KANATI MUD HOG M/T REVIEW - PIGSKINS
Greenball who? Don’t they just make trailer tires? Apparently not.
Not too long ago Kanati, a division of Greenball, made entry into one of the most lucrative segments of the tire industry—the off-road market. Introduced as the kanati mud hog reviews, the tread design is without question derivative of the old Goodyear MT/R. They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. And the old Goodyear MT/R was one helluva good on- and off-road tire. But although it seems that similarities to the MT/R abound, when you look closely, so do the differences.
Test Combo
Our test vehicle was Jp’s well-worn ’07 Wrangler Rubicon with a 2-inch budget boost lift, so we ordered up a set of five Kanati Mud Hogs in 35x12.50R17 size. We appreciate the fact that Kanati addresses the needs of the off-roader with a true 35x12.50R17 rather than the more industry-common LT-metric offering of 315/70R17. It’s a bit deeper than just the lettering on the sidewalls, with the LT-metric tires normally sporting a slightly higher load range that sometimes translates into a less pliable carcass and a harsher ride. That said, our D-load-range 35x12.50R15s carry a 3,000 pound weight rating at 50 psi, so they’re more than up to the task for just about any Jeep.
For wheels we selected a quintet of Mamba Off Road Alloys. The Type M13 in with matte-black finish is offered in a variety of sizes, bolt patterns, and backspacing, but we selected the JK-friendly PN M137973N12B, which equates to a 17x9 with a 5x5 bolt pattern and 4.5 inches of backspacing. The backspacing placed the tires almost perfectly within the wheelwells, allowing the treads to just barely kiss the front flare under full compression with the wheels turned. The Mambas feature durable cast aluminum construction and utilize bolt-on centercaps, so barring rock damage, you shouldn’t ever lose one during harsh off-roading.
We took our wheels and tires down to our local Discount Tire to have them mounted and balanced. The Discount team got us in and out in no time and we took our new rolling stock home and promptly torqued the lugs down and began racking up the miles.
On-Road
We adjusted our pressure to get a proper contact patch, which for our moderately armored JK wound up being 28 psi front and rear. Quickly into our first drive we noticed the tread felt squirmy. We wouldn’t exactly call the sensation unnerving, but it was pretty evident at slower speeds. Although we didn’t have a durometer handy to get an exact measurement, the tread blocks are really soft. The softness coupled with the full side-to-side tread block siping was no doubt the cause of the sensation. We’re not sure if we just got used to it or the squirm went away, but after a couple months it was almost unnoticeable.
Car rental in France. Travel Tips
A car is not a luxury for a long time, but a means of effectively studying France, its cuisine, culture and civilization. On the road!
Should I rent a car in Paris?
If you want to move only around the city, it is quite possible, taking into account the rent, the cost of parking and gasoline, it will be cheaper by taxi. A car will cost more for direct big journeys, for example, from Paris to Nice, faster and cheaper by plane or train. By car, you will not see anything around except the motorway, and the journey will be more difficult than exciting.
You should take the car if you want to drive through the regions of France , see small towns, villages lined with flowers, castles, visit vineyards or cheese farms, see how the French live and try authentic traditional cuisine. It is better to rely on such trips for 3-7 days and go along one or maximum two regions, stop in small private hotels in villages and travel along departmental (that is, local, small) roads. By the way, if you do not want to rent a car , you can order such excursions from us. Email us at [email protected] and find out the details.
Car booking process in France
You can check the available cars on the website of each company, and you can compare prices in the desired city at once on one site , especially if several languages are available here.
Everything is as usual - choose the type of car, date, time, see the available options, book a car and additional options. In general, the whole process takes a few minutes.
And then the fun begins. Be attentive to the office hours and address. Even if you book a car at the train station, the company's bureau is not always located right at the station.
Look carefully at the contract. On your credit card at the time of rental should be available from 500 to 750 euros (depending on the agency), they will be blocked in case of theft or accident, if you have not taken insurance.
Remember the basic rules for returning a car:
- When booking, be sure to pay attention to whether there are limitations on kilometer lengths. Usually, companies set a limit of 250 km per day. That is, for example, if you take a car for three days, then your journey should not exceed 750 kilometers in total. Otherwise, you will have to pay extra for each additional kilometer. Sometimes there are promotions or companies that have no restrictions on your trip.
- The rule is simple: you take a car with a full tank - you return the car with a full tank. If the arrow on the panel shows a shortage of gasoline, the company will refuel the car, but a liter costs about 2 times more than a regular refueling. This is written in any contract.