Off Road Wheels and Tires

Initial Review, 10,000 Miles on Tires
April 06, 2013

These converted our AWD Montego to a winter half track. Studded these tires on their own wheels and they actually out performed the Blizzaks on our other car, for a lot less cost. They have the usual studded winter tire squirm and noise, but not as bad as others were before. But after getting a 3 foot blizzard and many other snow storms, these have proven themselves. And on ice? You can't beat studded tires in my opinion. Took Tire Rack's advice and went down an inch in wheel and tire size, but the taller sidewall gives us the same effective ground clearance, which is valuable in deeper snow. And that taller sidewall is more forgiving on Maine's frost heaved, potholed roads.

Our new Michelin hydro all seasons were downright dangerous in snow the previous winter, so glad we got them off for winter!

Initial Review, 10,000 Miles on Tires
April 22, 2013

I cannot say how much I love these tires off road !!!! If you're looking for an exceptional offload tire with good on road manners then look no further. I've tackled mud, rocks, and extremely deep snow (several feet deep) and these tires have pretty much reduced my winch usage to monthly checks and maintenance because I've yet to need to use it since getting these tires. I wheel mostly in the Black Hills of SD, that being said I cannot tell you how good they handle deep mud, however if they perform half as well in deep mud as they have in all of the other terrains then they will do great! These will be the only tires I put on my Jeep unless Goodrich develops a better set :)

Initial Review, 5,000 Miles on Tires
April 02, 2013

Bought these almost 1.5 years ago for my wife's Audi A6 Quattro AWD and it became an absolute tank in the snow. Nothing could stop it. Turn the traction control off and it just dominated the roads. Truly forged a path for plow trucks to follow in the February snow storm where New England saw upwards of 3 (THREE) feet of snow. I was beside myself with this tire being labeled as "All-Season". Props to Audi on their AWD powertrain and all that, but these tires just showed to up perform, and they did just that. The roads have dried up now and the ride is still very smooth. Our two kids (3.5 and 7mo) both pass out from the smoothness and quietness of the ride. Had a 4 wheel alignment done at the time of installation.

Initial Review, 200 Miles on Tires
April 25, 2013

Just put these on my Cayman after wearing out my second set of Michelin PS2's and taking off my Michelin Alpin winter tires. They look great. Very different feel. Immediately more comfortable - softer ride, quiet, but there's a slightly "floaty" feel and a brief delay when you turn the wheel before the car turns. Still grips on a hard curve, its just the connection between driver and road is a little fuzzy compared to the other tires which, frankly, are punishing as every day drivers. Was only getting 32,000 miles out of the PS2's and needed more durability for my dollar. Haven't driven them in rain or snow yet. Will update. So if you switch from a dedicated high performance summer tires, which are all considerably more expensive and last half as long, be prepared to trade off some precision for comfort.

Initial Review, 8,000 Miles on Tires
April 22, 2013

I live at a ski resort at 8500 feet with an annual snowfall of 500". These tires on a subaru were awesome. I passed other all wheel drives and SUVs that didn't have snow tires and they were sliding off the road. The traction is unbelievable. These tires were cheaper than blizzaks and I knew I would be driving some highway miles as well. Stopping and turning on snow was no problem. Driving up to Alta and Snowbird was a dream! I am not sure about the wear. I drove 2000 dry highway miles and then six months of 50/50 snow and dry driving and the tires look brand new.

Initial Review, 500 Miles on Tires
April 09, 2013

Bought these to replace my worn out Pirelli Scorpions. Thinking spring had arrived I pulled off my Blizzak WS-70's and put these on. As luck would have it, 3 days later we got hammered with almost 2 feet of snow. Very quickly found out how good my Blizzak's really are. Calling these "All Season" tires is being optimistic. Traction in loose snow (after roads were plowed) is marginal at best. Cornering in loose snow caused the front end to plow and the traction control to activate immediately. Deep snow (unplowed roads) resulted in lots of wheel spin and darting. To be fair, I didn't buy these for winter driving and I did get a chance to evaluate them on dry roads prior to our spring snow. Road noise is low to moderate. Not as quiet as my Pirelli's but not annoyingly so. Haven't seen wet roads yet so I can't comment on how these do on them. Dry traction feels good but there is a small amount of sidewall squirm that you can feel in cornering. We have a lot of rutted roads thanks to the use of studded winter tires and these tires wander around when you get in a rut. It's not uncontrollable but it does make me feel a little loose compared to the OEM tires. I only have 500 miles on the tires so maybe they will get better as they break in and the roads warm up. I'll write a followup review in another 1000 miles to see if this is the case.

