Here are some pics of what these tires look like:







So far I've been VERY impressed. Excellent road manners, but still look pretty aggressive.....

There was a huge rainstorm while they were being mounted and about 1 1/2 foot of water in the road. Made it home no problem; they didn't seem to hydroplane too badly.

I took them through some deep and soupy mud pits near my house; they performed very well. I got through the pits without really slowing down. I could feel the thrust when I hit the gas. Upon inspection after the pit, the channels were totally clean. They shedded that mud better than most AT's I've seen.

Obviously, only time will tell how the sidewalls hold up. Like I said, they did seem a little thicker than the Dunlops I was originall going for.

And no, Nankang is not a division of yoko. They are not affiliated in any way. Nankang is a large tire company whose tires can be seen on many trailers in the US. Their car & truck tires haven't really caught on yet, but are gaining market share every year.

Nankang, Sushi, Bruce Lee?

White letter out ? Good lord...

I like the white letters out...whatever floats your boat.

To each his own, but I agree w/ your assessment. I know some people like the way the look new (not me, though), but after you rub a couple of rocks and a curb or two you'll have a nice white smear around the outside of your tires.

Jeff - keep some updates going on how these tires hold up over the long term. I don't know of anybody else with these tires so it wouldn't hurt to have some personal experiences posted for future searches. They do look like they may clear mud better than my BFG ATs.

White letters rock!!!

White letters rock man!!! As long as you got a good deal who the Fu@k cares (and if they do why???)

Tim

Most modern tires have a bit of a tougher black area around the OWL. But if they should become white, a magic marker usually does the trick. failing that, I will just get 'em reversed(for free).

I will post pics next time I hit the trails. As far as a preview goes, I can tell you that the owner of the tire shop I bought 'em at has run 2 sets of these on his Ford Ranger and prefers them over bfg AT's for offroad performance AND for road manners and wear.

Wish me luck!

I don't know, they don't look aggressive enough to be better than BFG AT's offroad.

I like the solid white letters out (ie, BFG ATs) but the hollow white letters get too dirty too quickly and should face "in" IMO.

Why's it got to be a black and white issue?

Come to think of it, I know there are Asians and Middle Eastern folks here but, are the any black people on this board.

I have Long Trails and was considering having the letters turned in, but on the tire it says, "MOUNT THIS SIDE OUT" on the side with white letters. It's not a directional tread so what's up with that?

I like white letters out, looks sharp. I keep them clean with Clorox Clean-Up Gel. A little shot of it on a sponge does the trick. I know there's "white wall/letter" cleaners out there, but I used what I had once and just stuck with it.

no its not a directional tread and its not a symetrical (sp?) tread either...thats why they want you to mount the letters out.

Yup, not even close. The shoulder profile is far too round.

I can see those being a good tire for multi-weather situations on pavement and gravel roads but not offroad. There is no sidewall traction to grip rocks and such if needed.

That brings up a good question: How strong are the sidewalls on those tires? I know I rub the shit out of my Goodyear AT/Ss and MT/Rs and they hold up very well. I'm wondering if the Nankangs will do the same.

So far so good. I just took some time after work to run a trail with some mogul runs and a steep-ass talus hill. It was pretty wet up there, so the wheels had some sideways movement on the slick rock. The sidewalls took some abuse, but do not appear to be damaged. While going up the moguls, I saw (in my rearview) a TJ on 33" BFG Mud-Terrains get stuck behind me.

I do not believe that the sidewalls on this tire are as strong as the MT/R. But they should be just as strong as any other "load range E" light truck tire.

As far as performance goes, I believe that these tires will perform as well or better than any other AT out there. Anybody who doesn't believe is welcome along with their BFG's, Goodyears, Bridgestones, etc.

I deliberately bought the more rounded shoulders for better on-road manners. The sharp lugs seem to chunk for those who do a lot of city driving.

Not even close? How much difference does the shoulder lugging really make? It has always seemed to me that it was more for looks than anything else.......

I've never had a problem with the shoulder of my tire not having grip. If I could get the shoulder on something solid, I was out. Even with the long trails.

Regardless, I will eventually get a second set of wheels and tires like Vince suggested long ago. These are just to hold me over until I get around to buying some 15's.

I think that the shoulder lugging makes a big difference when you air down.

Ditto. Plus more protection.

Sure you did.

I doubt you even noticed it until I mentioned it.

Whatever....

I agree as well. I can't count how many times I've seen the sidewall lugs make a difference when negotiating an obstacle.

I can not imagine you were going fast enough in 1 1/2 foot of water to hydroplane.

If that has to be explained to you then you should not be in a place that you would need them. I.E. off-road.

Explained to me?

Too late, already been offroad all over Colorado...

I've been on lots of trails from huge boulder fields to deep mud pits, talus ledges and steep (45 degrees) moguls.

All I hear is all kinds of people talking about what "can and can't" be done with different tires. No tire will enable a shitty driver to get anywhere. I've taken my stock Long Trails through plenty of offroad trails in CO and intend to take my Nankangs through lots more. Shit, I've heard of people running Golden Spike with the stock Crappers!

I'm not saying that the shoulder lugs do nothing. I'm just saying that 999/1000 times they will NOT make the difference between getiing over/failing on an obstacle.

Right now, I run my tires at 24 psi on and off the road. During certain conditions(such as the sandy areas west of Medano pass), I will air down to about 14. In mant cases, however I am unable (without a lift) to relinquish the extra ground clearance gained by some extra pressure.

All I'm saying is that nobody can deem my tires "mall terrain" until they've seen perform offroad.