sweetfreedom wrote:

Yep, I always thought newer tyres should go on the back, even with a front wheel drive

And I insist that Wranglers are c**p....GoodYear have loads of clout an dmanage to get their products OE on lots of 4x4's but most people who need real traction never replace them with more Wranglers

We sell veterinary equipment and tow offroad most days and with Wranglers on our cars we got stuck and in the snow it was, well, embarrassing.... No, and of course it does depend hugely on useage but if you do actually use your 4x4 as intended, even just now an dthen, you'll need Coopers or Generals

Incidentally, our Coopers are giving 35k miles

You have had the most bizarre experience there. I am not claiming wranglers are as good as winter tyres but check out the pics in my gallery. I have had wranglers fitted from new and I ploughed through thick snow and up steep slopes covered with slippery compacted snow.

I also drove in slushy stuff which at 10pm had frozen and I never had a moments trouble.

The wranglers laughed in the face of all the snow. Winter tyres are better still but I would not hesitate to buy wranglers again.

Besides snow, I have been doing some hefty off roading in the peak district and they proved superb in thick mud and on rocky terrain.

http://www.freel2.com/forum/topic9603.html

http://www.freel2.com/forum/topic8812.html

 LL.B (Hons) - University of Derby
LOT (Lord of Time) - University of Gallifrey

+1 re: new tyres on the back... (FWD and AWD apply NOT RWD) two reasons, firstly it is easier to control a front wheel skid than it is a rear wheel skid, secondly, if you dont do many miles you want to replace the oldest tyres as soon as possible, if you rotate your tyres (as some do) and put new ones on the rear then the fronts will wear quicker meaning you are more likely to replace then sooner ending up with a new set and not a mixed bag.

One garage tol be that tyres tend to have a usable shelf life of 5yrs so even if you do low miles and are still on your first set of tyres, despite them having good tread you should probably think about replacing them.

The same applies for part worns which could be several yrs old! Freelander 2 TD4 Auto, SE, Narvik Black, Alpaca full leather, Rear Headrest Entertainment System, 6 CD, 18 HSE Wheels, Privicy tints

The Doctor wrote:

sweetfreedom wrote:

Yep, I always thought newer tyres should go on the back, even with a front wheel drive

And I insist that Wranglers are c**p....GoodYear have loads of clout an dmanage to get their products OE on lots of 4x4's but most people who need real traction never replace them with more Wranglers

We sell veterinary equipment and tow offroad most days and with Wranglers on our cars we got stuck and in the snow it was, well, embarrassing.... No, and of course it does depend hugely on useage but if you do actually use your 4x4 as intended, even just now an dthen, you'll need Coopers or Generals

Incidentally, our Coopers are giving 35k miles

You have had the most bizarre experience there. I am not claiming wranglers are as good as winter tyres but check out the pics in my gallery. I have had wranglers fitted from new and I ploughed through thick snow and up steep slopes covered with slippery compacted snow.

I also drove in slushy stuff which at 10pm had frozen and I never had a moments trouble.

The wranglers laughed in the face of all the snow. Winter tyres are better still but I would not hesitate to buy wranglers again.

Besides snow, I have been doing some hefty off roading in the peak district and they proved superb in thick mud and on rocky terrain.

http://www.freel2.com/forum/topic9603.html

http://www.freel2.com/forum/topic8812.html

That's fine mate. To be honest if someone had said before I bought the FL2 that it would cope with all the snow without fuss and all the off roading I have done on those tyres I would have laughed in their face and swore blind I would have needed the extra performance of the coopers etc.

I am with you all the way on 'all of our 4x4's are supremely better than most ordinary cars and a good few so called 4x4's'. The LR day was astounding. Amazing what the FL2 can do on M+S tyres.

X3 et al wouldn't cope anywhere near as well with the LR experience course on identical tyres. LL.B (Hons) - University of Derby
LOT (Lord of Time) - University of Gallifrey

Well I've gone and ordered some wintracs so IF/WHEN the snow comes I'll see what they are like and put a view on here. Still going to keep the tyres I've on at mo, Michelin latitudes, and maybe look for a set of SE rims to stick em on.

What seems to be missing here is some objective test of the Wranglers' performance. I can't find anything on the web. Anyone know of any? Brian

MY11 FL2 SD4 GS
Extras to same spec as XS apart from the Satnav, plus Xenons.
Ipenema Sand, Ebony.

You could try Tyretest.com which are owners own findings. Another member of the failed FL2 clutch/DMF club, twice.

Pegleg wrote:

You could try Tyretest.com which are owners own findings.

Just bought 4x GS alloy wheels fitted with Nokian WS which have done less than 3k for 500 quid.
I'm delighted.
Bring on the snow!! Another member of the failed FL2 clutch/DMF club, twice.

Due to a recent problem with one of my caravan tyres (Matador Master) , I duly contacted Continental in Birmingham who are now the UK point of contact for Matador tyres produced in Slovakia. Very very helpful guys at Continental who recommended the best tyres/sizes to move up from budget/midrange to the premium end of the market.
On the basis of availabilty and cost I finally opted for two Goodyear Cargo G26's for the caravan. Keen to find the recommended tyre pressure for these, I duly search the web and ended up calling technical services at Goodyear UK, and guess what - they are based at the same premises as Continental in Birmingham. In fact the chap with whom I spoke new the guys in the Continntal office very well (possibly the next desk).
So whilst the question of whose rubber is best goes on - are they basically the same but with different tread patterns and words on the side.
also - for interest my research also confirmed Firestone now owned by Bridgestone. If you are considering a size change for what ever reason - check this web site http://www.tyresave.co.uk/tyresiz2.html It has a simple tool to input existing size and chosen options to check rolling diameters etc.