4x4 Action Group

I won’t be buying those then.

My Maxxis are 6 ply rating but not the sidewalls. The actual number of layers of plys isn’t always the same in the sides as it is under the tread. Some are, like many car tyres. But good MT tyres usually have 2 ply sidewalls, even retaining the same load rating as your 3 ply.

The ply rating on a tyre does not indicate the actual number of layers of material it is made up of, but the load rating. The term comes from the days of cross-ply tyres, where the load rating was determined by the number of canvas layers used during the construction.

Another myth is that a stiffer sidewall will be less prone to damage than a more pliable one. A pliable material will move away from the direction of the pressure point of the penetrating object and thereby reduce the pressure and thus the chance of it penetrating. Try pricking a normal party balloon that is only half inflated, compared to one that is fully inflated and therefore has a stiffer "wall". The same applies to tyres. More pliable does not necessarily mean they are easier to puncture.

I keep referring to the Hankooks that I had on RooiTjiep, because they are the only real off-road tyres I have personal experience of. They had "2-ply" sidewalls that bulged nicely when deflated, but I never incurred any sidewall damage off-road (including the Hex River Trails)- usually running pressures of less than 1 bar. The rubber compound must be fairly soft, as they grip well on wet tarmac, but there was no chipping or cuts on the tread or sidewalls.

The one sidewall did give way after driving it punctured, without realising it was flat, on-road for some distance.

Well explained Thys

I had two Hankook sidewall cuts on two different tyres while leaving a trail, they got cut by a root because they didn’t have enough “meat” to prevent the penetration. I much prefer my BFG with less grip but higher puncture resistance, because I drive a very capable off-road machine so I don’t need the help of grippy tyres

... people often say the old LR Series
marie-biscuits performed far better in
mud and sand than could be readily
expected or explained ...

BushWacker wrote:... people often say the old LR Series
marie-biscuits performed far better in
mud and sand than could be readily
expected or explained ...

In mud this can be somewhat true, but not sand. Otherwise we could just use bicycle wheels & tyres


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I loved my KL71’s.
2 Ply Muds, one directional, but almost indestructible. Good for only about 40000km’s. Well priced

ThysleRoux wrote: ↑

Fri Apr 06, 2018 9:06 am

Try pricking a normal party balloon that is only half inflated, compared to one that is fully inflated and therefore has a stiffer "wall". The same applies to tyres.

Thanks for the analogy, Thys. Couldn't explain it better myself.

Will use this to explain to anybody who does not understand the need to deflate...and they are out there.