[sasi405]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

I have 5 contis now, replaced the bridgestone spare with a conti, and put it on rear right.
As for the damaged tire(due to bolt), the puncture gave away again, the "plug" could not hold out in Ladakh, due to severe rocky driving.
I guess I will need to get a new tire. This one has medium tread left, but the large puncture is not holding up properly. On roads and all no issues, but the moment you traverse sharp rocks, the plug can come out.
This tire also has a sidewall gash. But no bulges. This is the most impressive thing. With such a gash I expected bulging, but the sidewall is too tough.

The other tires are holding on pretty good. I guess if I hadn't had the bolt incident, this one would have been fine too.
I reckon I will need to buy 1 tire before a major next trip(whenever that happens), and then for around 20-30K kms the tires should be fine.

If you do normal trail driving, they will give you 60-70k kms running life.
From what I see on other peoples vehicles, I guess these are tougher than the Yoko Geolander.
However this toughness comes at a price. Tarmac braking is not as good as the Yokos with these skidding more easily on braking.
Also these tires are hard, this means they are not very sand friendly.
but for rock crawling, which I did quite a bit, these have no equal. I even drove on girders, with the tire resting on a 1.5cm wide center rib, kind of driving on a knifes edge.

So after 30K do I recommend them? Well yes, if you are going to do a lot of tough trail driving and rock roading.

Tanveer, Your review is really good. I am on the lookout for new tyres at the moment. And I have been offered Conti Cross A/T at 7800/- per tyre yesterday.
I am not into major off-roading at all and neither am I into mountain trail driving on a regular basis. Plus, I have a 4X2 Storme. Most of my driving is on tarmac, with quite a bit of 80-110kmph driving. However, I am inclined towards the Conti, simply because it looks like a tough tyre that will last a long time.
In your review you have mentioned that braking effectiveness is not that good. The Storme has ABS and do you think this will be a problem, since ABS anyway makes the stopping distance a bit more than non ABS? Or will it work better with ABS since you are not worried about skidding?
If not the Conti, which other brands would you recommend? I am not interested in Yokos. But Maxxis could be an option. You have also mentioned Apollo Hawkz R/T; do you think that is worth it?

[Sheel]

Originally Posted by sasi405

I have a 4X2 Storme. Most of my driving is on tarmac, with quite a bit of 80-110kmph driving.

IMHO, Michelin LTX A/T 2 should be a better tire suited to your needs than Continentals.

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by sasi405

Tanveer, Your review is really good. I am on the lookout for new tyres at the moment. And I have been offered Conti Cross A/T at 7800/- per tyre yesterday.

It does not make sense to go for Conti. Infact, why go for any A/T tire. You can go for H/T tires too.
If you do want A/T, you can go for a softer A/T tire. I doubt you will be doing roads where sidewall toughness against impact is very important.

[sasi405]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

It does not make sense to go for Conti. Infact, why go for any A/T tire. You can go for H/T tires too.
If you do want A/T, you can go for a softer A/T tire. I doubt you will be doing roads where sidewall toughness against impact is very important.

Thanks a lot! That means, from my research, something like Maxxis Bravo 771 would also fit the bill. What about Good Year Wrangler? I hear it is a hard tyre, but worth it. My daily run is about 80km, so it is not that the vehicle is standing still.
Here is my shortlist, can you help me decide what to go for?

1. Continental Cross Contact A/T 235/70/ R16
2. Maxxis Bravo 771 A/T 255/65/ R16
3. Michelin Latitude Cross 255/65/ R16
4. Good Year Wrangler A/T 245/70/ R16
5. Falken Wildpeak A/T 255/65/ R16
6. MRF Wanderer A/T 255/65/ R16
7. Bridgestone Dueller A/T 245/70/ R16

Thanks a lot in advance!

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by sasi405

Thanks a lot! That means, from my research, something like Maxxis Bravo 771 would also fit the bill. What about Good Year Wrangler? I hear it is a hard tyre, but worth it. My daily run is about 80km, so it is not that the vehicle is standing still.
Here is my shortlist, can you help me decide what to go for?

1. Continental Cross Contact A/T 235/70/ R16
2. Maxxis Bravo 771 A/T 255/65/ R16
3. Michelin Latitude Cross 255/65/ R16
4. Good Year Wrangler A/T 245/70/ R16
5. Falken Wildpeak A/T 255/65/ R16
6. MRF Wanderer A/T 255/65/ R16
7. Bridgestone Dueller A/T 245/70/ R16

Thanks a lot in advance!

