| 4x4 All Terrain Tire SHOOTOUT |
THE TEST RIG
Don Alexander
1995 Land Rover Discovery 1
The only way to conduct equal tests of all tires was to use one
vehicle. We selected a Land Rover Discovery 1 for several reasons.
No stock vehicle is more capable off road, They are popular, readily
available and have very durable engines and drivelines. Because
we were testing on difficult trails, we made minor modifications to
the Disco, modifications we would suggest to anyone wanting a
capable trail rig that still could be used as an excellent daily driver.
For the off road tests, we modified a 1995 Land Rover Discovery
with a two inch lift using Old Man Emu springs. We chose Koni
Heavy Track Raid shocks for their excellent travel and exceptional off
and on road performance. Because of the Koni's long rebound
travel, we added dislocation cones to the rear springs to take
advantage of the increased rebound travel and great articulation. We
added some underside protection in the form of diff guards and a
steering guard. We also removed the front and rear antiroll bars for
improved articulation. All of the tires were mounted on stock 16" x 7"
steel wheels with no modifications.
For asphalt and highway testing, we used a completely stock 1995
Land Rover Discovery 1, primarily for the skid pad and slalom tests.
At stock ride height and with antiroll bars connected, performance
on the asphalt would be somewhat better.
We also selected the Land Rover Discovery because we are very
familiar with them and we own three, so we had spares if needed,
which they were not, fortunately!
The engines and drivelines are completely stock. Both test vehicles
have automatic transmissions. The Land Rovers feature a central
diff lock which works on the transfer case. When engaged, the front
and rear axles are locked together, There are no diff locks on the
test vehicle, meaning that the front and differentials are open. With
the central diff lock engaged, if one axle has more traction, at least
one tire will try to drive the vehicle.
Our support Discovery is a manual transmission model and
features ARB air lockers on both axles, making it a very capable rig.
This Discovery 1 was never used for testing, but did get
considerable use for exploration and recovery work, as well as
transport of the crew. This Disco is equipped with Hankook RT03
mud terrain tires and when none of the test tires managed to
complete a climb in the snow, ice or mud, we tried the test course in
this rig. It was not able to complete the test course either, though it
managed to go a little farther. This speaks more about the
conditions and test course difficulty than the ability of any of the tires.
See the tests for more details.
SUPPORT VEHICLES
In addition to the Discovery 1 support rig, we used our 2005 Nissan
Xterra project vehicle which is well equipped with a Calmini winch
bumper, Superwinch 9.5 EPi winch, a Viair on board air system,
which not only aired-up tires, but was used to spin lug nuts on and
off during tire changes., serious skid plates and a Calmini 2.5 inch
lift. We also carried a full complement of recovery gear, including Hi
Lift Jacks and accessories, Hi Lift's Handle kit, tow straps, a kinetic
strap, winch accessories, sand ladders, a Pull Pal winching anchor,
which proved invaluable getting the Xterra unstuck from deep snow
with nothig to anchor to, and a variety of shackles.
Our workhorse pickup is a Ford Super Duty extended cab diesel 4x4,
completely stock and also equipped with RF10 all terrain tires. The
truck carried tools and all of the test wheels and tires. It was heavy
and required winching out of the snow three times on the first day of
snow testing. At one point, the 6000+ pound rig was mired in soft
snow that was beginning to freeze over at the end of the day. We
used the Superwinch on the Xterra, which was chained to a large
tree via a tree saver strap. Without the anchor, the Xterra just slid
across the snow. Even then we needed to use a snatch block to
double the pulling power of the Superwinch. The EPi 9.5 never
missed a beat, continually pulling the big Ford Power Stroke out of
its holes until it would sink again. It all made for a long a day.
And when the trails were to tough and tight for the big pickup, we
used a 1991 Range Rover Classic to carry tires.
Don Alexander
1995 Land Rover Discovery 1
The only way to conduct equal tests of all tires was to use one
vehicle. We selected a Land Rover Discovery 1 for several reasons.
No stock vehicle is more capable off road, They are popular, readily
available and have very durable engines and drivelines. Because
we were testing on difficult trails, we made minor modifications to
the Disco, modifications we would suggest to anyone wanting a
capable trail rig that still could be used as an excellent daily driver.
For the off road tests, we modified a 1995 Land Rover Discovery
with a two inch lift using Old Man Emu springs. We chose Koni
Heavy Track Raid shocks for their excellent travel and exceptional off
and on road performance. Because of the Koni's long rebound
travel, we added dislocation cones to the rear springs to take
advantage of the increased rebound travel and great articulation. We
added some underside protection in the form of diff guards and a
steering guard. We also removed the front and rear antiroll bars for
improved articulation. All of the tires were mounted on stock 16" x 7"
steel wheels with no modifications.
For asphalt and highway testing, we used a completely stock 1995
Land Rover Discovery 1, primarily for the skid pad and slalom tests.
At stock ride height and with antiroll bars connected, performance
on the asphalt would be somewhat better.
We also selected the Land Rover Discovery because we are very
familiar with them and we own three, so we had spares if needed,
which they were not, fortunately!
The engines and drivelines are completely stock. Both test vehicles
have automatic transmissions. The Land Rovers feature a central
diff lock which works on the transfer case. When engaged, the front
and rear axles are locked together, There are no diff locks on the
test vehicle, meaning that the front and differentials are open. With
the central diff lock engaged, if one axle has more traction, at least
one tire will try to drive the vehicle.
Our support Discovery is a manual transmission model and
features ARB air lockers on both axles, making it a very capable rig.
This Discovery 1 was never used for testing, but did get
considerable use for exploration and recovery work, as well as
transport of the crew. This Disco is equipped with Hankook RT03
mud terrain tires and when none of the test tires managed to
complete a climb in the snow, ice or mud, we tried the test course in
this rig. It was not able to complete the test course either, though it
managed to go a little farther. This speaks more about the
conditions and test course difficulty than the ability of any of the tires.
See the tests for more details.
SUPPORT VEHICLES
In addition to the Discovery 1 support rig, we used our 2005 Nissan
Xterra project vehicle which is well equipped with a Calmini winch
bumper, Superwinch 9.5 EPi winch, a Viair on board air system,
which not only aired-up tires, but was used to spin lug nuts on and
off during tire changes., serious skid plates and a Calmini 2.5 inch
lift. We also carried a full complement of recovery gear, including Hi
Lift Jacks and accessories, Hi Lift's Handle kit, tow straps, a kinetic
strap, winch accessories, sand ladders, a Pull Pal winching anchor,
which proved invaluable getting the Xterra unstuck from deep snow
with nothig to anchor to, and a variety of shackles.
Our workhorse pickup is a Ford Super Duty extended cab diesel 4x4,
completely stock and also equipped with RF10 all terrain tires. The
truck carried tools and all of the test wheels and tires. It was heavy
and required winching out of the snow three times on the first day of
snow testing. At one point, the 6000+ pound rig was mired in soft
snow that was beginning to freeze over at the end of the day. We
used the Superwinch on the Xterra, which was chained to a large
tree via a tree saver strap. Without the anchor, the Xterra just slid
across the snow. Even then we needed to use a snatch block to
double the pulling power of the Superwinch. The EPi 9.5 never
missed a beat, continually pulling the big Ford Power Stroke out of
its holes until it would sink again. It all made for a long a day.
And when the trails were to tough and tight for the big pickup, we
used a 1991 Range Rover Classic to carry tires.
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Copyright 2009 Don Alexander
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