Overland Tyre choice.

[Pacey]

Really as title says,

I'm planning on going through Europe up to the top in to Russia, Mongolia and back in to deepest darked east Russia.

So the terrain from what I can see is going to be Road and desert with the mud here and there.

I was looking at something like the XZY but unless im looking in the wrong places they seem to have vanished form existence. If this is so, what should I be looking at as substitute?

Thanks

[GBMUD]

I have seen Michelin XZLs trumpeted as the No.1 overland tyre. I am sure you will get as many different suggestions as you get replies though.

Chris

[keithjh]

Really as title says,

I'm planning on going through Europe up to the top in to Russia, Mongolia and back in to deepest darked east Russia.

So the terrain from what I can see is going to be Road and desert with the mud here and there.

I was looking at something like the XZY but unless im looking in the wrong places they seem to have vanished form existence. If this is so, what should I be looking at as substitute?

Thanks

I used to run XZYs on the 90, excellent but on the Disco i use BFG A/T also excellent.

Keith

[Diff]

Really as title says,

I'm planning on going through Europe up to the top in to Russia, Mongolia and back in to deepest darked east Russia.

So the terrain from what I can see is going to be Road and desert with the mud here and there.

I was looking at something like the XZY but unless im looking in the wrong places they seem to have vanished form existence. If this is so, what should I be looking at as substitute?

Thanks

You used to be able to get Michelin XZY new take offs from VASS in Ampthill Bedfordshire. Have a look here:

http://www.vass.co.uk/specials.asp?TyreID=...9-18C3EB2BB769}

Regards,

Diff

[Pacey]

Thank you very much for the link.

[leeds]

I use BFG M/T 255/85/R16 and find them a good all round tyre.

Two points for travelling, set off with new or nearly new tyres. Also get a good compressor. If you can reinflate all 4 tyres in around 10 minutes start to finish then you are more likely to be willing to deflate as ground conditions dictate.

Regards

Brendan

[Exmoor Beast]

I use the same size BFG MTs as Brendan but for travelling any distance to somewhere remote I'd swap them to 235/85x16s or 7.50x16s as the chances of finding replacements on route is better if you wreck one.

A sensible head says BFG ATs for better road manners but I use BFG MTs day in day out on the 110, done several 400mile days in them and they aren't too noisey or unpredictable on the road so I'd probably go with the same again. At 50,000miles a set they will cope with most journeys, I think I have only once damaged a tyre beyond use in the last 3 sets I have had and that was from a screw.

I have known BFG ATs do 60,000miles, the last set we had on the Discovery we had for a couple of years so probably 30,000miles or so and we sold them on for £300 with loads of tread left.

Will

[soutie]

I used the avon range master 8 ply when overlanding from the Uk to South Africa. Only down side was using tubes which did mean puntures. I did change to BFG in South Africa after suffering more punctures only to have shreds taken out of them in Namibia. This was the same as friends who were with us in Ethiopia. When camping in Sudan we met a lot of travelers coming up Africa who had BFG AT's on who had to change them in Sudan after the Kenyan and Ethiopian roads had ripped them to shreds.

I think they are good tyres but a bit soft.

By the way the Avon's coped in the Sarah desert quite well when in both Tunsia and Lybia.

Peter

[BogMonster]

Much as I like them, as said BFG ATs are soft and don't last too well on gravel roads, with mixed use (tarmac, concrete and gravel roads) I got about 24K out of my last set on the Discovery and with about 40k now showing on the vehicle the current ones are well down though I should get to 50k before I need to change them. Another good tyre, the Grabber AT2, also doesn't last brilliantly on gravel, I have those on my Ranger and while I like them and will be getting some more, I've done about 24000km on them and the rears are just about had it.

This type of wear would be very relevant to overlanding use I would think - speed + gravel with a "complicated" AT pattern leads to a lot of chunking and rubber loss as the gravel chippings chew into the tyre around the sipes.

The Michelin XZYs last for ages they are just bloody awful in every other respect. Somebody I knew who used to run them on a work vehicle a few years ago commented that after 40k miles they hadn't worn out but he wished they would so he could get something else

[jules]

The Michelin XZYs last for ages they are just bloody awful in every other respect. Somebody I knew who used to run them on a work vehicle a few years ago commented that after 40k miles they hadn't worn out but he wished they would so he could get something else

I couldn't agree more I found the same with XCL's

[leeds]

Much as I like them, as said BFG ATs are soft and don't last too well on gravel roads, with mixed use (tarmac, concrete and gravel roads) I got about 24K out of my last set on the Discovery and with about 40k now showing on the vehicle the current ones are well down though I should get to 50k before I need to change them.

Interesting comment about BFG ATs being soft. Soft in comparison to BFG M/Ts? I get about 50k miles on M/Ts with very mixed use.

So is difference in wear due to tread pattern, soft/hardness of rubber compound or it is driving style/useage?

Has there been any significate change in BFG tyre production?

Regards

Brendan

[Lars L]

Here's what others have said: http://www.destoop.com/trip/1%20PREPARATIO...on/XZY_page.htm

I got myself a set from Vass a while ago. Intended mainly for ordinary road use (mostly tarmac and occasional gravel). I find them good enough for my use, the roll resistance seems to be less than the Cooper STs I had before. But they follow the worn grooves in our roads... When going to the local grocery shop I don't have to steer anymore, they follow the grooves like a train.

They are also surprisingly good offroad in the glop. I tested a while ago at a meet where several others got stuck in the mud while I simply sailed through. But that might be because of my extremely skilful driving. And lowered tyre pressure.

