Every year more and more adherents of friction type tires appear in big cities. It is much better suited for use on wet or snowy roads. It makes less noise, provides better handling and ride comfort. At the same time, studded rubber on asphalt not only violates acoustic comfort, but also destroys the road surface. Let's take a look at the Grandtrek SJ6 Dunlop tire. Feedback from motorists is what we will pay most of the attention to.
Manufacturer Information
In 1888, John Dunlop noticed that cycling with all-rubber tires was extremely uncomfortable. Therefore, he wrapped the tire with several layers of rubber and pumped it with air. Despite the fact that the design was not removable, the method soon gained immense popularity, due to which Dunlop was founded.
With the development of the automotive industry, the situation has changed for the better. The company opened new branches throughout Europe and manufactured tires for various vehicles. It was Dunlop who first proposed the use of rain tires in the Royal races and became a monopolist. Now the company takes 5th place in the world in the number of tires produced per year. Among the partners there are automobile concerns such as BMW, Peugeot, Opel, Mercedes and many others. Is this rubber really good? Consumer reviews will help us answer this question.
About the benefits of friction tires
This rubber is intended for use on SUVs. But since it is of a frictional type, many think about the advisability of installing it. To dispel doubts, let's look at the key strengths of Velcro:
- low noise due to the softness of the tread and the absence of spikes;
- good car handling on loose snow and wet asphalt;
- low degree of wear;
- can be used even at critically low temperatures.
Tires Dunlop Grandtrek SJ6 - quality tires from a global brand. A well-designed tread pattern and a unique rubber mixture allow you to feel confident when driving in deep, loose or wet snow. Most often, consumers note that this rubber copes well with aquaplaning.
A little about prices
As for the cost, it is precisely on this parameter that many motorists look first. After all, the budget is not rubber, and not everyone can afford too expensive tires. For example, the Dunlop Grandtrek SJ6 (265/70 / r16) 112q will cost about 6,000 rubles. At the same time, you should pay attention to the load index, which is equal to 1120 kilograms. This is quite a lot, so such tires are great for installation on heavy equipment. For example, in a large jeep.
The Dunlop product range is quite large. The most expensive model to date is a tire of the 20th radius with a profile width of 285 mm. Such a pleasure is worth about 35 thousand rubles per wheel. But at the same time, you can pick up rubber R19 worth 40 thousand per set. You should not be afraid of prices, British tires are not expensive, this is the very middle ground.
Dunlop Grandtrek SJ6 Reviews (265/70 / r16) 112q
Most drivers immediately after installing friction tires note that compared to studded tires, they work several times quieter. This is true, because special additives in the rubber compound, as well as the special tread structure and the absence of spikes, do their job. Drivers agree that this is a great option for urban use. The presence of an ice crust on the road surface significantly degrades the performance of the rubber, making it less stable and manageable.
At the same time, experts note that this is an excellent choice for off-road driving. Ice is unlikely to be there, but a large amount of snow and slush is provided. With such obstacles, the Dunlop Grandtrek SJ6 (265/70 / r16) 112q tires do just fine. True, you should pay attention to the soft side cord. Therefore, bumps and cuts during operation can lead to a hernia or serious penetration. Well, since Ranflat is absent here, it will not work to go far.
Digityre-II Technology Application
The tread pattern at first glance is quite familiar. There is nothing in it that would immediately catch the eye. The directional tread has a V-shape, which, in fact, is characteristic of friction rubber. But the use of Digityre-II technology is already interesting.
According to the developers, such an innovation made it possible to design a tire that would cope with the road in all situations. It was implemented using computer simulation software. It was with the help of Digityre-II that it was possible to design the optimal tread pattern and optimize the area of the contact spot.
Real-world test results confirm that the technology really works. The contact spot does not change regardless of conditions, therefore, at any time, about 10 blocks are engaged at the same time. This allows you to feel confident in any situation.
Features of tread blocks
A visual inspection of the rubber immediately shows that all the blocks are quite large. A ring encircling the tire is formed from individual central blocks. This configuration has a positive effect on directional stability. In addition, cornering is much easier. The tread blocks are quadrangular. The axial part of the tread is also designed for uniform distribution of loads across the contact patch. Since wear is more uniform, the tire lasts much longer. Consequently, the longevity of motorists no complaints.
