[Harbir]

I went with the LT215/75 R15. I have some regrets about that. I should have paid attention that the 215/75 size was LT. Should have gone with the 205/70. Not happy about the LT designation, which is a Light Truck size, so designed for load carrying, especially of no use with the Gypsy which is so light, and likely costs me something in terms of ride, handling and feel in exchange for the higher load rating, of which I have no need.

But I suppose the LT should retain a high load capacity even at low pressures, so perhaps thats a potential upside.....

[Hondaism]

@desertfox - Are you based out of India? If yes, then is Toyo planning to launch in India sometime soon ?

While I am in agreement with the highway and desert driving recommended PSI, however I guess for hard surface offroading also the PSI should be decreased by 5-10 PSI depending on the vehicle and rocks in the terrain.

[Spinnerr]

Originally Posted by desertfox

...
Normal 80 % highway driving - 2 psi lesser than recommended

One downside I find with running 2psi lesser than recommended within the city is, the tyres heat up pretty fast. The TPMS shows a bump in psi in the first 30-40 mins of driving.

I now have them inflated at 38psi (recommended 36psi), and seem to be ok. While experimenting to find the most suitable inflation level, I had hit 40psi, kept it at that level for a week.

I must say, it was the best in terms of driveability (having moved from Michelin Latitude Tour to BFG KO2, stand still, slow speed turns are not as smooth as earlier), on visual inspection, it did not seem to be over-inflated, the side walls still had the little flex. But was not too confident to ride on the higher side, reduced it down to 38.

The vehicle here is a Jeep Grand Cherokee, running 265/60 R18, now running on BFG KO2 in Doha.

[ringoism]

Just found these at Bara Hindu Rao in Delhi (under the flyover not far from Pul Bangash metro station):



They are supposedly 6-plys and if so wouldn't ride too awfully rough; around 32" diameter and really aggressive as you can see which should be able to really pull through mud better than just about anything other than NDMS / Maxxis Trepador/Buckshot (at much higher price).

No warranty, shop owner was unwilling to really promote them very strenuously, says it's a new product and not much experience with it.

Having "Buckshot" and "F78-16" (old American sizing, very inaccurate in this case) molded in small print on the sidewall, it's obvious these are pure desi, but at Rs3750/piece it might seem worth a try for someone doing more pure offroad and not really needing anything highway-worthy.

For anyone interested, Harjinder Singh (Lucky) @(011)23671223, 9212004848; or citytyre.traders@gmail.com

As for me:

Wrestled for a long time trying to decide what would work for the Marshal, as the original 6x16's were on their way out and while fine for hill driving really wandered around (as cross-plys are wont to do) pretty scarily on expressways.

Earlier in this same area in Delhi had discovered an importer of second-hand winter tyres, presumably from the EU/Japan or other places where the government mandates their fitment during winter months and also their disposal after something like three seasons, after which they presumably feel the rubber would've hardened to the point of being a bit less effective on ice.

So here's what you should be able to get for around Rs2,500-3,000 per tyre:



205-85-16 LT (light truck) load-rated, Japan-manufactured Bridgestone Blizzaks, these ones being a Japan-only model number, so proprietor probably not lying when he told me that's where they get them. Around 30" in diameter - not much different from the 6x16's - an inch or more of extra width, but not so wide as to foul much with the fenders when mounted on wider-than-stock Scorpio steel rims (I really do need to get the springs re-arched, though). A taxi-wallah I know in Delhi claims that these imported winter tyres are not especially suited to highways in the plains, where I'm assuming the combination of extreme road-surface heat, soft compound, and a large amount of siping makes heat-dissipation difficult, and they start falling apart. The apparent consensus amongst taxi-wallahs that tyres should be DEFLATED for high-speed use (which is absolutely "ulta") probably doesn't help either. I don't expect any issues up here in the hills, and they did fine at 80-95kmph on the way up yesterday, very heavily loaded, in the present cooler weather.



Good thing about the siping is that they did seem to pull nicely through the bit of mud and snow we encountered on the way up. Will test further, as it is snowing again today, just as it was last evening. Tread design doesn't look aggressive but actually has many hundreds of little edges to help grip various surfaces. Supposed to be good in rain, not noisy. Soft compound, so lifespan is questionable, but as can be seen these are in practically new condition and the casing design seems well-suited to remoulding, having rather square shoulders.

Date codes on these particular ones are 2013, tyres as new as 2016 can be found there. Too early to recommend them, but in our case not many options: shorter/narrower/more expensive 195-85 Tata Spacio highway-tread tyres, shorter-wider-more-than-double the cost 235-70-16 Scorpio/Thar Bridgestones, or the skinny, hard, tractor-application MRF/JK crossplys that would've cost about rs7,000+/pr in H.P. True mudder 31x10.50-15's and the like can sometimes be had for under 7,000/each in metro tyre markets, but then more issues with body clearance, police/inspection authorities, etc, and lower FE, higher noise, and again about double the money.

