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So the time has come to replace my Duelers (205.70.15) and I'm finding it quite tough to choose between a few options, so I call upon the infinite knowledge of the BigJimny™ Forums to help me decide, any tips are greatly appreciated. I'm hell bent on sticking with the stock size for mine as MPG is quite important to me, however as I said experience is appreciated.
I have a couple of options such as:
Conti Crosscontact AT (the one I'm currently looking at the moment)
Michelin LTX Force
GT Grabber AT3
If they are then swapping to an AT tyre will increase fuel consumption a little as they tend to be heavier and have a higher rolling resistance.
If you don’t go off road, except the odd gravel track and most if not all of your miles are on tarmac, then you might as well stick with a highway tread, they will give you the best mpg, road holding/ride and stopping distance.
However, if you do go off road and want a bit more grip on the soft stuff then an AT tyre might be the answer, but it won’t be quite as good on-road.
Robin
2020 blue SZ5 (one of the last to be registered in the UK)
Ex 2011 Blue Jimny SZ4
Northumberland Jimny Blog
Unless you are after a specialised tread pattern which is very limited for choice in 205.70 then anything you buy with a reputable brand name is going to be fine. The difference between them really is splitting hairs.
Temeraire (2018 quasar grey automatic)
One of the last 200ish of the gen3s, probably.
ADOS Attention Deficit Ooooh Shiny!
Yokohama Geolander GO15 are a good A/T that are not too aggressive a tread and are not as heavy as some A/Ts.
They do them in 205/70/15, I have them in 195/80/15 which is the stock size for the Gen4 Jimny.
I have had no issues with these on or off road.
Lambert’s right, there is little to choose between them, except some of the cheaper tyres age faster, so you start to see small cracks in the surface faster.
I had Yoko Geolandar (205/70r15) on my Gen 3 for a while, before swapping to Maxxis in a bigger size, they were a very good tyre for the money.
Robin
2020 blue SZ5 (one of the last to be registered in the UK)
Ex 2011 Blue Jimny SZ4
Northumberland Jimny Blog
Since mileage is a concern for you, you will probably want to look at the weights of the tyres you are considering. You may be surprised at how much they can vary between types/brands.
For example, the Duellers in 195 are 22.9lbs each, while a Yokohama Geolandar in the same size is 27lbs -- and you would definitely notice an 18% increase in tyre weight.
That is just an example I had to hand, unfortunately I don't have figures for the three you mentioned. But you can find them online, and it is definitely worth consideration.
Here in Brazil there are actually LESS options for this size, definitely interesting though.
I like to travel a lot and the places I've been to before had some moderately hard tracks/obstacles to clear.
Also looking at the Kumho Road Venture A/T51s, they look very interesting, although they are a tad heavier than my Duellers. Thanks everyone for your replies!
You could also consider swopping wheels at the same time. A lighter rim could offset a heavier tyre.
For example, the standard steel rim for the Gen3/Gen4 weighs 19.2lbs, while the Gen4's factory alloy rim is only 15.4lbs each. An Oxxo Forrest(sic) aftermarket alloy wheel is just 13.7lbs!
From your photo it looks like you may already be running alloys, but it may be possible to find a lighter model of wheel, depending. Just a thought.
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