Are the Wrangler All-Terrain tyres the quiet achiever?
WORDS AND IMAGES BY SHANE STIFFLE
When it comes to choosing a set of tyres, depending on your four-wheeling preference, it's hard to go past a good set of all-terrain tyres. But not all all-terrains are created equal; some are biased towards road use and others to the demands of off-road abuse.
When Goodyear told us it was launching a new all-terrain tyre onto the market, I was like the kid at the front of the classroom with my hand high in the air for the opportunity to test these tyres. Luckily for me, I tucked the first set in Australia underneath my four-wheel-drive.
The Goodyear Wrangler SilentTrac All-Terrain tyres are, according to the marketing blurb "a quiet tyre for your everyday commute on-road, but built tough and offering good grip for when you're off-road," sounds like the perfect all-terrain tyre […] but can you have the best of both worlds?
For me, the majority of my travel is spent commuting to and from work; I rack up significant tarmac-based mileage during the week, and I'll get out bush on the weekend or sometimes mid-week on a photo shoot with the team. The times I do head off-road, I don't want to be let down by my tyres.
Now, on my daily drive, a road tyre is a good thing, however, can these 70:30 tyre focused on quiet on-road performance be capable in typical off-road conditions? The majority of four-wheelers, even those who spend a higher ratio of time on the road, usually head straight for more aggressive off-road tyres and put up with the loud, poor-on-road performance those knobbly-blocked tyres offer.
When I watched the first set in Australia being fit to my Amarok, doubts surfaced as the old aggressive A/T's were being swapped out for the appearance of a road-biased tyre. Without judging them purely on looks; here began the testing focused not only on their level of performance on-road, but I wanted to knock out as many K's as possible on the SilentTracs to see how they perform across a variety of typical off-road terrains.
Here's what I discovered after 10,000km of testing.
We've worked the Goodyear Wrangler SilentTracs over 10,000km of differing terrains; did they prove strong and silent?
GEAR Goodyear Wrangler SilentTrac AT Tyres
On-Road Performance
Leaving the tyre fitter demonstrated how smooth and quiet the SilentTracs are, compared with my previous all-terrains tyres.
On-road comfort is where they shine, with low road-noise, and impressive braking and cornering grip, something I'd longed for but never achieved with previous all-terrains. More than that, these lighter-weight tyres, with lower rolling resistance (compared with my previous A/Ts) have seen a decrease in fuel consumption by almost 1L/100km. The lack of rain in NSW has limited testing to only a handful of days on wet roads, but in my limited experience, greasy roads haven't been a problem. The 265/70R17s extra-load Passenger construction tyres (SilentTracs are available in Light Truck construction) have handled the weight of my Amarok its rear canopy, dual-battery setup and the occasional 2000kg camper trailer hanging off the back without issue.
“Out at one of our favourite tracks out the back of Lithgow, we have a real mixture of terrain, from sharp jagged rocks beneath bush sand, sandstone ledges, to shale hills and rocky-based water crossings”
DIRT ROADS
With their road-based appearance and strong bitumen performance, I was hesitant to push the SilentTracs too hard across the dirt. On the occasional loamy track, I've driven the tread tends to fill up, but they have been good at self-clearing dirt and sand even when driven at low speeds (with reduced pressures for the conditions). Despite the proximity of the tread blocks, the SilentTracs, with a slight drop in tyre pressure, grip well on dirt roads.
Many new four-wheel drives like my Amarok are fitted with traction control and a rear diff lock as standard, and that has got me thinking [...] Can technology reduce the reliance on more aggressive tread patterns? If the wheels are planted on the ground, is it the tyre or the tech, or a combination of both that makes the difference. Either way, I've been pleasantly surprised with their traction on both high- and low-speed dirt roads. I'm now comfortable and confident in the performance of these tyres across a range of terrains despite my initial concerns.
Off-Road Performance
I didn't set out to purposely destroy these tyres, however, with Goodyear claiming they're robust and tough enough to take you off-road, I did want to test them across typical off-road terrains, without going to the extreme.