Initial Review, 1,000 Miles on Tires
March 22, 2013

If you are driving a rear wheel drive car like my camaro and it snows where you live get a set for the winter driving. Took my pirelli stock tires off due to slipping and sliding on the smallest amount of snow and put the scorpions on and WOW!!!! huge difference no slipping or sliding at all. Went thru 6" of snow with no problem the Ice is very good as well due to the siping on the tread. Would have liked to be able to stud them but cant. One bad thing they are louder than the all season tires particularly on rough roads.Cornering is a little less stable than the all seasons as well. If it snows get a set ASAP!

Initial Review, 10,000 Miles on Tires
March 30, 2013

Put these on my 1997 F350 Crew cab long bed 7.3 Powerstroke and I am satisfied greatly with performance. From driving 12 miles to school, driving 400 miles to visit family, they perform well. Off the road isn't amazing but better than I expected. Even pulling 12,000 pound 5th wheel at 80 psi the tires do amazing job. Great tire probably buy again.

Initial Review, 20,000 Miles on Tires
March 14, 2013

Update on original rating. Since I change wheels and tires summer/winter I have no opinion on winter condition traction. I use off road Yoks in the winter. Suffice to say that this tire is the most comfortable and quiet tire I have ever owned. Yoks are the superior brand of tire "for the money" in my view.

Initial Review, 10,000 Miles on Tires
March 17, 2013

I use these on my 4 wheel drive winter/ off road truck and with these tires driving in the snow barely affects the traction i get. It is just like driving in normal conditions. Even in mud and gravel i feel plenty of traction. A great tire in every day driving conditions as well. If you're looking for great all terrain tires these are the best you can buy. I've owned plenty of different brands and these are by far the best

Initial Review, 7,063 Miles on Tires
March 10, 2013

I love these R-S3's. I used Falken Azenis RT-215,s and Falken Azenis RT-615 in the past. My car is used a lot on the track. I am an Instructor at the Driveway Austin Track in Austin.

The compound appears to be of an R type as shown by the graining of the tire and lack of tire noise. The grip in dry weather is very good. The Falken 215's were good for the first 3 laps then they would degrade in grip. I found the Falken 615's to be even worse than the 215's. These Ventus R-S3's are far better than the 2 Falkens. The grip is there for much longer the the Falkens.

Even on the limestone laced asphalt in the Austin area they have good grip. There is a section of road that is very slippery even on a hot dry day that cars routinely spin out on. These tires grip well even on this slick section of asphalt.

On the track they work great they make my feel car as though I put $2000 dollars into it. My car is front wheel drive so it really over works the front tires but the R-S3's very well through my 5 to 15 minute stints. With these tires it is a lot easier to go fast and the under steer is reduced as well as oversteer. I am able to apply power when exiting the corners than before. Turn in is also much better.

I have not noticed any problems in the rain. As for noise they generate a little from the tread pattern. The Falken 215 was the quietest tire I ever had.

The R-S3's come with a lot of rubber on them 11/32nd which is just fine for because I also drive my car to the track 6 days a week 48 miles round trip and after 7063 miles.

I try to stay away from directional tires to avoid getting saw tooth due to rolling in the same direction it's whole life. The tread blocks get stair step and the tire can become loud like an off road truck tire but these have not done this! I rotate just front to back and they are still quiet just a hint of tread block noise.

The price is great and I am happy with the wear. I will be buying these R-S3's again and again.

Joe Williams

Initial Review, 40,000 Miles on Tires
February 24, 2013

I live in the UAE and these tires have turned out to be a very good, inexpensive, on/off road tire. They have given 3 years of use mounted on a relatively light, short-wheel base 4x4. If it wasn't for local laws stating that I have to replace them due to the manufacturing date, I could probably get another 20,000 miles from them. The original tire size was 235x75R15.
In the sand, I run them at 12-15 psi and have never had a problem getting stuck in normal running. If the sand is very soft 10 psi lets me float over the dunes.
They have also been very good on-road tires, quiet with good grip around corners even when pushing hard. Can't report on how they handle on wet roads, doesn't rain here enough to give an honest report.
I like them so much I bought another set of the same tires for the truck last weekend.

