T5 Tyres 17" what is available in OZ

The tyre guy is kind-of right but I think the mileage differences would be consistently different, therefore you can still use the TWI has a guide (better than nothing IMO).

The UTQG tyre rating system is a USA thing from their Dept of Transport. AFAIK, Australia doesn't have a similar system. Therefore if a tyre has a 600 rating in USA, then there isn't an AUS TWI rating that supercedes it.

The TWI is only a guide within a particular tyre brand. ie: TWI of 600 on Brand X will last a different amount of time to Brand Y. This is because the testing is done by the manufacturer, not by the DOT, therefore it's easy to get some result differentiation either by design or accident.

Rather than me copy/paste READ THIS

re: legality of imported tyres.
In the past, it was illegal to fit self-imported tyres. You had to get them approved for use in AUS by the AUS DOT. The ADRs (ADR23/02) have been changed in recent years (i don't know when) and they harmonised with the EU (and the US DOT but I can't find the doco) and now the tyre just needs an E in a circle with the approving country number. (that's how I read the ADR). This is why it's been possible to bring in container loads of 2nd hand tyres and sell them legally or bring in parallel imports & sell them legally.

I guess with any of this type of thing, it's up to the individual to do the research & be comfortable with their own decision.

edit: re: warranty. I doubt there'd be any warranty for a self-import but warranty on tyres is lousy anyway.

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Originally Posted by brad

A quick look at tirerack gives a list of 7 possibles in 235/55x17. They run from USD113 -USD187.

Of particular interest is the Kumho Ectsa LX Platinum with a tread wear rating of 600 for USD131 - that would make them around AUD900 delivered plus $100 to fit & balance. Possibly worth the hassle for the potential extra mileage.

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Kumho Ectsa LX Platinum is an all-season tyre, which explains the high treadwear rating. I explain below.

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Originally Posted by Transporter

The extra mileage would be good but judging on the price alone it's not worthwhile in the case of the tyre for the van.

brad, you're the wealth of knowledge when it comes to tyres and wheel alignments.
I was told by the bloke at Wise Choice Tyres at Lonsdale rather amusing thing and not probably wise from him to say about the tread wear rating; apparently the road surface in the USA is different to ours and the tread wear rating is not accurate for the tyres made for US market, when they're used in AU. I didn't want to start debating it with him; certainly the difference wouldn’t be measurable, considering the variety of the road surfaces in both countries. What do you think? Do the tyre manufacturers use that much different rubber composition for the different countries?

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The majority of tyres sold in Australia are summer tyres - which simply don't work in freezing conditions.

And unlike us, the North American market experience real winters, so their tyres need to work in the snow and freezing conditions, thus all-season tyres are the norm. All-season tyres typically last longer, provide a better ride and are (mostly) less noisy. But they also feel like you're riding on jello - grip and performance generally suffers.

Tire Rack makes it very easy to compare summer and all-season tyres, and though treadwear ratings aren't directly comparable, there is generally a wide gap between the two categories.

Also, Americans tend to get angry if their tyres last less 80 000 km or something ridiculous like that.

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Originally Posted by Transporter

Another thing is the warranty and the liability, if something goes wrong and you've imported the tyre yourself.

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There's always a chance you might get a tyre with a defect or is out-of-round, but as with anything that's personally imported, it's just a matter of knowing the risks.

All Season tyres are for places where it gets a bit cold & possibly a light dusting of snow on the ground. If you get a *real* winter then you'll be running summer rims & winter rims with either Mud & Snow or proper Snow tyres - unfortunately, the Americans aren't as keen on running 2 sets of tyres/rims as the Europeans & so they try & get by with All-Season for All-Year. That's why Australia was getting container loads of tyres from Europe - M&S tyres that had exceeded the mandatory life limit (6yrs?) that a lot of Euro countries impose.

Having said all that, I agree, an All Season tyre will not be as focussed as a dedicated summer tyre. Generally the tread blocks have multiple sipes cut in them (which causes the squirmy feeling) to aid traction in marginal conditions and other compromises to make them work all year round.

For the vehicle in question though, wouldn't an All-Season tyre be a good choice? All-Season should be a bit better on gravel & it's a heavy van so it needs fairly "hard" rubber. I'd shudder to think how short a lifespan the Yokohama Advan Sport (TW 180) would give - 10,000km?

