Re:Better tyres for road use?

Can someone recommend better tyres for road use on our 2020 Jimny?

The standard fit tyres are okay in the dry, but in the wet they are death traps.

After the third stability control intervention in a week, under normal driving, l want to fit some tyres that actually grip a wet road.

l guess it's partially because on road it's a lightweight RWD vehicle with a relatively high C of G 
But on corners it just wants to go straight on. The tyres have done 15,000 miles and still look okay (plenty of tread)

What tyres has your Jimny been fitted with?

Roger

They are the original fitment Bridgestone Dueler H/T

Not much help, but mine is on the standard Bridgestones and they are perfectly fine in the wet (but I was a bit annoyed that they don't have the mountain symbol on the side).

However they do have "Made in Japan" on them, I recall there being some suggestion with the Gen 3 that you could get Bridgestones that weren't made in Japan, and they had negligible grip in the wet.

I would say go for 215/75/15 these will be 10mm taller than 195's fitted 
something like these E rated for wet and fuel 
Toyo Open Country A/T 
ebay item number 313879715622

Tonka has the same "made in Japan" tyres and I don't have a problem with them wet or dry.
The comment about them being "upset" by a puddle" is fundamental to a rear wheel drive car. I found a deep puddle and drove through first in rear drive only and then in 4 wheel drive. The extra stability was very reassuring.

Roger

I'm actually quite happy with the Grandtrek AT20's that came stock on mine. And really impressed with their offroad capabilities.

wrote:

Can someone recommend better tyres for road use on our 2020 Jimny?

The standard fit tyres are okay in the dry, but in the wet they are death traps.

After the third stability control intervention in a week, under normal driving, l want to fit some tyres that actually grip a wet road.

l guess it's partially because on road it's a lightweight RWD vehicle with a relatively high C of G 
But on corners it just wants to go straight on. The tyres have done 15,000 miles and still look okay (plenty of tread)

I find this highly surprising. Are you 100% sure it is the tyres?

I found the factory fitted tyre exceeding expectations in most scenarios. Never had mine slide or skid on a wet road.

Never had the ABS kick in either. I also drive it pretty hard on road.

I'm on some AT's now, but did 5000-6000 miles on the original tyres. When I bought the Jimny it was a wet winter and drove the first few thousand miles in almost non stop rain, bit of light snow and flooded roads.

It varies from year to year how good the UV resistance is in the tires and how much UV radiation they get. That make the rubber hard and less grippy.

wrote:

It varies from year to year how good the UV resistance is in the tires and how much UV radiation they get. That make the rubber hard and less grippy.

Be interesting to know from the op if this is a new issue or one that has always existed. 3 years and 15,000 miles in the UK is not really very much for a tyre though. Esp if you aren't a hard driver.

As for better road tyres, you could look at a more road biased tread pattern.

I've not used these, but they look very 'on road' biased:
www.blackcircles.com/catalogue/uniroyal/...H/96/f?tyre=27243404

If you go up a size there is a B rated for wet weather, although it is a van tyre:
www.blackcircles.com/catalogue/triangle/.../100/f?tyre=43007761

Interestingly the factory tyre is C rated for wet weather, which seems on par with all the offerings really.

Of course road biased tyres will not be as good off road, more vulnerable and less good in the snow too.

Other options if you want more sporty or road orientated would be to look for a non 4x4 tyre fitment. But to retain 15" rims would result in a shorter tyre, so even less good off road, would probably impact ride and gearing.

A 205/55R15 should have road biased choices.

If you want to retain the tyre diameter and more roady tyres, you might need to look at different rims. I'd guess a 17" rim would offer a better choice of tyres to give the same rolling radius.