New AT tires .. sexiest i have ever had on any sooby

Looking good, the D697 are a surprisingly aggressive tyre (fairly wide lug spacing for an AT) that still works well in the wet due to the tread pattern compared with an older-style tyre like the BFG.
One thing that is strange is their tyre sizing - I had a set of 215/65r16C that were wider in the tread than a set of 225/70r17!
 
Just realised how large those tyres are! I'm running 225/70r17 on my Vitara, but I'm kinda wishing I'd gotten the 65 profile now with the white lettering, it looks dead sexy! Not to mention the tread width on the 70 profile is crap - it's actually narrower than the tread width was on my old 215/65r16 D697s! Odd...
 
taza said:
Should have gone BFG's!
Enough said ;)
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I'm not that much of a bfg fan, they look good but are crap onroad in the wet and clog with mud more easily than D697s due to their closed tread pattern, which is a real issue in NZ.
 
I've had D697's on for about 9 months now... very happy with them.
I put on 215/70/R16's... gave the car a bit of a lift too :)
 
Very disappointed with my 16" BFG's compared with the factory fitted 17" Pirelli's


When driving on dry or wet bitumen, dry loose gravel, wet slushy gravel or anywhere in between, they just don;t handle right...
I had hopes of being able to drift it like a WRC car wherever I go,
but sadly, i just goes exactly where the wheels are pointing....


But seriosuly, I've done a lot of driving on those 697's, the BFG AT's and also Cooper AT3's, the 697's are an excellent tyre everywhere, although we have punched out a few sidewalls
the AT3's aren't worth the paper they're made from
 


now they look even sexier with a bit oh Plastidip.

Love'n em. Can not recommend highly enough.
 
Robbks said:
Very disappointed with my 16" BFG's compared with the factory fitted 17" Pirelli's


When driving on dry or wet bitumen, dry loose gravel, wet slushy gravel or anywhere in between, they just don;t handle right...
I had hopes of being able to drift it like a WRC car wherever I go,
but sadly, i just goes exactly where the wheels are pointing....


But seriosuly, I've done a lot of driving on those 697's, the BFG AT's and also Cooper AT3's, the 697's are an excellent tyre everywhere, although we have punched out a few sidewalls
the AT3's aren't worth the paper they're made from
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Hey Robbks,

Can you please elaborate on the Scorpion ATR and the Cooper AT3? I remember you speaking about those before, but I do not remember where.

The ATR seem to have fallen off the radar of reviewers and I have read a lot of user reviews who had them stock on F150s and did not like them, calling them puncture-prone and bad in winter.

The Cooper AT3 seems to be all the rage at present with Subaru owners and pro reviewers alike rating it above the TA KO2 and pretty much any other tire.

I plan on a new set by spring and my only all terrain options are the Cooper AT3, the Geolander AT-S, which are okay, but of which I am a little tired, the Maxxis AT 771, Bridgestone Dueller 693, which has bad characteristics (360 BA, meaning short life and less than great traction), and potentially the new BFG TA KO2, which is extremely heavy compared even to the other ATs.

What's your take on these options?

I will need these tires mostly for mixed trips with some challenging for Subarus off-road while still using the current Geolander AT-S on-road, where they have another 15-20,000 usable miles.

BTW, the D697 is not sold in the US, so that's out.
 
ateday said:
Can`t go that big, they will rub on inner guards. However speedo is now just about spot on.
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215/70/R16... No rubbing at all on my SH... everything is stock standard suspension wise.

 
Quite likely as your model, I think, has 65 profile as standard whereas mine has 60 profile as standard.
Only very slight contact inside rear on front passenger`s side. Almost looks like sides have slightly different wheelbases.
 
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Our SH has 225/55 17" as standard, but the placard does mention 16" rims.
 
ateday said:
Quite likely as your model, I think, has 65 profile as standard whereas mine has 60 profile as standard.
Only very slight contact inside rear on front passenger`s side. Almost looks like sides have slightly different wheelbases.
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different wheel offset?
 
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