WHERE SOME DARE TO TREAD
The Hennops River Valley is a blink on the radar for most heading out of Joburg. But deep in its folds is a formidable 4x4 playground. Here Deputy Editor TYSON JOPSON tested BFGoodrich’s toughest tyre
SOMETIMES BEAUTY IS ON YOUR DOORSTEP,
if it’s really a beast you’re looking for. With a set of BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2 tyres at my disposal, I plotted a quick loop out of Fourways and into the Hennops River Valley to a 4x4 proving ground I’ve had my eye on for years: Hennops Offroad Trail. With some sections rated four on the trailgrading system (five is the maximum), steep inclines over loose rocks and a mudbath fit for a mammoth, I’d been told it’s quite the brute. It’s also lively: impala, zebra, kudu and even two zonkeys call this place home. With Fourways behind me and the sun ahead but also mostly to the right, I hopped on the R511 for the 30-odd kilometre drive out. Roadworks and detours made for a less-than-speedy arrival. A revised footprint and interlocking tread are designed to give the KO2s a longer lifespan on tar (a claimed 15 per cent more than the previous KO), but the most noticeable feature for me was how those improvements also made for a quieter ride. Safely inside Hennops, I joined a group of keen off-roaders and tackled the nine-kilometre trail. First up, that mudbath: a bonnet-deep water crossing that requires a good line and a steady speed. It’s not particularly tough but stop suddenly and you’ll end up with Hennops water in your engine bay. On the muddy bank at the exit we stopped to see how the KO2’s Mud-Buster Bars deal with the squishy stuff. Impressively, is the answer I got as long beads of mud squelched out from between the SideBiter Lugs like chocolate toothpaste. From there, the trail climbs out of the valley. In the distance an indifferent impala munched away as we engaged short side slopes, axle twisters, first-gear ascents and our faith in downhill assist control on some steep declines. From the driver’s seat it’s always tough to tell where a 4x4’s traction control ends and a tyre’s grip begins but the KO2s didn’t put a foot wrong, no matter where we forced them to go. (At one point we drove the sidewall right over an exposed tree root to test its strength and flex). All too soon (as is always the case when you’re enjoying the outdoors) it was time to point the wheels home. To complete the loop, I jumped onto the R104 to Broederstroom and weaved my way back through the Hennops Valley, on the R512 this time, stopping at the Lazy Lizard Brewhouse for a well-earned burger on the way home. Altogether, not bad for a quick rough and tumble away from the sooty city...