Tyre choice of the RTW traveller
 

Hi everyone

just wondering what your opinions are on the best tyre choice for a RTW trip? I recon driving will be mainly road or gravel tracks with a bit of sand and maybe some mud, so really I need a jack of all trades. I'm currently running 7.50 R16 XCL's on the original 5.5 rims, bit too aggressive and soft walled I reckoned, but I don't really want to waste the rims. Talking to the tyre salesmen they recon that on my rims a BFG AT will be what I need, but I thought that the sizes they came in were all too wide for my rims? Also some have suggested a colway AT remould which they recon has the same pattern as a BFG AT, (and they are very cheap, but why!!!!!). However reading the HUBB most LR drivers seem to like the XZY'S, but I thought they were designed for trucks and seem to be like rocking horse poo to find new? WOW I am very confused if anyone could give me a poke in the right direction I would be eternally grateful.

Cheers

Jason

We went for the BFG AT

Size 245/70/16

Standard diameter so no wories with the spedo, 245 as it is not too big but bigenough for the soft stuff.

we found the G90 or the Mich a bit too aggressive for a RTW trip as the majority of the driving was on the road. but the tubless BFG's are more resistant to punctures. also getting 70's are a standard size so if we have to get another make the size will match, rather than a 65/75.

Hi Jason,

let us know what what vehicle are you driving ?

cheers
Grif

Jason,

The answer is simple - because remuoulds are crap. Consider the tried and tested solutions, like Michelin. You can't go wrong with the AT pattern. Your rim size is a liability, but steel rims are cheap as dirt, so why bother with 5.5's?

Sorry about that guys, I'm driving a Defender 110 with a Perkins engine Nestled under the bonnet, so the front is a bit heaver than usual so the springs have been beefed up a bit and it sits higher up than a standard 110, but still runs on the original rims.

I see what you mean about the BFG, I have heard that they are the best and looking at Tom Shepard’s book that’s what he suggests for my kind of travelling, but..... It’s just the price, I need 6 of the bloody things, I did get a quote which made my heart miss a beat which was from silverline which was £800!!!! For 6 BFG AT tyres on steel rims and he chucked in a batch of locking wheel nuts. At the time I thought that was expensive but after looking around it seems that is the going rate. Now, I don't want to sound tight (even if I am from Yorkshire) but that was way more than I wanted to spend, any ideas how I could get the best for less? or I am still intrigued by the ex mod XZY's, mainly because they are cheap, but also because after looking around the forum there seems to have been quite a few people who swear by them. I mean am I really barking up the wrong tree trying to find XZY's? Are they no better than remoulds? While on that subject, what makes remoulds so bad? I know they don't last as long but apparently they are weight rated at something like 9 tons and the nice salesman who wanted me to buy them said.... they are just as good as BFG since they have the same pattern (but I imagine sidewall strength is variable at best).

Wow I didn't think I had so many questions in me, sorry about the masses of text but as you can see I am still confused so any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

Jason

I was very happy with my Goodyear Wrangler MT/R (attention : NOT the AT/R !) 235 / 85 R 16 (which is roughly the same size as a 7.50 16), which fitted perfectly on my Defender 110. Excellent in the mud, fairly good on rocks, decent although a bit noisy on sealed roads, good grip even on wet tarmac, good fast piste runner. Never even had a puncture. They suffered a bit through Northern Kenya - but I've never seen a tyre that didn't suffer in that environment.

Good luck,

Cedric

Hi Jason,
With a Defender id stick with 7.50/16 or 235 85 16 size - maybe not as easy to get hold of in Asia (UAZ/GAZ uses 6.50/16 or 225 75 16) but will keep your gearing about right and give you more ground clearance over a smaller tyre - this size is easier to get everywhere else though IMO.

The XZY is a perfectly good tyre - very tough - when it gets slippy it is not so good though IMO

If you are heading to South America as part of your trip I would go with either Michelin XZLs, BFG Mud Terrains or as Cedric mentions, the Goodyear MT/R a very good tyre also with a good sidewall.........if not then maybe with the BFG All Terrains.

Remoulds are cheap yes, and they have got better - though I have had a remould come apart whilst driving...a good few years ago...this is an area where its not worth skimping on (Im a tight Dorsetman!) - save some money somewhere else - the difference between spending a lot of time with problems and having to replace things or piece of mind...

The BFG Mud/XZL/MT/R are a lot tougher than the BFG A/T , (the Muds my choice) - though a bit noiser and not such good grip on asphalt, when you hit some mud you will be glad you have them, they also last...I got nigh on 100,000 miles out of a set of BFG Muds...that for me is value for money.......

