By Christian Sturtz, [email protected]
Photos by Christian Sturtz
Being an Off-Road Tech Editor is sometimes a challenging endeavor. In this profession, you only have your reputation, so I take my position very seriously. That being said, I don’t endorse products that cannot prove themselves. Reviewing tires is especially time-consuming because I must have enough seat time to evaluate them fairly and truthfully. The tire must be tried in as many conditions as possible.
Yokohama has made off-road tires for decades. I have used sets on previous builds- like the 31″ x 10.5″ r15 mud-terrain (M/T) that went on the ’49 flat fender, showcased in several issues of 4Low. It is most notable in Issue 34, the article Flat Out Makeover. I love the GEOLANDAR M/Ts; they have a great combination of on and off-road traction and look great.
A few years back, I heard rumors of Yokohama making a more hardcore tire with rock crawling in mind. I have had great experience with Yokohama, and I couldn’t wait to complete a build worthy of putting these tires through their paces. With the completion of the Black LJ, I thought this would be just the ticket to get it done!
I ordered a set of 38″ x 13.5″ r20s. I’m not a fan of big wheels, but that is how the market is going- a 38″ tire on a 20″ wheel gives you almost the same sidewall height as a 35″ tire on a 15″ wheel. My first impression of the GEOLANDAR X-MTs was, “Wow! Those things look mean.” My next thought was, “How loud are they going to be on the road?” The Black LJ is my new family rig, and it sees a fair amount of road time.
I mounted the tires on some Rolling Big Power 50R Cobra Wheels and took it for a spin. I was surprised- the unbearable road noise and rumbling I was sure I would experience was not there. If I didn’t know better, I could have sworn I was driving on an all-terrain tire; with an extremely aggressive visual appearance. The ride and sound quality can be attributed to the extensive time Yokohama spent developing this tire with an Optimized Tread Pattern and an unconventional block design that reduces vibration and noise, resulting in a more comfortable ride on and off the road. (Figure 1)
The next day, I was blessed with rain; this gave me another condition to test the tires in. My experience with wide off-road tires in the rain has not been great. The tire’s width creates a high amount of contact area in the tread, quickly leading to a hydroplane condition. While these tires hydroplaned once, I was pleasantly surprised with their overall traction in the rain. The X-MTs have a triple polymer, high-density tread compound, giving you a long tread life with even wear. (Figure 2)
Then, I loaded up the Black LJ and was off to the Winter 4×4 Jamboree. Sand Hollow is a great testing ground for new tires. With the weather conditions this year, I was in for a hell of a ride! It was cold, rainy, snowy, wet, and muddy; about everything mother nature could throw at you.
I typically run 7-8 rated trails because they are challenging yet doable with this vehicle build. With the added weather, it proved quite the challenge for most of the rigs out there. The first day there, I got into town early and decided to run out to Toquerville Falls – what a muddy mess! The X-MTs did amazing and self-cleaned flawlessly; I didn’t even need to increase wheel speed to clear out the tread. You can see the mud all over the Jeep! (Figure 3) The sand was also no match for these tires. I have experienced aggressive tires in sand that act like little shovels, digging four holes right where the tires are. The Yokohamas wanted to stay on top of the sand; they propelled me forward and worked well at street pressure but worked even better when aired down into single digits. (Figure 4)
Onto the rocks – I must admit, the first day on the rocks, the tires worried me a little. These are a rock crawling tire, and even aired down, I was slipping all over the place. This was 100% caused by the “new tire sheen” that the tires still had. The next few days, the tires got better and better. By the final day of trails, I was thoroughly impressed with the tire performance, and others were too. Three similarly-built LJs were on the trail with me on a different tire brand; while I was walking up obstacles and making things look easy, they struggled. (Figure 5) These are amazing tires that shine in nearly all conditions, quiet and comfortable on the road. They have a robust construction incorporating GEO-SHIELD Technology and look great doing it. What more could you ask for in a tire? The tires are only getting better as they get broken in; I can’t wait to see how they do after a few more trips. See you on the trail! (Figure 6)
Parts:
Yokohama
GEOLANDAR X-MT Tire (available in several sizes)
Sources:
Yokohama Industries
1 MacArthur Pl, Ste 800
Santa Ana, CA 92707
1-800-722-9888
Rolling Big Power
13000 Tempe Avenue
City of Industry, CA 91746
1-877-519-9090
