Bought a 2014 TDI Exec a month ago, love it. Tried a couple moderate offroad trails and some snow with it, worked well but for the tires I think.
Can y'all recommend a good set of wheels and tires that offer good off-road and on-road capability? I plan to do 500+ mile road trips and off-road trails including the Alpine Loop off of US 550.
PS: I am not able to find off-road tires for the 20" wheels I have.
Get some 17" or 18" used rims and outfit them with some off road/all terrain tires of your choice with an overall diameter of about 30.5" max so you don't cause any contact with inner front fenders and go have fun.
1. Get any set of decent 17" rims. I would look at other Touareg wheels first because they were designed for the car so you know you will be getting something sturdy and someone is always sick of their OEM look so you should be able to find a decent deal on a used set. Also, for winter wheels, who cares what they look like? It's not like you will be running them except when they are likely to be dirty so some curb rash won't hurt you.
2. Get the new Cooper Discoverer A/Tw in either 255/70 R17 or 265/70 R17 both of which are under 31.5 inches in diameter. It is a new tire from Cooper that is based off of the Discoverer AT tire. I currently run the AT because the ATw won't fit under my car on 18'' wheels and I can't fit a smaller wheel. So far, the AT has performed respectably on snow and ice for me, is quiet on the road, and has a 60,000 mile warranty. The ATw has the severe snow rating, still looks cool, and has a 50,000 mile warranty!
You're going to want the peace of mind of a full size spare if you're doing the Alpine Loop. Something with kevlar might be worth a look too. Air down to around 20-25 psi with decent 17's and you'll be amazed by your rig.
Be aware of lightning in summer. Folks who aren't aware make the news up here every year, sadly.
Let us know when you're going. We want to do Engineer and Black Bear passes out that way. Good luck!
Thanks, I will let you know. I have not done much off-roading yet so need to do that this winter here in Arizona. I was planning on doing the Apline loop in summer 2015.
Thank you everyone - I will stick to the 17" Canyons and stay under 30.6. As HIRacing noted, I will get a full spare as well. Looking at choices for tires now - wanted to see if I get something a bit aggressive - however no luck finding tires under 30.6 that are All Terrain so far.
Ok, I've got a 14 and looking for new A/T tires also, I've notice that tire rack does not offer a 17 inch rim. Will a 17 inch rim fit? Also I've got an interest in driving Black Bear Pass, can the 14 Touareg (without locking dif.) handle this road?
I can tell you I would not do Black Bear pass in a T3, but it is completely up to you. I personally would rather have low range to be able to crawl down that trail and not the simulated low range of the offroad switch which uses brakes rather then gearing. That is just me.
Thanks again for all your comments. Here is what I was thinking I will go with -
17" Canyon rims and Goodyear Wrangler® All-Terrain Adventure With Kevlar® 265/65/17. Does anyone see any problems with this? It has Kevlar and the diameter is 30.6.
So this is what I finally ended up with - I did not like the 17" rims when i saw them, so searched again for tires that would work - got these 20" Terra Grappler G2's on the Pikes peak alloys.
There is a bit of road noise on the hwy, did a moderate rated trail and that was okay. I think I have an inch more of ground clearance now. Will take it on a few more trails here in north phoenix in the next couple weeks.
I will post pics soon - The tire is Terra Grappler G2 265/50R20 111S, overall diameter is 30.5
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