Have a look on ebay - you might find some take offs- just make sure you go and look at the tyres and inspect for damage before buying anything.
To be honest 6 tyres on rims for 800 quid is not bad - tyres are about 100 quid a pop...so yeah bite the bullet........

Tubeless is the way to go with these tyres...though take a few tubes to use if you rip a hole.

Cheers
Grif

I run 265/75/16 BFG MTS - tried the BFG ATs before but wasn't that impressed - didn't seem that great on anything and definitely not good on Mud. Also stuck to standard sizing for a while on the basis that you can get them everywhere but if you are carrying two spares then its unlikely you will be buying more. Find the wider tyre works well with a heavily loaded fairly tall 110. All down to personal choice but BFG MTs got us through the length of Africa really well. (Oh wouldn't put too much store in the set of free locking wheel nuts - an african with a chiesel and hammer will take them off in under a minute for the set, just like they take any other nut off).

Hi Toby
I too find the 265 BFG A/T too wide in mud - we had a set on the Disco when we bought it and ive used them on a mates Defender - you just skate around if its slippy, with hardly any steering - the narrower 235s work a lot better on a Defender or similar.

I now use 245/75 16 BFG A/ts on the Disco in the Summer - perfect for it (correct gearing and 9 inches of ground clearance) and they bite in better so you can steer in the slippy stuff !

Im currently on 265/75 16 Muds on the Defender too - will change to 235s BFG Muds for the next trip - the same height as the 265s - but im in a fairly lightly packed 90 - and I will be putting one on the bonnet so Id rather be able to see !

Cheers
Grif

Another vote for BFG M/T's. If your 110 is tall and heavy, you'll feel the benefit of 265's or 255's (although they have their downsides too).

If you want to save some cash: don't buy 6, buy 5 - it's probably all you'll need!

Stay standard
 

7.50 R16.

Having done a lot of overlanding, including a London-Sydney, the ONLY tyres you find easily are the standard ones.

Your risk otherwise is having to run different tyres across an axle - which is NOT good!

Pick a good quality brand, biased road and off-road (although pure road will do you fine - your RTW will be 98% tarmac!).

Sam.

750/16 Michelin XZL - stronger and better just more expensive.

You can find new sets on Fleabay though for 1/3 to 1/2 the stealer price. BY the time you get to nairobi I'll have a couple of spares available!

go to vass ltd in ampthill near bedford, the have all the military surplus tyres, XCL, XZL, XZY ABC etc!! they are £40-50 for new and nearly new and they may even throw the rims in too!!

Tyre choice
 

On my overland trip - London to Cape Town - we set off with Mich XZY's, excellent tyre, they lasted until Kenya - where we lost two in a very short period both shredded so no way of telling the cause - but they were part worn when we set off - would not hesitate to use them again.

My other tyre of choice would be BFG AT's or MT's - both very good tyres and possibly better then XZY's on wet tarmac which seems to be one of the Mich's weak points.

Chris

Luckily, the poor state of most roads and the fact that you're lugging nearly 3000kg around Africa, severely limits one's speed! Europe and SA are really the only places you can safely achieve potentially dangerous speeds on wet tarmac!

Hi Jeremy,

I've had my 80 sideways several time going around roundabouts, pulling out at junctions, etc in the wet due to the crappy Wrangler MTRs - I have found them pretty useless on the road as well as in mud.


Going back to the RTW question, at the end of the day your life will depend on the quality of your tyres, it is one of several areas you should never skimp on.

If you can, see if you can find some BFG Traction tyres - they are a cross between the BFG ATs and then BFG MTs and are well suited to LRs. Failing that go for the BFG ATs

Hi Jules! A roundabout in Cirencester is hardly comparable to the roads in Northern Kenya!

Anyway, why settle for second best? BFG are Michelin's cheap and cheerful consumer brand. Buy XZL or XZYs - both the British and Kenyan Armies use the XZL.

Quick Question
 

Can any explain the difference between XZYs and XZLs?

Thanks

Do I read a contradiction in there?
Anyway. There's planny of tar between europe and SA, sometimes even pretty good tar where you'll find yourself driving at speeds around or in excess of 100kph. That's where good tires matter. More than in sand or mud if you ask me. (things going wrong at 100kph on wet tarred african road tend to be much much worse then getting stuck and having to dig for 16 hours with your bare hands (or reversing out and giving it another try))

I used BfGoodridge AT's 225/75 R16 on my disco for trans africa. Reading the above tread this would be not more then a mediocre tire in the wrong size. I got stuck once, this was going cross country when suddenly the front sunk in the mud with the car resting on the bashplate and the front axle. I don't believe that any sort of mud tire would have made a difference in this situation.

