Archives for posts with tag: tire

Andrew St Pierre White, the South African dean of overlanding, stalked around the German overlanding expo, Abenteuer Allrad, this year asking, “What tires are overlanders using?” His aim was to get a sense of which tires the overlanding community is adopting. He also weighs in with his own experience with various brands.

He didn’t have confidence in my previous tire, the Yokohama Geolandar A/T-S, though I liked them. He had good things to say about the tire I’m currently running though, the Cooper Discoverer S/T. I’m happy with that one too. It’s a tough tire with plenty of grip.

See which tires he pans and which ones he gives a nod of approval.

cooper_tire

I’m in the market for new tires so Christophe Noel’s recent Expedition Portal review in praise of the Cooper Discoverer A/T3 caught my eye. After testing a set for over a year on their 70-series Land Cruiser, he pronounces it well-suited for both the road, trail, and snow. Just what I’m looking for in a capable, all-round overlanding tire.

I currently run the Yokohama Geolander A/T-S. My second set has lasted about 40,000 miles, same as the first set. I’ve been happy with them but I wonder if the Discoverer would be an improvement. This tire might also give the BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO a run for its money.

Links:
Expo: Cooper Discoverer A/T3 article

Cooper Discoverer A/T3

Here’s a good video demo video from Bridgestone Australia for their latest Dueler light truck tire. It’s got some nice off-road footage and some basic driving suggestions.

 


Photo: Scott Brady

Here’s an interesting article by Overland Journal publisher, Scott Brady, from his Expedition West days. The article, called Tire Selection for Expedition Travel, argues that narrower tires are a better choice for mixed-terrain, off-road use than wider tires.

Narrower tires provide greater contact pressure than wider ones since they support the load of the vehicle on less surface area. Greater contact pressure means that the tire will do a better job of molding itself to the terrain, thereby providing more grip.

Narrower tires also offer less rolling resistance, hence improved fuel economy, and less frontal resistance when driving through mud, snow, or sand. If the mud and sand get really deep, you’re better off with a wider tire. For mixed use driving, however, Scott argues that a narrow tire is the way to go.

Read more for his chart of recommended tire sizes. Read the rest of this entry »