New tyres for SH Diesel Foz

Tvilleguy

Tvilleguy

Forum Member
Joined
Aug 25, 2014
Messages
28
Location
Townsville
Car Year
2010
Car Model
Forester 2.0D Premium
Transmission
6sp manual
Hi All,
It's time for new treads... just wondering if anyone can help me decide on what to put on. I have a 2010 Diesel Forester, 16" wheels. Currently have Firestone Desination LE's on it (they were on the car when I bought it) and they haven't been too bad but to would like to try something different.

Yokohama ATS G012's are at pole position for me... haven't got any prices yet but I'm expecting to be about $240-250 a corner. I know a lot of guys on here use them and I haven't heard anything bad about them.

I was speaking to a tire guy last week getting some prices and Bridgestone have a pay for 3 and get 4 tire promo until 20th December. He suggested Bridgestone Ecopia 850 for my car... apparently they have the new silica based tread and better fuel efficiency etc. With the 3 for 4 deal I can get all corners fitted and aligned for about $600... very tempting.

Now my driving is about 80% street, 10% offroad/gravel, and 10% sand/beach. The Firestones have been fine on all these but do lack a bit of grip offroad, fine on sand once you dump some air out of them. The only other thing I would need it good wet weather grip... the roads up here get pretty slippery during the wet season.

Also wouldn't mind going up to a 215/70/r16 in either of these... any advice?
 
Hi Tvilleguy,

For a pretty good all-rounder, you can't go past the Yokohama A/T-S. I have them on mine for off-road use, but once my road tyres are finished (won't be long), they will be on the car full-time.

If you want a little more aggressive pattern, I've heard good things about the Bridgestone Dueler 697. Some more here.

Or you can always go BFGoodrich All-Terrain TA, which are also on special in the lead up to a new version release. These are harder and more aggressive. Some people swear by them, others not so much due to their stiffness.

Hope this helps.
Pedro.
 
I can also recommend the Yoko ATS. I have two sets one for each of the SGs. I have done 80,000 km on one set and they still have life. I use them for snow, Offroad and sand. As an everyday driving tyre very quiet and good grip on the black top in the wet.
 
For 80% street the BFG's are probably not worth it.
Yoko ATS are very good and also have the "road and 4wd hazard warranty" if you get them through Bob Jane or a yokohama supplies. Honestly I think the ATS is a no brainer decision, amazing value!
I was going to get them but found a killer deal of the BFG's from a user here on the forums.
 
Thanks for the replies gents.
I don't need a full AT tyre so the BFG's are out... to be honest I could probably get away with a HT tyre but would prefer to cover all bases. Will start pricing up some Geo's and see what I can get locally.
 
^ yes, BFGs are not for you. Worth looking at the Bridgestone Dueler 697 too for your use as previously mentioned here.
 
Well took me a while to decide on what to get but I settled on Bridgestone D697's in 215/70R16 size. Have only had them on the tarmac so far but I'm liking them. Nice and quiet, good grip in the dry and wet... just need to get them into some sand and some dirt tracks to see how they go. Quick pic just after I picked up the car.

 
Ok - so I understand this is an offroad-oriented site, but I don't understand why anyone is recommending AT's or similar for your intended usage.

Go for a good set of 'sporty' road tyres - err on the side of open tread for wet performance. I don't think grip on gravel is really an issue - I find I can drive faster than I should on most gravel surfaces. Slow down!

Silica compounds are good (tm). Its a significant leap in tyre performance in terms of treadwear vs. grip.

Don't discount cheaper options such as Kumho, Achilles (ATR sport) etc. If you like Yoko's, check out their C-drive offering. They seem to have gone up in price, but I had a set of C-drive 1's a while back that I found performed really nicely on-road.

You should be able to get decent tyres for significantly less than $200/corner. I recently reshod the outback in Kumho KU31's for $125/cnr.

Here it is an the end of a trip to Mungo NP on the old $100/cnr Achilles ATR sports.

DSC_0579.jpg
 
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The issue you see with most sporty offroad tires is when you take them offroad they get punctures or shred so easily.
I think the bridgestones were a great choice as they are a tried and tested outback tire, that does great on the tarmac and the wet.
But hey, each to their own, whatever works. Finding the right tire can be a long journey for some, or a quick one for others.
 
They look good, TVG :biggrin:.

Good to get your initial feedback. Look forward to your long term experience with them. I'm planning to put these on my SG next time around.

And a belated :welcome: to the ORS forum, mate.
 
