Goodyear Wrangler AT/R

I had a set of Wrangler A/T's on my 110 when I originally bought it in 1992, they were, IMO, crap! Noisy over 45mph, no use off-road on wet grass, useless in mud (ok, so they weren't MT's) but they were ok on wet tarmac. Didn't keep them on for long enough to monitor tread wear, so can't comment on that I'm afraid. I'm currently running some chinese goodyear copies that I got from the Scottish subsidiary of Nene Overland, they're "something-or-other" "runway"s according to the writing on the sidewalls. (I'll check tomorrow in daylight, it's cold outside now!!) They are E marked radials and in 31/10.5x15 cost me £300 with wheels, fitted and balanced. They handle well in both wet and dry road conditions and seem to be wearing ok. The odd burst through a forest rally stage doesn't seem to upset them, neither does wet grass or snow. All in, I'm extremely happy with them. Badger.

On or around Sun, 6 Feb 2005 18:06:08 +0000 (UTC), "Badger" enlightened us thusly:

hmmm, might be worth a look. I'm after 235/70R16 for the disco, needs a reasonable speed rating as it sometimes gets to cruise on the M-way at about erm... the national speed limit, of course, ocifer.

Currently got Pirelli STs, which are great for on-road grip but aren't an off-road tyre. They do actually work well on wet grass and so forth. I just thought I'd put something a tad more agressive on it. Pirelli ATs that I had before gripped amazingly on-road, but weren't a lot better off-road than the ST. Both the Pirellis wear like a thing that wears a lot, mind, get about 20K miles from 'em. Nankang wide conks were OK on the 110, but they don't come that size, AFAICT.

heyho. I might have a look at Nene's site, see if they have details...

I'm using Wrangler HPs at the moment, I had ATs before and they were OK, lasted two years. 35,000 miles that is.

Peter.

On or around Sun, 6 Feb 2005 22:08:34 -0000, "Peter Seddon" enlightened us thusly:

HPs look much like the GT+4 tread pattern, which is not that dissimilar from what I have ATM.

Hmmm. Bronco list some Avons at quite attractive-looking prices. The Ranger AT looks quite useful, dunno what it's like as a tyre though.

Also on Bronco's list are Fulda. never had any of theirs. funny set of sizes, but they have one called Yukon which looks quite convincing.

We had them on a Series III. Found them very good all round. Gave a good ride too. But do prefer BFG All Terrain T/A's now. Richard

On or around Mon, 07 Feb 2005 11:32:03 GMT, "Richard" enlightened us thusly:

I wasn't that impressed with the BFGs, in fact; although there were (and still are some) steering issues (iffy ball joint) on mine which didn't improve the handling, I have to say. However, that wasn;t very iffy to start with. The BFGs felt a bit "hard" on the road (which fits with the high mileage they're alleged to do) and didn't inspire confidence on wet roads, although they feel OK on the TDi. Perhaps it's to do with the differing weight distribution and power delivery on the V8, who knows?

I may give the goodyears a try. Or, indeed, if I can get 'em, the Avons mentioned elsewhere, which look quite a nice-looking tread.

Is that the BFG all terrains you are referring to Austin?

I'd have liked to use them on my 110 but budget constraints have forced me to 750r16 colway at's (same tread pattern as the BFG's).

Regards. Mark.(AKA, Mr.Nice.)

We have had BFG All Terrains on a V8 Range Rover and at the mo have them on a 200bhp 90. When my V8 Discovery tyres need replacing I shall put them on that too. Richard

In message , Austin Shackles writes

Interesting comment, cos I am finding on my V8 that the BFG MTs are tending to slide about a bit on the wet roads. The tread is getting down now but even so the area in contact with the road is still the same. I don't remember the same problem with my 200TDi, and this is not with the right foot down on the V8.

My 200Tdi is sliding around on damp roads with Goodyear Wranglers on. It never did it with the Hankooks. Bit worrying really seeing as they're only half worn. TonyB

What condition are your shocks in then?

P.

My '84 110 V8 has no problems in this area. I've wellied it round corners and apart from the inevitable roll it's never felt like it was going to lose grip. I've had the Wranglers on for over a year now (about 10k) with not much wear evident. I use them only as a road tyre.

Just passed MOT two days ago. Should that be good enough? TonyB

AFAIK that only proves that they aren't leaking. It doesn't prove that they are actually providing any damping.

New shocks on a car make a surprising difference.

Thought they did a "bounce" test? TonyB

A bounce test will only really tell you if *all* the damping has gone. It's quite possible to have a shock that will 'pass' a bounce test but only have 20% of it's damping ability left.

So how do I tell if they're worn? ( I know, the car starts sliding around on greasy corners!) TonyB

Take them off, and check how much resistance they have. You'll probably want a new/known good one on hand to compare with. Basically they should be bloody hard work to compress/extend - if it's not a struggle then they're probably past their best.

tyres today. Although only part worn, the wear is very uneven and is now causing a very slight vibration at the wheel. I don't think simple balance will fix it.

Is it OK to change just the front shocks or should all four be done together?

Thanks TonyB