Tyre Topic - Silverstone MT 117 Sport

[mmaaxx]

This Tyre Topic is for members to post about Silverstone MT117 Sport. Post your thoughts on grip, noise, wear, airing down, or anything else you consider of interest to other members.

Silverstone MT117 Sport



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I have had my Silverstones for 13,000km so far and absolutely love em. That being said they aren't a tyre for everyone.

I use them as my daily driver on my 07 Hilux 4x4 SR and they perform great. I have never had any aquaplanning on wet roads and they have never let me down grip-wise.

The tread is just over 16mm deep when new so they are very chunky and they are also a directional tyre.

On the bitumen, they do howl abit, especially between 60 to 80 kph. And they do seem to pull up abit worse than other mud tyres under braking.

Offroad, they are awesome

In mud they just pick it up and throw it into the surrounding scenery. Seriously bite really well.

Same can be said on loose rocky mountain trails when aired down. They seem ot have a very stiff 2 ply sidewall and they needs low pressures to get em to bag well.

I rapt with them, will consider getting another set when these wear out and for the price, you really cant go wrong. I think this has to be one of the most under rated tyre out there at the moment. Just a shame that it doesnt come in any more sizes...... there are 4 available, 31/10.5x15 , 33/12.5x15, 265/70x16, and 285/75x16.

Their brochure quotes -

The Ultimate in off road tyres

Features and Benefits

* The new steel belted radial construction of the "King of 4x4 Tyres".
* Superior tread design element enhances traction on loose ground, mud and snow conditions.
* Incorporates Silverstone's advanced directional "V" shape tread block design for superior self-cleaning capability and maximum performance even in the toughest terrain.
* Optimum void-to-rubber ratio provides superior traction in any off-road conditions.
* The sidewall block elements provide additional traction and thus reduce the chances of getting stuck in deep gumbo mud conditions.
* Reinforced full width steel belts and robust casing construction enhance puncture and bruise resistance.
* Specially formulated tread compound provides exceptional cutting and chipping resistance.

Heres some pics of them on my hilux -





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Please add your comments both for and against this tyre to contribute to this thread and allow others to make an educated purchase decision.

[TRobbo]

I have them on my disco in 285 x 75 x 16 and use them as my daily and general off road tyre. On the bitumen they are "bumpy" at v. low speeds. It's like you can feel each lug as it hits the ground.

They handle far better than my simex jt2 on the road.

[Bluey]

i have the 285/75/16 on my 80 series, came with the vehicle when i bought it several years ago. really good tyre but they are loud, i reckon louder than my 35 radial claws.

quite good offroad, had no problems to date on road. i have bought some 35 simex's for play tyres, the silverstones stay on for general driving araound. being a directional tyre the wear patterns on mine are pretty crap now, don't knowe how many kays they have done but am due for replacemnts soon.

[mmaaxx]

Just thought I'd bump this back up........

Last week whilst I was rotating my tyres I thought I'd measure the tyres.......with a tape measure and a spirit level, inflated, my 285/75x16's measured exactly 12" wide from side lug to side lug, and just under 32.8" in diamter after 15,000km mostly on bitumen.

still had 14.5mm of tread left.......not bad wear I reckon.

[fat496]

Had the 33's on my Feroza for 12 Mths, and loved them. Since sold the vehicle but they were excellent wearing.

Not the best in soft sand due to the width of them and the gutless 1.6 engine that was pushing them, and perhaps a bit too aggressive as if you stomped it they tend to dig holes.

Loved the mud and clay, as long as the diffs weren't bottoming out they just kept pulling.

Noise was never too bad, even on the highway.

Would buy them for my cruiser if they came any bigger than 33".

[mmaaxx]

Would buy them for my cruiser if they came any bigger than 33".

I agree, if there was a larger selection of sizes, they'd sell heaps more of them.

[Jonezy01]

Heard they were undersized can any1 shed some more light on this ie are they undersized and by how much realy keen on a set just not settled on what size to get.

[TRobbo]

My 285 75 16's are slighty bigger than my bfg all terrains of the same size so I would say their sizing is right

[mmaaxx]

My 285 75 16's are slighty bigger than my bfg all terrains of the same size so I would say their sizing is right

the 285/75x16 mounted on 16x8 rims are a full 12 inches wide from sidewall to sidewall.

[zukmeista]

Just thought I'd add that you can get a 35". Not in the sport, but the LT. Still 6 ply. Also I was looking at a set of these for my zook in either a 31x10.5 or 7.5016 which measures approx. 32" by 8". I mainly drive on clay and from what I've seen wider tyres slide around a bit. What size should I get?

[99HiluxIFS]

What is the pricing on these tyres? I was lookin at 33" Maxxis Bighorns for around 250 each plus 70 each for new 15x8 rims but if these are a better price, maybe i should look at these? Anyone used both these types of tyres?

I really want BIG side lugs on my tyres for mudplay so any suggestions?

[BabyGodzillaGTi-R]

I am running a set of MT117s (the originals b4 the Sport) however mine is meant for backhoes.
They are 285/85 16s 6 plies. In terms of size i believe that works out to 35x11.0 16.

Great budget 35 size tyres for what i am paying. Back in Malaysia it cost me RM370 a piece.
I think that works out to AUD115.

They are pretty heavy and they make my Toyota 3L Turboed Daihatu Rocky pretty slow but enough poke to overtake safely in our country roads heading to our favourite trails.

On road, well obviously you have to becareful with wet braking as i easily locked mine a couple of times.
If you know what you are doing and not doing anything silly they are pretty fine as a touring tyres.
However around the bends they seem pretty grippy in the dry and I have to be quite a lunactic before the tyre looses its adhesion.
After 115kph the tyre just looses balance it it starts rattling to death. Stick to below 115kph and it's fine. Anyway i think they are rated for 120kph or Q if i vaguely remember.

Offroading, well they do pretty well in our muddy conditions when dry.
However this is the part I was wondering if anyone shares the same sentiments with me.
I benchmark these tyres with the Simex Xtreme Trekkers.
In the wet they don't really grip very well.
Doesn't seem to cut into the ground like how XTs work.
It just skims over the surface and i will end up 4 wheel spinning when going up hills.
They seem to work better if my wheels are spinning harder for it clear/fling the mud out of the threads.
So far i seem to go where ever the XT guys goes in the mud but i need to do it at a faster space.

What i am trying to get at is the MT117s works only on hard solid ground. If the surface involves soft mud the tyres floats over the surface instead of cutting down to the hard bottom. If i'm driving on clay like mud, the tyres have a tendency to cake up like a donut and then i get stuck. Need a few rocking motion to get through obstackles. Anyone shares the same sentiments?

Also when i lower the tyres as low as 10psi, the sidewalls don't flex at all. It's like i can run without any air and the thing moves.

My other bug bear with the MT117s is they don't work in reverse at all.
Anyone faces this problem.

Will i recommend anyone these tyres?
As a budget tyre and in the interest of thread lightly the MT117s works pretty well as an allrounder, medium core tyre.

Ultimately i still would like to replace them with XTs where they wear out to suit our Malaysian environment.