I would suggest you stick to 235/70R16. Safari does not take kindly to upsizing and you can get issues with alignment down the line.
Does wanderer come in 235/70R16, that is a pretty decent tire

[sasi405]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

I would suggest you stick to 235/70R16. Safari does not take kindly to upsizing and you can get issues with alignment down the line.
Does wanderer come in 235/70R16, that is a pretty decent tire

Thanks a lot Tanveer. Wanderer comes in 235/70 R16 as well. I have also finally come to the conclusion that 255 is too broad a size and all it gives is some snob value, without any practical advantage. Plus, it will make the vehicle heavier and affect mileage, as well as create alignment and suspension wear problems. At the most, I will upsize to 245/70 R16, provided I get a good tyre. The Goodyear Wrangler and Bridgestone Dueller A/T comes in that size.

Any idea of the MRF Zigma tyres? These are also available in 235/70. To me, they look like a good balance between highway and relatively easy off-road / trail driving, which is what I am looking for. Image below (courtesy MRF website):

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by sasi405

Thanks a lot Tanveer. Wanderer comes in 235/70 R16 as well. I have also finally come to the conclusion that 255 is too broad a size and all it gives is some snob value, without any practical advantage. Plus, it will make the vehicle heavier and affect mileage, as well as create alignment and suspension wear problems. At the most, I will upsize to 245/70 R16, provided I get a good tyre. The Goodyear Wrangler and Bridgestone Dueller A/T comes in that size.

Any idea of the MRF Zigma tyres? These are also available in 235/70. To me, they look like a good balance between highway and relatively easy off-road / trail driving, which is what I am looking for. Image below (courtesy MRF website):

No idea about Zigma, but its an older tire. Wanderer is a newer tire with good reviews. You can also look at Apollo Apterra. Its a pretty good tire too, very under-rated, but tough and reliable.

[sasi405]

Looks like I might be going in for Michelin LTX A/T2, if the pricing and exchange deal works out correctly. They seem to be long lasting and have the necessary smoothness for highway driving as well.

[schakravarthy]

This is my 500kms run Conti Cross Contact. I've no idea how that block came to be cleaved off!
I've done fairly soft off-roading (nothing a Bridgestone D689 HT tyre couldn't handle), plus a round trip of 300 kms on them.
Can I push for a warranty claim?

[sasi405]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

I would suggest you stick to 235/70R16. Safari does not take kindly to upsizing and you can get issues with alignment down the line.
Does wanderer come in 235/70R16, that is a pretty decent tire

BTW, I have put in Maxxis Bravo 771 A/T (255/65/R16). Changed at 58500km and now at 62800km. Did a trip up Jalori Pass area in them in December. Handled well in slush, rough trail and some bit of snow as well as black ice.

[schakravarthy]

Originally Posted by schakravarthy

This is my 500kms run Conti Cross Contact. I've no idea how that block came to be cleaved off!

Well, at 1000kms on the odo I've had a blowout! No offroad, no sharp objects.. nothing.



A big mistake buying these tyres.

[schakravarthy]

Originally Posted by schakravarthy

Well, at 1000kms on the odo I've had a blowout! No offroad, no sharp objects.. nothing.

A big mistake buying these tyres.

The blowout wasn't due to the cut. It's because the beading failed. I've left the tyre with the Conti dealer. The "Rep" now has to visit and take a call whether I can get a replacement or not. According to the dealer, it might take a month!

[Fortuner71]

Originally Posted by sasi405

BTW, I have put in Maxxis Bravo 771 A/T (255/65/R16). Changed at 58500km and now at 62800km. Did a trip up Jalori Pass area in them in December. Handled well in slush, rough trail and some bit of snow as well as black ice.

sasi does it touch anything due to size ? how is the ride quality compared to bridgestone stock ?

[sasi405]

Originally Posted by Fortuner71

sasi does it touch anything due to size ? how is the ride quality compared to bridgestone stock ?

There is no fouling with any part of the car. They fit well. Mine is now 10K km old and the tread has hardly worn. As far as ride is concerned, the BS Duellers are definitely quieter and probably even smoother. I also feel that the braking on the Duellers were a tad superior to the Maxxis. However, grip on the Maxxis is much better than the Duellers.
So far in the 10K km, I have had only one puncture (which was yesterday), that too because of a 1" screw that got lodged inside one of the side grooves and kept pushing in. Having said that, please be ready to keep taking small stones and pebbles out of the grooves every now and then. As with most AT tyres, the space between the grooves are a bit wider than HT and this helps rather large size pieces to get lodged in them, leading to that irritating "kit kit kit kit" sound when driving.
In my case, I rotate, align and balance the tyres every 5K km and that ensures that they not only last longer but the ride and handling is not compromised.