ABOVE Soft dirt tends to clear as quickly as it fills
ABOVE First trip from The Lost City to Black Hands Firetrail
ROCK
A quality off-road tyre is engineered to withstand the impact of sharp objects hitting the sidewall, which is vital when airing down. Goodyear's Durawall technology is a marketing term for a reinforced sidewall, which is claimed to be more resistant to cuts and punctures. Despite the claim, my initial thought was that the sidewall would be the undoing of these tyres off-road.
Out at one of our favourite tracks out the back of Lithgow, we have a real mixture of terrain, from sharp jagged rocks beneath bush sand, sandstone ledges, to shale hills and rocky-based water crossings. It's a great testing track for tyres. And I quickly noticed how the soft-feeling tread compound of these SilentTracs (when aired down correctly) allows the tyres to conform to rocky terrain providing good traction. I have purposely driven over and against rocks to see what damage I could do to the tyres; expecting to find some sidewall damage from these tracks. Despite my best efforts, I've only managed to scuff the sidewalls and these easily clean off. Other than that, the tyres have come out unscathed.
ABOVE Lower pressures helping to minimise punctures
ABOVE Firm ground driving while lugging a 2T trailer
MUD
With minimal amounts of rainfall in NSW, I haven't had great opportunity to test these tyres out in muddy or soft conditions for an extended period. But, in the occasional mud puddle or muddy rut I've driven, the tyres clear soon after exiting; but I could see these tyres, like plenty of other all-terrain tyres, not excelling through deep, lengthy bog holes.
ABOVE The SilentTracs easily handle short sections of mud
SAND
Airing down to 16psi to drive through both hard and soft sand offered no challenge to these tyres, as would be expected for an all-terrain tyre. The sidewalls didn't cop any damage from a typical beach run, so if you are a fisho, these could be a good option for getting you up and down the beach.
ABOVE The tyres are at home on a typical beach run
The details
The Goodyear Wrangler SilentTrac All-Terrain tyres launched mid-August 2019 and are available in 23 different sizes fitting rims 15- to 18-inches. They are marketed for quiet on-road performance with higher mileage capability than its predecessor due to greater wearable rubber volume. These tyres feature Goodyear's Durawall technology and are claimed to be sturdy and robust for off-road excursions. Produced in both Passenger and Light Truck construction, if you head to your local Goodyear Tyre retailer such as Beaurepaires and Goodyear Autocare, you can expect prices starting from $199 per tyre inclusive of GST, fitting and balancing, depending on size and construction.
For more information on the tyres head to: goodyear.com.au
Click below to watch the SilentTracs off-road
TYRE SPECIFICATIONS
AS TESTED
SIZE: 265/70R17
CONSTRUCTION: Heavy Duty Passenger
TREAD DEPTH (NEW): 10mm
RRP: $299 each inc. GST, fitting & balancing
MILEAGE: 10,000km
CURRENT TREAD DEPTH: 8.9mm
BELOW Traction control kicking in to help with the limited ground contact
Are they the quiet achiever?
After running these Wrangler SilentTrac tyres over 10,000km's, they've changed my opinion on needing aggressive all-terrain tyres and having to put up with road noise. The SilentTracs are quieter than my previous sets of all-terrains, and they've improved the general ride and handling of my Amarok, too. The tread depth has worn down an average of 1.1mm across the four tyres, with no abnormal wear patterns. I can't comment on their longevity, but they seem to be wearing evenly. That said, I will continue to monitor noise levels and wear over the next few thousand kilometres.
Sure, they don't look as tough as more aggressive all-terrains, but they are a robust road-biased A/T, and the sidewalls have stood up to the beatings I've given them. The SilentTracs, combined with my Amarok's modern traction control and rear diff lock have proven capable across typical off-road situations, allowing me to travel to far-flung destinations for work with good grip and then return home with undamaged sidewalls or tread blocks.
