Hybrid Tyres.

[Cuppa]

Has anyone tried any of the newer generation 'hybrid' tyres? Eg Toyo RT (Rugged Terrain, Nitto Ridge Grappler & I'm sure there are others. A cross between AT's & Muddies.

They are looking attractive to me because they appear to have sidewalls less prone to staking damage which I would value.

They do seem to be a lot more expensive than AT's & MT's though.

I probably ought to replace my half worn 6+ year old spares before we head off remote again, so am thinking about what to replace my D697's with. Sidewall strength is high on my agenda given our vehicle's weight & the amount of bulge I get from the Bridgestones.

[MudRunnerTD]

Toyota RT



Nitto Grappler



They both look pretty good Cuppa. How did your current tyres last

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[MudRunnerTD]

D697



My choice in those woyld be the Nittos. 9nly because they are more aggressive but that is my style. Both options appear more aggressive than these D697s so Side wall is the deciding factor.

I hear great things about the MTRs. They are expensive but nearllt bullet proof.

I assume you are not going to travel in the Wet season ans not concerned about mud.?

Have you looked at the BFG kM3s? They are a muddie but less aggressive than the KM2 IMO. Slightly closer tread pattern.

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[Winnie]

Cuppa is talking about the Ridge grapplers though, not the trail grapplers you have pictured.


FWIW I did a lot of reading before buying my current tyres (Nitto Trail Grapplers). They seem to be perceived as having the strongest sidewall out of all the options. One thing though is they are HEAVY! Wasn't a concern for me but maybe worthwhile looking into for yourself.

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[Cuppa]

The aggressive tread is not a biggie for me. The D697's have been excellent in regard to their traction on everything from the desert sand to the boulders & rocks of the Munja track to the steep jagged climbs in the Gregory NP. Wet weather driving hasn't figured much at all, & river crossings have been fine. If it weren't for what I consider the overly flexible sidewalls of the D697's & their tendency to chip the tread too easily I wouldn't be looking at changing.

If we ever get caught by wet weather, we can just stop & wait it out until things dry out of we have to.

The current D697's are only about 12 months old (bought 4 in Broome), & probably don't have much more than 12,000kms on them, but the rears are already looking half worn with the passenger side rear quite badly chipped. I've heard stories about different quality rubber dependent upon whether the tyres were made in Japan or elsewhere. I think the current set have worn far more quickly than the previous set, with the majority of that having been on dirt, but still quicker than I expected. I haven't rotated them, & have decided not to. The two half worn spares are 7+ years old now, so need replacing. I will swap the two rear tyres with each other, & when they are in need of replacement will buy 4 new tyres & use the current front tyres as spares. For the time being I'll leave the D697's on the Tvan (2+spare).

Winnie, I note your comment about weight. My back may not appreciate it! Do you know if the Toyo RT's are much the same or lighter?

Rear passenger side - approx 12,000kms
IMG_1788.jpg

[Wizard52]

The aggressive tread is not a biggie for me. The D697's have been excellent in regard to their traction on everything from the desert sand to the boulders & rocks of the Munja track to the steep jagged climbs in the Gregory NP. Wet weather driving hasn't figured much at all, & river crossings have been fine. If it weren't for what I consider the overly flexible sidewalls of the D697's & their tendency to chip the tread too easily I wouldn't be looking at changing.

If we ever get caught by wet weather, we can just stop & wait it out until things dry out of we have to.

The current D697's are only about 12 months old (bought 4 in Broome), & probably don't have much more than 12,000kms on them, but the rears are already looking half worn with the passenger side rear quite badly chipped. I've heard stories about different quality rubber dependent upon whether the tyres were made in Japan or elsewhere. I think the current set have worn far more quickly than the previous set, with the majority of that having been on dirt, but still quicker than I expected. I haven't rotated them, & have decided not to. The two half worn spares are 7+ years old now, so need replacing. I will swap the two rear tyres with each other, & when they are in need of replacement will buy 4 new tyres & use the current front tyres as spares. For the time being I'll leave the D697's on the Tvan (2+spare).

Winnie, I note your comment about weight. My back may not appreciate it! Do you know if the Toyo RT's are much the same or lighter?

Rear passenger side - approx 12,000kms
IMG_1788.jpg

Hi Cuppa
The Bridgestone tyres made in Japan are only available at Bridgestone Stores so other retailers have tyres made in another country.
I have had 3 sets of Japanese Bridgestones and get 100k a set including current 697's at 99k after doing Gunbarrel, Mitchell Falls and rest of Gibb but definitely need replacing after October trip to Fraser. I also found rear left tyre wore much quicker than the rest on gravel.
When you eventually get down this way, call in and will show you around Fraser. There were plenty of fish late August but weed has come in now so more social drinking than fishing planned for October.

[Cuppa]

Hi Cuppa
The Bridgestone tyres made in Japan are only available at Bridgestone Stores so other retailers have tyres made in another country.
I have had 3 sets of Japanese Bridgestones and get 100k a set including current 697's at 99k after doing Gunbarrel, Mitchell Falls and rest of Gibb but definitely need replacing after October trip to Fraser. I also found rear left tyre wore much quicker than the rest on gravel.
When you eventually get down this way, call in and will show you around Fraser. There were plenty of fish late August but weed has come in now so more social drinking than fishing planned for October.

Hiya Wiz @Wizard52
I had heard similar about Japanese made Bridgestones only being available to Bridgestone dealers, but found all of my Bridgestones were made in Japan, including the 4 I bought last year in Broome, which definitely did not come from a Bridgestone dealer. The place I bought them from managed to get them freighted in from somewhere in Australia, and sold them to me at not only a lower price than the Broome Bridgestone dealer, but also $15 per tyte less than I had paid down south 5 or so years earlier!

For me with our weight 100k is a dream. Got 60k out of the first six with regular 10k rotations The newer ones have worn quicker, but have had a pretty hard life. Now on the Tvan. I doubt they'll see 60k though. Looking forward to Fraser with you some day.

[Wizard52]

Hiya Wiz @Wizard52
I had heard similar about Japanese made Bridgestones only being available to Bridgestone dealers, but found all of my Bridgestones were made in Japan, including the 4 I bought last year in Broome, which definitely did not come from a Bridgestone dealer. The place I bought them from managed to get them freighted in from somewhere in Australia, and sold them to me at not only a lower price than the Broome Bridgestone dealer, but also $15 per tyte less than I had paid down south 5 or so years earlier!

For me with our weight 100k is a dream. Got 60k out of the first six with regular 10k rotations The newer ones have worn quicker, but have had a pretty hard life. Now on the Tvan. I doubt they'll see 60k though. Looking forward to Fraser with you some day.

Good price no doubt. The local Bridgestone dealer told me that they were only ones to have the jap tyres but I won't be going back to him as he stitched me up on last set of tyres.
Was going KO2s but will look further in October.

[mudnut]

If I they were still making the BFG Rugged Terrains I would get them again. 50000 ks and still got good tread, but that has been mostly highway driving. They have stood up well to offroad driving too. I will soon have to make a choice on a replacement set so will watch this thread closely.

[MudRunnerTD]

Based on your photo of your rear tyre @Cuppa I reckon the Nitto that Winnie pictured might be the go. The dirt roads are brutal. A muddie will disintegrate i reckon.

I spent 2 years in Northern PNG in the early 1990s and was killing 4 sets of tyres a year. Rubbish 3rd World tyres im sure but they just disappeared.

They are harsh conditions for a rubber tyre. You are heavy. A heavy tyre means more body. Go heavy I reckon.