It’s been 34,000Km’s since the BigHorns were fitted to the Prado and it’s time to fit something else.

How have they performed for those kilometers? Really quite well.

When first replacing the BFG Mud Terrains, I found the BigHorns a little noisier, but hey, if you want traction, what’s a little extra noise. The sidewalls on the Maxxis were considerably thicker than the BFG and as a result showed up 4 slightly buckled GXL rims.

Once fitted, it seemed that the wheel balance was miles out, but after two different places had a go at balancing it was found to be the rims causing the problem. The sidewalls being thicker had less give in them than the BFG, so the slight vertical wobble on the rims was really felt.

A quick replacement of the rims with RockCrawler fixed the problem completely.

On normal bitumen, apart from being noisier than the BFG the grip was the same, however the Maxxis were quite a bit better on wet bitumen with a good deal of grip. The BFG would ley go early and violently, while the Maxxis would keep hanging on a lot longer and the progressively let go.

Gravel or secondary dirt roads were the same as wet bitumen with the Maxxis hanging on like grim death and then just slowly letting go.

In just about all situations off road the Maxxis outshone the BFG. I put this down to the very large voids between the lugs. These helped in rock climbing and in spitting out the mud keeping a very clean tyre, where the BFG would clog with mud very easily.

All in all a very good tyre. I have travelled 34,000Km’s on these tyres and they still have just under 9mm of tread left from a total of 14.5mm. That equates to only 42% worn which means they could be good for almost 70,000km.

Would I put them on the Prado? You bet!

Here’s my 5 star rating of the BigHorn’s…

Dry Bitumen	★★★☆
Wet Bitumen	★★★☆
Gravel Roads	★★★★
Dry 4x4	★★★★
Mud	★★★☆
Rock	★★★★
Sand	★★★☆

Keep in mind that these ratings are based on my type of driving, that is, no hardcore competition work, simply the type of terrain you are most likely to find in your 4WD adventures.

Keep your eyes open for a long term test of our new Goodyear MTR tyres kindly given to us by Goodyear.

See you out there!

Tip:

Engine Bay Protection<br> Placing a tarp across the front of the 4x4 minimizes water entering the engine bay by creating a bow wave, provided forward momentum is maintained. The result is less water for the radiator fan to spray over the ignition system, less chance of water entering the air intake and less likely for the fan to propel its way up to and through the radiator. Diesel 4x4 's are usually better for water crossings as you do not have the ignition system to worry about. Water in the ignition system usually results in a stalled engine and not actual engine damage, though this is of little comfort when you find yourself stuck in the middle of a crossing. Depending on the water depth, its advisable to climb out of your window rather than open the door and flood your carpets. To minimize stalling from a wet ignition, it's a good idea to spray all the ignition system with water repellent beforehand.