All in all, if you are clocking up the kilometres on the tarmac, with the occasional tour off-road, these Goodyear Wrangler SilentTracs are worth a look.
GEAR Goodyear Wrangler SilentTrac AT Tyres
Are the Wrangler All-Terrain tyres the quiet achiever?
When it comes to choosing a set of tyres, depending on your four-wheeling preference, it's hard to go past a good set of all-terrain tyres. But not all all-terrains are created equal; some are biased towards road use and others to the demands of off-road abuse.
When Goodyear told us it was launching a new all-terrain tyre onto the market, I was like the kid at the front of the classroom with my hand high in the air for the opportunity to test these tyres. Luckily for me, I tucked the first set in Australia underneath my four-wheel-drive.
The Goodyear Wrangler SilentTrac All-Terrain tyres are, according to the marketing blurb "a quiet tyre for your everyday commute on-road, but built tough and offering good grip for when you're off-road," sounds like the perfect all-terrain tyre […] but can you have the best of both worlds?
For me, the majority of my travel is spent commuting to and from work; I rack up significant tarmac-based mileage during the week, and I'll get out bush on the weekend or sometimes mid-week on a photo shoot with the team. The times I do head off-road, I don't want to be let down by my tyres.
Now, on my daily drive, a road tyre is a good thing, however, can these 70:30 tyre focused on quiet on-road performance be capable in typical off-road conditions? The majority of four-wheelers, even those who spend a higher ratio of time on the road, usually head straight for more aggressive off-road tyres and put up with the loud, poor-on-road performance those knobbly-blocked tyres offer.
When I watched the first set in Australia being fit to my Amarok, doubts surfaced as the old aggressive A/T's were being swapped out for the appearance of a road-biased tyre. Without judging them purely on looks; here began the testing focused not only on their level of performance on-road, but I wanted to knock out as many K's as possible on the SilentTracs to see how they perform across a variety of typical off-road terrains.
Here's what I discovered after 10,000km of testing.
We've worked the Goodyear Wrangler SilentTracs over 10,000km of differing terrains; did they prove strong and silent?
WORDS AND IMAGES BY SHANE STIFFLE
On-Road Performance
Leaving the tyre fitter demonstrated how smooth and quiet the SilentTracs are, compared with my previous all-terrains tyres.
On-road comfort is where they shine, with low road-noise, and impressive braking and cornering grip, something I'd longed for but never achieved with previous all-terrains. More than that, these lighter-weight tyres, with lower rolling resistance (compared with my previous A/Ts) have seen a decrease in fuel consumption by almost 1L/100km. The lack of rain in NSW has limited testing to only a handful of days on wet roads, but in my limited experience, greasy roads haven't been a problem. The 265/70R17s extra-load Passenger construction tyres (SilentTracs are available in Light Truck construction) have handled the weight of my Amarok its rear canopy, dual-battery setup and the occasional 2000kg camper trailer hanging off the back without issue.
Off-Road Performance
I didn't set out to purposely destroy these tyres, however, with Goodyear claiming they're robust and tough enough to take you off-road, I did want to test them across typical off-road terrains, without going to the extreme.
DIRT ROADS
With their road-based appearance and strong bitumen performance, I was hesitant to push the SilentTracs too hard across the dirt. On the occasional loamy track, I've driven the tread tends to fill up, but they have been good at self-clearing dirt and sand even when driven at low speeds (with reduced pressures for the conditions). Despite the proximity of the tread blocks, the SilentTracs, with a slight drop in tyre pressure, grip well on dirt roads.
Many new four-wheel drives like my Amarok are fitted with traction control and a rear diff lock as standard, and that has got me thinking [...] Can technology reduce the reliance on more aggressive tread patterns? If the wheels are planted on the ground, is it the tyre or the tech, or a combination of both that makes the difference. Either way, I've been pleasantly surprised with their traction on both high- and low-speed dirt roads. I'm now comfortable and confident in the performance of these tyres across a range of terrains despite my initial concerns.
