WE HAD a major problem with our old but loved 2012 Nissan Navara D22 dual-cab four-wheel drive… it was diabolical to drive in the wet because the rear end would let go at the slightest provocation sending the old beast into a lurid tail slide, especially at roundabouts.
Not only that, towing in the wet was difficult to say the least, particularly when trying to move off from a standstill – and even just negotiating corners the tyres simply had no traction.
On one occasion, we jack-knifed the rig at slow speed running downhill into a (wet) 90-degree intersection… Luckily nobody was around.
And as expected, being H/Ts (Highway/Terrain) they were pretty useless off road despite being the latest version of a premium brand hoop similar to what you get OEM on a new 4×4 ute sold here.
The problem isn’t unique as other 4×4 ute owners spoken to with similar other brand tyres say they experience the same wet weather issues especially with the tub unladen, exacerbated as the tyres age and the rubber compound hardens.
They were hard compound H/T tyres on the Nav’ with a tread wear rating of 620. In other words: bloody hard. Weight in the back reduced the tendency to slide a touch.
After assurances from a contact at Bridgestone, it was with great interest that we fitted a set of their latest Dueler A/T002 tyres onto the Nav’.
Ever sceptical, we awaited wet weather to rush out and find out if the new tyres were any good especially given Bridgestone’s claims as to wet (and dry) weather grip highlighted at the top of the online tyre spec’ sheet.
The tyre manufacturer claims the A/T002 offers highway-terrain (H/T) levels of comfort and safety without sacrificing off-road performance, replacing the passenger-car version of its A/T 697 model.
We weren’t really that interested in off road performance because there’s a new Toyota Fortuner in the garage and we held reservations about the new Bridgestone’s on-road performance in terms of noise, ride quality, wear, and grip all based on experience with semi lug style tyres.
But to our great satisfaction and relief, the A/T002 rose to the occasion ticking all the boxes and then some.
The new tyres on our Nav’ are around the $300 mark apiece and as we discovered firsthand, deliver a remarkable amount of wet weather grip as evident when actively trying to induce a slide on wet roundabouts.
Unlike the hard old H/Ts, that was not happening with the Bridgestones which simply pointed the Nav’ around the arc without flinching which was novel but comforting.
But it was more than that…
Also noted was an improvement to ride quality the A/T002 feeling more supple than the tyres they replaced and generating about the same minimal amount of road noise, certainly no hum as expected from the chunky tread.
With nearly a tonne in the tray, the A/T002 felt pretty much the same as when the vehicle was empty.
We can’t criticise high speed cornering grip in the wet and dry either as the old Nav’ sailed around them as if it was a sports SUV only generating some scrabbling sounds when pushed ridiculously hard.
The other point of contention with the previous hoops, towing in the wet, falls easily within the scope of the A/T002’s capabilities as they grip strongly in a straight line from a standstill with a 2000kg rig dragging behind, even when starting off uphill on a wet road.
That was gratifying because the other tyres were absolutely terrible in this scenario making it difficult and embarrassing to simply get going…
We haven’t measured tread wear yet but suggest it’s minimal over about the 5000km already travelled. The wear blocks appear the same distance from the tread’s periphery, so we expect the A/T002s to last a long time.
In the years since the Dueler range of tyres appeared back in 1981, its popularity has continued to grow in line with the booming 4×4 and SUV segments which now account for more than half of all vehicles sold in Australia.
It’s a rich pie to tap into and Bridgestone is right in the thick of it especially now with the new A/T002 a vastly different beast to the rubber on the hard-core Desert Duelers that ran in early Paris Dakar Rally Raids.
As Bridgestone says the A/T002 is a far cry from its ancestors, offering on-road performance on-par with a highway-terrain tyre, especially in the wet.
This is achieved by using what Bridgestone calls its Nano Pro-Tech compound technology in the A/T002, typically reserved for car tyres, with a high silica content that means better wet weather performance.
In an earlier GoAuto report, we said that despite offering slightly less cut and chip resistance than the A/T697, Bridgestone Australia’s sales director Claudio Sodano says the new model will wear 30 per cent better and offers a five per cent improvement in rolling resistance.
The new tyre is designed to be used mostly on-road, with an 80:20 on- and off-road use split compared to its A/T697 predecessor with a 70:30 split, but it has a far more aggressive tread pattern than the brand’s highway-terrain models.
Our report stated, “The hexagonal tread pattern aims to offer strong off-road grip, and the shoulder tread extends onto the sidewall which, while not overly aggressive, will improve grip in soft sand, mud or snow. The sidewall tread, if nothing else, adds to the aggressive aesthetic the A/T002 offers compared with a highway-terrain option”.
At the moment, Bridgestone offers 19 sizes, covering most popular dual-cab ute and SUV models, with another 11 sizes on the way.