[leeds]

Here's what others have said: http://www.destoop.com/trip/1%20PREPARATIO...on/XZY_page.htm

I got myself a set from Vass a while ago. Intended mainly for ordinary road use (mostly tarmac and occasional gravel). I find them good enough for my use, the roll resistance seems to be less than the Cooper STs I had before. But they follow the worn grooves in our roads... When going to the local grocery shop I don't have to steer anymore, they follow the grooves like a train.

They are also surprisingly good offroad in the glop. I tested a while ago at a meet where several others got stuck in the mud while I simply sailed through. But that might be because of my extremely skilful driving. And lowered tyre pressure.

Interesting look at that link and you get technical spec of

TYRE SPECIFICATIONS

C : Buttressed shoulders with offset block design to promote soft soil mobility and protect the sidewalls.

B : cut and chip resistant compounding for increased durability.

A : Pronounced groove angles to avoid stone retention and drilling.

Size : 7.50R16

Revs per mile : 655

Maximum speed : 65 mph

Maximum weight per axle at PSI 35 : 1320 kg

Maximum weight per axle at PSI 40 : 1467 kg

Now GVM of Defenders can vary between 3050 and 3500 kg

Now it would seem to me that these tyres could be overloaded????

There again what is load rating of other tyres???

Another factor for tyre wear?

Regards

Brendan

[q-rover]

I like these tyres. Had them on an exmil 110

but got them siped at the local tyre shop. I found these tyres good on tarmac and very

impressive offroad. Shame there difficult to get hold of, expensive, and come in very limited sizes.

[Lars L]

Now it would seem to me that these tyres could be overloaded????

There again what is load rating of other tyres???

Regards

Brendan

Mine are 14 PR 1500 kg each at 100 psi

[reads90]

Much as I like them, as said BFG ATs are soft and don't last too well on gravel roads, with mixed use (tarmac, concrete and gravel roads) I got about 24K out of my last set on the Discovery and with about 40k now showing on the vehicle the current ones are well down though I should get to 50k before I need to change them. Another good tyre, the Grabber AT2, also doesn't last brilliantly on gravel, I have those on my Ranger and while I like them and will be getting some more, I've done about 24000km on them and the rears are just about had it.

mmmm that really surpirses me . On my 90 i have BFG AT's and bought them second hand of a mate. Then i drove 25,000miles around Aus on pretty much nothing but gravel , corrigation and the odd bit of tarmac now and again. And the car is still runnng around on the same BFG's They are coming to the end of their life but i will be repalceing them with BFG's

Also funny , I have always found that geneeral wear out alot quicker than the BFG's

[Eightpot]

I think you'd struggle to overload an XZY, the ones VASS sell came off the Northern Ireland armoured land rovers before they went to the Gulf - they are essentially a truck tyre.

I bought a set and they were bloody heavy and can't remember how many ply they were, but it was a lot. you would do well to puncture one.

I don't think they are that common though, and I found they weren't very good in mud - not sure how well they would deflate in sand either due to the thickness of the carcass? Not sure if thats a prob where you're going, but I would look into potential overheating when aired down.

[BogMonster]

Interesting comment about BFG ATs being soft. Soft in comparison to BFG M/Ts? I get about 50k miles on M/Ts with very mixed use.

So is difference in wear due to tread pattern, soft/hardness of rubber compound or it is driving style/useage?

I have BG MT KM's on the 110 and they are about half worn at 10500 miles

I used to be a hard driver when I were young and foolish but not now (air brakes in the passenger seat - she they go hsssssssssssssssssssss every time an abrupt move is made)

The XZYs are as said a truck tyre (also available as 11.00R22.5 ) and I think they are about 16 ply so regardless of the official weight rating I don't think you'd break them

[Pacey]

Thanks for the all the replies.

I've been in contact with Vass and they do have them, in 12 and 14 ply!

From my understanding the Gobi and surrounding areas can change quite quickly from soft to solid hard pack. Going from west to east in Russia also throws in some interesting road/track conditions.

With that in mind i'm willing to sacrifice the deflatability of the tyre in favour of it lasting, that and using a 90 i'm going to be putting majority of my weight over the rear axel. T

alking with Peter (sure that was his name) at Vass they sell a lot of tyres to the side of the world which would indicate they work well there.

I think its one of these dammed if you do dammed if you don't things. lol

[Kim Horsevad]

The XZY is a great tyre - it can take a lot of abuse and functions quite perfectly in sand.

However, as you stated you would be driving in russia, it would probably be helpful with a more mud-biased tyre.

A couple of friends returned from a russia-trip last year. They encountered some quite soft roads:

(The image posted is from: http://englishrussia.com/?p=315 - I cant acces their photos from this computer.)

They used BFG M/T and were very satisfied with both tyre longevity and performance.

If you choose XZY bring along a set of snow chains for all four wheels. Snow chains are quite effective in mud!

[Dagsey]

Interesting reading. We used to use XYZ on the vehicles we used in Africa and they were great in sand and okay in mud although chains were defo the way forward in the soft stuff. I am running BFG A/T on a Disco here in Western Australia and have to say they're great in everything I have encountered (gravel corrugations and sand), from previous comments I wonder if the BFGs in Europe are a different compound to those supplied here. If they're not made in the same factory for export the world over, they may not be the same compound.

Personally, I'd see what size tyres are available in Russia and buy whatever's cheap in that size. That's the problem when a Yorkshireman gives you advice, it all comes down to price! Dags.