BF Goodrich - Mud Terrain's
 

Well,
If your setting off on a trip from UK to Cape Town, what tyres would you fit.
I don't plan on too much 'off road' and I would generally stick to the 'tried and tested routes'
I have'nt concidered which rout yet.

My dilema is, I have 17 inch wheels, (No option to go to 16 inch rims) and I have a new BF Goodrich All Terrains fitted.
Should I keep them on, or should I continue yo look for BFG Muds?

These are the BFG A/T in event people don't know

http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u...er_3/BFGAT.jpg

Stick with what you have got. I think the BFG MTs are great and I've been running them for several years including trans Africa on our 110 after switching from the ATs. I think the MTs are a better all round tyre. That said, it doesn't justify changing from your ATs if they are new. The ATs are good, you will be fine on the route and lots of others use the ATs with no problem. To switch would be a waste of money, better saving it and spending it on the trip.

Thank you Toby for a sensible answer.

I had read that the BFG A/T were generally a very good 'all purpose tyre'

The run from UK to Cape Town will most likley be tarmac for 80% of the way at least.

Not quite sure what the remainder will be like, probably gravel ?

Italy, Tunisia, Egypt etc.

AT s will be better in Sand (and snow but that probably doesn't affect you), so I'd probably stick with what you have.

I'd rather be more concerned with the availability of 17 inch tyres in African tyre shops than the thread pattern.

A/Ts are fine
 

Stick with the A/Ts. They're the better all round choice. Ran my 120 for 150,00km on A/Ts and they've coped fine. Best for tarmac, best for sand, great on pistes, drive assertively on mud!

Jojo

hello every one,

Well, after posting the same Q on several forums, I have had the 'Keep the BFG A/T' answer more than once.

There was also the Cooper SST, which does sound attractive.

So,

I will keep the BFG A/T on.
My spare is brand new, which lives on the back door of my Land Cruiser prado (120)
I will buy another 17 inch rim, and also put a new BGF A/T on that also.
I will mount that in the space under the rear, where some of the prado's (120) have their spare wheel.

So, with new tyres, and 2 spares, I should (fingers crossed hope) to be OK.
Maybe a puncture repair or 3 along the way.

From all the feedback, I feel the BFG A/T will do me proud.

'vette

Keep 'em
 

I would also go with the A/T if it means you only have to buy 1 more. Something to keep in mind if you carry 2 spares, always rotate your tyres. Not only do you get to use all of them before they go brittle from sitting in the sun for a few years, but you also tend to get more mileage from the whole set. I always rotate mine between 6,000km and 8,000km, and i always rotate left back to front right and right back to front left with the tyres coming from the front having a bit of a 'rest'. Making sure your tyre pressures and alignment is spot on always helps with prolonging tyre life too.

STT are very good and a tyre of choice in Oz. The Mickey Thompson MTZ Baja also have a VERY good reputation in Oz, personally my tyre of choice. They are a dedicated mud tyre, however they are really good in the wet on tarmac and very quiet. We've done about 40,000km so far from Oz to London and doind another 40,000km or so to cape Town. We should be able to do this with our set of 6.

BFG's?
 

IMHO you can’t go wrong with the BFG’s.

Getting a puncture repair kit seems a good idea though. My only puncture (away from a nearby tyre depot) was fixed with a DIY kit quicker than you could have swooped a wheel over. Still OK 12 months on. They are illegal in the UK though so maybe the same for you.

puncture repair
 

Yes, you must get some "sticky string". Excellent for puncture repair - don't need to take tyre off rim - quick & easy!

Tried the "gunk in tyres" method. Worked fine until I lost a balance weight. Tyre fitters couldn't balance the wheel because of the gunk, so ended up washing it out.

Jojo

uk_vette, you've had some advice here with which I heartily agree. The ATs will not only do fine, you'll get measurably better fuel economy and tread life. I lost a half-mile per gallon on my petrol FJ40 when I switched from ATs to MTs.

Do get a plug kit, which will often enable you to repair a simple puncture without even removing the wheel from the vehicle. And get a good compressor. With a reliable and fast compressor, you can not only effect your own repairs, but also properly air down your tires for soft sand.

Out of interest why can 16" rims not be fitted - is it a caliper fouling issue or something else? If you want I can take our 120 Prado and play with a few rims we have lying around...
Gil

Basically, what everyone else says... ATs are fine.

We did 30,000 mi from London to Cape Town (East route) and between 6 tyres they were probably only slightly more than half worn.

Only one puncture and that was a nail - easily fixed with a plug. Buy a repair kit off ebay, they are illegal in the UK so hard to get hold of.

You'll be on tar up to 90% of the way depending on how many back road excursions you do. The rest will be a mix of gravel, sand, mud, depending on season. Beware the hard volcanic rock they use on the road in Ethiopia will take little "bites" out of your tyres, the faster you go the worse this is.

Mike

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Hi Gil,

I have read on the Australian forums, that the 17 inch prado rims have to stay.
It is possible to fit 16 inch, however, this means taking a disc grinder to the caliper.
Not too serious, as I believe the part of the caliper casting to be ground down, is the part where the 2 halfs of the caliper are 'cast' together.
From looking at images, it looks reasonably safe.
I just shudder at the thought of a disc grinder to the calipers, and grinding some meat off.
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Welcome to Land Cruiser Owners On Line

What!
 

That sounds like trouble to me, I would'nt take that chance, I've done some crazy things with car parts but I think thats where I would draw the line...