soon, from what i have heard these st maxx are pretty good in mud so the proof of the pudding is in the eating. But also ledgend has it mud tyres are not the best handling tyre on the road when it comes to stopping distance and cornering, and as you have heard you can understand the logic behind the at vs mt in puncture stakes, so in a nut shell i have probably provided no answer. bloody jack daniels. cheers samo

[Steve M Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close Steve M]

""so in a nut shell i have probably provided no answer. bloody jack daniels"" lolol. So those S/T's in the picture are A/T's ?? Shit there an aggresive A/T.........Cheers Steve

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

yeah steve they are an at, ive had them on few a few weeks now and they handle very well on the black stuff, even in the wet, they are a fair bit quieter then the original st i had on before, i looked at going the st again and even looked at the mickey thompson 4 ribs as a different choice, but i had 73000km out of the old coopers with about 3mm of tread left, so i thought well i will give them another go again, heres the link to the cooper st maxx
http://www.coopertires.com.au/index....res&tyre_id=15. cheers samo

[LostDingo2 Find all posts View Profile Close LostDingo2]

Those ST Maxx are a great looking tyre and have more side bite than previous versions so a better all rounder to me. The best choice if not going to a mud to me.

Steve, often times a MT tyre is a rock tyre. Understand the logic about spacing but at the same time the blocks are larger on a MT so you could say half as likely where the blocks are as opposed to an AT having another gap.

Anyway don't get a mud unless as Samo says you go into the muddy or rocky stuff once a month or you just want that extra grip.

If you have a second set of wheels I know what I would do though! A no brainer!

I had Cooper STTs on my previous 120 and never had a puncture and have them on my 150 now. Before that I had Goodyear MTRs (previous tread pattern as the new ones) and gain never had a puncture. The MTR on Goodyears stood for Multi Terrain and were geared toward rock climbing etc and they certainly did!

[Dusty74 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Dusty74]

I've got a set of Bighorn's on my rig, no punctures and great off road (at the right pressure) in all surface types, even sand. My only advice is, be very aware of the compromise on bitumen, especially in the wet. Not sure about other muddies, but the Bighorns have pretty ordinary lateral grip on bitumen as well. ie understerring a little too easy. I think this is a byproduct of the pressure required on road to minimise wear. Just my opinion, I love my muddies!

Cheers,
Dusty

[D4D Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close D4D]

I say it is down to tyre pressure, wheel placement, right foot and loading rather than tyre type.

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

If I was going to have a second set of rims, muddies would be the only choice.

I did a lot of searching and thinking before buying the MTZ's for my 150. I had had Cooper ST's on my last Prado, had no complaints with them and seriously considered them again.

I decided on the muddies for my only set of tyres for a few reasons.
1. To remind me it’s a 4WD and I have to use it as a 4WD.
2. After seeing the difference they made on a few of the 4WD's on the PP trips, amazing. The amount of extra work needed to keep up with the MT’s was noticeable and this showed up again at Newnes on Saturday.
3. Once you accept they are noisier, don’t handle as well as HT's but still pretty damn good and you will use more fuel while they are on, you won’t regret having them.
4. They look pretty good
5. I only drive 37km on a normal day but wouldn’t want to do a long commute with them every day as there is no point on wearing them out on the tar.

[Steve M Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close Steve M]

With every 4wd I have had (6 of) I have always run BFG A/T's on all of them and never had an issue with puntures. I have never ever owned a muddy so this is a new area for me. But while the BF's were great they certainly didnt like any form of muddy clay as they just filled the tread up in seconds and that was it, like driving on slicks, but were fine on the sand (Stockton Beach). But I will do more beach driving then buring my 120 in mud but if the muddies will give me more grip in general off road situations and days out with PP like I have had my old 2 prados then maybe muddies is still the way to go ??
Lostdingo2 ""If you have a second set of wheels I know what I would do though! A no brainer!"" presuming this is meaning you would run muddies over A/T's with a second set of rims ??

Cheers Steve

[D4D Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close D4D]

I have a 2nd set of rims and still can't part with the $2K for a 2nd set of rubber when my BFG ATs get me 90% of places I want to go.

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

Agree, Correct tyre pressure counts for allot, I was running 20PSI on the GrandTrek's and they were very capable in the dry steep hills and rocks. Crap in any type of mud .

Now have the ST MAXX and again I air down to 20PSI when offroad (as a starting point).

I agree with your comments that the less aggressive AT tyre is better in the Dirt / Rocks (at least in the Vic High Country)....Don't get me wrong the more aggressive AT / MUD will get up but it will squirm around more doing it that a less aggressive AT. At least this is my opinion and what I have seen between my ST MAXX's and my Mates less aggressive AT's.. But in the MUD, the LUG's count for allot.

As for my opinion on which tyre? I would not be bothered changing tyres and rims when heading away, so for me I would sit in the middle somewhere with a good AT (More aggressive AT... Hence the ST Maxx).

Bernie.

[Disco4 Member Find all posts View Profile Close Disco4]

The new generation AT's seem to be more aggressive.

I fitted a set of MT ATZ 4 rib after having MTZ's on the last 2 4x4's.

I have found that paying a little extra for the premium brands has resulted in zero punctures and good longevity.

The last puncture I had was on a set of19" MTR's up the back of the Thompson Dam where on my return I imported a set of 17" rims & fitted MT MTZ's - no more punctures.

[LostDingo2 Find all posts View Profile Close LostDingo2]

If you plan on driving more in the sand I would not go with muddies....they can dig a grave quickly

You have to air down the muddies more in the sand than ATs as well.

I drove the Simpson with Cooper STTs and only bogged once on top of a massive dune. Pulled the sand treks out and still no go. Rolled backwards down left MaxTrax at the top and gassed on it!

[Steve M Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close Steve M]

So Lostdingo if you were climbing big red which would you prefer ?? Reason I ask is we intend doing a trip next year (hopefully if $$ work out) and want to put the correct tyres on. Obviously this will be a one off trip for us for a while the rest would be spent playing PP members on day trips out. Weather like we have now is leading me to muddies, but how much mud, sand will I face on a long trip ?? Hard to say I suppose, how long is a piece of string ?? Been looking at heaps of forums and books and seems a bit of a 50/50 way to go..........Cheers Steve

[D4D Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close D4D]

if you were climbing big red which would you prefer ??

LT AT pad pad