Jims Auto inc

Choosing 4WD Tyres is very difficult. There are so many parameters that you need to maximize that it was awfully hard to settle on the best compromise.



On bitumen roads I would like a quiet ride, good cornering and stopping capability in both dry or damp climatic conditions. I also need good tracking to avoid driving fatigue for road driving and good balance to avoid any vibration. Off road the requirements are completely different where I want an open tread for good self cleaning properties in mud, resistance to punctures with a heavy usage construction and masses of general grip. In all cases I need my tyres to be as lower cost as possible and to last so long as possible before requiring replacement.

Unfortunately many of these requirments are paradoxical. Big open treads that are very good in the mud have a tendency to be noisy on the bitumen. Hard compounds that last a long time have a tendency to have worse wet weather cornering and stopping capability. Fundamentally good on-road tyres tend to be poor performers off road and vice versa.



Types of 4WD tyres

So when it came time to pick my tyres I had to decide which of these features was most critical. I use the vehicle 90% of the time for going to work or driving the family around the town on weekends. Even driving to a camping location or where a 4wd track starts is mostly highway driving so on-road safety, performance and comfort are the most significant features.

The Pajero has a rep of sufferring a little from increased road noise. I suspect this is due to the fact that it does not have a separate frame so there is less padding between the suspension and the body of the vehicle. Because of this selecting a low-noise tyre is even more significant than usual as any noise will be spotted even more. When I am off road almost all of the terrain I encounter is beach sand or gravel track. With all this considered I made a decision that an All Terrain type of tyre was a good choice with its bias towards on-road conditions but still with better off-road performance than an ordinary road tyre.



Types of 4WD tyres

The following question is which type of all terrain tyre? Some of the brands which profess to have a harder compound appear to have reviews that suggest that when they get a little older their grip levels can drop significantly for bitumen driving. In my opinion I would rather my tyres wore out a little faster but always gripped well, it is not worth saving a little bit of cash for the sake of safety.

I also wanted to buy a tyre precisely the same size as the standard tyres. This is because of the fact that I don't want any effect on the speedometer accuracy or performance of the traction and stableness control systems. A different size tyre may or may not effect these however I simply do not want the trouble of trying to fix it if it does. These points ruled out a lot of tyres making the choice a bit easier.

So at the end after much debate I determined to give the Pro Comp range a try. They'd quite a few enthusiastic reviews showing that it has fantastic on-road performance while still maintaining decent off-road capability. I have had them for quite a while now and they have lived up to expectancies.

The largest thing I've learned about selecting four wheel drive tyres is this: select what is Best for you. Do not fall for the hype that says your Have to have a light truck, 35 inch, mud terrain that will last 10 years. Look at how you use your vehicle and buy what makes sense for you.



Making tyres last longer

The last thing I must say is: rotate your tyres! My prior tyres would have lasted far longer if I had have rotated them every 5000km or so. As an alternative at about 15000km they developed a horrible whirring sound that truly sounded like a blown diff or worn wheel bearings. It took a while to work out it was just the tyres after much concern. To rotate your tyres move the rear tyres straight to the front keeping them on the same sides they were on.

Move the front tyres to the rear but swap sides in order that they are actually rotating in the opposite direction. In a full cycle of rotation this may mean that every corner of each tread block will get the same wear and this will hopefully reduce uneven wear that causes over the top noise. The next thing I would say is to look out for tyres engineered to avoid humming noise by having variable block sizes as these can develop this pulsating whiring noise that in my view is worse.

4 wheel drive cars and SUV's usually arrive fitted out with general road tyres, or at the very least a combination on road and general off road tyre. The 4WD tyres that your 4x4 came with are not always the best ones for the applications that you want to use it for.