Nitto Tyres and Sidewall strength

[FNQGU]

Been hearing very good things regarding the sidewall strength on the Nitto and Toyo M/T's and am getting close to needing a new set to replace the current KM2's with the main use now being remote off-road touring and some off-track driving.

The BFG's have done well, but are pretty well hammered now at around the 45,000klm mark. I blew one on the road down from Lorella Springs to Cape Crawford and suspect it was sliced on a rock. We were heavily laden and they were being run at 28psi and were pretty hot from the corrugations. On the Maytown track I also slashed a second one on the sidewall badly enough for it to be un-plugable and a throw away. Otherwise, they've done the Cape twice, the Maytown Track twice, the Simpson, Strzlecki, Painted and Stoney deserts, the Northern Flinders, and most recently touring around the Limen NP, Lawn Hill and Lorella, so I can't complain.

I'm prepared to take the hit on noise and handling when daily driving if I can rely on them when remote.

If not the above tyres then maybe the Mickey Thompsons, however I suspect there would be no sidewall strength benefit?

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

[BigRAWesty]

45 thou on bfg km2..
I though blokes were getting double that??

The only bad things I've heard about nitto and toyo tyres are they are soft..
Which makes for good grip but wear quick..

But one would hope they see atleast if not more than your km2 's...

[FNQGU]

Might be a bit light on the klms, but they were just about all 'off-road' klms as i was swapping back to AT's when at home. They'll make it to 50,000 I reckon.

[Cuppa]

The heavy mine service Patrols near where I used to live all used Toyo AT’s & got good life from them. They & the cheaper Bridgestone D697’s (also AT’s) have the highest load rating which suggests to me they probably have the highest sidewall strength??? IF MT’s are essential for where you want to go I have no idea which are the best choice, but would question whether MT’s are the best choice for touring.

[FNQGU]

It's a fair question Cuppa, and one I've been weighing up a lot lately. I'm not 100% set on going for the MT's as yet, but didn't really want to go back to running two sets of wheels and tyres either, although I may yet do this.

I am tending towards an 'aggressive' AT or a 'less-aggressive' MT, and I think that the NITTO MT fits the bill, plus it appears to have excellent sidewall strength. Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be much in the way of a true 'aggressive' AT that has the high load rating and the sidewall strength that I think I am looking for. Both the Toyo and Bridgestone D697's are not as aggressive as I am after.

There are several blokes on the ExplorOz forum who travel truly remote desert stuff and who now only use the Toyo MT, which was what started me on this line of thinking. Blokes like Mick Olson seem to really know their stuff and seem to have proven it over time. I'm not quiet yet into doing what they are doing (still learning skills...), but I'm working towards that style of trip. I am told that NITTO own the TOYO brand and that both are produced with the same carcass technology (someone correct me if this is not the case), and given my recent sidewall damage experiences, I am leaning this way at the moment.

Downsides are weight of the tyres and potentially a slightly degraded fuel economy I guess. Probably also a LOT harder to remove one from the wheel also.

The experiences of others on the forum are really valuable with these sorts of decisions, and I am happy to be re-directed on my way of thinking.

[threedogs]

You need to look at tyre construction with mud pattern being your toughest, try pushing down a tyre[no rim]
next would be an All terrain and last a hwy pattern,
BFG have a patented tri guard side wall, Ive had BFG ATs and returnd over 100K before I sold them to my BIL
who got an extra 30k from them.
If doing the Cape all the time I would opt for a MUD pattern tyre, run them to 50% then trade them in
your next set will be half price, and you get to use the best part of the tread.

[FNQGU]

So I have been doing the rounds and testing tyres... picking them up for weight and discussing sidewall strengths etc. etc.

Without getting into Bias Ply or Full Steel Belted, it seems that the toughest choices available are the Toyo/Nitto tyre, for what I am looking for.

Today I was able to price Toyo MT's at $310ea and the Nitto at $300ea (285/75 R16), which for Cairns I think is fairly reasonable. No doubt you guys in the South could do a better deal.

The BFG MT's came in at $345ea and the AT's were about the same. I haven't chased prices on anything else, as most of the tyre dealers who seemed to know their salt agreed that the Toyo/Nitto was possibly one of the toughest in the game.

I'll keep playing around with sourcing info for a bit longer and then make a decision.

[Sprock]

That's a bloody good price on the Toyos mate 👍🏼

[FNQGU]

Yeah I have to agree. That price was for two tyres fitted and balanced as well, not a whole set. I'll just do my two spares to start with and then sort the rest later when the current ones are a little more run down.

What is interesting is that the Toyo dealer (Tyre Power) acknowledged the Nitto was the same tyre with a different tread, but couldn't get his hands on them. Jax Tyres had the Nitto's but couldn't get the Toyo's. Both said that the Toyo/Nitto carcass was the same thing, and that there was only a tread pattern difference. Jax Tyres said that Nitto was trying to push into the Aussie market and so prices were low at the moment.

