OFF ROAD TYRES

Dune Buggy tyres

Here are some common designations:

UHP and HP – Ultra High Performance and High Performance (100% Road) – Exception wet and dry grip designed for excellent handling at the sacrifice of ride

ST – Street Terrain (100% Road or 95% Road / 5% Off Road) – For the driver who wants a "street" tyre appearance for their truck. Good ride and handling on road.

HT – Highway Terrain (100% Road or 95% Road / 5% Off Road) – Similar to ST, but usually a bit more "trucky" and a bit less "sporty". Good ride and handling on road.

AT – All Terrain (80% Road / 20% Off Road to 60% Road / 40% Off Road – This tyre is engineered for a balance of on and off road performance. This tyre should handle all but the most severe off road conditions well, and usually perform decently in the snow as well. There will be some sacrifice in road performance and noise.

MT – Mud Terrain (20% Road / 80% Off Road) – Designed for serious and severe off roading, especially mud. They do not handle well on road and are quite noisy as well.

Two types of tyre construction are used in the manufacture of 4WD tyres. Most popular is normal radial ply design because it is superior to the alternative bias ply (belted) design on bitumen and sealed (on road) conditions.

However, the Bias Belted tyres are the ultimate for tough, rough and rocky, 4WD and off road conditions. They normally are not speed rated for fast on road use. Some have no speed rating and should only be used off road.

The following explanation of both types of construction come courtesy of Mickey Thompson Tyres who make both types of tyres.

BIAS BELTED DESIGN

The reason bias tyres do not damage as easily as full radials is because:

• Each body plies layer runs in a different direction (75°) from the first, making them stronger. Because of opposing angles when one layer is damaged, it confines the damage to the one layer.

• The blue belts are two radial belts added to give the tyre stability on the road and are sandwiched between the body plies to reduce the possibility of separation. The radial belts are fibreglass so they don't rust, and more flexible to give a softer ride.

• They have four to six actual body plies or layers.

RADIAL DESIGN

The reason radial tyres damage easily is the design.

• The two blue belts are two radial steel belts that sit on top of the body plies. They are susceptible to rust and flying off when damaged.

• All the body plies, either two or three layers run in the same direction from bead to bead. This makes them flexible and susceptible to damage and even when one layer is cut the damage grows as it runs in line with the cord direction.

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