WE HAD a significant drawback with our previous however cherished 2012 Nissan Navara D22 dual-cab four-wheel drive… it was diabolical to drive within the moist as a result of the rear finish would let go on the slightest provocation sending the previous beast right into a lurid tail slide, particularly at roundabouts.
Not solely that, towing within the moist was troublesome to say the least, notably when making an attempt to maneuver off from a standstill – and even simply negotiating corners the tyres merely had no traction.
On one event, we jack-knifed the rig at sluggish velocity operating downhill right into a (moist) 90-degree intersection… Fortunately no person was round.
And as anticipated, being H/Ts (Freeway/Terrain) they have been fairly ineffective off street regardless of being the newest model of a premium model hoop much like what you get OEM on a brand new 4×4 ute bought right here.
The issue isn’t distinctive as different 4×4 ute house owners spoken to with related different model tyres say they expertise the identical moist climate points particularly with the bathtub unladen, exacerbated because the tyres age and the rubber compound hardens.
They have been exhausting compound H/T tyres on the Nav’ with a tread put on ranking of 620. In different phrases: bloody exhausting. Weight within the again diminished the tendency to slip a contact.
After assurances from a contact at Bridgestone, it was with nice curiosity that we fitted a set of their newest Dueler A/T002 tyres onto the Nav’.
Ever sceptical, we awaited moist climate to hurry out and discover out if the brand new tyres have been any good particularly given Bridgestone’s claims as to moist (and dry) climate grip highlighted on the prime of the web tyre spec’ sheet.
The tyre producer claims the A/T002 provides highway-terrain (H/T) ranges of consolation and security with out sacrificing off-road efficiency, changing the passenger-car model of its A/T 697 mannequin.
We weren’t actually that excited about off street efficiency as a result of there’s a brand new Toyota Fortuner within the storage and we held reservations in regards to the new Bridgestone’s on-road efficiency by way of noise, trip high quality, put on, and grip all primarily based on expertise with semi lug model tyres.
However to our nice satisfaction and aid, the A/T002 rose to the event ticking all of the packing containers after which some.
The brand new tyres on our Nav’ are across the $300 mark apiece and as we found firsthand, ship a exceptional quantity of moist climate grip as evident when actively making an attempt to induce a slide on moist roundabouts.
Not like the exhausting previous H/Ts, that was not occurring with the Bridgestones which merely pointed the Nav’ across the arc with out flinching which was novel however comforting.
Nevertheless it was greater than that…
Additionally famous was an enchancment to trip high quality the A/T002 feeling extra supple than the tyres they changed and producing about the identical minimal quantity of street noise, definitely no hum as anticipated from the chunky tread.
With practically a tonne within the tray, the A/T002 felt just about the identical as when the car was empty.
We will’t criticise excessive velocity cornering grip within the moist and dry both because the previous Nav’ sailed round them as if it was a sports activities SUV solely producing some scrabbling sounds when pushed ridiculously exhausting.
The opposite level of rivalry with the earlier hoops, towing within the moist, falls simply inside the scope of the A/T002’s capabilities as they grip strongly in a straight line from a standstill with a 2000kg rig dragging behind, even when beginning off uphill on a moist street.
That was gratifying as a result of the opposite tyres have been completely horrible on this state of affairs making it troublesome and embarrassing to easily get going…
We haven’t measured tread put on but however recommend it’s minimal over in regards to the 5000km already travelled. The damage blocks seem the identical distance from the tread’s periphery, so we anticipate the A/T002s to final a very long time.
Within the years because the Dueler vary of tyres appeared again in 1981, its recognition has continued to develop in keeping with the booming 4×4 and SUV segments which now account for greater than half of all autos bought in Australia.
It’s a wealthy pie to faucet into and Bridgestone is true within the thick of it particularly now with the brand new A/T002 a vastly totally different beast to the rubber on the hard-core Desert Duelers that ran in early Paris Dakar Rally Raids.
As Bridgestone says the A/T002 is a far cry from its ancestors, providing on-road efficiency on-par with a highway-terrain tyre, particularly within the moist.
That is achieved through the use of what Bridgestone calls its Nano Professional-Tech compound know-how within the A/T002, sometimes reserved for automobile tyres, with a excessive silica content material which means higher moist climate efficiency.
In an earlier GoAuto report, we stated that regardless of providing barely much less reduce and chip resistance than the A/T697, Bridgestone Australia’s gross sales director Claudio Sodano says the brand new mannequin will put on 30 per cent higher and provides a 5 per cent enchancment in rolling resistance.
The brand new tyre is designed for use largely on-road, with an 80:20 on- and off-road use break up in comparison with its A/T697 predecessor with a 70:30 break up, however it has a much more aggressive tread sample than the model’s highway-terrain fashions.
Our report acknowledged, “The hexagonal tread sample goals to supply sturdy off-road grip, and the shoulder tread extends onto the sidewall which, whereas not overly aggressive, will enhance grip in comfortable sand, mud or snow. The sidewall tread, if nothing else, provides to the aggressive aesthetic the A/T002 provides in contrast with a highway-terrain possibility”.
For the time being, Bridgestone provides 19 sizes, protecting hottest dual-cab ute and SUV fashions, with one other 11 sizes on the way in which.