The tread patterns on the Toyo do appear a little more aggressive than the Nitto, but both are fairly square with the edging, and at the end of the day, if they are the same carcass, I don't reckon there would be much between them in off-road reality. Price might be the decider.

[Arfa Brayne]

Just got a set of 31x10.5r15 Toyo OCAT (tend to buy lots of 6x tyres though, for wear/rotation/matching purposes) after 30+ years of Bridgestone faith.
Beauty of the Toyo's is they are Japanese made (top quality) with a seamless carcase (no overlapping join like cooper/banglop/dudyear)
The sidewall is very thick and strong from the tread to the centre of the sidewall, but fairly soft and flexi between the centre of the sidewall and the bead.
They seem to run well but are slightly noisy for an AT.

I tend to prefer an AT for general comfort on blacktop (which we all do the majority of driving) , performance on sand and dirt. For the amount of time spent churning mud (honestly less than 1% of our km's) I carry chains, which make any AT as good or better than a mud tyre and are the only best option in snow.

How many people wear gumboots 24/7 ?

The test of a well made tyre is the amount of balance weights required to make it run true. 5x toyos took around the 20g mark to balance, with the one on the slightly bent rim taking 40g. My last set of Bridgestones took 180g - 280g per tyre and still wouldn't balance - reason to change brands.

[Yeti's Beast]

I work for the company that is the importer of Nitto tyres in Australia and although I'm not in the tyre dept I was over there recently looking for new tyres for my work ute. Mitsubishi Triton 4x4.
My first choice was the Nitto AT but I ended up with the Nexen Roadian AT because I was assured it too was a good tyre and I liked the look of the tread pattern better.
So far they have been a great tyre, very quiet and aggressive tread pattern.
Worth a look in my books.
Once I pick up my Patrol I'm fitting a set of Nexen Roadian AT on it also.
Cheers

[Yeti's Beast]

The test of a well made tyre is the amount of balance weights required to make it run true. 5x toyos took around the 20g mark to balance, with the one on the slightly bent rim taking 40g. My last set of Bridgestones took 180g - 280g per tyre and still wouldn't balance - reason to change brands.

Too true
That's one of the reasons I chose the Nexen tyres.
Our tyre fitter told me they are very good to balance which indicates a quality tyre.
👍

[FNQGU]

Who makes Nexen? I've never heard of them.

I think I am going to give the Nitto or Toyo's a run for this next set and see how it goes.

[Arfa Brayne]

Who makes Nexen? I've never heard of them.

Nexen and Kumho are Korean tyres. Both with pretty good reviews from people who have bought them, and comparatively cheap.

[dads tractor]

After reading this and a few other reviews I bought 4 x Toyo 285/75/16 at/2s for $272 a tyre fitted with balance beads. So am expecting a good run and that price is in Mackay.Previosly had BFG KO2 and got 55k out of them but BFG or their retailers didnt or wouldn't give me a answer as to why there were micro splits in the tread from 5k.so bye bye BFG.

[the evil twin]

I'm running 35 x 12.5 Nitto Ridge Grapplers on my Y62.
Very happy indeed, low noise, excellent performance, even tread wear, seem to balance OK and strong sidewalls.

Toyo and Nitto merged back in the 80's or somesuch and Toyo is also tied up with Goodyear somehow so quality should be good on either brand.

They manufacture in USA, Japan and China and Bob Jane seems to be the major outlet for Nitto here in Oz

[Winnie]

I have the Nitto Trail Grapplers in 315/75R16 on my GQ, can't really comment as they are brand new but they are very quiet for what they are and the sidewall seems very stiff, hoping that is an indication of toughness but I don't they will bag out very well when aired down.

Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk

[the evil twin]

Hiya Winnie

My Ridgeys handle the sand quite well... buuuut... in a Y62 it would probably still go like stink at 50 PSI, 15 PSI and all points inbetween :-)
Haven't had to drop mine below 22 so far but being 35's they have a head start in 'flotation' over 31/33 inch jobbies

Speaking generically... if I had to drop another 2 PSI or so over the 'standard' starting point of a softer wall to get enough float from the Nitto's I wouldn't be too fussed as the tougher sidewall and handling is the main reason to buy the tyre.

As for the Traily's the more aggresive tread should go just as well IMHO

[dads tractor]

Evil said " Bob Jane seems to be the major outlet for Nitto here in Oz " but I would like to add Tyrepower in Nth Qld as a stockist of Toyo and Nitto just to give more options to people.

[the evil twin]

Evil said " Bob Jane seems to be the major outlet for Nitto here in Oz " but I would like to add Tyrepower in Nth Qld as a stockist of Toyo and Nitto just to give more options to people.

Good to know... gunna be a while before I wear these ones out but very happy so far so will probably go with a new set of the same and multiple outlets means better prices

[dads tractor]

$272 fitted and balance beads I'm in.