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Originally Posted by brad

All Season tyres are for places where it gets a bit cold & possibly a light dusting of snow on the ground. If you get a *real* winter then you'll be running summer rims & winter rims with either Mud & Snow or proper Snow tyres - unfortunately, the Americans aren't as keen on running 2 sets of tyres/rims as the Europeans & so they try & get by with All-Season for All-Year. That's why Australia was getting container loads of tyres from Europe - M&S tyres that had exceeded the mandatory life limit (6yrs?) that a lot of Euro countries impose.

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Yes, that too.

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Originally Posted by brad

Having said all that, I agree, an All Season tyre will not be as focussed as a dedicated summer tyre. Generally the tread blocks have multiple sipes cut in them (which causes the squirmy feeling) to aid traction in marginal conditions and other compromises to make them work all year round.

For the vehicle in question though, wouldn't an All-Season tyre be a good choice? All-Season should be a bit better on gravel & it's a heavy van so it needs fairly "hard" rubber. I'd shudder to think how short a lifespan the Yokohama Advan Sport (TW 180) would give - 10,000km?

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Judging from the threads, I'd go further and say that all-season tyres would be ideal for most people in this forum.

Thanks brad and Diesel_vert for explanation. :)

I had more on mind the rubber composition for the same tyre.
Is there actually that much difference in the rubber for all season tyre between tyre for US and AU?

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Originally Posted by Diesel_vert

Yes, that too.



Judging from the threads, I'd go further and say that all-season tyres would be ideal for most people in this forum.

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The cargo Vectors certainly tick all the boxes for me - I note that they are listed as both a M+S and All Season tyre so I guess a case of one size fits all ! Most 4WD AT tyres in Oz , including BFG and Coopers are M+S rating and seem to do OK on outback roads

I find the Cargo Vectors noisy at low speed but find them no noisier than the Cooper ATRs on my Ford Territory at road speed, however I drive a pop-top campervan that probably has the harmonics of a brick outhouse anyway.

As for handling I find them good and not spongy as has been suggested - put them to the test recently when at 110k/h had to take severe evasive action to miss an oncoming driver that had fallen asleep - hung on like the proverbial and got me out of a tight situation with ease. On outback roads I like the re-assurance of the c (LT) construction, 109 load rating, good gripping tread pattern and 60 profile. If I was doing bitumen roads all the time then these features would be of less interest. My experience anyway.

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Originally Posted by bobf

The cargo Vectors certainly tick all the boxes for me - I note that they are listed as both a M+S and All Season tyre so I guess a case of one size fits all ! Most 4WD AT tyres in Oz , including BFG and Coopers are M+S rating and seem to do OK on outback roads

I find the Cargo Vectors noisy at low speed but find them no noisier than the Cooper ATRs on my Ford Territory at road speed, however I drive a pop-top campervan that probably has the harmonics of a brick outhouse anyway.

As for handling I find them good and not spongy as has been suggested - put them to the test recently when at 110k/h had to take severe evasive action to miss an oncoming driver that had fallen asleep - hung on like the proverbial and got me out of a tight situation with ease. On outback roads I like the re-assurance of the c (LT) construction, 109 load rating, good gripping tread pattern and 60 profile. If I was doing bitumen roads all the time then these features would be of less interest. My experience anyway.

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How many kms have you done and how many do you think you could get in total out of them? I'm considering them now as well as Maxxis.

have only done 12000km so far but no noticeable wear - at same km the Michelin Primacy's were half down. I wil be disappointed if I don't get 45-50000 km out of them but only time will tell - Camper weighs in at 2800 kg GVM so tyres are under a fair bit of pressure.

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Originally Posted by Transporter

Thanks for explanation. :)

I had more on mind the rubber composition for the same tyre.
Is there actually that much difference in the rubber for all season tyre between tyre for US and AU?

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Between the same make and model of tyre, I doubt there would be much difference, if any. Compared to North America, Australia by itself is a small market, which also makes it unlikely we'd get unique compounds or construction, unless it was for the entire Pacific region or something.

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Originally Posted by bobf

The cargo Vectors certainly tick all the boxes for me - I note that they are listed as both a M+S and All Season tyre so I guess a case of one size fits all ! Most 4WD AT tyres in Oz , including BFG and Coopers are M+S rating and seem to do OK on outback roads

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Should have qualified my statements by saying my observations were mainly based on passenger car tyres.

Which begs the question why I'm posting in this thread at all... :P

On my second set of Maxxis MA P1
First set lasted 70,000 ks, this set so far have done 38,000 ks and look like lasting the same as the first lot
They are a road tyre though, so off road may not be what you are after
Quiet, sticky as crap, wear well, $215 each fitted, I'm happy:)


M