We all know that tyres are important and when you start to consider what is needed when you go off-road, tyres get even more essential. I got the opportunity to test out the latest Goodyear Wrangler AT Adventure tyre on the Land Rover Discovery Sport in an extreme off-road environment.
Introduction To The Tyre
The Wrangler AT Adventure tyre is designed specifically for SUVs and off-road usage. The tyre has some very clever technologies which makes this the perfect option when getting off the beaten track. First off, the car has a Kevlar reinforced layer which maximises resistance against punctures when travelling over rocks or sharp objects. Secondly, the tyre has been designed using Durawall technology which involves putting silica in the side walls to provide a stronger network in the polymer matrix meaning that it is harder to damage the sidewall of the tyre.
The tread pattern has also been designed for larger contact with the ground and even pressure distribution ensuring that maximum grip is optimised on hard surfaces. Also, they are high in the number of sipes in the blocks which create lots of small biting edges; great for applying additional grip when off-road or on a loose surface.
Testing Out the Goodyear Wrangler AT Adventure Tyres
We had the opportunity to test the tyre in many different ways. It’s even pictured below that we took on some fairly rough ground and made sure that we gave the tyres a difficult route, to really get a feeling for how much grip they provide. You can see here that the cars look pretty capable, from behind the wheel I felt like I had a lot of confidence in the tyre.
The more time I spent testing, the more I was impressed with both the Discovery Sport and the traction provided from the Goodyear Wrangler AT Adventure tyres. You see here below that we were able to drive the car up loose surfaces with no problem whatsoever. Pretty much everything we pointed it at, the car just went over. Incredible.
For me some of the most impressive sections of the off-road course were the steep hills. You can see from the pictures that they are slightly wet and muddy. But the pictures don’t give you much aspect of the steepness of the hill. I was able to drive the car up and stop halfway and then start moving again and the traction was incredible. It was if we were on a flat surface and the car just continued. While off-road, losing momentum is a big no no, but with these tyres I was very impressed.
During my time of testing the tyres I really couldn’t fault it. Of course without a doubt the Discovery Sport does have a lot to do with how the power goes to the wheels. Saying that, the tyre is a hundred percent accountable for ensuring it has traction against the surface. I also had the greater peace of mind knowing that I had the Kevlar reinforced tyres as when you are off-road you do notice a lot more sharp edges of rocks protruding underground than you ever imagined. I wouldn’t want to do any serious off-roading with any tyre less capable than this one.
When you stop to take a look at the tyre you certainly get an understanding that it does have an off-road tread design allowing the blocks to open a little and bite into loose surfaces or mud to get the car moving. But from what I learned during this trip it is one thing to look at the tyre and another to get an idea of how it works. It was incredible to see such a large car easily go over large obstacles without any problem. Without a doubt this Goodyear Wrangler AT Adventure tyre is more capable than anything I would require on my SUV for off-road. But I would certainly feel very happy knowing that I have the grip there when I need it.
Can you tell me what size wheel and tire combo you have on this discovery sport. Id love to get these tires. Mine is equipped with the 18″ LR wheels