Trucks and SUVs are back! Sales of trucks and SUVs are going up and so is the production of specialty off-road models such as the Ford F-150 Raptor, Chevrolet Colorado ZR2, and the Ram 2500 Power Wagon. Yokohama took note and is betting big on these off-roaders with the all-new Geolandar M/T G003 mud terrain tire for light trucks. Although mud terrain tires are extreme, Yokohama claims demand for this type of tire has increased and should continue to increase.
To prove how capable their new tire is, Yokohama invited us to beautiful and breathtaking Gateway, Colorado to tackle a series of off-road trails in Jeep Wranglers and drive rear-engine, race-prepared Baja trucks around a dirt road course full of jumps and ruts. All vehicles were equipped with the new Geolandar mud terrains.
The Tire
Yokohama focused much the tire’s development on tread life, claiming this is the consumer’s biggest concern, and introduced a new high-density rubber compound utilizing a new triple-polymer blend designed to increase tread life. Additionally, the engineers designed the tire to have a wider and flatter contact patch, also improving tread life. The tire manufacturer claims an 8 percent increase in tread life versus leading competitors. The new high-density compound also provides good off-road grip and improved stopping distances on wet roads due to the increased amount of silica in the compound. Yokohama claims a shorter stopping distance of 51 feet on wet roads versus a leading competitor.
Keeping the tire strong is the tire maker’s Geo-Shield construction that incorporates three polyester body plies, two steel belts, a full nylon cap, a rim protector, and a hexagonal bead. The tire’s sidewall armor improves durability and almost looks like a continuation of the tread onto the sidewall, providing grip for those instances when the tire gets lodged in a rut or crevasse. The sidewall armor also adds to the already aggressive look of the tire, thanks to the tread’s large and angular blocks and wide gaps.
Engineers at Yokohama didn’t want their mud-terrain to be an earful on the asphalt and took noise generation into consideration when designing the G003. The tire’s tread uses a new block pattern and pitch variation that creates improved harmonics for quieter highway performance. The company claims this creates a tire that is 2.3 decibels quieter than the leading competitor.
The Test
Hitting off-road trails in a caravan of lightly modified Jeep Wrangler Unlimiteds, Yokohama wanted to us to experience the tire on different surfaces (except for mud, ironically) with pressure set to the vehicle’s manufacturer-recommended level. Climbing up and down rugged canyon trails we trucked through hard and soft dirt, sand, grassy fields, loose rocks, deep ruts, and large rock slopes. Passing some enchanting overlooks and old uranium mines, the Wrangler never struggled on the Yokohamas, giving this city-dwelling journalist all the confidence needed to tackle any obstacle on the trail. We were not able to compare the tire against a competitor, but the tire never seemed to struggle. It always provided excellent traction. On our short highway drive, the mud terrains were surprisingly quiet, but of course still noisier than a traditional road tire.
Then it was time for the Baja trucks that were provided by Vegas Off-Road Experience (VORE). These aren’t highly modified production trucks, but instead, all-out race trucks with rear mounted engines, full roll cages, five-point safety harnesses, and suspension almost the length of me. After some instructions we were strapped in tightly, a fresh air breathing tube and microphone were connected to my helmet, and the fun began. Please keep in mind, it’s very difficult to critique a tire when driving an insane machine as fast as you can for the first time while making sure you don’t embarrassingly roll the thing over. This was definitely more of a fun activity than a true test, especially because, once again, we were not able to compare the tire against a competitor. Either way, it was very thrilling experience because the Geolandar M/Ts provided great grip on various off-road surfaces and at varying speeds throughout the off-road course.
The Yokohama Geolandar M/T G003 comes in 37 sizes, ranging from 15- to 20-inch rim diameters and goes on sale in July. The tire comes with Yokohama’s 30-day money-back trial guarantee. BFGoodrich, Goodyear, and many other name-brand tire makers supply similar tires, but after trekking through some rough terrain, the new Geolandar M/T should fare well against the competition.
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