My Fortuner Tyre Upgrade: Continental Cross Contact A/T

[karan561]

What i Like;

- Looks
- Much increased Off Road capabilities
- No compromise on highway mannerisms
- Increased Aquaplaning resistance

What i Don't;

- The tread width seems less than OE (Open shoulder design to blame IMO)
- Deep tread design attracts small stones getting stuck on them









Just love the side wall ridges, does give it so much more rugged look






Looks/Aesthetics;

Transformation can be best phrased as: The day the Fortuner became a TRUCK

This is where the Contis score very well over stock Dunlops & i believe this is the most aggressive tire you can buy in the market today if you are looking for an upgrade for the Fortuner.

The Cross Contacts posses an "Open Shoulder" design (like seen in truck tires).

This design primarily helps in tricky Off road conditions & soft and slippery surfaces.

Also the side wall ridges make the tire look very tough.

A closer look at the tread pattern;



A closer look at the footprint the Fortuner now leaves;



Some WIP pics;





^ I bought these tires for Rs 12,000/Tire from Super Tires (Mulund)

Also traded in my old Punto rims & Tires (Lensos + Yoko es100's );



^ I got Rs 6000/- for the set & hence the final amount was Rs 42,000/-

Conti v/s OE Dunlops;



^ Yes the Cross contacts are taller, in fact i remember at our last OTR expedition BHPian Ahmed measuring them as about an 1" difference.
Shall report on the same very shortly



Myth about Stock OE Dunlops;

Toyota provides Dunlop Grandtrek AT20 as stock fitment on the Fortuners in India & majority in foreign nations too.

The myth / confusing part is the AT20 bit, where people misinterpreted these Dunlops as All Terrain tires, but these are ALL SEASON type, heres are the links for reference;

1) Dunlop Website

2) TireRack Website

Ride Quality;

The ride quality i had been expecting to be going a bit rigid, & yes it did.

Initially after running in a couple of 100 kms i did feel the ride quality magically improving and in the meanwhile the marked improvement was noticed past 500 odd kms of running in where i felt the low speed ride quality was if not better but equally acceptable as the OE Dunlops.

But the turning point was reducing the tire pressure by 1 psi & running 29 psi all round, this significantly turned tables and it surely is the sweet spot for now.

The high speed ride quality remains unchanged.

Also another point i'd like to mention here would be the bumpiness ride which was observed in the OE Dunlops over the bad/uneven patches of broken tarmac is better absorbed with the Contis & hence better performing than the OE's.

Also the noise levels are pretty much on the silent & acceptable side.

Highway Performance;

I have a frequent usage of 2 highways namely the Expressway & the NH8

For people who have used both will know the difference of the road texture as one being smooth tarmac & other being the long lasting concrete type so the vehicle road behavior will be different on these highways & hence here's a comparison of the two;

Mum-Pune Expressway;



^ On Mum-Pune Express way the car behaves predictably well and have not lost any sort of confidence in high speed runs.
High speed "planned" lane changes are a ease and havent tried anything " on the edge yet ".

To quantify speeds of say about 3-3.5k RPM in 5th gear can be handled easily with much confidence though these are AT Tires havent felt any much difference in high speed handling yet.

NH8;



^ The NH8 has always been more joy for me to drive on, than the Expressway specifically because of the smooth tarmac & now 6 lane roads.
Evidently the road grip here is much better because this being TAR road.

Also note this is monsoon time, will get a better judge of the same in pure dry conditions.

Braking;

Technically switching from All Season or Highway type to AT the braking will be going down a bit, but i haven't felt much of a difference yet also i quite frankly haven't tried something stupid yet in terms of testing the brakes for emergency stops, but in practical real world there isn't any noticeable difference.

Aquaplaning Resistance;

The central tread pattern exhibiting deep groves offer very quick water evacuation & the aquaplaning resistance is supreme.

Rough / Gravel Road behavior;



^ This reference image is more like lose gravel n small cement stones which are laid out before laying down fresh tarmac.



On travelling on road such the car has been performing a lot better and the grip offered is truly phenomenal.

Especially the aggressive tread pattern grips such trails very well & one can actually feel the small stones being thrown out through the treads & some violently hitting the wheel well.

