[Hayes]

Seen these?

Goodyear Tires | SUV and Truck Tires | Wrangler MT/R with Kevlar




They look intriguing to me.
In the market for new tires sometime this year (as soon as the wife releases the funds), and these look like they might be a more streetable/slick-roadable MT. Big open lugs on the edges smaller siped lugs down the middle (well sortof the middle).
The asymmetry IS odd, but I can't see why not. Folks on the web are claiming that they are directional, but they're not--they have an "in-side" and an "out-side." Visualize flipping one from one side of your truck to the other--the tread works the same on all four corners.

Anyway, thoughts?

Does Goodyear make a good tire?

[Box Rocket]

Originally Posted by Hayes

Seen these?


Does Goodyear make a good tire?

Many people with good thoughts about the previous MTR. I had two sets of MTRs on my old 40 and loved them. Had a set on my 80 for a couple of years too. On the 80 they needed to be rotated religiously or they would get some uneven wear.

I imagine these will be a really good tire for the average weekend wheeler whose truck still gets driven on the pavement a lot. I'm not sure I like the look of them but if it works, it works.

[e9999]

they look directional to me.

[-Spike-]

Originally Posted by e9999

they look directional to me.

insofar as the tires would have to be matched, same pattern 'inside' on all 4 corners. Directional tires should only be rotating in one direction. These look like they could rotate either direction, but would probably 'pull' or have other adverse effects if they were run in different orientation on the same axle.

-Spike

[Cruiserdrew]

My *guess* is that they will be great. MT/Rs are great tires and I'll bet they have learned something in 10 years.

[jasonmt]

If they were directional with that asymmetric tread they would need to sell them in "Left" and "Right" versions so appearances aside I highly doubt that they are directional.

[cartercd]

"AKRON, Ohio, February 20, 2009: When it comes to developing a tire that can take on tough terrain, such as exploring trails or crawling rocks, engineers at The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company left no stone unturned. The new Goodyear Wrangler MT/R with Kevlar is the company's first off-road tire built with the rugged toughness of DuPont Kevlar(R) for enhanced sidewall puncture resistance.

The use of Kevlar, an innovative material that is, pound-for-pound, five times stronger than steel, brings superb sidewall cut- and puncture-resistance to an area of the tire that demands extra toughness when driving off-road. It also helps reinforce the sidewall for when drivers return to the pavement for the drive home.

"The new Wrangler MT/R with Kevlar updates the legendary off-road performing namesake, which has had a great reputation among serious off-roaders," said Melissa Montisano, Goodyear's general manager for light-truck tires. "This new tire will certainly get the attention of anyone who takes off-road traction seriously."

The Kevlar-reinforced sidewalls in the new tire help increase sidewall puncture resistance by 35 percent, compared to the original Wrangler MT/R, a tire well-known for its toughness.

However, sidewall toughness is not the only feature of the Wrangler MT/R with Kevlar. It also includes a "wraparound" tread for enhanced sidewall traction in deep mud, sand and rocks; an innovative asymmetric tread design that offers aggressive off-road traction while maintaining handling on the road; and advanced rubber silica in the tread for superb off-road and wet traction.

Further, the Wrangler MT/R with Kevlar offers these features:

-- Tread Guards, to help resist cuts from stones.
-- Advanced Mud-Flow Geometry, to help provide self-cleaning and traction
in mud.
-- Traction Blocks, to help provide additional biting edges on rocks,
mud, dirt and sand.
-- A Three-Ply Sidewall, with opposing cord angles for enhanced side wall
cut- and puncture-resistance.
-- Ramped Tread Blocks, for toughness in off-road driving.
-- Staggered Sidewall Shoulder Blocks, to help provide enhanced traction
on rocks and in deep mud.
-- Durawall Rubber, a Goodyear exclusive, which offers rugged toughness
and helps resist cuts and punctures in the sidewall.
-- Rim Protector, to help protect wheels from accidental curb-like
damage.
-- Rim Lock, to help prevent wheel slip for minimal balancing throughout
the life of the tire.
Each shoulder block of the Wrangler MT/R with Kevlar is stepped "in" and "out" to help give the tire continuous biting edges as it turns through thick mud. Its self-cleaning asymmetric tread design also adds to the performance capability in mud.

Available in March, the new tire is offered in 30 sizes, fitting vehicles such as 1/2-, 3/4- and 1-ton pickups, Hummer H2 and H3, Jeep Wrangler, Nissan Xterra, Toyota FJ Cruiser and more. According to Goodyear research, there are more than four million drivers in the light-truck tire segment who use their vehicles primarily for off-road travel.

