THE EXPERT’S CHOICE: MIC VAN ZYL (MANAGING DIRECTOR AT IRONMAN 4X4)

In the world of 4WD accessories, tyres are by far the biggest global spend, and, arguably, one of the most important upgrades that you can do to your vehicle. Tyres affect your vehicle’s safety, handling, ride comfort, noise levels, fuel consumption, puncture resistance, and very importantly, off-road ability. 

In my experience, there is no one tyre that ticks all of the above boxes. However, that said, a good all-terrain tyre is the best compromise for a vehicle that, like mine, lives in the city but also ventures into the bush on many occasions. 

Until recently, I could not find an all-terrain tyre that was acceptably good in the city on wet tar roads, while offering supreme capability in the bush and/or on a rocky mountain pass. However, after many years of off-roading, I have finally settled on the Cooper ST MAXX. Sure, they’re not the quietest or most comfortable tyre out there, but that’s because they are supremely tough.

I have experienced the S/T MAXX’s performance on a very wet highway, where I found their water dispersion and performance to be very impressive. More recently though, I did an extensive tour through Namibia on mostly bad gravel roads and their performance impressed me immensely. 

But what I like most about the S/T MAXX is that I no longer have to run two sets of tyres: one for day to day commuting, and another for serious off-road work.