From afar we see quite large tread blocks, but if you look closely, there is a huge number of hook edges that divide them into smaller blocks. The more such edges, the better the engagement with the roadway. In addition, this wheel is less prone to lateral drift and unpredictable slipping.
Design features of lamellas
Tread blocks alone cannot provide proper traction. In this case, the rubber will simply be in the "water wedge", which indicates a complete loss of controllability. Therefore, a groove passes between each tread block, which is necessary for the effective removal of snow, water or dirt from the contact patch.
In our case, the V-shaped tread is a big plus. This is due to the fact that there is a place for dense lamellation. Wide longitudinal and transverse grooves are able to cope with a sufficiently large amount of water. There are also capillaries - small and shallow lamellas. They go to the central grooves. Thus, all parts of the bus work as a unit. A car with such tires perfectly "row" on the snow porridge, which is confirmed by test results and reviews. Tires Dunlop Grandtrek SJ6 (225 65 r17) 101q in the snow practically do not go into a skid, of course, if it is not intentionally provoked.
Is it too noisy?
For some drivers, acoustic comfort in the car is crucial. If the tire is too noisy, which is more peculiar to studding, then they bypass it. As for Velcro, it always works quieter, since there are no metal elements on it. The edges of the tread elements can also become a source of discomfort.
But the developers took this into account and tried to minimize the coefficient of friction during movement. Accordingly, the noise level dropped significantly. In addition, this is confirmed not only by motorists, but also by expert reviews.
Tires Dunlop Grandtrek AT3 (225/65 / r17) 102h when testing received 4 points out of 5 possible in terms of noise. Of course, this is not the best result, but very worthy for this price range.
Tire Durability
Another important factor is the quality of the rubber as a whole and its compound. In many respects, the tire life depends on these indicators. For example, silicic acid, which is part of Grandtek, increases the strength of tread blocks and tires in general. But the company failed to achieve any impressive results in this regard, as evidenced by the reviews of the owners. Dunlop Grandtrek PT2 tires, for example, last a little longer than the SJ6. But its four seasons rubber fulfills at 100%.
In addition, there are several obvious advantages to this lifetime. Firstly, the tire does not lose its elasticity over the entire life cycle. Secondly, as wear and tear, performance does not change for the worse. Therefore, 4 seasons of reliable operation for motorists is enough to get used to this rubber.
Predictable road behavior
As already noted somewhat above, this rubber is more suitable for installation on heavy SUVs, which, in fact, is said by consumer reviews. Grandtrek SJ6 Dunlop is often installed on urban SUVs, such as Nissan Qashqai, Renault Duster and others. Rubber can withstand really heavy loads, and therefore enjoys such popularity. But this is not the most important thing. It is much more important for the driver to feel confident behind the wheel of his car.
This rubber behaves on the road more than predicted. An exception may be riding on an ice crust. But it is not intended for operation in such conditions. Otherwise, the performance is excellent. Drivers note that uncontrolled skidding on this Velcro is a rarity and you need to try to get the tire into lateral drift.
To summarize
So we reviewed the SJ6 Dunlop Grandtrek tires with you. Owner reviews, as you see, in most cases are positive. As for the negative, without it nowhere. It is sometimes noted that this tire is noisy at high speeds. Most likely, this is indeed due to the structural features of the tread. In addition, the tire does not provide proper handling when driving on ice, but this has already been said.
For the rest, for that kind of money, it's just a great option. In addition, the presence of silicic acid in the composition makes the tire very resistant to wear, so it can be operated with the onset of heat. Although this is not recommended, the situations are different, so nothing terrible will happen in a few months of driving on dry asphalt.
"Dunlop Grandtek" XL has a reinforced sidewall, so it is almost not afraid of side impacts and cuts. Although it’s not worth it to abuse it, because the Ranflat technology is absent here, so the tire pressure is lost during a serious puncture very quickly. "Dunlop" uses advanced technologies and high-quality materials in the production of rubber, so rubber meets all environmental standards.