Anyone used Bridgestone D693 tyres?

[Arctra]

Hi guys.

Have any of you ever used Bridgestone D692 tyres before? They are meant to be more All Terrain tyres which would be great for offroad use, but my concern is around their performance in the city. In particular I'm interested to know what they're like in the wet on tar, what road noise in them is like, and what sort of life I can expect out of them. They're about $70 a tyre less than the Dueler HP's I currently have fitted, which makes them attractive too, but I also noticed they are Aussie made - not sure if that has anything to do with it and whether that means any difference in quality.

http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2009/10/Dueler_AT_D693-1.jpghttp://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2009/10/Dueler_AT_D693_side-1.jpghttp://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2009/10/Dueler_AT_D693_front-1.jpg

Any feedback or advice would be appreciated. :)

[team_v]

If they are designated for off-road use then the noise and wear would probably be worse than road tyres.

Just seeing if i can find a review

http://www.carbonblack.com.au/car-tyres/tyre-reviews/229-bridgestone-tyres/dueler-d693.aspx

http://www.carbonblack.com.au/car-tyres/tyre-reviews/229-bridgestone-tyres/dueler-d693/consumer-reviews.aspx

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Bridgestone&tireModel=Dueler+A%2FT+D693+II

[T&M]

Mate IMHO they are total CRAP.

Had them as standard issue on my last 4WD and they lasted 20,000kms with most driving on the tarmac and a few gentle trips in the bush.

If you want an all terrain 4WD tyre, then look at the BF Goodrich A/T. Don't be surprised about the price though. I have had several sets of these, Coopers, Goodyears and Mickey Thompsons but in the end it tends to be a personal choice depending on the terrain and frequency etc...

[team_v]

I just read the Road Ahead mag and they had an article on Cooper CS4 tyres saying they are lasting 2x longer than stock tyres on most cars.
Might want to have a look at them for roadies.

Coopers site:
http://www.coopertires.com.au/tyres/index.htm

[Arctra]

I just read the Road Ahead mag and they had an article on Cooper CS4 tyres saying they are lasting 2x longer than stock tyres on most cars.
Might want to have a look at them for roadies.

Coopers site:
http://www.coopertires.com.au/tyres/index.htm

That is interesting. And fairly nice looking tyres too IMO. Thanks for that.

[team_v]

That is interesting. And fairly nice looking tyres too IMO. Thanks for that.

No problems.
I just read about them at lunch, didn't even know about them before that lol.

Shame they won't fit on the 18's i want but i could wrap the stock 16's in a set for soft-roading.

[landtig]

Though Carbon black may help you I try to get 'professional' advice on how tyres perform. We bought replacement tyres for our small car based on Choice magazine's review and it their top tyre made a big difference to the on road performance of the car, by far exceeding the standard tyre. Thus you might like to look at 4wd Monthly's AT tyre test (http://www.4wdmonthly.com.au/tips_tyres.php). Whilst this article serves as a guide, its validity for the Tiguan is effected by the difference in vehicle, tyre size and so on. Further the the Tig's tyre size is somewhat odd for an AT tyre and the top tyre & in fact most of the top tyres in the test are not produced in the Tig's standard 16" rim size.

[Transporter]

Dean, I would get Bridgestones,

Our Forester came originally on Bridgestone D694 tyres and they lasted over 50,000km. Tread pattern is similar to D693 and tyre has the same features as D694 (as per Bridgestone website). D694 are superbly quiet and have good handling.
I tried Pirellis twice and at 148,000km on the Forester I bought Bridgestone D694 again, 3 weeks ago,
(the last set of tyres for that car).

All Bridgestone tyres are tested in Japan before they can make them here. Bridgestone is also making some (or all) tyres for Bob Jane.

[Arctra]

Brilliant find LandTig! So looks like the Pirelli Scorpion AT would be idea except you can't get them in 215/65R16. Seems you can get the Scorpion ATR in a 225/70R16 which will have a larger diameter but not be too far off, although it’s quite a different tread to the one reviewed.

Although the Cooper Discoverer ST-C ranked second, their bitumen performance is a bit of a put-off for me.

