Tyre Topic - Goodyear Wrangler MT/R

[-Scott-]

This Tyre Topic is for members to post about Goodyear Wrangler MT/R. Post your thoughts on grip, noise, wear, airing down, or anything else you consider of interest to other members.

A new version of the MT/R was released in 2009. This topic is for reports on both versions – original and new.

Original Version.


New Version (with Kevlar).



Rules for Tyre Topics:

• Tyre Topics are intended to be information sources. Both positive and negative reports are encouraged.
  
  Tyre Topics are NOT for slanging matches. Any posts which don't contain useful information may be deleted.
  
  Please post first hand accounts only - "my tyres" or "I saw" reports. Any "mate said" or "I heard" stories may be deleted.
  
  Comparisons with other tyres are acceptable, if they contain first hand accounts (see above.) "Buy XXX instead" opinions (without first hand stories to back them up) are not.

An index of Tyre Topics can also be found in the Tyre Topic Index.

[-Scott-]

And I'll start.

I had the originals on my shorty Paj.

Bought 285/75-16 second hand (from OL ), had them fitted to new 16x8" Mullins steel rims. Dealer reported trouble getting them to balance, always had intermittent vibrations with them.

They had about 90% tread when I bought them, were down to about 60% 15k km later.

No complaints with performance, either on road or off road. I don't think they performed any better off-road than the 31" S/Ts I had before, but I may not have aired them down enough either. Only major trip was outback SA - Innamincka & northern Flinders, terrain which can shred H/Ts. The MT/Rs didn't miss a beat.

On road, they weren't particularly noisey - no worse than the S/Ts, and I didn't think they were bad. And it's not like a '94 Paj has limo-like quietness.

I wouldn't be in a hurry to buy more, but I wouldn't advise against them, either.

[lokka]

LIL bro has the originals MT/R in 37x12.5x15 on the county and some other size on the DD playdoh he likes em tho rekons he wont buy em new i rekon they are ok tho i cant justify the price over MAXXIS and the one on the county with the slice in the side wall well i rekon hes lost count of the number of dog turds thats been pluged in with the speedy seal kit i give him for xmas a few years back

[bravoboy]

Currently have them on my Bravo, much better than the BFG AT's that I had on previously. They wear well, have done 50 odd thou km's so would hit 80 thou if I didnt have a problem with my front bearings (caused uneven tyre wear so 2 of them are farked pretty much).

Offroad perform well in dirt and mud, soft sand not as well. Grip well in the dry and wet but starting to slide a little now if too much right foot. Noise was pretty good at first but starting to hum now, which doesnt phase me at all.

Would buy them again

[bogged]

On my 3rd set... Tried on GQ and GU and love em.

Comparing to BFG"s quieter, and do everything the BFG does but better.

Bag VERY well when down to 18, awesome at 12

Great on road, dry or wet, although better in dry, great offroad, excellent at Robe, straight up Ellis Track, Rocky, Vic Range etc
What more do you want?

Would get em again if they didnt change the pattern to that shit looking thing.

[grinch2]

i had a set loved them, went to bfg mt as they claimed to have longer life, they where wrong. mtr's are heaps better in the wet and even in the dry.

as bogged said would buy another if they didn't make them look hidius

[chimpboy]

Had a set of originals, 33x12.5/15 on my LWB Maverick.

I bought them used at a good price, with nearly 100% tread. A good three years later they still had something like 65% left - I was very impressed with their durability.

Pretty good on road, great off-road, did not suffer damage on rocks like my previous set of mud tyres did (Silverstone MT117, but not the pattern that seems more common these days).

They were a little noisy but no worse than any other aggressive tyre and probably better than some.

IMHO they would have to be right up there as a candidate for the best all-round tyre out there, for anyone wanting more off-road capability than an All Terrain but without going to tyres that are unsuitable for regular on-road use as well.

I agree with Bogged, definitely better on a dry road than a wet one, and I have mixed feelings about their performance on a wet road, had one mild scare but now think it may have been a one-off due to oil or something on the road.

Stuck with ATs for now but will probably get the Wranglers again when the ATs are a bit worn down!

[ausyota]

Ive had 3 sets and reckon they are a great all round tyre.
Clog up a little in the gooey stuff but thats what they invented pure off road tyres for (bogger, Simex, etc).
I had a set of 33"s on my old Lux then went to 35"s the tread seems to become a bit more open on the larger sized tyres and works better off road.
I have also got a set of 30"s on my zook.
I will get a set of 285s for my new Pootroll when funds allow too.
I think the new pattern looks very interesting, we will see.

[v840]

Had a set of 35x12.5x15 (old versions) on 15x8 rims on my 40. I found them to be a great all rounder on all terrain with the exception of mud. they just clogged very quickly.

