The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Get the wheel deal with choice of off-road tyres
Your car may have the latest technology with lots of fancy gizmos, but it’s worth remembering that the only things keeping you firmly attached to the road are your tyres.
It’s the same when you venture into the great outdoors. You’ll have to rely on your rubber to keep you going when the going gets tough in the wilds.
And there’s more to it than just slapping on a chunky set of black knobblys if you want your 4x4 to get you into the challenging backwoods and, importantly, back out again.
It’s especially important at this time of year, with the uncertain weather and demanding conditions that winter can bring.
Fortunately, there’s never been a better choice of off-road tyres, and with such a wide range of brands you can spend as little as £50 for a budget bargain or fork out near enough £300 per wheel for the very best.
It’s obvious, really, but you have to decide where you’re likely to be heading and what you want to do once you get there – and that will dictate the tyre you need and how much you’ll have to pay for it.
Serious off-roaders – the committed mug-pluggers – know the importance of a good tyre, which will withstand the rigours of rough surfaces.
They’ll generally go for extreme examples like the KM3 produced by BF Goodrich, part of the giant Michelin empire, used by many utilities companies to get their crews and equipment to otherwise inaccessible places.
These top-of-the-range examples have a complex rubber compound and large tread blocks to push out mud to the side, and stop it building up and leading to a loss of traction.
SEEK EXPERT ADVICE
With strengthened sidewalls, they can tolerate sharp rocks or damaging tree roots but, while they are superb for challenging terrain, they can be noisy when used on tarmac surfaces, so you hear the machine coming long before you see it.
The majority of BF Goodrich sales are of their All Terrain tyres, which appeal to leisure buyers, including motorhome owners, who want to venture off tarmac – but not too far – and spend half the time on it, and need the best of both worlds.
BF Goodrich brand manager Martin Thompson says that section of the market has really taken off through the boom in staycationing during and after lockdown, and the growth of outdoor activities like surfing and mountain biking, as well as the surge in sales of pickups.
Some buyers want to make a style statement, which is why the bold white lettering on the sidewall – it’s actually white rubber, not paint – appeals to them and is seen as something of a badge of honour.
Online sales have grown dramatically in recent years, and unless you know exactly what you’re buying, it really is better to speak to one of the many specialist 4x4 centres which can keep you right on all aspects of off-road tyres.
Blackcircles, the Edinburgh-based operation, now part of Michelin, offers good advice, along with specialists Silverline 4x4 based in Warwick who see many customers making the trip from Scotland for advice. It’s now part of Bridgestone, and manager Simon Mepstead says they see many customers who
have, unfortunately, got it wrong when buying online. They spend up to 60% of their time correcting online purchases that were unsuitable for the vehicle or tyres that customers had fitted incorrectly.
Simon says their best all-rounder is the Bridgestone Dueler M/T 674, a new tyre which is designed for muddy work, using revolutionary 3D technology for durability, traction and stability, but is also adapted for smooth running back on the road.
Simon also warns of the dangers of some DIY solutions to improve off-road capability. Wheel spacers, designed to move the wheels out from the vehicle’s body, are a cheap accessory, but come with problems, especially if fitted incorrectly. In the worst case the wheel can come off the hub, because the car is trying to do something that the wheel doesn’t want to do.
At the end of the day, tyres are an amazing piece of engineering. Every cut and tread angle is there for a purpose – mostly for grip but also to keep the tyre cool when working hard.
RENEWING TYRES
It’s important to know what size of tyre you need – 17 or 18-inch is good but in most cases, 16-inch is best; wide for bumpy and stony ground and thin for chalk or clay.
Knowing when to renew tyres is also crucial. While standard road tyres are unlikely to last beyond 30,000 miles, off-road tyres can do more than double that. But rubber can deteriorate, crack or sustain damage before the tread is worn out, so any seasoned off-roader will tell you that regular inspection of the edges of the tread block and sidewall is vital.
In addition, have your wheels aligned at least once a year. It takes only one pothole or a heavy bash off a rock or tree root to knock them out of line.
One of the best investments you can make if you’re switching between on and off road driving, though, is to have separate sets of wheels and tyres – and make sure you fit the right ones for the job.