I just can’t convince myself to buy a set of Kumho’s over Japanese rubber, even if they did rank third overall. Besides, the same bitumen performance argument that I have with the Coopers comes into play. I could only find the Road Venture KL78, not the KL41 reviewed, and they don’t have anything that’ll fit my Tig anyway.

The Michelin LTX A/T look very attractive to me, but damn they have a hefty price tag compared with the others too! Also seems the closest fit for the Tig would be the P235/70R16 which are really pushing the outer limit of the 6.5” wide rims.

So it seems the Bridgestone Dueler D694 isn’t a bad option and is available in a 225/70R16 which will fit OK. Not sure what the difference between the D694 and the D693 is other than the size options and the fact that the 694 is not made in Aus. Seems to support your advice Miro so thanks for that.

[Transporter]

Pirelli Scorpion were very noisy mate, I took them of the car at 45,000km I couldn't stand the noise. I sold them for $50 each, they still had 40% tread remaining, very durable but very noisy.

[Tigga1]

Dean, I would get Bridgestones,

Our Forester came originally on Bridgestone D694 tyres and they lasted over 50,000km. Tread pattern is similar to D693 and tyre has the same features as D694 (as per Bridgestone website). D694 are superbly quiet and have good handling.
I tried Pirellis twice and at 148,000km on the Forester I bought Bridgestone D694 again, 3 weeks ago,
(the last set of tyres for that car).


A friend of mine has had 3 sets of D694, twice on Mazda Tribute and now on Landrover, swears by them. While he does go offroad, his daily drive is up and down a range to work on the coast, and he claims, like Transporter above, they are quiet, good wearing (he got 60k) and drive well both off and on road.

I had a look at them for the Tig, they come in 235/something 16s, and would be a good fit. Their 235 is not as wide as some other tyres, and would go well on the Tig I think.

best of luck!

[T&M]

Not sure what the difference between the D694 and the D693 is other than the size options and the fact that the 694 is not made in Aus. Seems to support your advice Miro so thanks for that.Slightly different tread pattern, yes country of origin, internal construction, there's also the difference between getting a "P" passenger rated tyre or "LT" Light Truck rated tyre within all of the choices available.
There will forever be a debate over tyres, whether it's for small SUV's like the Tiguan or larger offroad 4WD's - it is very personal a choice, as my driving may be different to yours and the terrain I intend to use the car on may be different, the percentage of time on road vs off road, what type of off road? etc etc...
Different people have different criteria on what they think is important to them.
Maybe check out some of the more-offroad dedicated forums and see what they say about the various tyres too. :confused:

[landtig]

Have a look at this java base calculator to see the diff in rolling diameter and hence speedo difference. http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html
Because some manufacturers actually under calibrate the speedo you'll actually be doing less k/hr than the speedo reads. I have driven a work mates Prado which has slightly oversized tyres and now when the speedo reads 100k/hr so does the GPS. But someone with a Tig and a GPS preferably and after-market one (so that the the electronics don't talk to each other) would need to do the experiment as to whether VW has under calibrated the speedo.

[Arctra]

Hi all - long time since I've done any decent postings here... thought I would resurect this ancient thread I started as it seems I am close to needing some new rubber. (Well, that's what the dealer told me yesterday when i had the 45000km service done anyway - just before they tried to sell me the Dueler HP's the "just happened" to have in stock :-P )

