Hi folks
I need a new set of tyres for my ‘89 Trakka Syncro. Ideally after some moderate all terrains - good for the highway but can handle some light off road, namely beach tracks.
Any advice would be very welcome!
Cheers
The lovely Roger, who now no longer owns a T3 syncro provided this lovely write up on the options available depending on what wheel package you are running:
Unfortunately there are few choices in off-road tyres available in 14" diameter.
Most people go to 15" or even larger rims.
You require a tyre with a minimum load rating of 97, and if you are running a stock engine you should stick to a tyre with an outside diameter as close as possible to the original factory tyre, about 670mm. Aspect ratio of less than 70% probably won’t hack it in off-road use.
Large diameter tyres increase fuel consumption, reduce braking efficiency, place more stress on the transmission, and make “G” gear less capable of climbing steep slopes. They do, however, make highway cruising more relaxed and have a larger footprint in sand.
The largest tyre you can fit in the spare-wheel well is around 703 to 705mm diameter. Tyres wider than 205 section may require minor modifications to fit the spare wheel carrier.
Most chat groups consider that 225 is the widest you can go without modification. As well as the usual clearance issues with bodywork and components, check that you can open and close the sliding door with wider tyres fitted.
Probably the most popular tyres among the group are;
Firestone Destination A/T 205/75R15 103S (689mm O.D),
BFG AT 15/75R15 100S (706mm O.D)
Cooper AT/3; 225/70R15 100T (703mm O.D.) (mild 5 rib, raised white letters).
Other tyres that look pretty good are;
Kumho Road Venture AT51 215/75R15 106R - moderately aggressive.
Toyo Open Country ATII; 215/70R15 98H 683mm, 225/70R15 100T 697mm, 215/75R15 100S 703mm.
Hancook Dynapro; AT-M RF10 215/75R15 97S - moderately aggressive.
You might also consider;
Goodyear Wrangler ATS; 225/75R15 108Q 733mm (too large for spare-wheel well).
General Grabber AT2 and AT3; look good, but are hard to find.
Yokohama Geolander; AT/S GO12 215/70R15 98S – mild and quiet.
Falken LA AT 195/80R15 103L quiet mild tyre.
Kumho AT KL78 205/75 R15 or 215/75R15 - Possibly NLA
Pirelli Scorpion ATR; 215/80R15 102T (Mild pattern but good reviews)
Michelin Latitude Cross; 205/70R15 100H or 215/70R15 98T (mild but quiet)
Bridgestone Desert Dueler; AT D697 205/75 R15 96S 669mm (inadequate load rating).
Dunlop Grand Trek AT3; 205/70R15 100T, 225/70R15 100T - very mild
Continental Cross Contact AT; 205/70R15 96H (inadequate), 225/70R15 100S - very mild
Nitto Dura Gripper: Highway Terrain 215/70R15 98H, 225/70R15 100T 699mm
Deestone R403; 225/70 R15 109S
Kelly Safari; ATR 225/75R15 102S 718mm – probably too big.
Goodride SL369; 205/70R15 96H (inadequate load rating).
Achilles Desert Hawk AT; 215/75R15 100S moderately aggressive and cheap.
Road Claw; RP65 215/70R15 98T. Very cheap.
I used the BFG’s when they were available in 14". They are an excellent tyre, very tough, but noisy, and have a high rolling resistance which reduces performance and increases fuel consumption. I love them to death and use them on my other 4WD, but in my opinion they are too large in 15" guise. (Others will disagree). I have used Coopers, but never again. I tried Pirelli’s and found them superb on the highway and in sand, but useless climbing mountains or churning through mud. I have been running Firestone Destinations for several years now and found them to be an excellent all-rounder, offering good wear, low noise, low rolling resistance, and tough as nails - I have never had a puncture, and they are wearing very well. The downside is a harsh ride until they warm up, and they are a bit on the mild side for extreme four-wheel-driving, and don’t look as flash as some other tyres.
I recently bought a new set of rims to fit over my ‘big brakes’ and as they are 7" wide the Firestones looked a bit anaemic, so I started looking around for new rubber.
I wanted something slightly wider and more aggressive than the Firestones, and ended up tossing up between Kumho, Toyo and Hancook. Toyo won the toss and I will let you know how they go.
My best advice is to check out independent Australian tyre reviews, as they steered me away from some truly appalling tyres …
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This is a legendary write up. Thanks very much. I’ll have a wade through the options
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Doolbus
I also have a 1990 Trakka Syncro
I have been running the Khumo Road Venture AT51 215/75R15 106R
They are a bit larger than the original tyres but I have a Subaru conversion so a slight gearing change was fine.
They have been working fine, not too noisy, and plenty of grip off road.
Good Luck
Grant
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