Tyres all terain AT or mud terain MT

[muddyjames]

I am looking at buying some new tyres and dont know whether to go for AT's or MT's. I now AT's have better grip on road but MT's are beter of road. I am wanting to do mainly green laning and some quary days but most of the driving I do will be on the road. Also AT's are better on ice and snow so I have been told.
Anybody got any ideas on what I should get.
Love to hear your views as I am new to this off roading.

[pritch]

If you're going to be doing most of your distance on the road, don't go for MTs.  Not if you happen to like your sanity, anyway; you'll find that a set of MTs will make the vehicle a much noisier place to be.  The handling of the vehicle also seems to suffer a bit, too.  Stuck to ATs, unless you're willing to swap tyres if you want to get muddy.

[Pete5844]

http://www.sowdentyres.co.uk/

This guy sells on Ebay but now has his own web site,they seem well priced.As for what you should get I'd say AT's but they soon clogg up in the mud.

[Vam]

Hello

Just been there and replaced all 4 colway tyres after a blow out/punture on M1 - a fun experience and one that has put me off remoulds for life! :shock:

When I did the rounds to replace mine, every garage and tyre center I found would not touch remoulds - I know lots of people swear by them, and have never had a problem with them-  but the two tyre places that I used would not deal with them.

 AT's would be best - from what I've heard - if your going to use her on the road other than driving to and from 4x4 site

 I Replaced mine with a set off Marshals AT on back and General AT at front. Both in the 'buget' range but reckomended
Bought the pairs a month  apart from different garages - (had to save up big time) cost roughly £80 each.
They seem ok, she handles alot better than she did, and Im not half expecting another blow out! - which is nice.

Hope this Helps

Vam

[Tiny Tim]

Never beloeved in skimping on the things that hold you and yours to the road (or mud / rock etc.).

BFG All Terrains for me every time !

[Range Rover Blues]

That'a nice price for good quality tyres.  A heated debate is going on in another string about remoulds, you should add your comments there VAM, I've just been quoted Just over £80 each for Good Year all terrains by my local garage, if they're the ones I think they are I'll be in on Monday to order them.

[gords]

Just been there and replaced all 4 colway tyres after a blow out/punture on M1 - a fun experience and one that has put me off remoulds for life! :shock:

Blow outs are in no way limited to remoulds - I once had a front tyre blow out on the outside lane of the M1 while travelling at significant speed! (MG Metro Turbo).

It had very expensive Pirrelli tyres, which were not very old!

[Range Rover Blues]

The difference I find is that when a remould blows, everybody gets a bit.  It's the delamination that makes them so dangerous.  When a 'new' tyre blows out it's more a rapid deflation and the car should in theory travel safely, if scarily, on the remaining carcase.  I remember when I was young being in the back of my dad's brand new seirra when a tyre went after hitting a piece of debris across the middle of the M1, the car handled well at over 80MPH until he could slow down.  When we pulled of the motorway the tyre was toast but that's the price you pay.  That, by the way, was a Michelin, I don't buy anything else for my road cars!
I've worked in vehicle development with many other engineers, in that game you do everything imaginable to a car to make sure it's safe and tyres are no exception, we would rig a rim with an explosive charge to simulate a blowout and test tyres thoroughly before approving them for OE fitment.

[TULL]

When I fitted remoulds i always felt that the rubber was moving on bends, didnt like it. If I wanted cheap i bought part worn German imports.

[TULL]

I must admit when I got the trooper it had AT on front and what look to be roads onthe back should I change the rears?

[Vam]

That'a nice price for good quality tyres.  A heated debate is going on in another string about remoulds, you should add your comments there VAM, I've just been quoted Just over £80 each for Good Year all terrains by my local garage, if they're the ones I think they are I'll be in on Monday to order them.

Hello

£80 for Good year AT ? That does sound very Good  :)

I did shop around about on the net before I went to the garage, so I half knew what I was talking about... I beleive that the Marshall and general Kumo sp?) are basically the same tyre - just a different distributor... The letterings the same font and everything.