I did a quick serach around the forum and it seems Jimbomort and potentially T&M are the only guys that have seriously considered some more offroad capable tyres for their Tigs. Before I start ringing around though, I just wanted to find out if there was any new knowledge out there? My shortlist at the moment is:
Bridgestone D693 (http://www.bridgestone.com.au/tyres/treads/d693.aspx) - 215/65R16: Same size as stock tyres, pretty cheap, and decent offroad tread. Opinions seem to vary on their durability though, and they aren't giving me any "lift".
Bridgestone D694 (http://www.bridgestone.com.au/tyres/treads/d694.aspx) - 215/70R16: Pretty much an Aussie made D693 with a slightly higher profile which would give some lift.
Pirelli Scorpion ATR (http://www.pirelli.com/tyre/au/en/suv/sheet/scorpion_atr.html?url=%3Fsubtype%3DSUV%26filterbyn ame%3D2%26filterbytech%3D%2B%26season%3DSUMMER%26u se%3D1) - 225/70R16: Just a bit bigger than stock but still within the "legal" threshold. Good reputation and tread pattern. Don't know about cost, but I really like the look of these.
Cooper CS4 (http://www.coopertires.com.au/index.php?page=tyres&tyre_id=2) - 235/60R16 or 225/70R16: Very durable tyres, but from chatting with those that have Coopers the harder rubber means wet weather performance isn't great. Also, this is not really a dual terrain tyre, it's very much road biased.

Anyone have opinions, hints, tips, or suggestions? Especially on places that have good prices (in Sydney)?

[Transporter]

Hi Dean, it's hard to pick from the 3 brands you posted. But for off road, I would go with the Pirellis unless you drive a lot in the sand then Bridgstone would be my pick. I would save the Coopers CS4 for on road use only which means extra set of rims. :)

[wheels684]

Hi Arctra
Not sure about the exact compound I had on an XTrail but they were Bridgestones 16 inch rims and original tyres. I got 90,000 k"s out of them. Original tyres made in Japan, nice and quiet and good on the sand too.
As for price, my son changes tyres like I change socks and he swears by Tempe Tyres.

[Tigga1]

friends at home have had D694 on Mazda Tribute (doing off-road trips) and Rav 4 and have been very happy with wrt road-noise and wear. I looked at them for Tig at 235/60/16 but found them a bit expensive (around $300 at the time)

cheers

[Arctra]

Well, yesterday my girlfriend picked up a big piece of metal in the rear tyre which rendered it useless. So I took the jump to a new set of tyres early (well, about 10000km's earlier than I hoped anyway). I decided to go with the Pirelli Scorpion ATR 225/70R16. They are definitely visually bigger tyres as you can see in the pics below. The guys that changed them (Jax Quickfit in Haberfield) checked that there was sufficient clearance all around with 1 tyre before they changed the other 3 for me. The clearance is pretty good IMO.

http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2011/09/20110908182518Copy-1.jpg

http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2011/09/20110908182138Copy-1.jpg

http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2011/09/20110908182118Copy-1.jpg

http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2011/09/20110908182107Copy-1.jpg

http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2011/09/20110908182053Copy-1.jpg

http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2011/09/20110908182042Copy-1.jpg

[Transporter]

They look good. Is there any difference in the noise level inside the car compared to stock tyres? I will be getting new tyres for our Touareg and Scorpion ATR are on my list.

[Arctra]

They look good. Is there any difference in the noise level inside the car compared to stock tyres? I will be getting new tyres for our Touareg and Scorpion ATR are on my list.

They were only fitted yesterday afternoon, and I am yet to drive with them on (my girlfriend uses the car most of the time now). I am quite concerned about noise, so will tell you after the weekend once I've had a chance to test tehm out. From teh reviews I've read, and just looking at the agressiveness of teh tread, I don't expect there to be a problem. I would say teh tread is more agressive than teh Dueler H/T tyres that came with the Tig, but they are still a long way off noisy mud tyre treads.

[jcubed]

Hi guys, me again.

I am also very keen to know about road noise from the Pirellis, as this is what I plan to put on the LR2 next. Not that you have much of a choice if you are looking for an AT/R tyre on an 18" rim locally. It's either this, a Goodyear Wrangler derivative, and maybe a Dueler. It seems as if manufacturers regard an 18" rim as not suitable for off-road use, hence the lack of choice. I wonder where they get that idea from ....?

You are correct about a Dueler being good on sand. I now have my 5th set of HTs on the Forester, and did that Namib Desert trip with them. They flatten out well when deflated to 0.6 bar and stay on the rim (70 profile) due to good flex in the side walls.

That same flex unfortunately made them extremely vulnerable to sidewall punctures from low-growing thorn bushes and rocks. Mileage about average for any car/tyre combination I've ever owned - not much more than 40,000km.

