Tyre Test: Yokohama X-AT G016

I HAVE a confession to make. Despite owning many 4x4s over the last 19 years, I’ve never had a set of all-terrain tyres. Sure, I’ve driven on them, but never on my own vehicle. I’ve owned Boggers, ’Pedes, Swampers and Claws. I’ve always gone silly with off-road rubber, and I think it’s time to start acting my age.

Where I live, in the NSW Blue Mountains, we have plenty of different terrain to experience, but with just a few millimetres of rain everything turns to clay. So, in my head I’ve always needed mud-terrain tyres. Well, maybe I’m getting soft, or just wanted to prove myself wrong, but I’ve decided I wanted a quieter ride on my old Hilux. Enter the relatively new-to-market Yokohama X-AT G016 tyres.

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ON ROAD

AFTER rolling around on a very worn set of muddies, I found myself literally laughing out loud within the first 10 metres of driving on the new rubber. They are dead silent on road. Naturally a new tyre will be quiet, but these are next-level quiet and haven’t gotten any noisier.

Grip is next level too – before, I couldn’t drive up the infamous Old Bathurst Road in the wet without single-pegging like a P-plater in a busted-ass Commodore. Now, even when pushing in the wrong gear, these Yokohamas remain confident. Solid 10/10 here, and considering this is where the majority of time will be spent in our vehicles, I don’t regret the decision to switch from mud-terrains ... yet.

ON THE DIRT

THOSE familiar with the Turon River area in NSW will know it’s famous for two things: being insanely beautiful and incredibly dusty. The roads are dirt, from Capertee to Sofala, and are chopped out. I’ve just returned from a trip there and have to say I’ve never used a tyre with more grip in the dirt than these Yokohamas. I could safely cruise around in 2WD in most cases, whereas with my old (albeit worn-out) muddies, I’d need to use four-wheel drive high-range to take corners with confidence.

WATCH: Yokohama Geolandar A/T GO15 in the 4x4 Garage

When things turned to clay, the tread surface did fill with mud, as I’d expect any all-terrain tyre to do. In saying that, the X-ATs were able to eject this evil stuff quickly, and dug for traction well thanks to the square shoulder lugs on the edge of the tyres.

OFF-ROAD

THE advantage these tyres have over some other all-terrains is that the tread compound is relatively soft. This, in my opinion, is a good trait in an off-road tyre. They actually grip. On rock and high-traction surfaces, I’ve had no issues. While I avoid mud like COVID-19, we’ve had lots of rain lately and have been forced to get dirty.

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I haven’t been stuck … yet. Sure, they won’t perform in really sloppy stuff as well as a full-blown mud terrain (there are other options if that’s your scene) but they have performed better than expected.

CONCLUSION

I THINK I’m a convert to all-terrain tyres on a daily driver. Being able to clearly hear passengers or chatter over the UHF is a new sensation for me. The ride is buttery smooth, and I’m yet to find traction to be a limiting factor when off-road. Sure, it’s early days, but I’ll report back in six months to show you how they are holding up.

AVAILABLE FROM

WEBSITE: www.yokohama.com.au
RRP: $319 each (265x75R16)
WHAT WE SAY: Compared to some other all-terrains, the tread compound is relatively soft and provides good grip for an off-road tyre.