| 4x4 All Terrain Tire SHOOTOUT |
TEST DRIVER EVALUATIONS
Hill Climb - steep, loose dirt, sharp rock HANKOOK BFG TOYO
Stoddard Valley Mar 11
Traction Overall 7 6 5
Wheelspin / Wheel Lockup 6.5 5.5 5
Directional Stability 7 6 5
Steering Feel 7 6 5
Tire Compliance with Surface 7 6.5 4.5
Steering Input Responsiveness 7 6 5
Test importance 10 of 10 Average 6.92 6.00 4.92
TEST DRIVER COMMENTS:
Hankook: Excellent traction and steering control. Very smooth ride
BFG: Fairly good traction and steering control. Smooth ride , but vague.
Toyo: Fairly poor traction and steering control. Very bouncy ride.
Hill Climb - steep, loose dirt, sharp rock HANKOOK BFG TOYO
Stoddard Valley Mar 11
Traction Overall 7 6 5
Wheelspin / Wheel Lockup 6.5 5.5 5
Directional Stability 7 6 5
Steering Feel 7 6 5
Tire Compliance with Surface 7 6.5 4.5
Steering Input Responsiveness 7 6 5
Test importance 10 of 10 Average 6.92 6.00 4.92
TEST DRIVER COMMENTS:
Hankook: Excellent traction and steering control. Very smooth ride
BFG: Fairly good traction and steering control. Smooth ride , but vague.
Toyo: Fairly poor traction and steering control. Very bouncy ride.
Steep Climb, loose dirt & sharp rock
Stoddard Valley climb 1 Page 1
Stoddard Valley climb 1 Page 1
This clip compares all three tires from a trailside cam at mid point on the climb.
Watch the differences in the amounts of dust for clues about traction capability.
Watch the differences in the amounts of dust for clues about traction capability.
About Climbs and Descents
Climbs and descents are an integral part of four wheeling. They come in all flavors and degrees of
difficulty. As climbs and descents become steeper, and as trail surface traction decreases, the difficulty
increases and tire traction plays an increasingly important role. As a climb becomes steeper, available
torque at the tire becomes a factor but only as long as there is enough traction available to use the
torque. On a flat road, very little torque is needed to move the load of a vehicle. As the road incline
increases, the torque needed increase, and as the torque increases, more traction is needed to keep
the wheels driving. This is precisely why four wheel drive low range is needed for steep climbs – more
traction and drive torque at the tires. And this is also why diff locks help. They allow a both tires on an
axle to be driven equally which increases drive. If one wheel begins to spin, the other can still be
providing traction. If both axles have diff locks, maximum possible traction is available. When the torque
needed to climb a grade exceeds the traction available to drive the tires, wheelspin begins and before
long, forward momentum ceases. It does not matter if you are driving a two wheel drive with an open diff,
or four wheel drive with diff locks at both ends, when the tires stop driving and begin to spin, your stuck.
Your only choices, neither very good, is to back down the slope, or winch up it.
The only difference between a two wheel drive with an open diff and 4x4 with diff locks is the number of
tires with drive – one in the case of two wheel drive and four with a 4x4 and diff locks. All else being
equal, the 4x4 with diff locks will always get farther on steeper slopes. On the other hand, if you have
enough traction but not enough torque, forward momentum also ceases.
The same effect occurs on flat roads when traction is very low – mud, snow, ice and sand – if traction is
so low that small amounts of drive torque cause wheelspin, eventually momentum is lost and forward
progress halts. Add soft surfaces – especially snow and sand, and the weight of the vehicle can cause
the tires to dig into the surface, requiring more torque to push aside the snow or sand building in front of
the tires. Again, without adequate traction for the required drive torque, you get stuck.
Climbs and descents are an integral part of four wheeling. They come in all flavors and degrees of
difficulty. As climbs and descents become steeper, and as trail surface traction decreases, the difficulty
increases and tire traction plays an increasingly important role. As a climb becomes steeper, available
torque at the tire becomes a factor but only as long as there is enough traction available to use the
torque. On a flat road, very little torque is needed to move the load of a vehicle. As the road incline
increases, the torque needed increase, and as the torque increases, more traction is needed to keep
the wheels driving. This is precisely why four wheel drive low range is needed for steep climbs – more
traction and drive torque at the tires. And this is also why diff locks help. They allow a both tires on an
axle to be driven equally which increases drive. If one wheel begins to spin, the other can still be
providing traction. If both axles have diff locks, maximum possible traction is available. When the torque
needed to climb a grade exceeds the traction available to drive the tires, wheelspin begins and before
long, forward momentum ceases. It does not matter if you are driving a two wheel drive with an open diff,
or four wheel drive with diff locks at both ends, when the tires stop driving and begin to spin, your stuck.
Your only choices, neither very good, is to back down the slope, or winch up it.
The only difference between a two wheel drive with an open diff and 4x4 with diff locks is the number of
tires with drive – one in the case of two wheel drive and four with a 4x4 and diff locks. All else being
equal, the 4x4 with diff locks will always get farther on steeper slopes. On the other hand, if you have
enough traction but not enough torque, forward momentum also ceases.
The same effect occurs on flat roads when traction is very low – mud, snow, ice and sand – if traction is
so low that small amounts of drive torque cause wheelspin, eventually momentum is lost and forward
progress halts. Add soft surfaces – especially snow and sand, and the weight of the vehicle can cause
the tires to dig into the surface, requiring more torque to push aside the snow or sand building in front of
the tires. Again, without adequate traction for the required drive torque, you get stuck.
To view the tests on the Stoddard Climb 1 of an individual
tire, click on the image of that tire below.
tire, click on the image of that tire below.
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Copyright 2009 Don Alexander
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