Initial Review, 30,000 Miles on Tires
February 25, 2013

These are great tires. In fact, they are the best all terrain tire I've ever used. They go like stink in sugar sand, as long as you air down to 18-20PSI in 4HI. They laugh at fire roads, gravel, shale, and even wet grass and offer extremely responsive steering. Broncos have short wheel bases, and these tires have transformed my truck into a "corner carver". They are ABSOLUTELY SILENT. Even after 30,000 miles, they remain silent and evenly worn, unlike a lot of all-terrain tires. Because most of my off-road excursions include sand driving, I need a tire that guarantees I don't get stuck. I have NEVER been stuck with these. One word of caution, though (an I find their name to be a bit of a misnomer): They are not indestructable. Although they offer great proetection against puncture, their sidewalls will quickly get trashed if you rub curbs, as with most passenger car tires. Some "side biters" or sidewall protection would be nice, as I live in the real world, and not on the sand dunes. The other major advantage to these tires is their light weight, which reduces unsprung weight, increases power to the ground, and increases fuel economy. I have ended my search with these tires, and will be installing a set on another truck of mine shortly.

Initial Review, 3,000 Miles on Tires
February 27, 2013

Now, I said probably not but them mainly because I would get the mud terrain brethern bf goodrich mud terrain ko. I think that the tires are amazing. They have wonderful traction in every condition on the road, and I try to drive as "spirited" as possible, giving the road conditions. They do provide a heavy duty resistance, curb hopping,driving through pot holes and poorly paved roads. My tie rods gave out before these tires with no gashes. My jeep has an absurd amount of road noise, but they are not from my tires! I would put these on my truck, and my tahoe, but not for a vehicle that regularly plays in the mud. Mud just gets trapped in the treads and it is like wheeling with slicks. They are all terrains an not mud terrains. for every instance on adn off road with out mud these tires are superb!

Initial Review, 10,000 Miles on Tires
February 12, 2013

Since I bought these we have not had deep snow so I can not coment on there deep snow ability. They are very good in light snow and they have worn very well, still showing almost no wear after almost 10K miles. The negatioves about these tires are they significant noiser then the bridgstones that come with the car and you loose about 1.5 miles a gallon (36.8 with the factor Bridgestoe all- seasons vs 35.2 on the Altrimax snows), handlin g in the dry and wet is about the same, they are much, much better even in light snow slush and black ice. The MPG is not a bad trade off for the better winter ability of the tier. The noise was expected afteall it has a much more aggressive tread. I also take my dog to the park often and these tires are also much better on dirt roads, makes the car feel like it has 4 wheel drive, much better traction on dirt, no slipping or sliding.

Initial Review, 1,000 Miles on Tires
February 12, 2013

I had them studded,thus the noise level was a bit high. Great tire overall. Have no problems with traction now for the winter driving. With the Summer only tires I had to move my car in the lot for plowing and got stuck every few feet. Not made for snow, but now I feel safer and more sure of not getting stuck or sliding off the road. Steering is not as good on the road as with the 20" rim and summer tire but as expected they are good for winter driving. Aspect ratio may be the reason for the looser feel. Stock Summer Size 255/45ZR20 Rear 245/45/ZR20 Front. Winter 235/60/18 all four corners. Down sized to 18" Wheel. They are studded so I don't push them real hard, don't want to rip up the roads.Over all great for Winter driving. This is a 6 Speed manual with 392 Rear gears. So Easy off the line, or spin the wheels, rip the pavement or pull the studs out of the tires.

Initial Review, 26,784 Miles on Tires
January 07, 2013

Worn out in just under 3 years, just over 26,000 miles on the tires. Loose dirt and wet traction has been poor after the first year. Leaving a red light on a wet road, I barely tap the pedal and the wheels are spinning. This is on my 2006 Dodge Ram 3500 Dually. Mostly daily unloaded driving. 10 - 15 times a year I tow a heavy 5th wheel camper. Rotated and aligned and pressure checked on regular basis. Uneven wear and now chunks of rubber coming out of tires. Mostly highway / pavement driving. Also for whatever reason the tire bead sticks out from the stock wheel so much that my front stock hub simulators won't seat properly and will slip during hard braking. This past year I have had to take off the simulators and just run without them because they won't stay on due to the tire bead sticking out. They are the proper size tires and I had the mounting re-checked. Something is just not right. Very disappointed in these tires. Going with Michelin LTX M/S2 next as they seem to get stellar reviews.