The addition of the Wrangler MT/R with Kevlar adds to Goodyear's strong Wrangler family of tires, which also includes the Wrangler DuraTrac and Wrangler SilentArmor.

Goodyear is one of the world's largest tire companies. The company employs about 70,000 people and manufactures its products in more than 60 facilities in 26 countries around the world. For more information about Goodyear consumer tires, go to GOODYEAR."

[bugsnbikes]

found some weights of the kevlars-

Wrangler MT/R with Kevlar:
LT285/70R17 ________66
LT305/70R17 ________61
LT315/70R17 ________70
35X12.50R17LT________ 67

[e9999]

Looks to me like the pattern will point in opposite directions (up vs down) on opposite sides of the truck. But then again, maybe I'm just confused...

[cartercd]

The link on the first thread takes you to the Goodyear site, and you can see all the sizes at link on bottom. Here they are:

Size, Description, Rim Width, Meas. Rim Width, Section Width, Diameter, Max Load (lbs)

LT285/75R18 129Q BSL 7.5 - 9.5 8.00 11.3 35.1 4,080 @ 80
LT285/70R17 121Q OWL 7.5 - 9.0 8.50 11.5 33.0 3,195 @ 65
32X11.50R15LT 113Q OWL 8.0 - 10.0 9.00 11.4 31.8 2,535 @ 50
LT275/70R17 121Q OWL 7.0 - 8.5 8.00 11.0 32.4 3,195 @ 80
LT305/70R16 124Q OWL 8.0 - 9.5 9.00 12.2 33.1 3,525 @ 65
LT285/65R20 127Q BSL 8.0 - 10.0 8.50 11.5 34.8 3,860 @ 80
38X14.50R17LT 121Q BSL 10.0 - 12.0 12.00 14.7 37.8 3,195 @ 50
40X13.50R17LT 121Q BSL 8.5 - 11.0 11.00 13.6 39.8 3,195 @ 35
42X14.50R17LT 121Q BSL 10.0 - 12.0 12.00 14.7 41.8 3,195 @ 35
LT265/75R16 123Q OWL 7.0 - 8.0 7.50 10.5 31.9 3,415 @ 80
37X12.50R17LT 124Q BSL 8.5 - 11.0 10.00 12.5 36.8 3,525 @ 50
LT255/75R17 111Q BSL 6.5 - 8.5 7.00 10.0 32.3 2,405 @ 50
LT275/65R18 113Q OWL 7.5 - 9.0 8.00 11.0 32.3 2,535 @ 50
LT275/70R18 125Q OWL 7.0 - 8.5 8.00 11.0 33.4 3,640 @ 80
LT315/75R16 121Q BSL 8.0 - 10.0 8.50 12.3 34.8 3,195 @ 50
33X12.50R15LT 108Q OWL 8.5 - 11.0 10.00 12.5 32.8 2,205 @ 35
LT275/65R20 126Q BSL 7.5 - 9.5 8.00 11.0 34.3 3,750 @ 80
LT245/70R17 119Q OWL 6.5 - 8.0 7.00 9.8 30.8 3,000 @ 80
LT305/70R17 119Q OWL 8.0 - 9.5 9.00 12.2 34.1 3,000 @ 50
LT315/70R17 121Q OWL 8.5 - 10.0 9.50 12.7 34.7 3,195 @ 50
LT285/75R16 126Q OWL 7.5 - 9.0 8.00 11.3 33.1 3,750 @ 80
LT235/85R16 120Q BSL 6.0 - 7.5 6.50 9.3 32.0 3,042 @ 80
35X12.50R15LT 113Q BSL 8.5 - 11.0 10.00 12.5 34.8 2,535 @ 35
35X12.50R17LT 111Q BSL 8.5 - 11.0 10.00 12.5 34.8 2,405 @ 35
LT245/70R17 108Q OWL 6.5 - 8.0 7.00 9.8 30.8 2,205 @ 50
LT265/70R17 121Q OWL 7.0 - 8.5 8.00 10.7 31.9 3,195 @ 80
LT265/70R17 112Q OWL 7.0 - 8.5 8.00 10.7 31.9 2,470 @ 50
LT245/75R17 121Q OWL 6.5 - 7.5 7.00 9.8 31.7 3,195 @ 80
LT245/75R16 120Q OWL 6.5 - 8.0 7.00 9.8 30.7 3,042 @ 80
31X10.50R15LT 109Q OWL 7.0 - 9.0 8.50 10.5 30.8 2,270 @ 50

[e9999]

interesting, looks like the new 285/75 16 can take 20 psi more than mine (IIRC)

[Nay]

If you really look, these are a lot like the BFG KM2 with an inner band for lateral traction, which I hear is the weakness of the KM2 and believe looking at the KM2 design.

