Tyre Buying Guide
So what is the best tyre for your Land Rover? Tyre expert Grant Spolander simplifies the difficult choices
The best rubber for your Land Rover
WHEN it comes to off-road tyre comparisons the word ‘best’ is all too loosely thrown around, like an overloaded Defender on racing slicks. Best could literally mean anything from traction performance, to puncture resistance, or even price for that matter.
Much like the Land Rover you’re driving, tyres are a compromise between what you want, what
you need, and what you may not know you need in a tyre. Just like a Defender can’t be compared to a Freelander, a factory-fitted tyre can’t be compared to the Light Truck (LT) alternative. Although most off-road tyre comparisons aim to compare the traction performance of one product versus another, in truth, with so many terrain variations available, traction is the most inconclusive means of comparing two off-road tyres. Rock alone varies in a near infinite number of ways in terms of shape, size, hardness and texture.
For this reason, tyre manufacturers only ever quote traction performance on asphalt, and even then, the surface of the asphalt needs to conform to strict industry standards.
However, that doesn’t mean all tyre comparisons are flawed, sometimes the best way to compare two or more all-terrains is to simply look at their specifications, and more importantly, how those specs relate to your needs. Which is probably the same method you used to buy your Land Rover.
With this in mind, let’s look at what features matter most when shopping around for an off-road tyre.
TREAD DEPTH
As far as tyre features go, tread depth is seldom ever mentioned as a metric of comparison – even though it offers a fairly conclusive way to determine the life expectancy of the tyre, and therefore, the value.
However, tread depth also hints to how well the tyre will grip off-road (in loose terrain), as well as how effectively it will stop or brake on gravel surfaces. More importantly, it tells us how long the tyre can effectively do these things.
Tread depth can vary anywhere between 9 and 15 mm in the all-terrain market, with most OE (factory-fitted) all-terrains featuring a depth of just 10 mm or less. By comparison, many premium aftermarket tyres feature a tread depth of 12 to 15 mm. If 5 mm of tread life is used on either set of tyres, it goes without saying that the 50 per cent loss is going to significantly affect how well the OE tyre performs off-road in comparison to an aftermarket alternative.
Of course, in most cases, the OE tyre will cost significantly less than the aftermarket option, but any comparison in price should include a comparison in value, and therefore, the depth of tread.
WEIGHT
Much like tread depth, the weight of a tyre also hints towards its value offering, but in many respects, it also tells us how strongly the tyre is constructed, the quality of the steel cords used, as well as the bulk or gauge of rubber. In that regard, the carcass strength of a tyre directly relates to it puncture resistance, as well as its steering response and load capacity.
A tyre’s ability to shoulder a heavy load is especially important for those of us who tow a caravan, trailer or boat, but it also applies to heavily modified 4x4s with aftermarket bumpers, auxiliary fuel tanks, water tanks and drawer systems.
The weight difference between various all-terrains can vary by as much as 40 per cent. Typically speaking, most OE tyres are designed to be lightweight for various budget reasons, as well as the vehicle manufacturer’s need to keep fuel economy and emission figures as low as possible.
It should also be said that any heavyduty tyre that’s made for supreme puncture resistance and load capacity will also affect your vehicle’s ride comfort, fuel consumption, and how much your shock absorbers will have to work. What’s more, it also determines how easy it is to balance the tyre.
My recommendation: Use a tyre retailer that specialises in 4x4 vehicles, and if possible, where the business owner happens to be an off-road enthusiast, too.
LOAD CAPACITY
Contrary to popular belief, the air inside a tyre is what carries the actual load, while the tyre itself is merely the vessel that holds the air. The stronger the vessel, the more air pressure it can handle, and
therefore, the more weight it can carry.
You’ll find that most of this information is available on your tyre’s sidewall, where it will state how much pressure the tyre can handle, and therefore, how much weight it can carry.
Again, most factory-fitted all-terrains will feature a load limit of about 1100 kg. In contrast, some aftermarket LT products will boast a load capacity of 1350 to 1700 kg. However, that’s not to say that one is automatically better than the other. If you don’t need a LT tyre with a high payload capacity, you’re probably going to spend much of your time cursing the tyre’s ride comfort.
Likewise, if you do need a LT tyre but currently have an OE fitted, there’s a good chance that’s why you may be picking up punctures and/or suffering reduced tread life. Simply put, it’s not the right tyre for the application you’re exposing it to.
THE RIGHT STUFF
We all have different needs, different driving habits, and differing ideas as to what we consider an off-road adventure to be.
As far as Defenders go, the application of the vehicle is quite straightforward, it’s a workhorse, the only question that needs answering is: What kind of work does it do, and how heavy-duty do your tyres need to be to match that application?
The Freelander is equally defined in its application, whereas a Discovery is a bit more tricky in the sense that it’s a terrific all-rounder that bridges the gap between daily driver and all-out adventure vehicle.
In much the same way, most off-road tyres feature a terrain designation, where many all-terrains sport a 70/30 split (70 per cent on-road use and 30 per cent off-road).