Off Road / Trail driving;

This is where the tires stand out & really one major advantage over the OE Dunlops.

For reference i am showing one pic for reference from my recent OTR outing;



^ This was the same slushy patch where most of the Fortuners were stuck & even an Land Rover D4 had got stuck.

With these new tires i crossed this slushy up-slope with ease. I remember i had started in HL mode & also stopped midway to engage LL (& that's the time i clicked this pic) , so after losing momentum also the car picked up without any drama & cleared the patch very smoothly.



^ Also note the tread design is such that it is always pushing & channelizing the mud out & not letting it form a layer on the tire.

Rocky Terrain;



Haven't done much of rock crawling per say but terrain such as this can be such an ease to clear & is certainly confidence inspiring as the tires really feel tough.



^ Sometime you actually want to go over certain rocks just because you can

Thanks for reading !

[unni.ak]

Looks like you got the perfect tires for the Fortuner!! Keep this thread updated on how the tire performs with wear.

[mroptimist]

Hi karan you didn't mention the size of these continental AT's. Are they an upsize or they are in stock size. Do we need to change the rims also in case these are an upsize?

Thanks for starting this thread.

[karan561]

Originally Posted by unni.ak

Looks like you got the perfect tires for the Fortuner!! Keep this thread updated on how the tire performs with wear.

Hey thanks, shall surely keep the regular updates flowing in

Originally Posted by mroptimist

Hi karan you didn't mention the size of these continental AT's. Are they an upsize or they are in stock size.

Thanks for starting this thread.

Hey mroptimist,

Thanks for pointing that out, cant believe i forgot to mention the size

The tires are OE size i.e. 265/65 R17.

Do we need to change the rims also in case these are an upsize?

^ There are a few people who are running an 275/65 upsize on stock rims, but i think anymore tire cant be wrapped safely on the stock size, then the rims would need an upgrade too.

[getsurya]

Hi Karan,

Firstly, thank you for the write up with good pictures. The first picture with your ride in the rain is very good.

The details about the tyre behavior and construct will be very useful for many, who would want to upgrade in near future.

Happy Motoring!

[Guderian]

Originally Posted by karan561

What i Like;

Great report and snaps Karan !
Look forward to regular updates on these tyres so that I know what to go in for when Admiral is right and ready for the change.

[nilanjanray]

Great report Karan, was looking forward to this. So in the short term, everything seems to be fine. Would be interesting to know how these stand up after 20-30000 kms. My Dunlop AT20s have done a decent job over all sorts of terrain, but nowadays they complain a bit in the slush. I will be seriously considering the Continental A/Ts when it is time to replace.

Nice touch about the gear/RPM reference :-)

[karan561]

Originally Posted by getsurya

Hi Karan,

Firstly, thank you for the write up with good pictures. The first picture with your ride in the rain is very good.

Thanks Surya,

I love the 1st snap too, thankfully hadn't have to wait long to capture this shot

Check out another form of the same 1st picture;

Originally Posted by Guderian

Great report and snaps Karan !
Look forward to regular updates on these tyres so that I know what to go in for when Admiral is right and ready for the change.

Thanks Guderian ! Appreciate your comments.

Originally Posted by nilanjanray

Great report Karan, was looking forward to this. So in the short term, everything seems to be fine. Would be interesting to know how these stand up after 20-30000 kms. My Dunlop AT20s have done a decent job over all sorts of terrain, but nowadays they complain a bit in the slush. I will be seriously considering the Continental A/Ts when it is time to replace.

Hey Nilanjan,

Thanks man, i agree so far so good & hoping that they will perform trouble free just like our OE Dunlops.

Originally Posted by nilanjanray

Nice touch about the gear/RPM reference :-)

Ha Ha ... Thanks

[tsk1979]

Good review. I have been using continentals on the safari, and eaten through a couple of sets in the last 80,000kms.
However, I have noticed that these tires a noisy, and braking action on tarmac(esp very smooth tarmac) in wet is not as good as my older Bridgestone HTs. The difference is miniscule, and with such a hard compound, its expected.