I would not view this tire as weekend warrior tire for a daily driver, it has the look of a very serious offroad traction tire with a unique inner traction band design to make it better in slick road conditions. Asymmetric tires (multiple traction zones) have really emerged in recent years, and this may play well in hardcore use (the KM2 is asymmetic).

As an all round tire, the new Duratrac from GY (I think that is what it is called) looks even more appealing.

But these new MT/R's look extremely promising despite looking odd at face value.

[MiniPigg]

To me they sort look like a cross between an AT and MT tread.

[cary]

Originally Posted by e9999

interesting, looks like the new 285/75 16 can take 20 psi more than mine (IIRC)

That would be because it is a load range E tire instead of a D. For our purposes, it makes not difference, either is totally adequate.

[e9999]

Originally Posted by cary

That would be because it is a load range E tire instead of a D. For our purposes, it makes not difference, either is totally adequate.

probably but it would be interesting that this size came only in E. That's way up there for a not so big tire. And with my obsession with mpgs, an extra 20 psi would be like waving a red flag in front of me... . Of course, they may be like rocks at 80 with an 80...

[cary]

Originally Posted by e9999

probably but it would be interesting that this size came only in E. That's way up there for a not so big tire. And with my obsession with mpgs, an extra 20 psi would be like waving a red flag in front of me... . Of course, they may be like rocks at 80 with an 80...

Don't forget the E tire will have more rolling resistance because of the heavier sidewall. If you want to improve mileage, go back to a p-metric tire.

[Tapage]

They need to be learn something usefull with the MTR ( over the wors wrangler tires ) .. I'm a happy MTR customer .. but honestly I don't like the look on this new kevlar ...

let's see who is the first trying 'em ..

[Nay]

First report I could find by googling said they were outperforming KM2's on the Hammers. Which is what you say when you've dropped 15 bills on new tires.

Forget about the visuals and look at the design. What the KM2 did was remove the interlocking center lug pattern of the classic MT, so the entire tread design became unified in the pursuit of forward traction. Given the level of raving I continue to see and hear with the KM2 in that regard, this was clearly successful.

This new MT/R also removes the classic MT interlocking center tread design - take out an alternating block in the inner "band" and you see an asymmetric design much like the KM2. By putting that extra block in the difference is you now have a quarter of the tire in more of an AT pattern for slick conditions and more importantly lateral traction, but you have left 3/4 essentially open.

To say it another way, the outer half of the tire is now performing a pure forward traction function, you have a major stabilizing lateral/tighter block inner band with classic rock oriented MT lugs on the inner side.

Goodyear rates them quieter than the old MT/R - we'll probably see how much tire purchases are about looks in the adoption of this new MT/R.

[450 DUDE]

Originally Posted by ncsudrewh

What you don't see in the initial post is the hideous and confused sidewall that doesn't quite know which direction to roll even though the tire is indeed asymmetric. The new MT/R also somewhat resembles a re-tread due to the large circumferential gap caused by the mold part junction.

I don't post often but I will take any chance I get to put a plug in for the KM2s over the ugly new MT/Rs...

Ugly maybe ( especially with that horrid wheel ) but this tire really looks functional. I really like the Dual purpose approach and hey with the kevlar sidewall its got my vote , I wonder how it compares with the Toyo MT weight wise?

[jasonmt]

Originally Posted by ncsudrewh

What you don't see in the initial post is the hideous and confused sidewall that doesn't quite know which direction to roll even though the tire is indeed asymmetric. The new MT/R also somewhat resembles a re-tread due to the large circumferential gap caused by the mold part junction.

I don't post often but I will take any chance I get to put a plug in for the KM2s over the ugly new MT/Rs...

I am pretty sure that most peoples decision matrix looks like this:
Tyre performance > Tyre cost > Tyre appearance

[80t0ylc]

Originally Posted by e9999

they look directional to me.

If Goodyear intends that is truly a directional tire, there should be arrows on the sidewall, indicating direction of rotation. Don't ask me how I know! They're not real apparent at first, but once you spot them, you'll know in the future! I went through this with my Green Diamond MTs.

[Assassin_Offroad]

Originally Posted by ncsudrewh

What you don't see in the initial post is the hideous and confused sidewall that doesn't quite know which direction to roll even though the tire is indeed asymmetric. The new MT/R also somewhat resembles a re-tread due to the large circumferential gap caused by the mold part junction.

I don't post often but I will take any chance I get to put a plug in for the KM2s over the ugly new MT/Rs...

I have never worried about how they look while Im driving past those fixing punctures in 40 deg c heat, or a destroyed tyre from slow leak.