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ALMOSTunseen said:
The issue you see with most sporty offroad tires is when you take them offroad they get punctures or shred so easily.
I think the bridgestones were a great choice as they are a tried and tested outback tire, that does great on the tarmac and the wet.
But hey, each to their own, whatever works. Finding the right tire can be a long journey for some, or a quick one for others.
Click to expand...

Agreed - however I wouldn't class gravel roads and sand as the sort of offroad where such damage tends to occur.

I've never had AT or offroad tyres on my various cars, have taken them fair distances on gravel and moderate 'offroad' tracks with loads, and I must say, I've never had a puncture on gravel or track driving, nor damaged a tyre beyond driveability.

Of course, I'm not talking about driving across gibber desserts or anything here!

I think the point is, if 90+% of your driving is tarmac or smooth gravel - why sacrifice safety on those surfaces for the other 10% of driving you do, where you may get marginal improvements in grip on muddy or rocky surfaces, and probably some increase in reliability on tough ground. Take it easier, and you won't in all likelyhood need either.

If you want really tough offroad tyres, you're better off with a second set of rims + tyres that you don't use on-road for day to day driving.
 
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Can`t complain about Pirelli STR Scorpions. Have covered 120000 kms with them and am now on what`s left of the second set.
Guess about another 5000 to 10000kms left.
Have been on most forms of terrain and not one puncture (yet).
 
Thanks for the welcome Ratbag... it's an awesome site with some great rides!!

duncanm said:
Ok - so I understand this is an offroad-oriented site, but I don't understand why anyone is recommending AT's or similar for your intended usage.
Click to expand...

duncanm... I can see why you would question buying these with most of my travel being on bitumen... but there is method to my madness!

Firstly, I wanted to get a bit more height, it's only 11mm OD over a 65 profile tyre, but with the additional tread height added to that raised the car a bit more. Secondly, although I'm only doing a bit of offroad driving now, I DO intend to start doing more, and having better treads will give me a bit more confidence aswell (I'm a bit of a noob when it comes to offroading... except for beach driving... have done a fair bit of that!)... and chasing after my kayaking mates on the rutted, dug out bush tracks on the way to a secluded launch spot on a beach in their Patrols, Pathfinders and D-Max's... well lets say that sometimes my mates knock the abilities of "the soccer mom car" as they refer to it so would be nice to see them eat their words... Thirdly as mentioned by ALMOSTunseen, puncture resistance plays a bit part, and the D697's got a pretty good reputation for their puncture resistance... and lastly... they weren't expensive! I got the 5 tyres (also replaced the spare due to the size difference), balanced with a 4 wheel alignment for $1K. Actually... going up from 65 to 70 size dropped the tyre price from $229 to $189 each (don't ask me how that works but I wasn't going to argue haha).
 
I believe it's because the 70 profile is a more common tire. Good luck slaying the other 4x4ers, I deal with em too :)
 
Tvilleguy said:
Thanks for the welcome Ratbag... it's an awesome site with some great rides!!



duncanm... I can see why you would question buying these with most of my travel being on bitumen... but there is method to my madness!

Firstly, I wanted to get a bit more height, it's only 11mm OD over a 65 profile tyre, but with the additional tread height added to that raised the car a bit more. Secondly, although I'm only doing a bit of offroad driving now, I DO intend to start doing more, and having better treads will give me a bit more confidence aswell (I'm a bit of a noob when it comes to offroading... except for beach driving... have done a fair bit of that!)... and chasing after my kayaking mates on the rutted, dug out bush tracks on the way to a secluded launch spot on a beach in their Patrols, Pathfinders and D-Max's... well lets say that sometimes my mates knock the abilities of "the soccer mom car" as they refer to it so would be nice to see them eat their words... Thirdly as mentioned by ALMOSTunseen, puncture resistance plays a bit part, and the D697's got a pretty good reputation for their puncture resistance... and lastly... they weren't expensive! I got the 5 tyres (also replaced the spare due to the size difference), balanced with a 4 wheel alignment for $1K. Actually... going up from 65 to 70 size dropped the tyre price from $229 to $189 each (don't ask me how that works but I wasn't going to argue haha).
Click to expand...


fair enough. Horses for courses as it were.

Good luck with the new adventures!
 
I've currently got two sets of tyres, one set of kumho kh18 road and one 215/65 d697. That's mainly as I can't afford a new set of at tyres if I wore them out daily driving.

I do like the 697.
 
I've currently got two sets of tyres, one set of kumho kh18 road and one 215/65 d697. That's mainly as I can't afford a new set of at tyres if I wore them out daily driving.

I do like the 697, they work better offroad than you'd think given the tread pattern.
 
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