215/60/16 Rough Road Tyres?

[C00P]

Hi Folks,
I've poured over this thread, but can't decide on some tyres for off-road (or more likely "rough road") on my 2005 Forester.
I'm not keen to go beyond the 60 profile tyres as my calculations show that a 215/65/16 tyre will increase the diameter from 664 to 679 which is 21.5mm larger, and therefore outside the legal maximum oversize of 15mm. This could have implications for insurance in the event of an accident.
As far as I can tell, the only AT tyre available (locally- Adelaide) is the Yokohama Geolander AT-S and I've been quoted $220 for these.
Other suggestions from the local suppliers have been the Maxxis MA651 (at $155) and the Bridgestone Dueller D683 (at $165). These latter tyres do not appear to be AT, but the Dueller was described as having a tougher casing than the average passenger tyre, more able to withstand tougher rough-road conditions.
Does anyone have any other suggestions, or comments on the above tyres?
Cheers

C00P

 

[thunder039]

g'day mate i have the yoko geolanders in the stock 215/60r16 size on my 04 forester and they are really good. the $220 a tyre is a really good price also.

the bridgestone are probably more ply then a standard road tyre which gives them their strength, but i am currently using them in 205/70r15 on my 99 forester and they are noisier than mud terrain tyres

most people will tell you the same thing and that is the yokohama geolanders at-s are great all road tyre

 

[NachaLuva]

the Bridgestone Dueller D683 (at $165)

Run away...run fast! I used to have Crapstone on my Foz & couldnt get rid of em fast enough!

No grip onroad or off, noisy....I cant find anything good to say bout them

the bridgestone are probably more ply then a standard road tyre which gives them their strength, but i am currently using them in 205/70r15 on my 99 forester and they are noisier than mud terrain tyres

most people will tell you the same thing and that is the yokohama geolanders at-s are great all road tyre

Good grip onroad, even in the wet. Not great but good. Very good grip offroad, not as good as a muddie but IMO as good as any AT.

Plus they have a factory puncture warranty

IMO the best compromise between on & off road... :iconwink:

 

[C00P]

Thanks Folks, I'll go with the Yokohamas...
Advice much appreciated.

C00P

 

[Tannin]

Do you want (a) off-road or (b) rough-road? Do you want to do (a) lots of thick mud and serious sand dunes? Or do you want to do (b) lots of bad roads with potholes, gibbers, nails, tree roots, and the odd bit of off-road as well?

If (a), you need AT tyres or similar.

If (b) you need multi-ply light truck tyres. Handling and grip isn't as good as AT tyres off-road but is plenty good enough for most purposes; all-round toughness, long wear, and ability to withstand punctures is excellent. Luckily, the weird tyre size the Foz takes happens also to be the same as a certain Falcon ute, and most manufacturers make tough, puncture-proof light truck tyres for the tradies who carry heavy loads and spend the day on building sites.

 

[bangooboy]

As I'm new to the party, I think this comes rather late.

I'm a very happy new user of Geolandar AT-S, in 215/60R16. The amazing thing is its road performance. I must say that it grips as well as an average road tire, which is something I didn't quite expect. Need to pump 'em to about 34 PSI and above or else the bodyroll is horrendous. I guess the sidewalls are flexier than the previous tires I had (3 P6, one P7).

Road noise is also fantastic, far quieter than the old Pirellis which came off the car (got them with the car, which I bought recently). Of course, I'm comparing new AT rubber to old road tires, not the fairest test of all. But I was expecting some sort of hum or roar at highway speeds. So far all good to unmentionable speeds.

Haven't done a lot of offroad on them, nor do I have the experience to judge them off-road. But I did some 4WD tracks near Lake Eildon and I think they work well enough. Certainly far from the weakest link in my stock setup where it comes to off-roading!

I also got a good price for them from Bob Jane at Preston. And these are relatively fresh rubbers too. Less than 6 months old (probably about 3 or 4 months from manufacture, can't remember exactly). $199 per corner!

Honestly, I'd prefer to spend quite a bit more on BFG AT-KO tires but my priority is stock size for legal and insurance reasons. So based on all the recommendations here and elsewhere on the net, I chose these tires. Threadwear 500.. Never knew there was such a high figure for that.

 

[havachat]

Bangooboy a good choice of tyre. I use them off road and in the snow. My tyres have done Over 60,000 km and have heeps of tread. As you have noted they handle very well on road. On road I run mine at 36 psi. Off road it is important to air down and I run them at 25 psi.
Under the ADRs the Forester is classified MC and you can raise the vehicle upto 75 mm, by a combination of springs and strut 50 mm and 25 mm increased tyre radius. Trust this helps.

 

[bangooboy]

Havachat, I appreciate the info. I thought it was 50mm but I will check with the official sources again before I put the money down. 75mm sounds really delicious! It will definitely be a huge boost off-road, once I also get the Forry's underbelly armoured good as well

 

[MiddleAgeSubie]

I have been very happy with my GeoL AT-S off and on-road. Barely any wet surfaces after 12,000 miles but such are the conditions around here!

 

[NachaLuva]

I've done 30,000kms on my Geo AT-s & have heaps of tread left. They have great grip on & off road. In fact, only a month or 2 ago I had to do an emergency stop & they pulled up really well

 

[mr turbo]

I've done 30,000kms on my Geo AT-s & have heaps of tread left. They have great grip on & off road. In fact, only a month or 2 ago I had to do an emergency stop & they pulled up really well

Thats great to hear mate.
The last thing you want is an oh moment when you hit the anchor's & they don't pull you up in time 'cause of some bald tyres

Regards
Mr Turbo