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I have a Volvo XC90 in need of new tyres, and would like a set of off-road capable all-seasons. I am thinking Falken Wildpeak AT3WA All Terrain or something similar.
As a family, we camp a lot (that's our main form of holiday) both here and across the Continent, as well as making many day-trips for hill-walking, etc.
It isn't so much for the UK that I want the more aggressive tyre, though, but rather Belgium. We travel there in all seasons, and where we are is VERY rural, with lots of dirt tracks through woods, etc.
Anyway, I was wondering about the decrease in fuel economy. If you run them, or have run them, and have also run decent all-seasons (like Michelin Cross Climate or Vredestein Quatrac Pro or similar), how does running something more off-road oriented compare? What about issues like road noise?
mmmm, full fat SUV with off road tyres. Might want to stay away from the cities now 🙁
https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/nl/2023/03/01/activisten-laten-banden-leeglopen-van-41-suv-s-in-elsene/
glad you still have the holiday spot here though :). apart from the rain it's great
I'm looking at this sort of tyre for when I find a van, for the bit of extra grip on campsites and (mainly) for the extra robustness to deal with the shocking state of the roads where I live.
Cooper Discoverer AT3 Sport 2 is another to consider.
Stay away from the full on AT tyres if you like grip on wet tarmac, like the BF Goodrich or pirelli scorpion, they have no channels for water to escape like normal road tyres so the wet tarmac grip is bad.
Not sure you can rule out the whole of Europe because of a few narrow minded idiots as per above post links...
With regards to the tyres you've listed I'd imagine it'd be negligible, we ran some all terrains on a hiace as the RWD set up would get stuck on a wet field.
Biggest completing was slightly extra noise, but the van was very noisy anyway!
We've had a couple of sets of Vredesteins on an XC90 (Wintrac extreme) and they were great. Couldn't tell any difference in noise or consumption. Last time we changed we couldn't get those, and we've a set of cheap knock-offs (I don't know what because the car isn't here right now) and they've been good though TBH we've not driven in any particularly extreme conditions in the last year or so (both ski-trips the roads were clear).
On an unrelated note we were in a van in Belgium over Easter and, after rain on Thurday, the campsites were carnage.
Not sure you can rule out the whole of Europe because of a few narrow minded idiots as per above post links…
You can't but it is worth being aware. Most of them restrict themselves to letting tyres down so a foot pump or spare tyre is a good idea. A very few paint or scratch up cars.
BF Goodrich T/A KO2 on my van.
Road noise isn't bad but you can hear it if you try at about 40mph.
Fuel Economy - hard to tell as I have had them on the van from new, but compared to others with "normal" tyres and similar vans is about 3mpg worse.
Ride quality is fine.
I have those Wildpeaks on my van, they are a sensible choice in terms of some off road grip without the huge loss of on-road handling and braking performance you get by fitting a set of 'look at me' blocky mud terrains!
Haven't checked my mpg as the I previously ran another similar set of all terrains.
Yokohama Geolander A/T? Had some on an old Sorento and they were OK.
Avon 235/55 r18 AX7 on my van. I think about 3-5mpg ish difference to the eco conti things it had on. No difference in noise noticed.
But on the campsite in Peel this weekend I was the one pulling people out the mud and not stuck in it!
Not sure you can rule out the whole of Europe because of a few narrow minded idiots as per above post links…
They're in the UK too... 🤷♂️
We ran the Maxxis 980E worm drive’s on our old Type2 T3 camper - didn’t notice much difference in noise or MPG in comparison to standard road tyres.
Any reason not just to use Cross Climates?
Mud & snow rated and not too obviously a 4x4 tyre, decent on fuel, etc.
I run cross climates and IME they are significantly better in fields than summer tyres.
I have Avon AX7s on my Vitara - we live down a steep unmade track and when it snows / freezes can be impassible in regular tyres. I managed to pull my neighbour’s heavier van out that had got bogged-down too. Far more capable on mud and grass compared to something like Cross Climates. Done a couple of longer, motorway trips and didn’t really notice the noise or fuel economy impact and a lot less punctures than my old road tyres. I’ve got Maxxi Worm Drives on my 1974 VW camper - chunkier, more off-road oriented less suited to longer drives.
We have Scorpion Verdes all season on our Kuga and even through they arent highly rated these days make a big difference out of wet fields. If I were replacing them it’d probably be with cross climates.
There's a bit of useful info here - https://www.t6forum.com/threads/real-world-road-vs-all-season-vs-light-a-t-tyres-on-the-road.40459/
I'm also looking for an XC90 tyre for similar purpose.
The Cooper Discoverer as noted above is probably what I'm going with. Iirc it's snow rated and has better fuel rating thanthe Geolander.
The BFG Trail Terrain is another to consider - quite a bit lighter than a BFG AT KO
I looked at the trail terrain and very quickly discounted it with a few reviews saying the wet road performance is shocking. It's rated E for wet performance and fuel economy. The Cooper Discoverer is C wet and D fuel as a comparison.
I have the Falken Wildpeak AT3WA on my pickup. Better in every way than the conti cross contacts they replaced which are a far less agreessive tyre. Not noticed an increase in MPG (the truck isn't exactly frugal anyway) noise is good, grip in all conditions is good, snow performance is very good. I think I paid < £120 per corner fitted which was a steal compared with most other options.
Would recommend.
Do you really need these? Are you actually getting stuck on what you have?
I've only got stuck in soft muddy fields with a 2wd car and a caravan. People with 4wd even with normal tyres are usually fine. It takes a proper muddy field to get stuck without a caravan even with 2wd.
