T5 Tyres 17" what is available in OZ

[Sunny43.5]

Some years ago we were faced with a kilometre of dirt road to traverse after a severe downpour at a Moto Cross Park in SE Qld black soil country , after watching several cars being towed out by a tractor I thought VW van fully loaded inside with 5 boys and a trailer load of Moto Cross bikes I was sure we were doomed .Amazingly the traction control kicked in on an uphill section and the van just clawed its way up on its own !!!! my mate just behind with his Commodore no such luck tractor for him . Then another hill section and up the van goes again foot flat to floor but the Traction control reduced revs and up it climbs . The point in this was these were road tyres for every day use , I was amazed how they handled the mud .

[Transporter]

Sounds good! What I'm more concerned about is traction on wet dirt, sand and mud as I'm constantly on building sites with no roads. It's hard to find 17" tyres that are good in wet and soft terrain! Hate getting bogged!

Is yours FWD or 4Motion ?

I have 4Motion and even with almost worn out road tyres it has very good traction and I'm able to keep up with the Prado infront of me on the unsealed roads through the hills.

Though, the braking in wet is what sends me to the tyre shop.

[lemmiwinks]

Is yours FWD or 4Motion ?

I have 4Motion and even with almost worn out road tyres it has very good traction and I'm able to keep up with the Prado infront of me on the unsealed roads through the hills.

Though, the braking in wet is what sends me to the tyre shop.

It's a FWD. So having good tyres suitable for mud / sand will definitely help in my case.

[thevwbug]

Just had fitted Federal 235/55/17 FD-2. Load rated 103W. Price was $229 each. They are very quiet based upon a first short drive home. Will be interesting to see how they travel.

how are these federals going ?

thanks

[IN2VWS]

Through a mate, I got prices on some new Nankang's.
235/55R17 103V N605 series = $120 each.
Might be giving these a try, as I have only a few thousand k's left on the original Michelins.

[IN2VWS]

I bit the bullet and bought new Nankang tyres last Friday. I'll let you know how they wear.

[Sunny43.5]

I ran Nankangs for about 4 years only had one issue it turned out there was a bad batch and the tyres delaminated but regardless of kays they gave us brand new one free of charge . I currently run federals as there was a supply problem early last year with the Nankangs . Both brand tyres so far have been very good in wet and dry conditions .

[shogun2]

Sorry for the delay in this response. Federals are going great! I am happy with the lack of wear, quietness, and grip. We have a short piece of dirt road near home that I use nearly every weekday, and the van handles this just fine, even when it gets cut up and quite corrugated.

how are these federals going ?

thanks

[Sunny43.5]

Just picked our new rims and tyres today fitted Federals and there was a huge difference , smoother ride which means quieter drive also these are not our first set so I expect them to be as good as previous sets . Now all I have to do is sell the old wheels . Now anyone in the market for some brand new factory wheels and tyres only driven 580 kilometers ???? Will post photos of new wheel tyre combo in daylight and post to T5 project page over the weekend .

[greymad]

Here's a somewhat technical question - answer please preferably from someone who actually knows, rather than mere conjecture.
If all else is the same .. say 235/55 R17 103, but one is speed rated a W and the other a V, just what difference in carcass construction is there to make the difference?