New Tyres - Long Term Review
My Defender came equipped with 265 75 16 BFG All Terrains, a decent tyre which does exactly what the name implies. As my Defender spends a fair amount of time Green Laning and away from the tarmac, I wanted to get a second set of wheels and tyres for the mud. I had originally planned on getting a set of Insa Turbo Special Tracks on a second set of wheels and keeping the AT's for on the road. Unfortunately however, the carcass on two of the BFG's started to break down and they were becoming less and less tyre shaped, while a third one was also low an tread depth and displaying crazing on the side walls. Their replacement became a priority. I could have replaced the three with more AT's but that would still have left me lacking a decent set of mud tyres so I set about looking for a single set replacement, more aggressive than the AT's but still decent on the road.
I came across the Fedima f/power, a remould of the BFG KM2 which I was set to get. However, these tyres come up big. The 235 85 16 measures up at 32.6 inches on the wheel, near enough an inch bigger than the industry standard for this size tyre. Great for off road, but throwing your speedo out and raising the gearing a fair bit. After more scouring of tyre reviews, forums etc etc, I decided on the Insa Turbo Sahara in 235 85 16. Very good off road and not to bad on road by all accounts. So, a trip up to John Craddocks at Cannock saw me paying for four Sahara's and pulling in to the fitting bay.
After five minutes the guy came out to me with those immortal words..."We've got a bit of a problem mate". Long story short, their stock records were wrong and they only had three in stock. I was offered a few options including picking them up another day or having them delivered, the same tyres in 7.50 size (they looked identical when put side by side to be fair) or different tyres altogether. After some humming and arghing, I decided on the Insa Turbo Dakar (same tread as the original BFG MT) in 235 85 16.
I've had this pattern before (genuine BFG) on my previous Tdi Defender in 265 75 16. They were very good both on and off road, though they never inspired quite the same confidence in the mud that the tyres I had prior to these did. Given that those tyres were Super Mud Pluggas, a radial (remould) version of the venerable Firestone SAT, perhaps it's an unfair comparison. I decided on giving them another go but in 235 85 16 rather than the previous 265 75 16 size ( contentious issue I know, but I'm firmly in the tall skinny camp when it comes to the tall/skinny tyres Vs fat/ wide tyres debate).
I came across the Fedima f/power, a remould of the BFG KM2 which I was set to get. However, these tyres come up big. The 235 85 16 measures up at 32.6 inches on the wheel, near enough an inch bigger than the industry standard for this size tyre. Great for off road, but throwing your speedo out and raising the gearing a fair bit. After more scouring of tyre reviews, forums etc etc, I decided on the Insa Turbo Sahara in 235 85 16. Very good off road and not to bad on road by all accounts. So, a trip up to John Craddocks at Cannock saw me paying for four Sahara's and pulling in to the fitting bay.
After five minutes the guy came out to me with those immortal words..."We've got a bit of a problem mate". Long story short, their stock records were wrong and they only had three in stock. I was offered a few options including picking them up another day or having them delivered, the same tyres in 7.50 size (they looked identical when put side by side to be fair) or different tyres altogether. After some humming and arghing, I decided on the Insa Turbo Dakar (same tread as the original BFG MT) in 235 85 16.
I've had this pattern before (genuine BFG) on my previous Tdi Defender in 265 75 16. They were very good both on and off road, though they never inspired quite the same confidence in the mud that the tyres I had prior to these did. Given that those tyres were Super Mud Pluggas, a radial (remould) version of the venerable Firestone SAT, perhaps it's an unfair comparison. I decided on giving them another go but in 235 85 16 rather than the previous 265 75 16 size ( contentious issue I know, but I'm firmly in the tall skinny camp when it comes to the tall/skinny tyres Vs fat/ wide tyres debate).
Initial Impressions
Driving back along the M6 & M5, I was very impressed with these tyres. They held the road well and although there was a slight hum, the tyres are pretty quiet and the noise wasn't intrusive. In fact, the vehicle on the whole was a lot quieter and more pleasant to drive due to the fact that the AT's were out of shape and the vehicle would rattle and vibrate at certain speeds as a result. The increase in gearing too makes for more pleasant cruising (the Dakars measure in at 31.6 inches while the AT's were 30 inches).
I've only done one laning trip so far since fitting these, which was mainly on hard surface or rock. What little mud I did see however they performed very good and seemed to bite well, better than the genuine BFG' M/T's I had on my previous 300 Tdi in fact. Perhaps this is due to the narrower cross section (235 as opposed to 265).
I've only done one laning trip so far since fitting these, which was mainly on hard surface or rock. What little mud I did see however they performed very good and seemed to bite well, better than the genuine BFG' M/T's I had on my previous 300 Tdi in fact. Perhaps this is due to the narrower cross section (235 as opposed to 265).
500+ miles.
So, after over 500 miles how are they doing? Very well is the answer. Road holding and handling is very good for a mud tyre and with a few miles under their belt it actually seems improved. I've managed to get a few more laning trips in too and I have to say, I'm very impressed with their performance on both mud and rock. The last lane of the day on a recent laning trip proved to be a real "humdinger" (it's always the last lane of the day isn't it). It started off easy enough (farm access track) then veered off in to a sunken lane with deep muddy ruts and some crazy side angles. Getting out to cut back some of the vegetation showed just how slippery it was and it was difficult it walk. The Dakars coped admirably with no wheel spin or slippage at all. The real test however was at the end. The climb out was up a rock/stone bank covered in mud. The climb was a good 35 to 40 degrees with a vertical step on the off side right at the top. The Dakar's did spin in a couple of places (getting over the vertical ledge) but very impressive none the less, especially considering that the climb was tackled at the first attempt with no run up.
