Tyre choices for Baviaanskloof

[supertorro]

Hi there folks. I am new to the forum and have come here seeking advice from that fount of all knowledge: the interwebs.

But first an introduction: Currently I am driving a 2018 XV in base trim, because who needs all the electronic driver aids? Also it's red, so it's faster than normal. Honestly I have to admit I have wondered why it has taken me so long to come to the Subaru stable. I f@#$ love my car. His name is Eric the Red

Last year we took Eric up to Namibia 5 days after taking ownership. He did not miss a beat and was just brilliant throughout. On the stock tyres (Yokohama Blue Earth E70) we went beach crawling and into Sossusvlei. We did get stuck, but nothing a little effort didn't sort out.

So, Eric is in stock format. Now we have a planned road trip through the Baviaanskloof visiting the surrounds like Zandvlakte, Addo Elephant park, Ripple Hill, Hogsback, etc. Not having been through those conditions I am seeking advice on suitable tyres.

The stock tyres I can't really complain about. They're road tyres and they were pretty good in Nam, but I did manage to puncture once on an innocuous stretch outside Luderitz.

So my options as I see it, or have managed to glean today:
Yokohama Geolander G015
Pirelli Scorpion ATR 
BF Goodrich KO2

Or

Drop to 16" wheels and pretty much the same options as above.
I'm a bit undecided to stay with 17" or drop to 16", so any opinions here would be appreciated.
Eric is a daily driver so some road manners are required.

Look forward to your responses.
Thanks
Carlos

[FozzieDriver]

I must say that I really enjoy my G015’s.
I dropped to 16” on my SG Foz


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[jbh]

Hi Supertorro.
 I used G015's 16 inch on my SH Forester when I visited the whole eastern side of Baviaanskloof last year. Also did Zuurberg pass that is even rougher although it is supposed to be a public road. I had no problems. The tyres are made for that type of terrain.
But.... perhaps you should first hear from other XV owners what it will do to your tar handling!!!!

[stefmau]

I found myself in a similar situation, and here’s what I did:
Bought a set of 16” rims and fitted G015s.

Pros: Awesome on dirt, sand and gravel, good tar grip, a little squeal if you thump it on corners, quiet ride, more comfort over  bumps due to higher sidewall.

Cons: not much - perhaps a bit less grip in the wet and some talk of increased noise as the tyre wears low, it did affect corner handling a bit which I recon is due to my higher profile (65 vs 60)

15k km later I’m still a happy chappie.




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[Outbacker]

My dad has a set of 225/55 R17 MICHELIN LATITUDE CROSS tyres that he is very happy with on is Forester, and they are proper rugged.

[supertorro]

Thanks for all the tips lads. Yep, looks like dropping to 16" rims is the only reasonable option here. It seems all tyre manufacturers product the correct size tyre, just the local importers don't bring them in.
Dropping to 16 seems to open a huge amount of choice, and at much better prices.
So, 16" wheels. Any good leads for a quality 16" alloy I can get? I'm happy to go with alloy as I don't intend to turn Eric into a rock crawler

[FozzieDriver]

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[berndp]

I also have G015 215/65/16, no complaints.

If you have time, and if it's possible, raise the car a bit. It helps.
Also try to invest in a sumpguard, there are some nasty bits of road in Baviaans.

Take a whole day for Baviaans's eastern side, and western, for that matter, there's lots to see.
On the eastern side, watch out for the Fortuners and Cruisers with Caravans coming thru in the passes, it's narrow in places.

If there was a lot of rain, they'll probably not let you drive West-East. Have a plan "B".
There is 1 water crossing wich can be a problem......
Fill up before you enter Baviaans, there is no petrol inside. (Take spare fuel if you can, especially if you are driving around a bit).

If you are looking for a place to stay on the Western side of Baviaans, I can recommend Verberg Herberg.
Inside Baviaans, there are quire a few places, but Makkedaat (Caves) is something special.

Zuurberg is a nice pass. (any Avis car can do it. ) It is a bit rough(washed out) in places.

Avoid Ann's Villa if you want to sleep over. (northern end of Zuurberg). It's a dump.
There is a "museum" of some sort, try your luck, we didn't have time.

[supertorro]

Sjoe. So after quite a bit of looking around for a compatible tyre size I eneded up taking what was in stock. Got a nice set of Falken Wildpeak AT.  All that remains is to see how they do in the Baviaans area.  I can say on the tarmac they are slightly harder as the sidewall is a little stiffer. And a very slight increase in noise. But really, that is just nitpicking. Day to day I havent noticed any difference, which is perfect. And probably the best part is that they look like normal tyres. No trying to look aggresive here ;-)

[jbh]

The feedback on the Wildpeak's are good.
What size did you fit?
What size were your original tyres?

[Stev0]

Ill go BFG everyday all day.

They are very heavy unfortunately and will make the gutless 2.0 even slower.

[supertorro]

Went down fro. 225/60 17 to 215/60 17. So a very minor difference. Just got through the Baviaanskloof now, and they were faultless, as was Eric. Very predictable loss of traction and really good on rough and rocky surfaces. From my uninformed opinion they were excellent. Highway travelling also not a problem, but too early to say anything about longevity

[supertorro]

Just an update: Spent some time in Mountain Zebra national park outside Cradock, and managed to get through one of the 4x4 trails. Bit of slipping and sliding as a result of the mud, but otherwise Eric rumbled on without issue.

Also ended up going over Suurberg pass just north of the Addo elephant park (R335). The XV went through that without problems too. Damn suprised by the abilities Eric keeps showing. I don't know what state the pass has been in in previous years, but at the moment it is very rough with some sections showing a bit of water damage. The only changes I made was to air down the tyres to about 2.1 - 2 bar and go slowly. No problems. The cars are pretty impressive.

[berndp]

I went over Zuurberg pass twice, once from either side. Both time it was quite washed out. I don't think there was any maintanance in the past 10 years on the northern side. Obviously the lodge side get's a bit more attention.

@supertorro: you mention you dropped the tyre pressure to 2.1 - 2.2 bar 
What do you noramlly run at?

I only run at 2.0/1.9 front/rear.(empty)
On gravel, I easilly go down to 1.5 bar.