The team at 4x4galore.com love reading 4×4 product reviews, so we were very pleased to see that the Kumho Road Venture MT KL71 was joint winner of 4×4 Magazine’s (UK) ‘ultimate tyre test’ to establish the best mud-terrain tyre on the UK market.

It shared top honours with a BF Goodrich, beating offerings from Goodyear, Wildcat, Maxxis, Cooper, INSA and Pirelli by a significant margin. All eight makes of 235/85 R16 tyres were subjected to six challenging, real-world tests such as mud climb, bog run, side slope, rock crawl, gravel and tarmac braking. One test vehicle was involved – a 2007 Land Rover Defender 110.

4×4 Magazine found the Kumho KL71 radically different in appearance from all its competitors and, in fact, to be the best looking as well as the joint best performer. The Kumho was awarded top marks on the rock crawl and gravel braking tests and performed with credit on the mud climb and bog run. In summary, 4×4 Magazine said, “The Kumho MT KL71 is a great tyre and a deserving all-round winner. Give it a try.”

Said Kumho’s Managing Director Steve Tidmarsh, “Naturally we are delighted with the result. 4×4 Magazine’s test is very much in line with our own research and reinforces the confidence we have had in the KL71 from the outset. I can also reveal that the new 18in rally raid tyre we have developed for the Bowler Nemesis is based on the KL71 and that is surely the ultimate test for an MT tyre.”

For further information on Kumho and its products, log onto www.kumhotyre.co.uk or contact 4 SITE on 0870 112 9404 for details of your nearest stockist.

To take a closer look at 4×4 Magazine, check out www.4×4i.com.

If you're like the majority of 4x4 Drivers, you won't be able to change the diff oil until you get home, because you won't have spare oil and a sump pump to change it. If you suspect contaminated oil (a deep water crossing without extended diff breathers or perhaps you have leaking diff seals) then you can try and remove the water by draining the diff until only oil comes out the drain hole. Do not drain too much and leave your diff short of lubrication. Collect this oil and water emulsion as you should never dispose of oil into the environment. Save it till you get back home and dispose of it properly. Its not only diffs that can have water contamination, but also your gearbox, transfer case and engine oil. However, it is usually only when a vehicle is stationary in deep water that these components are contaminated.