by ratpack on Wed Jan 21, 2009 7:05 pm
Quick rundown of Tyres from a reseller prespective
Cooper's - Really well marketed, but seem to suffer far too many product recalls for what should be a half decent tyre, pick of bunch would be STT, in WA exclusive to Tyrepower, so no open market competition on pricing - price will suffer badly from USD/AUD value drop (but so will most brands to some extent)
BFG - Great reputation, now suffering from being Michelin's other brand, quality varies too much, hasn't really developed for quite a few years.
Bridgestone - A/T tyres consistent quality (Japanese made preferably), H/T OE tyres are ok, but a just that, OE D840 on Triton relatively old pattern, new options (in 17in) should start filtering through soon. D694/693 is their best effort.
Yokohama - Highest selling H/T tyre at the moment, A/T starting to get a good following, again Japanese made so quality very consistent, only 4WD tyre on the market with replacement hazard warranty for first 25% tread wear. Silica compound in rubber for better wet grip,
Mickey T - brought in by same people as Cooper in QLD,and made in same factory in US, don't seem to suffer from quality inconsistency as Cooper (don't know why), durabilty guarantee (conditional as usual), ATZ or MTZ patterns would be my choice, again not widespread availability so pricing competitiveness suffers
Procomp - only recently went open market, another US import, only really used their A/T on a couple of big F250s, no problems so far. Xtreme tyres look interesting, stay tuned
Maxxis - passenger tyres - mostly avoid, production moved from Taiwan to Thailand,- 4WD, actually not to bad, good for oddball sizing and fitments in extreme patterns, pricing (before recent hikes) is not too hard on the hip pocket
Hankook/Kumho - Good middle-of-the-road tyres, good H/T, A/T still not quite there (though Hankook do have a new tyre, the ATm, that keeps getting delayed that looks good (despite what ATm can stand for...), MT are pretty good, Kumho's is directional tyre, just needs more sizes available
Toyo - not interested in becoming a big market player, so tend to get lost in the wash, but Open Country AT is a decent effort, MT seems to be a Goodyear copy.
Goodyear / Dunlop - another safe choice, nothing outstanding, and suffering from being dropped by most retailers (apart from Beau (they have no choice) and Kmart). Goodyear Mt/R, nothing else really stands out, and you can't beat Dunlops Super Gripper in the old 7.50R16 for the Landcruiser.
Ultimately it comes down to what you want a tyre to do, there is no 1 tyre that will do everything that your vehicle is capable of. So apart from carrying 3 different sets of wheels & tyres in the tray, do your research, pick carefully, read these sort of forums, and don't expect great road manners or tyre life if you insist on using Muddies on the tarmac all the time.
G
Currently in the shed:-
Mitsubishi Lancer Evo III 1995
Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IV 1997
Subaru Impreza WRX STi 2001
Mitsubishi Triton 1993
JUST ADDED - Mitsubishi Triton GLX-R 2008