I have four Maxxis VanPro's on mine, so far they have done 50,000km and look like they will do another 50k. I think they were $200 each at Bob Jane.
They don't tear up when you go on dirt roads like the original Michelins did.
Brian
They are not as coarse as proper off road tyres, but also not as fine tread as road tyres. I try not to get into boggy situations, so I am not sure, but I did get bogged trying to back out of loose dry sand once. I use them mainly on bitumen and dirt roads in the outback, and they stand up to that very well. They are fairly quiet on the road but do suffer from side movement in grooves a little more than the original tyres. Overall I'm very impressed with their lasting ability and will be looking for another set if they ever wear out.
Brian
Im testing a set of these Sailun 215/16/65 C rated as we speak. So far the ride is good and the handling etc. I'll keep this post open for updates on milage etc.
$135 a corner is good value.
You mean this one?
Sailun Tyres Australia
Yep thats the one. Although i do realise you are looking for and A/T tyre .Sorry about that. Anyway they are very quiet compared to the bridgestones that i had before, and a much softer ride and good on the wet tar too. Im interested now to see how many kms i get from them.
Folks, when I started this thread, it related specifically to 215/65 R16 C 106/104/T Tyres i.e this particular OEM load rated spec for 16 inch rims. It seems to have digressed into something else...
Happy days.
Scott
Honestly.....as someone who has been using their T4 off the bitumen for quite some time and has also been hunting A/T pattern van tyres since 2001....I don't think I'd get hung up on having them. They make more difference to the driver's head than they do in real life.
Despite some challenging conditions over time (Louth Rd @ night after 15mm rain & fully loaded, Zebedee Springs Track on El Questro, steep fire trails in the Watagans State Forest etc) I've never really been stuck as a result of not having A/T tyres. The only time I did get stuck (Cape Arid NP near Esperance, WA) had far far more to do with driver error than the tyres.
The tyres I run now (GT Radial Maxway 205/70R15C) are the most aggressive I've had (being a M&S pattern) and yet I'm not certain they have made a significant improvement in traction when climbing about on the fire trails - but the van is taller and low gearing has improved slightly. Open dirt road stability and control is improved slightly over the preceding GT Radial Maxmiler set. But they sure as heck are noisy on the tar. Swings...roundabouts. Sadly, these appear to be no longer in production....
The Goodyear Cargo G26 tyres were great on the dirt and we had great fun killing them across the country...sadly these too are no longer available. The office had a Falcon RTV ute with the same tyres and it worked really well off the road. Equally, the GT Radials (both these and the Maxmilers that preceded them) have been just as effective both on and off road - the bonus is that they are much cheaper than the Goodyears. Wasn't so thrilled by the Hankook RA08 in the dirt and the less said about the OE Klebers the better. None of these could ever be considered M+S patterns let alone AT.
Ultimately, the 4Motion system and driver skill will make more of a difference than any A/T tyre will in terms of off tar performance....
I ran Yokohama Geolander H/T-S on my Voyager, I went them rather as I wanted something abit stronger in the sidewall, and more aggressive tread, then the usual highload rated passenger car tyre or cargo van tyre. I found them to be a very good tyre, miles in front of the goodyear car tyres or the Firestone the PO had, incorrectly fitted.
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