Were great on the road, I found them superior to BFG AT's on road and never felt like I wasn't in control, even in the wet with RWD, V8, and heavy right slipper. I didn't find them noisy but soft top and loud exhaust could explain that.

As all-rounders go, I would definitely have no hesitation in running them again. Loved them.

[tweak'e]

we run a couple of utes with them on.

noise, bearable most of the time. can be noisy on the smooth hotmix tarseal. on chip its quieter.

they don't handle quiet as well as a few of the AT's i've had. just take it a bit easier when on the seal. ditto for the wet.

grips loose chip roads very very well. putting the boot in often rips the road up, so take it easy going through road works.
good bite which is good for driving on wet slippery grass.
mud and clay tend to clog the tire up quickly, but then again there are not a full mud tire.

wears fairly well. the boss is happy with the wear rate.
considering we have them at 45-50lb and have heavy loads on the deck.

if the new ones are as good off road and have better onroad ability's they will be a winner. however i think they don't make our size :(

[Nelso]

On my 3rd set of the old style. First set were 35s, the last couple were 37s, all on 15x10 inch rims. I use them as daily driving tyres (37s at 40psi) and they handle very well on the road for a tyre that size. I run them at 10psi off road (no beadlocks) and grip is great on everything except mud. They are quite poor in mud but that suits me as I avoid driving in the stuff.

[Jeeps]

I've been running them on the Jeep for about 4 years. Excellent onroad but a little skatey on oily surfaces (but what isn't). Very Very excellent on gravel/dirt roads. Excellent on dry bush tracks, these tyres will climb anything if it's dry. Not very impressive in the mud or wet clay as they clog up far too easily, they make me a bit nervous when wet clay is involved. On the beach, I have to go down to 14psi to keep from digging in because the sidewalls are so stiff/strong but once at that pressure they're almost unstoppable and due to the sidewall strength i'm not worried about running such a low pressure.

I've just ordered another set of the older style to be fitted this week as Goodyear currently have the buy 3, get 1 free deal which for me worked out cheaper than getting a set of Bighorns in the same size so in that respect they're cheap atm

Here's a pic at 13/14psi:

[kirstyandgrace]

These were the tyre of choice for a previous work vehicle.
Typically 10,000 km and they were phuqed.
The environment was extremely harsh though. (Hard rock mining)
For recreational 4x4ing they'd be a good bet.

[nastytroll]

I have the old style 37, I'm not overly impressed with them. Too stiff in sidewalls, cut easy and dodgy on wet road.

Off road, traction was unpredictable. I had a better run from my old ka bfg 35's.

I would say an average tyre at best. I havn't staked one but the girl did. I have lost one off the bead, stuffed with 60km on it, ripped 3 lugs off another after about 2000km and lots of cuts.

[just cruizin']

I actually bought Scott's and they are regularly rotated through with my others on my 100 Series, I may very happy with them.

Road noise is the same or less as any other MT, yes the don't like mud, but I like it less so that's OK. On road they are great in all conditions, on rock once heated the stick like shit to a blanket, better then anything I have seen of a similar pattern.

Would happily buy them again although there are probably better 'value' tyres available.

Telstra were running them on their small trucks for quite some time.

[pridhac]

I rate MT/Rs very highly. I bought mine 5 years ago, 5 of, on rims, with 12-14mm tread.

5 years, two vehicles and 60,000km later, the worst one has 8mm left, the best has 10mm

I did 20 000 km in a 75 ute, and have clocked up 40 000 on an 80 series. I rotate them (including the spare) every 5 thou.

They are great DDs, quite capable offrroad in most scenarios, generally running around 16psi. I have never had one puncture or leak via the bead.

If this set keep going the way they have, I reckon they'll be just about worn out by the time the new kevlar ones are available, which I'll happily try out.

[Jeeps]

I should also mention that my 4 year old mtr's have done 30,000klm with about 8-10mm left. They were rotated every 6-8000klm and the best bit - never had a puncture or leak and they've never been balanced and still track true like they did from day 1. They're definately not a long lasting tyre but they make up for it by being extremely durable and requiring little maintenance (wheel balances)

[chimpboy]

Never a hint of a leak or puncture with mine either, over four years or so of use.