One of the easier side angles
No photos of the climb out but here's one at the top. The slope is behind the Defender out of view.
18 months on.
I realised I hadn't updated the tyre section for quite a while, so after 18 months on the Defender, how are they faring?
Performance.
When I first bought these tyres I was pleased with how they performed, both on the road and on the lanes & 18 months later I'm still pleased with them. They've handled occasional runs down the motorway at the speed limit for long periods of time, cornered well on winding roads (both wet & dry), and stopped me when needed without any dramas. Likewise, on the lanes they've done everything asked of them, whether it was in mud, wet grass or rocks. There was one occasion where they ground to a halt and the rear locker needed to be used to get moving, but as the vehicle in front was shod with Special Tracks and that was also spinning, it's no disgrace to the Dakars.
Longevity
This is where the Dakars fall down for me. I did make a note of the mileage when these were fitted but I've no idea where it is now so I'm going to have to guesstimate the mileage as best I can. To date, I've done just over 17,000 miles in this Defender and the Dakars were fitted at around 7 months in, so I figure the Dakars have done about 12 or 13,000 miles. Brand new they had 18mm of tread (in the centre, not the shoulder lugs), now they have around 9mm. Take away 2mm for the legal limit (whole numbers are just easier than 1.6mm), there's 7mm of tread wear left before they're at the legal limit. Given that tyres with just 2mm of tread will be useless for laning, they will have to be replaced long before they reach the limit so realistically, there's about 5mm of tread wear left until they need to be consigned to the bin. That's probably about 7,000 miles give or take. One of my friends who I lane with runs Dakars on his current truck and on his previous ones and he swears by them, reckoning they last well and are hard to wear out. Comparing mileage done against tyre wear on my own truck however, I'd have to disagree. Having said that, they are tough and have taken a few nicks here and there from rocks and they still hold air, so if you do a lot of rocky lanes where taking a sidewall out is likely to kill a tyre long before it wears out, then you could do a lot worse.
Would I buy them again?
Probably not. While I've no issues with how they perform, they just wear a little quick for my liking. Ok, they're a budget tyre and a remould to boot, but 20,000 miles isn't a great life span for a tyre really. For not a lot more than the Dakars, you can buy brand new tyres which should (hopefully) last a while longer.
What tyres next?
There's still a few thousand miles left in them so I'm not looking to replace them just yet. Another guy who's started coming out laning with us has just got a set of Maxxis Bighorn M/T. As these are a brand new tyre for not a lot more than the Dakars, I'll be interested to see how they perform and wear as time goes on.
Performance.
When I first bought these tyres I was pleased with how they performed, both on the road and on the lanes & 18 months later I'm still pleased with them. They've handled occasional runs down the motorway at the speed limit for long periods of time, cornered well on winding roads (both wet & dry), and stopped me when needed without any dramas. Likewise, on the lanes they've done everything asked of them, whether it was in mud, wet grass or rocks. There was one occasion where they ground to a halt and the rear locker needed to be used to get moving, but as the vehicle in front was shod with Special Tracks and that was also spinning, it's no disgrace to the Dakars.
Longevity
This is where the Dakars fall down for me. I did make a note of the mileage when these were fitted but I've no idea where it is now so I'm going to have to guesstimate the mileage as best I can. To date, I've done just over 17,000 miles in this Defender and the Dakars were fitted at around 7 months in, so I figure the Dakars have done about 12 or 13,000 miles. Brand new they had 18mm of tread (in the centre, not the shoulder lugs), now they have around 9mm. Take away 2mm for the legal limit (whole numbers are just easier than 1.6mm), there's 7mm of tread wear left before they're at the legal limit. Given that tyres with just 2mm of tread will be useless for laning, they will have to be replaced long before they reach the limit so realistically, there's about 5mm of tread wear left until they need to be consigned to the bin. That's probably about 7,000 miles give or take. One of my friends who I lane with runs Dakars on his current truck and on his previous ones and he swears by them, reckoning they last well and are hard to wear out. Comparing mileage done against tyre wear on my own truck however, I'd have to disagree. Having said that, they are tough and have taken a few nicks here and there from rocks and they still hold air, so if you do a lot of rocky lanes where taking a sidewall out is likely to kill a tyre long before it wears out, then you could do a lot worse.
Would I buy them again?
Probably not. While I've no issues with how they perform, they just wear a little quick for my liking. Ok, they're a budget tyre and a remould to boot, but 20,000 miles isn't a great life span for a tyre really. For not a lot more than the Dakars, you can buy brand new tyres which should (hopefully) last a while longer.
What tyres next?
There's still a few thousand miles left in them so I'm not looking to replace them just yet. Another guy who's started coming out laning with us has just got a set of Maxxis Bighorn M/T. As these are a brand new tyre for not a lot more than the Dakars, I'll be interested to see how they perform and wear as time goes on.