And then I punctured a side wall on a sharp rock that I hit at about 80 kph on a tar road in Angola (that was after nearly 30.000 km on the road). When I hit that rock I knew I was gonna blow the tire. My fault really.

I have no experience with the other tires, but I'm quite confident that a set of BFG AT's will bring you there, and back if needed. And they're quite a bit cheaper then the MT's, which in there turn are quite a bit cheaper then the michelins.

I guess in the end it's really about what you want to spend on it, where I believe that the BFG AT's are a pretty good deal for the money, the michelins might be better, but at a price, and if you don't want, there's no reason to pay that price.

Enjoy!

XZY is a road biased truck tyre.
XZL is a off road biased tyre.

I've had Dunlop Grandtreks, Pirrelli Scorpion ATs, BFG ATs and finally the XZLs and, personally, I have been most happy with the XZL's. I hear that the BFG's are good but am unwilling to go back.

I also hear that the BFG MT is a bit softer than the AT so will wear faster. The XZLs will wear faster than the XZY but are better in Kenya's black cotton soils. At the end of the day it's a matter of personal preference, maybe I'm old fashioned but I just think that BFG's are a bit too bling for me!

Hi Ollie,

Difference between XZY and XZL

The main difference is that the load rating (121L / 14 ply) of the 7.50 size XZY is greater than a 235 or 8.25 XZL (which I think is 108N / 8 ply). The XZY is a skinnier tyre but can accept heavier loads than the various wider XZL's. XZY's are designed for road and site work and are Michelins recommended third world off/on road tyre for trucks. XZL's are more of a short distance off road flotation type tyre with a range of pressure ability to choose from, better in mud and sand but not so durable (softer compound) and with lower loading abilities, and consequently more damage prone. A friend who bought a set of XZL's in 7.50 size said they wear very fast, in less than 10k miles, which makes sense as they are softer.

You can speak to Michelins technical department - they are very helpful.

For your trip I would say stick with XZY's or maybe BFG M/T's if you fancy something wider.

BTW tubes coming soon...!!!!

Andrew.

True, but wet tarmac is wet tarmac, wherever you are in the world.

If you can easily spin on wet tarmac on the Cirencester bypass when unloaded, what is it going to be like when fully loaded on a wet tarmac road in Africa.

OK, you won't get the roundabouts in most of Africa, but having to suddently change direction on wet tarmac when in a fully loaded 4x4 you need to be confident in your tyres as you dodge that local/livestock/vehicle.

On that basis you are far better off with an AT pattern over an MT pattern.

For the average overlander the amount of time they are likely to come across a situation where MTs are an advantage will be a fraction of the time when the ATs are an advantage.

True, true...

Coming back to the XZL / XZY thing: A 750/16 XZL is the same width as a 750/16 XZY which are both near as damnit to 235/85.

(Although a word of warning: a 750/16 rim will fit on a 5 1/2 to 6 1/2 inch rim but a 235/85 uses a 6 incher)

The 750/16 XZL is a 116N tyre, ie: max load per tyre is 1250kg & the max speed rating is 140kmh.

The XZY a 122L: 1500kg & 120kmh.

As to the plies I thought the XZL was 10 ply and the XZY was 12.

Michelin acrually does a small booklet of "4x4 tyre fitments, pressures and tech data" which is a really good piece of reference material. You should be able to get it free from your local Mich dealer (although it says £5 on the back).

Good afternoon

Well I have made my purchase....... I pretty much decided on XZY's, mainly for the side wall strength and the fact that they seem to be pretty widely used by military and plenty of over Landers. I actually purchased 6 of them on rims the other week, got a bit of a deal on them as it happens. They were used tyres but 4 looked as if they had never seen tarmac, they were on pristine 1ton, wide rims, got them off Crook Brothers in Preston. The guy there reckoned they had come off an armoured land rover in northern Ireland, managed to get all 6 for £400. They guy there specialises in ex-MOD land rover gear and is extremely helpful and competativly priced. He was talking about a few people he'd sent off to south Africa overland in 101's with XZY tyres and he reckoned they never had a puncture all the way. I know he was selling, but from what I've heard about these tyres I can believe him.

Anyway thank you all very much for your advice and I'll post an update when we get back to tell you all how they faired.

Cheers

Jason

Glad you made that decision - I don't think you'll be disapointed - I look forward to seeing you in Kenya or Zim some day. If you see a Zebra striped Toyota parked up on the hard shoulder and a fat bloke with a beer in his hand - that'll probably be me!

Go well