[ozy1]

okay, ive been reading every ones reports and they are all fairly similar, i have had one set of 33x12.5x15's on a GQ wagon, they were a great tire, handled everything i threw at them, had awesome traction on rock, dirt, the works, great on the blacktop as well, not sure how many k's i did on them, byt we still have em, ive had them for 9 years i bought them second hand,

also between my GQ and my dads GU we have been running 35x12.5x15s, we try to keep up balances and alingments, my dads set we replaced the other day they had well over 80 thou on them, the ones from my GQ have the same, and they still have good tread on them, i have a new set ready to go on,

they are a great alround tire, the seem to work alright in the mud, but everywhere else we love them. not sure what we will do when we wear out our new ones and have to buy the new designed ones but we will see,

[Jeeps]

okay, ive been reading every ones reports and they are all fairly similar, i have had one set of 33x12.5x15's on a GQ wagon, they were a great tire, handled everything i threw at them, had awesome traction on rock, dirt, the works, great on the blacktop as well, not sure how many k's i did on them, byt we still have em, ive had them for 9 years i bought them second hand,

also between my GQ and my dads GU we have been running 35x12.5x15s, we try to keep up balances and alingments, my dads set we replaced the other day they had well over 80 thou on them, the ones from my GQ have the same, and they still have good tread on them, i have a new set ready to go on,

they are a great alround tire, the seem to work alright in the mud, but everywhere else we love them. not sure what we will do when we wear out our new ones and have to buy the new designed ones but we will see,

I didn't think the MT/R design was around for 9 years!

[ozy1]

okay, ive been reading every ones reports and they are all fairly similar, i have had one set of 33x12.5x15's on a GQ wagon, they were a great tire, handled everything i threw at them, had awesome traction on rock, dirt, the works, great on the blacktop as well, not sure how many k's i did on them, byt we still have em, ive had them for 9 years i bought them second hand,

also between my GQ and my dads GU we have been running 35x12.5x15s, we try to keep up balances and alingments, my dads set we replaced the other day they had well over 80 thou on them, the ones from my GQ have the same, and they still have good tread on them, i have a new set ready to go on,

they are a great alround tire, the seem to work alright in the mud, but everywhere else we love them. not sure what we will do when we wear out our new ones and have to buy the new designed ones but we will see,

I didn't think the MT/R design was around for 9 years!

pretty sure its been somewhere close to that, maybe its 8 years but its a long time none the less,

[micntor]

I fitted these to our rural fire trucks (Nissan Patrol and Mitsubishi Canter)about 4 months ago. So Far wearing well and awesome traction in the hills (as you would expext with a canter that weighs 5.7tonne wet) Tread Squirms alittle at road speeds, but thats not where we spend most of our time. Ohh, the look sweet as duallie's

[bogged]

interesting... Got a price today on 285's.. I got mine for $280 but were retail $320ish in Oct/Nov...

They are now $427 retail! Can do for $350ish

The bloke has no idea on the new pattern yet.

[Patroler]

I'm running 265/75's on my gq, and i hope they will wear as well as you guys are saying, so far the tread has worn around 2mm in 5000 kays, i wouldn't expect the wear to be linear in relation to kays as the tread blocks get wider as they get lower.
Comparing them to my previous bfg kms, they perform similar in dirt and mud, however feel pretty squirmy on the road - new soft tread blocks - the bfgs lasted nearly 100k so i'm probably unfairly comparing them to more worn bfgs.
I really don't expect them to last any more than 60k - thats fine by me if they are as good with sidewall and puncture strenth as they are rated to be.
A fair bit of road noise - probably airflow around the lugs would be no less than the bfgs.
Some of the bfgs developed a diagonal crack around 15mm long starting at every second 'side biter' lug heading inwards(somewhat worrying), i think by looking at the mtrs side lug design - every second joined to its neighbour and no sharp corners that they should better resist this happening.
Overall i'm happy with them and would get them again at this stage, my mate has the new mickey thomson mtz's on a gu ute in the same size so depending how his goes may influence both of our decisions next time round.

[Pissboy]

Had a set of 33s on the GQ, and overall comparing to others i have run which include old style STT, 33 MTZ & 315 MTZ, imho the MTR are up there for an all rounder

[THICKNICK]

have had 37x12.5x15 on a gq patrol
a very good allrounder tyre, but lacks performance in mud.
so was a good tyre for me as i try to stay out of the mud anyhoo.
bagged well at lower pressures
quite a nice tyre to drive on the bitumen
never had a puncture

[bogged]

good for???

[cookiesmonsta]

Might be my driving style (full noise) but I've had dramas with the lugs ripping off mine. I run 37/12.5/15 on my 80 series.Read on patrol forum how they tend to do this if you dont drop pressures enough.

[SIM79]

good for???

Mud and rocks. The new tread pattern is ment to fix the old tread problems, the old pattern wasn't good in mud and this pattern is ment to work better. The old tread MTR had weak side walls so they added kelvar to make it stronger and this new tread pattern is ment to work better for rock crawling. I have never been a fan of the old pattern but am keen to try the pattern.

[dirtyGQ]

not enough tread depth from new and imo more an A/T than an offroad tyre i had them and on road they lasted well but i would never buy them again.
Prefer maxxis kreepy krawly and i thought even the kumho's kl17's were a far better tyre.