Yeah but look how cool XC90's can look with decent tyres......{throws fuel on the recent SUV thread and runs away}
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Michelin Latitude Cross is a good allrounder.
If they still make it.
Was good on my L200 for some real mud!
Surprisingly capable in mud.
Used to be std fit on some Landrovers.
Cross climate a good alternative I would think .
Lots of choices out there!
Cooper discover AT3. On my Ranger second set actually. Very good on wet roads. 3PSf all seasons so good in cold too. Fuel, not noticed any change from the wranglers that I had before. Wear, very good I think. Noise, not noticed any change from previous. But I do need to have a hearing test.
Did get stuck on Salisbury plain but I suspect that was down to the prick behind the wheel getting carried away!
For all-seasons a tyre would ideally be 3PMSF-certified. I can't see that on a couple ^^
3PMSF shows that the tyre has been successfully tested in snow and includes the M&S rating. You can buy M&S-rated tyres that aren't 3PMSF-certified.
There may well be a compromise between on and off-road grip, so decide which is more important 🙂
Fuel economy, noise and wet grip is rated in the EU labelling, A is better, E worse. The nearer to 70db you can get will be more usual, but again be prepared to compromise
Michelin Latitudes on a friend's Amarok didn't look particularly aggressive but did a good job dragging the sawmill up and out of a muddy yard. Fully expected to have to pull it out with the tractor after seeing the tyres.
I ran Yoko Geolander GO15 on my T5 for a couple of years before switching to BFG ATs
As an allrounder the Geolander is a superior tyre being better in the dry and wet, very good in the snow, and extremely impressive in mud considering the relatively unaggressive tread pattern. I really rate them.
In contrast the BFGs are louder, less good (though still fine) in the wet and dry, probably less good in snow (hard to be objective as Both will spin but I have never been stuck with either), but better in the mud. However, more importantly, they look cool AF 🙂
The kind of driving (towing on country lanes) and the roads around mid Wales mean there is a negligible loss in MPG in real terms. However, if I do do any sort of long summer trip (eg back to Germany) I stick on the old van tyres I have in the shed as they will give maybe 5-19% better economy over that sort of distance/speed.
Wildpeak at3w on a pickup replaced coninental cross country's.
All round good tyre great in recent snow, no difference in MPG or noise.
Grip on tarmac also as good as conti's
I think you closed your own thread. Almost every SUV/CUV overland build you see in the PNW has lifted crosstreks, outbacks, tacomas, 4runners etc on those wildpeaks.
Had/ still have geolander ats on my old ranger for the last 10 yrs or so. Been brilliant. Aggressive enough for a bit of mud, puncture proof enough for the log yard and flinty forest tracks and pretty quiet on the road.
Got maxxis Wormdrive 980s on the Pathfinder - great tyre for 'actual' off road but too noisy and heavy for a vehicle that does a bigger proportion of road. Got BF Goodrick T/A KO2 on the Defender, and wouldn't go there again - the Wormdrives are better and cheaper. Neither of those are what I'd think you're looking for anyway. The other half had Maxxis AT771s on her Grand Vitarra - they are a great tyre for a varied mix of surfaces - it's a kind of hybrid tread and has proper rain channels, but still has enough bite for mud and snow. She's now got an FL2 which has Goodyear Wrangler HP - i was prepared for them to be lacking on tracks and in the fields, but they've been surprisingly OK! Still think I'll put the 771s on there when the Goodyears are done. Going more road orientated again, I have a Mazda CX5 too, and took a while weighing up if its was going to get Pirelli Scorpion Verde, Falken Wildpeak AT3WA, or my trusted 771s - I've driven Discos with the Verde, and it's actually very good, but most of the owners have had numerous sidewall cuts, fast wear and they're expensive. Drove some Toyota or other with the Wildpeaks and they're also pretty damned good - but in the end the 771s were a chunk cheaper, very similar and I already trusted them. Noise wise, the OEM Toyo road tyres on the Mazda are rated 70dB, the Maxxis 771 are 71dB and the Falkens 70-75B - so not much between them on that front.
Yokohama Geolander have long been known as the tyre for this kind of thing - Its what used to come as OEM on Subaru Outbacks, which tells you exactly what you should need to know.
but which Geolander - there's 8 versions currently LOL ;o)
G015 are a good price though depending on price, and are similar pattern to those I mentioned.
I run geolandar GO15 on my forester, an excellent all round tyre, quiet, hardly any difference on fuel, and absolutely amazing on snow/ice.
Haven’t used them on mud much, but my mate has them on his scooby too and he has no complaints either.
Edit: i paid £480 for a set of 4, a year ago
Previously had an X5 and it was useless on its standard tyres just about anywhere off road. Swapped to Hankook winter tyres and negligible change in fuel economy. No longer got stuck in fields with the horse trailer and the smaller width etc meant they didn't wear on the edges as quickly so lasted longer even run over summer months. Have a look on eBay etc for someone selling a set of winter wheels for the Volvo as mighht be a cheap way of trying them out before going full on off road tyres.
I think the original geolandars on my forester and my mates outback were the G91.
A really good all round tyre, mine did 46,000 miles and still weren’t fully worn out.
Averaging around 46mpg over that distance.
I can still get 46mpg with the g15s, but i need to drive a little slower to achieve that.
Jeep GC here had HT’s on, moved to a set of mild AT’s Cooper ATT’s. Maybe lost 1-2 mpg, no noticeable change in volume. They are great in most stuff apart from deep mud / wet clay.