BFG has proven to be the tyre most likely to be an issue on desert trips here.

We have banned them for our remote trips for this reason.

[Hayes]

But they're not a directional tire.

Originally Posted by 80t0ylc

If Goodyear intends that is truly a directional tire, there should be arrows on the sidewall, indicating direction of rotation. Don't ask me how I know! They're not real apparent at first, but once you spot them, you'll know in the future! I went through this with my Green Diamond MTs.

Ugly sidewalls... maybe.
That wheel and the raised white letters on the tire go a long way toward ugly to my eye. Besides, performance trumps appearance.

[e9999]

I guess we must have different definitions of a directional tire.
To me a directional tire is one that would behave differently traction wise if you move it from the RHS to the LHS while remaining mounted the same way. IOW when they are all mounted the same way you have different traction on the DS and PS.
That seems to be the case here. although admittedly not in a dramatic way.
Now, whether the effect is significant in practice or not would depend on the situation.
I just don't get why they would do that.

[Hayes]

I thought a directional tire was one that was designed with a forward rolling direction and reverse rolling direction; hence you cannot rotate from left to right because the tire would be rolling the wrong direction.

These asymmetric Goodyears have an inside and an outside, but no forward or reverse.

I could be mistaken...

[UCBerzerkeley]

Originally Posted by Hayes

I thought a directional tire was one that was designed with a forward rolling direction and reverse rolling direction; hence you cannot rotate from left to right because the tire would be rolling the wrong direction.

These asymmetric Goodyears have an inside and an outside, but no forward or reverse.

I could be mistaken...

Directional Tire:

Directional designs are recognized by the grooves in the tread that swipe away in a backward angle from the center of the tread face and rotate in only one direction. A direction of rotation arrow is located on both sidewalls of the tire. Directional tires enhance straight-line acceleration, provide maximum dry traction, and better wet performance which helps to reduce rolling resistance as well as providing shorter stopping distances.

Source: F1 technical glossary - F1technical.net

Once you mount these MTRs on your rims, it doesn't matter which corner you place them on because the inside will always be facing in (unless you take them off the rim of course). Functionally, they are no different than any other un-directional tire.

[80t0ylc]

Originally Posted by Hayes

I thought a directional tire was one that was designed with a forward rolling direction and reverse rolling direction; hence you cannot rotate from left to right because the tire would be rolling the wrong direction.

These asymmetric Goodyears have an inside and an outside, but no forward or reverse.

I could be mistaken...

Ryan:

I'm not saying they are or they are not. My point was IF they were, you should see the arrows, as was mentioned in my first post and confirmed by UCBerzerk's quote of directional tire definition. Earlier in thread, it appeared that it was still up in the air if the tire was directional or not.

[douglashuft]

It looks clear to me that the inside will always be on the inside but that the outer tread blocks will sweep either forward or backward depending on which side the tire is mounted on. If you decide on keeping the ugly white letters inside then does it matter whether the ridge is offset to the inside or outside? If I did not know better I would think there would need to be specific left and right side tire for them to work properly.

[barrypt5]

Goodyear MTR with Kevlar is Here | Editorials Blog & Discussion at 4WD & Sport Utility Magazine

found this review and towards they end they do say concerning the direction/white lettering:

The asymmetrical (not symmetrical) tread design looks directional, but Goodyear says the tires are NOT directional, can run either way and have been tested that way. For those like us who don't like white lettering, the new MTR with Kevlar might disappoint, as many sizes will have white outline lettering. That means white outline letters out, ready to be scraped into white sidewalls by rocks. The larger sizes (up to 42") will have black lettering, so will be fine.

guess we may need to find some tire paint or a good way to scratch off the white lettering


barrypt5

[e9999]

Originally Posted by douglashuft

It looks clear to me that the inside will always be on the inside but that the outer tread blocks will sweep either forward or backward depending on which side the tire is mounted on. If you decide on keeping the ugly white letters inside then does it matter whether the ridge is offset to the inside or outside? If I did not know better I would think there would need to be specific left and right side tire for them to work properly.

there is no way to make these tires to run symmetric - well at least is they are all like the pic up top (are they? or do they sell them in lhs and rhs versions?). There is clearly an inside and outside but there is also a preferential direction to the "chevrons".

It seems like the inside/outside effect is far more pronounced so you'd want to put the same insides in. Then if there is only one version of the tire you can't help but have them run differently on left and right sides. If GY says it makes no difference in traction, I don't believe it. If they say it makes no *significant* difference in traction, I can live with that.

I would, however, go by GY recommendation on which side should be in. That would make a big difference I would think.

Geez, why is this geometry so difficult to see...? (not you Doug)