Will look for the thread  :)

Vam

[Vam]

Blow outs are in no way limited to remoulds - I once had a front tyre blow out on the outside lane of the M1 while travelling at significant speed! (MG Metro Turbo).

Very true, the Colways I had were newish, the tread was good on them, though there was the odd split but nothing that worrying TBH

We were on the last leg of the journey home from holiday, and had been traveling for 3 hours (M25 M1 not fun)


As Range Rover Blues says, when they go they go, (and that IMHO is the problem with them) -  husband saw the outer rim of the tyre over take us (we were in the middle lane over taking at 65 MPH) then we over took the tyre.

We were soooooo lucky the tyre eventually bounced into the center reservation  and that no one else was hit, I obviously didn't see the tyre shread, but knew we had a flat, when we got out the landy I went into slight shock when I saw what was not really left of the tyre, it's in the garden  ATM Im going to make a feature of it.  :lol:

We reckon we got a puncture  but being remoulds thats why it shredded.

When looking at the other tyres they had  deteriorated too, I check the tyre pressure at least once a fortnight and check the tyres, So I know how much they had been affected by the journey which was a round 300 mile trip ( we were 20 miles from home) with camping stuff  so we were pretty loaded up, but nothing she couldn't handle.
 It was the length of journey plus the extra weight which simply was too much when we got the punture.

I will never use Colways again

HTH
 Vam

[gords]

it's in the garden ATM Im going to make a feature of it

Maybe you should contact Colway (http://www.c-tyres.co.uk/) to see if they'd like to see it!?

As with most things everybody has different experiences which creates varying perceptions of a single product. All anyone can do is listen to as many different views as possible (and this forum is just the place ) and then decide.

For example, when I was looking to buy a 4x4, someone commented that he had a Discovery and sold it within a few months because of various reasons. Well, I've got one now and absolutely love it :)

Cheers,

Gordon

[SteveH]

I use goodyear AT's on the road and for laning, and have a set of colway mt's on the way for mud, but they can travel to events in the boot.. :)

[Bush Tucker Man]

Think it must have been a carcass that slipped through the net.
After all there is a British Standard to be met for 'remoulded' tyres.

Surely if British Airways, Virgin, Pan-Am, etc...... all land their rather large air-liners on 'remoulded' tyres (barring the economic questions) they must be almost totally safe?

[Vam]

Maybe you should contact Colway (http://www.c-tyres.co.uk/) to see if they'd like to see it!?

Might be an idea :) But I bet they've seen it happen before, and as the tyres came with the landy I have no idea how old they where or how many miles they had done and under what conditions. Or even if they had been on my Landy from new.

Besides it's a bit mudd covered and my Daff's are going to look great! :lol:

As with most things everybody has different experiences which creates varying perceptions of a single product. All anyone can do is listen to as many different views as possible (and this forum is just the place ) and then decide.

For example, when I was looking to buy a 4x4, someone commented that he had a Discovery and sold it within a few months because of various reasons. Well, I've got one now and absolutely love it :)

Couldn't agree more, this is 'just' my experience, which I know  is very limited, Iv'e only had the landy 18 months, but from my experience I'll never trust Colway again - maybe I was 'just' unlucky, who knows ?

This forum is great  :) , I think you do need as much advice from people with different experiences as possible, to then help make up your own mind.

 TBH brutally honest If I had have listened to the advice I got from people when thinking about getting the landrover I'd have run a mile and got a 'nice proper' car

HTH

Vam

[muddyjames]

Thank you everyone for your advise and replies. I think I will start off with buying 2 at tyres for the front wheels as I am possibly going off roading this weekend for the first time and the front tyres are at the legal limit so there isn't much grip so would be a high chance of getting stuck every 2 minutes. As for remoulds or not. I have heARD some bad stories and as someone said all the airlines use them and when concordes tyres blew it did do some damage as we all know but that was 1 out of loads of planes with loads of wheels.
I shall let everyone know what I think with the tyres when I get them.