Mud-terrains generally swing those numbers the other way into an 80/20 split. However, some tyre manufacturers have caught on to the fact that an obvious gap exists between those two designations, and in between these figures they’ve launched an almost hybrid tyre pattern like the Cooper S/T MAXX and Mickey Thompson BAJA ATZ which are closer to a 50/50 split.
But without wanting to get too caught up in terrain ratios, what matters most is: What are you willing to live with? As mentioned before, heavy-duty tyres do come with some drawbacks.
Of course, some tyre manufacturers have experimented with materials like Kevlar, which hope to add a layer of puncture resistance, whilst maintaining lightweight flexibility, fuel economy and on-road comfort.
However, although Kevlar effectively achieves what it aims to do, these tyres aren’t comparable to a heavy-duty LT alternative in terms of ultimate rupture strength. In other words, Kevlar is a great way of balancing several conflicting features, but it’s not a cure for all. Similarly, much like independent air suspension is unquestionably revolutionary, in certain applications it doesn’t replace a solid axle for all-out ruggedness. This brings us to our final point…
PRICE… NO WAIT… VALUE!
Coming back to the question of: ‘What is the best off-road tyre on the market?’. Perhaps the true answer is: ‘The tyre you can afford’.
Naturally, there’s far more to picking the right tyre for you than just comparing graphs and specifications. Ultimately, it’s a question of budget. However, as mentioned before, cost and affordability are relative to value, so although one tyre may appear to be a sweeter deal than another, the bitter pill of longevity (or lack thereof) is often the taste that lingers longest.
Although most tyres are covered by a general defect warranty, very few manufacturers provide additional cover in the form of a tyre-protection plan and/or mileage guarantee.
The problem is, if you don’t know how long the tyre can effectively last (provided you follow a strict maintenance record), how do you really know how much the tyre is costing you per mile.
With this in mind, I believe one of the best ways to shop for a tyre is to find a product that offers the best value, and with any luck, a mileage guarantee. The more we (as consumers) use value as a buying metric, the more tyre manufacturers will be forced to up their game and to stand behind their product.
So, don’t look for the best performing tyre on the market based on thumb sucks and campfire chitchat, and instead, buy the best value tyre on the market, because that’s comparable, and that’s what lasts.
“One of the best ways to shop for a tyre is to find a product that offers the best value”
“Most mud-terrains are designed for 80 per cent off-road use and 20 per cent on-road”
MT VS AT
AN age-old debate that’s caused many a sleepless night for 4x4 owners. As mentioned before, most mud-terrains (MTS) are designed for 80 per cent off-road use and 20 per cent on-road. Those figures alone should tell you that MTS are seldom the logical option for most day-to-day Land Rovers. But, let’s face it, nothing quite says ‘off-road enthusiast’ quite like a set of knobbly tyres, and in most instances, that’s what drives the MT market. However, the term ‘mud-terrain’ is a bit misleading in terms of the tyre’s application.
In my experience, if you plan on doing a lot of mud driving, sourcing a narrow high-profile tyre is more important than chasing after the most aggressivelydesigned trend pattern. This is because the ability to tackle mud is largely dependant on whether the tyre floats on the mud’s surface, or, cuts through the sludge to find traction on the firmer substructure below. While it’s certainly true that a well-designed MT should self-clean and eject mud more effectively than another, the fact is, once the depth of the mud exceeds the height of the tyre, it doesn’t matter what your tyres look like, you’re not going anywhere.
For me, the true advantage and application of a MT tyre can be found on rock and gravel surfaces. This is because MTS generally possess little (if any) siping, as well as larger tread blocks that are elementally shape. In contrast, AT tyres usually have geometrically-shaped tread blocks that are generously equipped with siping.
As many of you will know, siping plays a significant role in how well a tyre performs on wet or icy roads. Unfortunately, those very same sipe grooves radically weaken the tread block when it comes to impact damage and rocky, abrasive surfaces. The damage caused by these surfaces is commonly referred to as ‘cut and chip’, or alternatively, as ‘chipping and chunking’. But no matter what you call it, the result is the same: Radically reduced tread life and diminished traction performance.
The true benefit of an MT tyre lies in its durability and longevity in extreme off-road conditions. Of course, traction is also a key feature, and generally speaking the looser the terrain, the more aggressive the tread pattern needs to be. However, on a whole, off-road longevity is where the real-life benefit of a MT tyre can be found.
The downside to all this extra strength is road noise and vibrations. Some tyre brands are noticeably quieter than others, but on a whole, MT tyres are noisy and that’s because the majority of the noise isn’t coming from the road itself, but rather, from the air moving around the tyre (much like a fan). On that note, fitting a MT tyre (regardless of how quiet the manufacturer claims it to be) will undoubtedly result in more cabin noise and a noticeable increase in vibration. Neither of which has ever stopped me from personally making the illogical choice. But what can I say? I’ve got a weakness for knobbly rubber.