What is your Scorpion ATR price over there? Here they trade in the narrow band between the platinum and gold prices :( - between AUD 500 - 550.

That's per tyre, not for the set, in case you were wondering.

[jimbomort]

jcubed - good to see you here. Arctra can advise us on what he paid, but I would have thought closer to half what you quoted - ie more like 250-270 AUD per tyre.

on the pirelli scorpions yes they are on my list too, Arctra great to see you found some in 16's from my quick look I thought I'd have to go 17's to maintain the same load and speed rating.

Arctra are the tyres you got the same load rating etc as originals? If so per tyre calc they should be 35.5 mm larger diameter, which is a fair increase and enough to make a meaningful difference to clearance (about 18mm). Great to hear they fit as of much interest to me, though strictly speaking they are not roadworthy without an enginerring certificate. Pointy end of that though is your insurer - how have they treated this mod?

For all its worth, you may notice a slight drop in fuel economy. Nothing I can be sure of, but I think my fuel economy at hwy speeds has lost a slight edge since I increased my ride height. Could make sense as ride height does make a difference to air flow around the car - for eg the Golf blue motion has been dropped about 15mm compared with the standard golf ti improve fuel economy. So could get that regardless of how the rolling resistance compares. Again that may be poorer I'd be interested to hear on your impressions on any impact on fuel economy as well after some experience with them.

cheers

[Arctra]

...Arctra can advise us on what he paid, but I would have thought closer to half what you quoted - ie more like 250-270 AUD per tyre.
Correct! They set me back A$255 each which included fitting and balancing. Thought that was pretty decent.


...Arctra are the tyres you got the same load rating etc as originals? If so per tyre calc they should be 35.5 mm larger diameter, which is a fair increase and enough to make a meaningful difference to clearance (about 18mm)....
I believe the Dueler H/T's are 98T rated whereas the Scorpion's I have are 102T rated. Really not sure what the difference there is?


... Great to hear they fit as of much interest to me, though strictly speaking they are not roadworthy without an enginerring certificate. Pointy end of that though is your insurer - how have they treated this mod?
I thought these fell with the 5% rule so they were legal :eek:

As for road noise, thus far I have found them to be fine. I really cannot tell if they are any more noisy/quieter than the Dueler H/T's that were on before. The vehicle feels just a little higher (hardly noticable IMO) and takes bumps/cracks in the road a little better. Haven't actually been off the blacktop with it yet so cannot comment on that.

So far I am happy with my choice. I guess the long term fuel efficiency and performance of the vehicle remains to be seen though.

[Arctra]

Well, yesterday my girlfriend picked up a big piece of metal in the rear tyre which rendered it useless. So I took the jump to a new set of tyres early (well, about 10000km's earlier than I hoped anyway). I decided to go with the Pirelli Scorpion ATR 225/70R16. They are definitely visually bigger tyres as you can see in the pics below. The guys that changed them (Jax Quickfit in Haberfield) checked that there was sufficient clearance all around with 1 tyre before they changed the other 3 for me. The clearance is pretty good IMO.
...
I thought I'd do something of a long-term update on these tyres.

After 104,000km on them I finally replaced them today. That is a pretty damned impressive milage in my books! I made sure I rotated them every service (Rear tyres to the front on the same side, front tyres to the back on opposite sides) which might have helped a bit, but really the tyres lasted well.

I tended to run 40PSI up front, and 38PSI in the rears unless I was carrying a heavier load in which case I bumped it up 1 or 2 PSI. The shoulders were showing slightly more wear than the centre tread, so I don't feel those pressures were too high. They are dated to a max of 44PSI if that helps.

Overall I was really impressed with how they travelled with no noticable cabin noise as a result of them. The biggest think I noticed is they made the speedo nearly perfectly accurate when comparing to the speed on the GPS, rather than slightly under-reading the speed that cars normally do. Offroad the tyres were great and the extra clearance I got from them was worth it. Not once do I recall hearing the tyre hit the mudguard because of bottoming out, so they were not too big by any stretch.