[Range Rover Blues]

Firstly aircraft tyres are designed with a specific life in mind and that CANNOT be exceeded, no matter how many new skins the tyre has and secondly I think most people would be shocked to know how many aircraft tyres blow out whilst in use.

Plus most of the work is done by the engines acting on the air, both accelerating and braking (and in a straight line).

Did you know that aircraft tyres sometime end up as climbing boots?

[muddyjames]

I didn't know that tyres ended up as walking boots!!!
Everything you say does make me woried about remoulds and I have always been cautious about them and whenever I buy a new car or caravan the first thing I do is change the tyres as I have no idea how old or condition they are in hence why I put this forum up.
I have spoken to a chap round my way who has a small tyre business and he can do 2 brand new croos ply AT tyres balanced and fitted at my house for £112 which I am going ahead with.

[Wanderer]

Oh dear James,

Now you've gone and started the crossply vs radials debate....  :D

Ed

[muddyjames]

I sorry
I have cross ply on the back already and it makes more sense to put cross ply on the front as well. It does mean I don't have a spare tyre at the moment as all I have left are radials and I have heard it is illegal to cross them on the same axle.
Don't x ply have lower speed rating (and as if a series 3 will go more than 70mph) but a higher pay load?
this could be interessting to see what people think about the 2 types

[Wanderer]

I'm only sirring the pot James.

Crossplys and radials can't be mixed on the axles as you say and Radials must be on the rear axle.

Other than that I'll run for cover  8)  8)  :lol:

Ed

[Digsit]

I started an 'unbiased' poll in the bar for the retread debate

[muddyjames]

Are you sure radials have to be on the back as I have 2 lovely cross ply AT tyres on the back that came with the landy. I was hoping to have cross ply all round to save having 2 spare tyres everywhere i go.
I could get worried now.
May need to talk to my police lady friend about it as I dont want to buy even more tyres.

[Wanderer]

If you fit radials with cross plys then the radials must go on the rear. If they are all crossplys then it won't matter.

Ed

[muddyweb]

The reason being that radials provide better braking effort.  Putting them on the front would over-bias the braking to the front end making the vehicle highly unstable.

The same applies for putting them across an axle.

[Paul]

It's not only braking the law, It's an MOT failure too,

Taken from my testers manual:

b. a 3- or 4-wheeld vehicle fitted with single wheels, and

i. a cross-ply tyre or bias-belted tyre fitted on rear axle and
radial-ply tyre is fitted on front axle, or

ii. a cross-ply tyre fitted on rear axle and a bias-belted tyre
fitted on front axle.

[Range Rover Blues]

The reason being that radials provide better braking effort.  Putting them on the front would over-bias the braking to the front end making the vehicle highly unstable.

The same applies for putting them across an axle.

It's not the braking effort as much as the handling, because cross plies tend to retain their shape rather than conform to the surface of the road they do not grip as well in corners as radials which do conform to the contour of the road.  Although this is less of an issue with beam axles like ours the law is there to protect us.  Basically if you get it wrong the back of the car will overtake you in a corner and you'll have a crash (if I remember the advert your Austin 1300 will hit a 'phone box and turn over, only John Clease would be happy about that).
Rather like the arguament about remoulds, it is LESS important on a series because of the speeds involved but if you are unsure get the opinion of a reputable garage, MOT tester or tyre specialistbefore mixing cross plies and radials.  My advice is don't mix them at all!

[muddyweb]

It's not the braking effort as much as the handling, because cross plies tend to retain their shape rather than conform to the surface of the road they do not grip as well

The same applies under braking, where arguably you have less chance of controlling the vehicle and less time to correct it.

[muddyjames]

thank you everyone for your help. I have now got cross ply all round and lovely tread on the front wheels now rather than the nearly slik tyres i had. bargain at £112 for 2 at tyres fitted etc. just need to test them out on saturday now.