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4x4 Tyres - The right choice
Mud Terrain (MT) e.g. BF
Goodrich MT
Mud terrain tyres are
designed for 80% off road and 20% on road use. These are perfect for
the serious off road enthusiast. Due to the wide gaps between tread
lugs, they have excellent grip and traction off road, but this also
causes on road braking distances to become considerably longer.
Also, on road ride comfort suffers, so these tyres are not
recommended for drivers who cover a lot of road/motorway miles.
All Terrain (AT) e.g. BF
Goodrich AT
All terrain tyres are
designed for 50% off road and 50% on road use. These tyres are a
brilliant choice for drivers that use their 4x4 everyday and cover a
fairly even amount of on and off road miles. Some all terrain tyres
can cover up to 60,000+ miles before replacements are needed and
they provide decent levels of grip on and off road. On road ride
comfort is acceptable and they can be fitted to some new vehicles as
an optional extra.
Standard/Original e.g.
Pirelli Scorpion/Michelin Synchrone
Standard tyres fitted to
new 4x4 vehicles are designed for 20% off road use and 80% on road
use. These provide good ride comfort, grip and performance on road,
and limited off road ability.
High Performance e.g.
Goodyear Wrangler HP
High performance tyres are
designed for 95% on road use. These are fitted to vehicles such as
the BMW X5 and the Porsche Cayenne. They provide excellent grip and
road holding but will not perform well off road.
Tyre Tips
It is important that all
wheels on your vehicle have the same tyre type and make – including
the spare.
To my knowledge, all off
road courses in the country say that only fully road legal vehicles
can be used, tractor tyres or similar are not usually acceptable.
If you are planning to
visit a course, always check their requirements for vehicles and
drivers before your visit. For example, driver’s age and licence
requirements. (You normally have to have a full UK driving
licence at all courses and your vehicle must be fully road legal ie.
Taxed and insured with a valid MOT).
Whether your 4x4 is going to be
driven off road or simply as a bit of 'show' it is important to have the right
tyre types fitted.
The tyres used for mainly 4x4 off road work are of a different design to those which
are used on normal roads or for 'performance' 4x4's. There are also dual purpose
tyres for use both off road and on normal macadam roads.
Types of Tyres for 4x4 off road
vehicles
Tyre Size and Designation
On all tyres manufactured for 4x4 use,
there will be an LT in front of the tyre size if the tyre is of a reinforced
construction specification (The LT stands for Light Truck - reinforced).
If there is a 'P' in front of the tyre
size - or no letter at all, then the tyre will be a 'Passenger Type' Tyre.
The same types of 4x4 tyres should be
fitted to all wheels - and ALSO the spare wheel.
Fitting different tyre types on the
vehicle can cause problems with the 4x4 vehicle's handling characteristics.
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