That said, I can never think of any other tire on any SUV I buy in future. This tire is the holy grail of the perfect AT tire, and I have done stretches in ladakh which taxis often are wary of doing because the sharp stones cut sidewalls like anything. These tires take everything in their stride except for one flaw.

The deep wide grooves often attract large bolts which can get stuck in the tread. As the tire rotates, these large bolts can puncture the main treat as the tread block acts as a secure holding mechanism as the bold does its work. However, that is to be expected for any true hard core AT/MT tire.

[karan561]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

Good review. I have been using continentals on the safari, and eaten through a couple of sets in the last 80,000kms.
However, I have noticed that these tires a noisy, and braking action on tarmac(esp very smooth tarmac) in wet is not as good as my older Bridgestone HTs. The difference is miniscule, and with such a hard compound, its expected.

Thanks tsk,

Special thanks to you as your review here for the Cross Contacts on your Safari was really confidence inspiring in my decision making process

Originally Posted by tsk1979

That said, I can never think of any other tire on any SUV I buy in future. This tire is the holy grail of the perfect AT tire, and I have done stretches in ladakh which taxis often are wary of doing because the sharp stones cut sidewalls like anything. These tires take everything in their stride except for one flaw.

Considering your vast experience & knowledge those words will truly help other SUV owners to consider the Continental Cross Contact A/T for an upgrade.

Originally Posted by karan561

What i Don't;

- Deep tread design attracts small stones getting stuck on them

Originally Posted by tsk1979

The deep wide grooves often attract large bolts which can get stuck in the tread. As the tire rotates, these large bolts can puncture the main treat as the tread block acts as a secure holding mechanism as the bold does its work. However, that is to be expected for any true hard core AT/MT tire.

Here is an reference pic of the same for others to notice;

[columbus]

Karan

Thanks for the wonderful report on cross contacts. My dunlops at 40K kms are still going strong even after 2 ladkah trips and 1 kinnaur trip which included the likes of chushul and zanskar sectors. But continentals appears to be a better and economical alternative.
My main concern on conti's was the high speed performance but you have so beautifully laid it to rest by the 5th gear 3.5K rpm combination .

Please do let us know in time the wear pattern after 20-30K kms.

[karan561]

Originally Posted by columbus

Karan

Thanks for the wonderful report on cross contacts. My dunlops at 40K kms are still going strong even after 2 ladkah trips and 1 kinnaur trip which included the likes of chushul and zanskar sectors. But continentals appears to be a better and economical alternative.

Hey columbus,

I changed my tires at about 37k kms, i am sure there was atleast 25% life left on them.

My main concern on conti's was the high speed performance but you have so beautifully laid it to rest by the 5th gear 3.5K rpm combination

Thanks, currently due to monsoons the highway driving has been all on wet road conditions, im sure in dry conditions will be better too.

Please do let us know in time the wear pattern after 20-30K kms.

Considering these are slightly harder compound and AT tires they should have life more than Dunlops

[Monaro CV8]

Nice review Karan!

And most of all, we were witness to see these tyres perform during our recent Off Road trip.
I reckon these are not the best of the shoes if one wants to do donuts.

BTW,
We still have to figure out the 1" difference in the OD from stock Dunlops.
Any theories?

[SDP]

Karan,
Very good upgrade and even better review.
Love your attention to details which is clearly visible in the number of photos.

Thanks for sharing.

[karan561]

Originally Posted by Monaro CV8

Nice review Karan!
And most of all, we were witness to see these tyres perform during our recent Off Road trip.
I reckon these are not the best of the shoes if one wants to do donuts.

Thanks Monaro,

Regarding the donuts, yeah man, very true. In that slush pit i was just like doing back to back U - Turns and not exactly donuts

Here's a pic of the same for the rest of the BHPians for reference;

Originally Posted by Monaro CV8

BTW,
We still have to figure out the 1" difference in the OD from stock Dunlops.
Any theories?

They are taller as Ahmed had pointed out, lets check it tomorrow & report back.

Originally Posted by SDP

Karan,
Very good upgrade and even better review.
Love your attention to details which is clearly visible in the number of photos.

Thanks for sharing.

Hi SDP,

Thanks for the kind words