Yokohama Geolandar G018 A/T4 Tire Overview

Stiff competitors in right now’s off-road tire trade implies that each producer must constantly enhance, or get left — fairly actually — within the mud. The brand new Yokohama Geolandar G018 A/T4 tire isn’t any completely different, aiming to enhance on the long-tenured Geolandar G015. The recipe is straightforward: extra rugged appears and extra off-road functionality, with out sacrificing street manners or sturdiness.

I examined the brand new A/T4 final summer season on a Ford Bronco Sasquatch, after which changed a set of the prevailing G015 on my 1997 Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution. Now, simply over 3,000 miles later, I’m impressed with the ahead strides of Yokohama’s newest and best. Nevertheless, I’ve some hesitations about pricing and proficiency versus different choices within the all-terrain section.

With the Yokohama Geolandar G018 A/T, the model is seeking to sustain within the ever-escalating all-terrain tire arms race. It’s extra rugged each in appears and in functionality than the mannequin it replaces. However as we be taught with a while with this new choice, it’s not excellent.

In brief: Yokohama desperately wanted a brand new tire to maintain up within the arms race towards BFGoodrich, Toyo, and Falken. The brand new Geolandar G018 A/T4 positively appears higher, and it rides with noticeably extra refined compliance and traction. However the enhancements come at the price of extra street noise, and after 3,000 arduous miles, my tires do present some slight indicators of damage.

Yokohama Geolandar G018 A/T4 Overview

The Geolandar G018 A/T4 replaces the G015, which was positively outgunned versus the competitors in virtually each approach.

I lived with a set of the outgoing tires for about 5,000 miles, pushing arduous to discover the bounds of my JDM homologation particular as a lot because the tires. After practically 2 years, I traded as much as the A/T4 after being simply reasonably impressed by how the G015 rode.

The previous tires have been quiet, however extra much like a real LT tire than a typical all-terrain. The oblong profile, with out a lot shoulder grip and skinny spacing of tread blocks, seemed extra like a Marine’s excessive and tight haircut. I particularly in contrast them towards the Toyo Open Nation A/T III tires on my mildly constructed 2006 Porsche Cayenne Turbo, and the G015s positively performed second fiddle.

The New Geolandar Visits Texas

I offered the Cayenne in late 2023, however I plan to maintain my PajEvo for all times. Whether or not the previous Geolandars would final that lengthy seemed like a severe query, however then Yokohama invited me out for first impressions of the A/T4 at a launch occasion held in Texas final summer season. In a Ford Bronco Sasquatch, I pushed the brand new tires via scraggly rocks and rutted wagon trails — plus a stunning quantity of water fording and a few mud.

Yoko reps aired our LT315/70R17 tires down to twenty psi, however the journey ended up educating me extra in regards to the Bronco than the rubber. I had solely pushed a Bronco Raptor beforehand, and it’s arduous to make judgments whereas off-roading a wholly new 4×4. The A/T4 tires obtained the job completed properly sufficient, although, that when Yokohama supplied me a set for long-term testing, I didn’t hesitate to just accept.

Extra Concerning the Rally Homologation Check Rig

I positively wished to maneuver on from the G015s, however availability from different tire producers got here into play. Most firms don’t prioritize tires for 16-inch wheels just like the Pajero Evolutions. And in equity, the PajEvo itself can be one thing of an uncommon testbed.

It’s a legit homologation particular, with a brief wheelbase and impartial rear suspension. This makes it light-weight for an SUV, but additionally reasonably highly effective — it may need been the quickest SUV on the earth in 1997.

Immediately, I really like off-roading within the PajEvo, however it’s such a very good all-rounder that I additionally drive it every day in Los Angeles after I don’t have press loaners. And with out exaggeration, the suspension is so good that I can legitimately sustain with most sports activities automobiles within the canyons. That’s regardless of the age, tire sidewall, and upright posture — rally automobiles, child!

I initially related with Yokohama, hoping to be taught extra about that rally heritage. That was after I had met some engineers from Japan at a Nitro Rallycross occasion, and requested in regards to the authentic Dakar Rally races.

I had seen just a few historic pics of PajEvos in Africa carrying Yokohama tires, however the engineers defined that the manufacturing unit groups would have run BFG/Michelin rubber. Previous pics with Yokos would have due to this fact been privateer efforts.

Yokohamas Simply Look Proper on a JDM Import

Nonetheless, it appeared acceptable to mount Geolandars on my PajEvo as soon as I imported it, as a result of many of the homologation automobiles offered new for the Japanese home market (JDM) experience on Geolandar HTs. So I fortunately took a set of G015s within the LT265/75R16 measurement, or 1 inch taller than the manufacturing unit spec. This emphasised the tall, skinny aesthetic that appears so good on previous SUVs.

After practically 2 years with the G015, I used to be excited to swap out for the G018 A/T4 for just a few causes. Yokohama’s press supplies promote a number of sidewall plies, triple polymer development, and a thick middle tread with large shoulder blocks.

My time in Texas had confirmed rapidly that the brand new tires positively took a extra aggressive tack than the older ones. However even simply mounting the A/T4s, I instantly observed a distinct character, with extra of a rounded sidewall and a bolder look general to go well with the PajEvo’s cartoonish character. In the meantime, I gave the previous G015s to a pal with a Tacoma and instructed him to maintain observe of his mileage and put on for me.

Yokohama Geolandar G018 Pushed on the Pavement

As quickly as I pulled out onto the freeway from the tire store, I might sense Yokohama’s arduous work on the A/T4. In Texas, we’d solely ridden off-road or round a ranch. However even pulling out of the driveway, the brand new tire’s compliance confirmed instantly. I run the PajEvo’s tires at 38 psi, which is certainly low for an LT tire, however the 4,300-pound SUV’s modest weight means I don’t want to stay with severe pressures.

