PetrolBear

Hi Guys,
I read the previous threads...
I have to put some really offroad-capable tires to my Allroad since I usually leave the asphalt roads and already had nasty situations, especially on muddy+grassy slopes. Once I almost broke the car - only a wire rope saved it against slipping down into an embankment. Reason: the grooves went full of mud in a moment. The given summer tires are really fine (SportControl from Fulda) but for built road purposes only. I chose them considering the price/value ratio, the really good braking performance and the superb 67 dB noise level. I can really whisper on the higway at 110km/h. Still the among the top5 today, too: Reifen im Test bei Reifentest.com - Reifentests von Verbrauchern für Verbraucher
(I have separate Continental winter tires, this would go only for seasons without snow.)

Now I think I have to make a serious swap. There seem 2 routes.

A. Something towards the concept of the original Pirelly P6 Allroad without its quality problems encountered -

- semi-off-road-capable pattern with a mixture of on- and offroad grooves. They offer relatively good comfort, fuel consumption and noise level (and shorter braking on wet, too)
Risk of choce: they might suffer on the wet grass and get fulfilled with mud easily (narrow grooves)


225/55 R17 stock size, e.g.

• Michelin Latitude tour HP
• Continental 4x4 Contact
• General Grabber GT

(?)

B. Toward real offroad capability
Risk of choice is usually

B1. with stock size
Here come up problems with the OEM size - there are just a few offerings e.g.

B1.1 215/65 R16 with ET16 OEM rim
there are plenty of good brands and types, such as General Grabber AT General GRABBER AT 215/65 R16 98T , mit Felgenrippe - mein-reifen-outlet.de

Risk of choice is
- the tracking in quick turns on asphalt..

But: serious pros are the range of offers and the better price than the 17" tires. The would not seem bad, either. Although I should get rid of my nice double spokes :/.

B2. going apart from the stock size. There seem some good offers...

e.g. 235/55 R17
General Tire Grabber AT 235/55 R17 99H gumi - Négyévszakos
or 215/60 R17? Load index is a bit low, 96...

or 235 / 60 R17? Would it still fit into the arch and especially the suspension strut, and othe rcomponents. It might seem an interesting option, though
- Experience from anyone??



Hard to decide because the offroad ratio is clearly below 10% but that part of the route is that one where I can ruin the car.




Thanks for your insight, experience, especially with the abovementioned tire types.

PaperToast

here is my experience with your conundrum
Audizine Forums
read and drool

PetrolBear

Thank you -
it is a pity that this tread is not manufactured any more. Its' successor does not seem too convincing.

The 225/60 R17 is not a very common size and you had matched the right tire type, too.

In Europe, it is much easier to get 235/60 R17's but they might be too close to the strut with its 60% wall height (4-5mm?). I would not use spacers, cause resonances easily.


2 questions

- Having the 225/60 R17 size, can you still select the Level 1 ? There might be problems on bumpier roads (tire top (tread side) rubs into the fender) e.g. at highway bridges

- Did you adjust the LCM for ~1 foot free air under the car (photo) ? Because the tire size has +23mm surplus in its diameter.

ExDementia

I just picked up a 2002 AR with a blown engine (timing belt snapped), and the previous owner had these meats on there:


225 75 R16 BFG KO2 All Terrains

I'm about to start a build thread on this to make it something of an expedition vehicle. It has the 402 mod as well as the IPP sensor arms for more height and some H&R wheel spacers. Level 1 is probably not usable, level 2 is fine as long as you don't crank the wheel (fine for freeway), level 3 there is a tiny bit of rub at full lock, and level 4 is free and clear.

Here's how it sits:

MrKid

Damn! I'm all about getting the ultimate traction possible, but eventually, you exceed the limits of what the chassis can handle. I believe any terrain that requires this type of rubber, is that point of excess. Just my opinion.

ExDementia

You gotta push the limits somewhere if you want to do something cool. Others push 500-600+ hp on stock CVs, I'm pushing the limits on big, fat tires. I'll probably break some things, but I'm not planning on making this a big power monster, and definitely will not be launching it. With stock power numbers and a careful foot, I'm not too worried.

We'll see what happens!

MrKid

Definitely a cool rig. Wondering how well the bags will hold up with real off-road abuse.

PaperToast

yall should check this out then
quattroworld.com Forums: allroad

quattroworld.com Forums: allroad

and this dude knows what he's doing when it comes to ar's

MrKid

Well, F***. Now I wish I hadn't dropped $700 on Pirellis. They're awesome tires, but not BFG awesome. I have Blau coil overs, so I'm stuck at level 2. I assume it shouldn't be an issue.

PetrolBear

Awesome threads, thanks

Everywhere I find reviews about the General Grabber AT (the elder one, having the x-form tread pattern) everyone is astonished about its capabilities. It is offered in sizes 235/60 R17 or 235/55 R17 or the stock 16 size plus /70 (F,C)
Did anyone tried this on Allroad?
Fuel efficiency F would make approx 0,4 liter/100km plus (compared to C) ?
Other candidate is the Continental LX2 which is much more street oriented (C,C) according to the reviews. According some users "it dies on the wet grass" so it is questionable for me.