Any A/T good on wet clay?

[sprintman]

New 215/65R16 Yoko SUV G055 great all round except on the way to horse paddock this arvo on wet clay. Any A/T such as Yoko AT-S work or need say Bridgestone 697?

 

[Kevin]

BFG/AT which are on my Foz are perhaps better; a bit more aggressive. BFG Muddies which are on my Triton are awesome in the slippery stuff.

 

[Ratbag]

Basically, SM, the only tyres that are any good on mud/clay are offset full-bar lugs. These are also good for 'walking' over rocks and the like.

They will also dig you into the worst bog you have ever achieved very easily ... :iconwink: .

They are also not available for our vehicles ... Probably just as well, as they are downright deadly on any bitumen surface, and can break your wrists through steering wheel kick-back on even hard gravel/rocky surfaces.

Bridgestone make the D697 (A/T) in 215/65 16". I just asked my local Bridgie dealer about these today, and he said it would be illegal for them to fit them to my SG. That is, until I pointed out that the vehicle compliance plate classed it as an "MC" class vehicle. We then agreed that he could legally fit the tyres. We also discussed the in and outs of VSB14 as well. Twink and another member in WA swear by these tyres in every respect. The Bridgie sales guy said that they have very good reports of this tyre's on-roa handling/braking characteristics, but they would be a little, not much, noisier than my current Michelin XM2. $235 each.

Upshot is that:

My insurer is OK with 215/65 16" on OEM rims; but not with 225/60 16" (increased risk of aquaplaning), or after-market rims (risk of inferior quality, and/or the problem of matching the rim a month or more further down the track ... ). For "unhappy" read "will void your insurance" ... .

The "MC" on the vehicle's chassis compliance plate allows the tyre company to legally fit 215/65 16", even though we know that under VSB14, it is a "sedan based vehicle". That compliance plate classification does allow fitting the 215/65 16" tyres by a retailer. It would otherwise be illegal for them to fit them, and they will not do so without that "MC" classification.

 

[sprintman]

697 in 215/65R 16 will do I think. Costco usually have the best price, will see tomorrow. Many tks

 

[Twinklz]

697's will be your best bet, however as with any tire, the balder they get, the less effective they are on clay and mud! I had the misfortune of rotating my (almost) bald 697's to the back of my primarily RWD 4x4 the day before I went mud running with some mates, and I simply didn't have traction due to low tread depth!

 

[Venom]

Really I think it will be relatively maeginal differences between ATs, they will all be an improvement over a HT style. They will all slip once the tread is clogged up, but I'd go for whatever has the blockiest, most open tread pattern (for specifically better performance in clay). Eg Yoko G012, cooper AT3 over the more linear ( wet *****umen style) style tyre like dunlop AT3. Really not sure what basis you can recommend one tyre distinctly over others.

If any 1 thing apart from tyre could make a difference it would be tyre pressure. Could always air down to a highway acceptable 24-28 PSI for more grip.

 

[stilson]

High wheel speed to shed the mud.

 

[MiddleAgeSubie]

Well, as Venom says.

I do not find much of a difference between pure street tires (Sumitomo HTR) and good AT tires (Toyo Open Country and Geolander AT-S) in mud/clay, clay being especially difficult. They all clog quickly.

MT tires are not available for my size here in the US. Otherwise, I would definitely purchase a set on steel wheels for off-road use but I would certainly not drive around on MT tires.

 

[Twinklz]

I'm pretty sure with a little bit of grinding the calipers (or audi 15" alloys) you can get Maxxis Treapadors in 205/70/15!