I then accelerated as much as freeway speeds and observed extra tire hum instantly. That’s normally a tradeoff with a extra aggressive design, and I questioned whether or not I ought to pump the A/T4 tires up just a few psi to compensate. Then once more, the Toyos on my Cayenne rode smoother and extra comfortably, getting strong gasoline financial system regardless of the large twin-turbo V8, all at simply 40 psi.

Perhaps I wanted to interrupt within the A/T4, so I made a decision to stay with the identical psi as my older tires within the title of science. Greater than freeway cruising, Los Angeles visitors might be brutal on tires, particularly as a result of I’m so impatient, after using bikes recurrently.

Canyon Carving With an All-Terrain Tire?

However just a few weeks after mounting the brand new Yokos, I then joined the Rad Rally earlier than Radwood, which ran from the San Fernando Valley up the Angeles Crest Freeway to Newcomb’s Ranch.

Surrounded principally by Nineteen Eighties and ’90s sports activities automobiles, together with just a few Ferraris and transaxle Porsches, I pushed the sting of sanity. At a rip-roaring tempo via the mountains, the PajEvo managed to maintain up, and I laughed nervously, questioning whether or not it might proceed to take action, given the apparent limitations of sheer physics.

The Yokohamas actually protested, however they obtained the job completed — a lot in order that on the high of the hill, former Porsche manufacturing unit racer Patrick Lengthy even remarked how briskly the PajEvo seemed (the truck, not me).

A Blissful Accident Gave Me the First Rally Check

Then my co-driver obtained us misplaced coming again down, and we wound up on a service street that traces a practice observe within the desert. Excellent! Even absolutely aired up, I shifted into all-wheel drive and determined to have some enjoyable.

For just a few miles, we rollicked over the graded gravel at properly previous 120 kph (75 mph) on my speedometer (which can be underestimated due to the bigger tires).

The PajEvo and the A/T4s rode regular sufficient to present me the arrogance to hit that velocity, and the tires would most likely have completed even higher aired all the way down to extra like 28 psi. I observed some pebbles flinging up, although, however that may have been accentuated by the PajEvo’s ridiculous aluminum fender flares.

Nonetheless, that was the quickest I’ve taken the automobile or these tires off-road thus far. The Yokos held up properly with none trace of a flat or lack of grip.

I’ve additionally seen a little bit of snow just a few instances, although, in fact, we don’t get a ton right here in SoCal. Driving via mild dustings on mountain roads and some miles of filth within the excessive desert, the A/T4 appeared fairly at dwelling.

The 3PMS (Three Peak Mountain Snowflake) ranking is certainly a foolish system, however at the least it means greater than nothing, and I wouldn’t hesitate to go powder searching with these tires.

Rock Crawling in a Rally Wagon

Extra not too long ago, I took the PajEvo out for some slow-speed rock crawling. Climbing and descending in full-on four-low with the middle differential locked, this time round, I aired all the way down to 22 psi. I might have gone decrease, however actually, this automobile is my most prized possession. And anyway, it’s not actually made for rock crawling with that impartial rear suspension.

The tires nonetheless carried out pretty properly in eventualities kind of much like the Texas launch occasion. Sometimes, I wanted to spin them as much as construct some warmth and climb over just a few obstacles. I additionally wanted to left-foot brake and energy via greater than ordinary to maintain the Torsen diffs engaged. With a real locker and steadier trundling, the Yokohamas may need labored higher.

How Does the Geolandar G018 A/T4 Put on?

I additionally hit just a few puddles for footage, however there’s actually not a lot muddin’ to do right here in SoCal. Due to that, I can’t remark an excessive amount of extra about how these tires carry out in the true slop. In any other case, after 3,000 miles of critically hard-charging over nearly any sort of terrain, the entrance tires do present some put on.

Maintaining my matching spare on the rear tailgate helps me examine, although. The fronts principally look somewhat extra rounded on the perimeters of the shoulders. That is seemingly from arduous cornering on the Angeles Crest and a few regular steering via visitors.

The G018s do weigh very barely lower than the G015s, so long-term put on could turn into a query mark. I’ll report again if I wind up sticking with these tires for the lengthy haul. I do plan to rotate fronts and rears quickly as a result of the rears look just about brand-new with crisp sipes and edges nonetheless intact.

Relying on tire measurement, the A/T4 comes with a 55,000- or 65,000-mile guarantee. If it issues, my pal with the G015s has coated one other 10,000 miles of barely much less radical driving and says he can barely discover any improve in put on.

Yokohama Geolandar G018 A/T4: Conclusions

Total, I consider Yokohama achieved precisely what they got down to do with the brand new Geolandar G018 A/T4. Sadly, since testing them, I’ve pushed the brand new BFG K03 on a number of autos and may also affirm that the BFG A/T is now the reigning king of off-road tires, or perhaps all tires ever — no joke.

However on the very least, the brand new A/T4 brings Yokohama into the identical all-terrain dialog as Toyo, Falken, and Cooper — and a step above Goodyear and Firestone, for the time being.

Fitment for particular autos and wheel sizes issues. Fortunately, the A/T4 is available in over 100 sizes for 15- to 22-inch wheels. I’d suggest the Yokohama Geolandar G018 A/T4 for the client who understands that their lifelike life-style includes principally metropolis and freeway driving, with occasional enjoyable days within the filth or driving as much as trailheads and ski resorts. Extra severe off-roaders can shell out for a greater A/T and even an M/T tire.

And naturally, pricing and rebates make simply as a lot of a distinction as the rest in right now’s more and more aggressive and balanced off-road tire market.