otherwayup Posted September 3, 2012 Report Share Posted September 3, 2012 I can't afford a 4x4 for shooting, but I'll be driving down some farm lanes for wildfowling this winter. I've read some comments saying the right tyres make a difference on 4x4s. Is it worth seeing if there are any steel wheels with off-road tyres that will fit my Mondeo MkIV Estate that I could pop on/off as required? Do you think it make a noticable difference? Anyone done it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bedwards1966 Posted September 3, 2012 Report Share Posted September 3, 2012 I've never looked for or tried off road tires on a road car, but if you can get some it will certainly make a difference. Using snow tires on my car over normal summer tires made a huge difference last winter (made the 2WD car far better than a 4x4 on summer tires), the only issue you'll have with suitable tires is ground clearance, but if your not going in major ruts you'll probably be fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StuC Posted September 3, 2012 Report Share Posted September 3, 2012 Most winter tyres are marked 'M+S' for mud and snow and will work well in both Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajb403 Posted September 4, 2012 Report Share Posted September 4, 2012 A friend of mine who is a woodsman/coppicer/charcoal burner lives in a wood with a muddy track for access and used to have an old 2WD VW caddy pickup, he put mud tyres on it and it made quite a difference apparently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rallyrus Posted September 4, 2012 Report Share Posted September 4, 2012 I used to run m&s tyres on my v70, bought initially for the winter but left them on all year round as they were fine in the summer aswell. They were retreads, about £125 for the set from mytyres.co.uk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casts_by_fly Posted September 4, 2012 Report Share Posted September 4, 2012 I used to drive a 2wd big pickup in the US. With road tires it was poor on anything wet or soft (all the weight from the V8 was on the front end). Put a set of mud terrains on the back and snow and muddy roads were no problem. True offroading and driving through soft fields was still out, but bad conditions on road or pseudo roads were fine. I also used to drive a front wheel drive Cavalier which went well in snow and muck (even took it down some forestry trails) so long as you had decent tires on it. thanks rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDAV Posted September 4, 2012 Report Share Posted September 4, 2012 (edited) Tyres make a huge difference depends how fussed on keeping the car tidy you are...but chunkier tread tyres will get you further off road and be noisier and burn more fuel on it. Winter tyres are a good idea ten to be thinner than standard and you can up a little in profile to aid ground clearance. IF your likely to be going where you could get stuck a small self recovery system might be a good idea (hand winch and some ladders/waffle boards). OR a friendly tractor drivers mobile number Edited September 4, 2012 by HDAV Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robl Posted September 4, 2012 Report Share Posted September 4, 2012 M+S tyres will make it easier to drive on mud. If it’s a FWD car you’ll only need them on the front wheels. Although drive sensibly until you swap back as the different grip between front and back will be noticeable. If you plan to keep the same wheels all year it’s worth matching all four of them. Make sure you don’t get dedicated snow tyres. These have a lot of extra siping (grooves) cut into the tread block. They are excellent in snow, but not good on dry roads. You don’t see them all that often in the UK – but they are around. Just to cause a bit of confusion true snow tyres and all season both use the M+S and snowflake marking. The M+S marking will possibly be present on all tyres ranging from a slightly blocky all season tyre all the way up to a dedicated off road blocky tread tyre or a heavily siped snow type. If you can find them for your tyre size the General Grabber UHP is a good tyre. It’s biased for road use, but it’s got a blocky enough tread for off road too. It’s what I used in the summer and then I’d swap to dedicated snow tyre in the winter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
otherwayup Posted September 4, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 4, 2012 (edited) Make sure you don’t get dedicated snow tyres.These have a lot of extra siping (grooves) cut into the tread block. They are excellent in snow, but not good on dry roads. These sound like what my local tyre place showed me tonight when I popped in. Lots of thin grooves in the blocks and you could move the rubber around with your fingers. He did mention best at temps of below 10 deg C. Thanks for your comments, as now I think about it, they probably would not last long in warmer temperatures. Edited September 4, 2012 by otherwayup Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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