Eager to see how these hold up / perform over the longer run, but at rs13,000 for five, I don't see it as a huge risk.

-Eric

[ringoism]

Originally Posted by Harbir

I'll get the Geolandar AT as the default option, but frankly I don't like this tyre. I have it on both my Pajero SFX and my Montero and it has proved on both vehicles to be too prone to cuts and punctures.

A friend in Central Gov't service had them mounted on his Thar and happily headed out from Delhi on his long-awaited dream-tour of Kinnaur (his ancestral home), Spiti, and Manali via Rohtang in H.P. Three punctures later and still far from completing the course, he was disgusted, besides being stranded in the middle of nowhere, dream holiday thoroughly ruined.

The old 6x16 crossplys on the Marshal went about seven years (incl. a heavily loaded Spiti/Kinnaur excursion and several others) with only one puncture. Very comforting being that my wife drives it almost daily.

-Eric

[pedrolourenco]

Any suggestions for some really cheap AT tyres for a Gypsy? I have gone through the entire thread but new brands keep coming up so willing to do a bit of experimentation.

[pedrolourenco]

Anyone tried out Ultra Mile Tyres?

http://www.ultramile.in/products1.php

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNOgJFLnATA

[Bump-Stop]

The Maxxis India website details 30x9.5 R15 sizes for MT , but any dealer I ask around says the size isn't available. Didn't get a reply to an enquiry I sent to Maxxis.

Can anyone shed some light on this?

[TaurusAl]

For my Thar, I am deciding between
10J rims Yokohama 265 AT
Vs
8J rims Yokohama 235 AT

Can anyone tell me what will be the Pros and Cons ? 10J will obviously look massive, but not able the decide as the costs difference on the rubber is massive too.

[The King]

Originally Posted by TaurusAl

For my Thar, I am deciding between
10J rims Yokohama 265 AT
Vs
8J rims Yokohama 235 AT

Can anyone tell me what will be the Pros and Cons ? 10J will obviously look massive, but not able the decide as the costs difference on the rubber is massive too.

Stay away from Yokohama Geolanders, too much soft side wall, very prone to puncture. Go for Falken Wildpeak 235/70 R16 or 255/65 R16 with 8J rims max. Bigger diameter tyres then these will decrease your acceleration to almost dead cow and will also make your vehicle to climb inclines very difficult.

[TaurusAl]

Originally Posted by The King

Stay away from Yokohama Geolanders, too much soft side wall, very prone to puncture. Go for Falken Wildpeak 235/70 R16 or 255/65 R16 with 8J rims max. Bigger diameter tyres then these will decrease your acceleration to almost dead cow and will also make your vehicle to climb inclines very difficult.

I am looking at 15 inch rims for better cushioning. What configuration you suggest in that case ? Do 15 inch 10J will also hamper the acceleration ?

I am too keen on 8J shodded with 235 - 255, but confused, so kindly advise.

[The King]

Originally Posted by TaurusAl

I am looking at 15 inch rims for better cushioning. What configuration you suggest in that case ? Do 15 inch 10J will also hamper the acceleration ?

I am too keen on 8J shodded with 235 - 255, but confused, so kindly advise.

Its not the rims which will hamper acceleration, unless you are going for the heavy army rims or heavy steel rims, its the overall tyre diameter for Thar which must remain within 28" to 30" at the max, anything bigger than that will cause the sluggish pickup.

15" rim size is very good for comfy ride, stick to 8J width. You have loads of choices with 255/70 R15 size AT from Maxxis/Apollo/Continental/Cooper.

[dhanushs]

Originally Posted by TaurusAl

Do 15 inch 10J will also hamper the acceleration ? .

The problem with 10J rims are that if your tyre is not wide enough, you will scrape your rims in rocks and sidewalk. In slush, if there is not enough air, muck will enter in between the rims and tyre and you’ll lose air.

[DirtyDan]

Originally Posted by TaurusAl

For my Thar, I am deciding between
10J rims Yokohama 265 AT
Vs
8J rims Yokohama 235 AT

Can anyone tell me what will be the Pros and Cons ? 10J will obviously look massive, but not able the decide as the costs difference on the rubber is massive too.

If you want an excellent all-around tyre Michelin LTX comes in Thar size

235/70/r16. I have had several sets of these over the years. They are round,
they have good sidewalls, they are steel-belted and, even though the tread pattern is not impressive to the eye, it gives pretty good traction particularly in the snow. It has a lot of gripping edges. Good longevity, too.

[Abhimanyu88]

Hi friends, need some advice and help. I'm looking to buy 255-265 / 70 - 75 R16 MT or aggressive looking At tyres. Not looking to spend too much on them, maximum I want to spend is 6k per tyre, what do you guys reccommend/suggest? Thanks in advance for your help