Selecting 4WD Tyres is extremely tricky. There are such a lot of parameters that you wish to maximise that this was terribly hard to decide on the best compromise.
On bitumen roads I would like a quiet ride, good cornering and stopping capability in both dry or damp climatic conditions. I also need good tracking to avoid driving fatigue for road driving and good balance to avoid any vibration. Off road the requirements are completely different where I want an open tread for good self cleaning properties in mud, resistance to punctures with a heavy usage construction and masses of general grip. In all cases I need my tyres to be as lower cost as possible and to last so long as possible before requiring replacement.
Unfortunately many of these requirments are paradoxical. Huge open treads that are great in the mud tend to be noisy on the bitumen. Hard compounds that last a long while have a tendency to have worse wet weather cornering and stopping capability. Basically good on-road tyres are poor performers off road and vice versa.
Sorts of 4WD tyres
So when it came time to select my tyres I had to choose which of these features was most vital. I use the car 90% of the time for driving to work or driving the family around town on weekends. Even driving to a camping location or where a 4wd track begins is usually road driving so on-road safety, performance and comfort are the most vital features.
The Pajero has a rep of sufferring a little from increased road noise. I suspect this is due to the fact that it does not have a separate frame so there is less padding between the suspension and the body of the vehicle. Because of this selecting a low-noise tyre is even more significant than usual as any noise will be spotted even more. When I am off road almost all of the terrain I encounter is beach sand or gravel track. With all this considered I made a decision that an All Terrain type of tyre was a good choice with its bias towards on-road conditions but still with better off-road performance than an ordinary road tyre.
Brands of 4WD tyres
The following question is which type of all terrain tyre? Some of the brands which profess to have a harder compound appear to have reviews that suggest that when they get a little older their grip levels can drop significantly for bitumen driving. In my opinion I would rather my tyres wore out a little faster but always gripped well, it is not worth saving a little bit of cash for the sake of safety.
I also needed to purchase a tyre exactly the same size as the standard tyres. This is thanks to the fact that I do not desire any effect on the speedometer precision or performance of the traction and stability control systems. A different size tyre might or might not effect these however I just do not require the bother of attempting to fix it if it does. These points excluded a large amount of tyres making the decision a little easier.
So in the end after much debate I chose to give the Pro Comp range a try. They had a few good reviews showing that it has glorious on-road performance while still maintaining decent off-road ability. I've had them for quite some time now and they have categorically lived up to expectations.
The most important thing I've learnt about choosing 4 wheel drive tyres is this: choose what suits You. Don't fall for the ballyhoo that announces your Need to have a light wagon, 35 in., mud terrain that may last 10 years. Look at how you use your automobile and buy what sounds correct for you.
Making tyres last longer
The very last thing I need to say is: revolve your tyres! My previous tyres would have lasted much longer if I had have revolved them each 5000km or so. Instead , at roughly 15000km they developed a horrid whirring sound that actually sounded like a blown diff or worn wheel bearings. It took some time to work out it was just the tyres after much concern. To revolve your tyres move the rear tyres directly to the front keeping them on the same sides they were on.
Move the front tyres to the rear but swap sides in order that they are actually rotating in the opposite direction. In a full cycle of rotation this may mean that every corner of each tread block will get the same wear and this will hopefully reduce uneven wear that causes over the top noise. The next thing I would say is to look out for tyres engineered to avoid humming noise by having variable block sizes as these can develop this pulsating whiring noise that in my view is worse.
4 wheel drive cars and SUV's usually arrive fitted out with general road tyres, or at the very least a combination on road and general off road tyre. The 4WD tyres that your 4x4 came with are not always the best ones for the applications that you want to use it for.
About the Author:
John Wright is
recognized as a
globally released
writer, voicing his opinion on a specific
selection
of themes, ranging
from 4WD Tyres to politics, religion to EFS Suspension. His
insightful work
is released
on websites world-wide.
recognized as a
globally released
writer, voicing his opinion on a specific
selection
of themes, ranging
from 4WD Tyres to politics, religion to EFS Suspension. His
insightful work
is released
on websites world-wide.