New Boots! (and other assorted mods!)
Evening all!
If you've been following us on the forums and on Instagram, you'll be aware that I've been running Maxxis Arctic Trekker winter tyres on our Yeti for about 18 months now (yes, through summer as well!).
These have covered about 20,000 miles, and although winter is coming up and they still have about 6mm tread left all the way around (big thumbs up for Maxxis here!), I decided to make a change, even though they're phenomenal in the snow that we get here in Wales, and they more or less feel like regular tyres in the summer.
Originally, I was going to try and get some BF Goodrich KO2's which are legendary in the overlanding scene, as well as being rated for snow.
However, after doing the maths, I would have to have gone down to a 16 or even a 15 inch wheel to get them to fit!
Obviously this would add anywhere between £100 and £250 to the cost of changing tyres, bringing the total for the BF Goodrich's up to around £1000.
Doable, but far from ideal.
Instead, I've opted for a new All-Terrain tyre from Cooper, the Discoverer ATT.
Now I won't bore you with the details about the tyre, you can click here to go to the Cooper website and read up on them if you want!
We were running the Maxxis Arctic Trekker's on a standard Yeti size, which in our case is 225 / 50 / 17.
However, the closest we could get the new Cooper tyres in was a 225 / 55 / 17.
I did the maths and worked out that the speedometer would over-read by 4mph, but after some testing with a GPS speedometer, we discovered that the speedometer in the Yeti happens to under-read by... you guessed it! 4mph! Good news!
The next issue was getting them to fit. As you may know, the rear of a Yeti has absolutely loads of room for bigger tyres, but the front is a whole different story.
Not only is there a suspension component perilously close to the inner edge of 225 tyres, the wheel arch liner doesn't sit a million miles away from the tyre when on full lock, even with standard tyres fitted.
Anyway, we just cracked on and fitted them, and I'm pleased to say that they fit... just!
I think these tyres will be more than adequate for what we need, which is a mix of tarmac, mud, dirt and gravel.
If you've been following us on the forums and on Instagram, you'll be aware that I've been running Maxxis Arctic Trekker winter tyres on our Yeti for about 18 months now (yes, through summer as well!).
Maxxis Arctic Trekkers fitted to Yeti
These have covered about 20,000 miles, and although winter is coming up and they still have about 6mm tread left all the way around (big thumbs up for Maxxis here!), I decided to make a change, even though they're phenomenal in the snow that we get here in Wales, and they more or less feel like regular tyres in the summer.
Originally, I was going to try and get some BF Goodrich KO2's which are legendary in the overlanding scene, as well as being rated for snow.
BF Goodrich KO2's
However, after doing the maths, I would have to have gone down to a 16 or even a 15 inch wheel to get them to fit!
Obviously this would add anywhere between £100 and £250 to the cost of changing tyres, bringing the total for the BF Goodrich's up to around £1000.
Doable, but far from ideal.
Instead, I've opted for a new All-Terrain tyre from Cooper, the Discoverer ATT.
Cooper Discover ATT
Now I won't bore you with the details about the tyre, you can click here to go to the Cooper website and read up on them if you want!
We were running the Maxxis Arctic Trekker's on a standard Yeti size, which in our case is 225 / 50 / 17.
However, the closest we could get the new Cooper tyres in was a 225 / 55 / 17.
I did the maths and worked out that the speedometer would over-read by 4mph, but after some testing with a GPS speedometer, we discovered that the speedometer in the Yeti happens to under-read by... you guessed it! 4mph! Good news!
The next issue was getting them to fit. As you may know, the rear of a Yeti has absolutely loads of room for bigger tyres, but the front is a whole different story.
Not only is there a suspension component perilously close to the inner edge of 225 tyres, the wheel arch liner doesn't sit a million miles away from the tyre when on full lock, even with standard tyres fitted.
Anyway, we just cracked on and fitted them, and I'm pleased to say that they fit... just!
Cooper ATT tyres fitted to Yeti!
First impressions are great, the higher profile has improved the ride quality no end, it's a lot softer now! Of course it has lifted Yeti, but only around 1cm, so a lift kit is still on the cards.
I went for a bit of a play in the Brecon Beacons on the way home, and so far so good. Yeti flew up a steep, rutted and muddy slope with no issues or wheel slip at all. I will upload videos of this when I get two minutes to edit them, and put them in a future post.
Made it!
Pesky front suspension!
Equally pesky front wheel arch liner!
Better view of the tread pattern
So, there we are. All-Terrain tyres, check.
I will be having a weekend bombing around the Welsh forests with my good friend and his Freelander soon so I will report back with my findings (it's worth mentioning that his Freelander is also equipped with Cooper Discoverer ATTs, so will be interesting!).
Finally, I have another modification to finish off this entry.
It's only a small thing but it's been bugging me for ages, as any good overland vehicle needs it's badges of honour! By this, I mean flags of countries that we have travelled to, counties, National Parks etc.
I've been accumulating these for ages, but now they're on the vehicle, along with the obligatory Instagram handles! (@overland_yeti).
Twelve countries down!
Just some counties that we have been to and camped at!
Right, I've gone on for long enough for one evening, I'll edit and upload some videos of the new tyres and get them up as a post this week at some point, but my next post will be detailing our future modification plans.
I'll leave you with a photo of Yeti as she stands at the moment.
Yeti as she stands!
As always, thanks for reading!
All the best,
Adam.
Instagram: @overland_yeti
It's intriguing to learn about your experience with the Maxxis Arctic Trekker winter tires and how it relates to the world of Airport advertising. Your meticulous attention to detail and calculations, both in tire transition and within the realm of airport advertising, truly stand out and deserve applause
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