ABOVE First trip from The Lost City to Black Hands Firetrail
ABOVE Soft dirt tends to clear as quickly as it fills
ROCK
A quality off-road tyre is engineered to withstand the impact of sharp objects hitting the sidewall, which is vital when airing down. Goodyear's Durawall technology is a marketing term for a reinforced sidewall, which is claimed to be more resistant to cuts and punctures. Despite the claim, my initial thought was that the sidewall would be the undoing of these tyres off-road.
Out at one of our favourite tracks out the back of Lithgow, we have a real mixture of terrain, from sharp jagged rocks beneath bush sand, sandstone ledges, to shale hills and rocky-based water crossings. It's a great testing track for tyres. And I quickly noticed how the soft-feeling tread compound of these SilentTracs (when aired down correctly) allows the tyres to conform to rocky terrain providing good traction. I have purposely driven over and against rocks to see what damage I could do to the tyres; expecting to find some sidewall damage from these tracks. Despite my best efforts, I've only managed to scuff the sidewalls and these easily clean off. Other than that, the tyres have come out unscathed.
ABOVE Firm grounding while lugging a 2T trailer
ABOVE Lower pressures helping to minimise punctures
MUD
With minimal amounts of rainfall in NSW, I haven't had great opportunity to test these tyres out in muddy or soft conditions for an extended period. But, in the occasional mud puddle or muddy rut I've driven, the tyres clear soon after exiting; but I could see these tyres, like plenty of other all-terrain tyres, not excelling through deep, lengthy bog holes.
ABOVE The SilentTracs easily handle short sections of mud
SAND
Airing down to 16psi to drive through both hard and soft sand offered no challenge to these tyres, as would be expected for an all-terrain tyre. The sidewalls didn't cop any damage from a typical beach run, so if you are a fisho, these could be a good option for getting you up and down the beach.
ABOVE The tyres are at home on a typical beach run
Click below to watch the SilentTracs off-road
The details
The Goodyear Wrangler SilentTrac All-Terrain tyres launched mid-August 2019 and are available in 23 different sizes fitting rims 15- to 18-inches. They are marketed for quiet on-road performance with higher mileage capability than its predecessor due to greater wearable rubber volume. These tyres feature Goodyear's Durawall technology and are claimed to be sturdy and robust for off-road excursions. Produced in both Passenger and Light Truck construction, if you head to your local Goodyear Tyre retailer such as Beaurepaires and Goodyear Autocare, you can expect prices starting from $199 per tyre inclusive of GST, fitting and balancing, depending on size and construction.
For more information on the tyres head to: goodyear.com.au
TYRE SPECIFICATIONS
AS TESTED
SIZE: 265/70R17
CONSTRUCTION: Heavy Duty Passenger
TREAD DEPTH (NEW): 10mm
RRP: $299 each inc. GST, fitting & balancing
MILEAGE: 10,000km
CURRENT TREAD DEPTH: 8.9mm
BELOW Traction control kicking in to help with the limited ground contact
Are they the quiet achiever?
After running these Wrangler SilentTrac tyres over 10,000km's, they've changed my opinion on needing aggressive all-terrain tyres and having to put up with road noise. The SilentTracs are quieter than my previous sets of all-terrains, and they've improved the general ride and handling of my Amarok, too. The tread depth has worn down an average of 1.1mm across the four tyres, with no abnormal wear patterns. I can't comment on their longevity, but they seem to be wearing evenly. That said, I will continue to monitor noise levels and wear over the next few thousand kilometres.
Sure, they don't look as tough as more aggressive all-terrains, but they are a robust road-biased A/T, and the sidewalls have stood up to the beatings I've given them. The SilentTracs, combined with my Amarok's modern traction control and rear diff lock have proven capable across typical off-road situations, allowing me to travel to far-flung destinations for work with good grip and then return home with undamaged sidewalls or tread blocks.
All in all, if you are clocking up the kilometres on the tarmac, with the occasional tour off-road, these Goodyear Wrangler SilentTracs are worth a look.