RIDIN' WITH THE BOSS

AFTER RUNNING THEM ON THE MOON TOURS' LC79, RON WAS SO IMPRESSED HE THREW A SET OF MICKEY THOMPSON BAJA BOSS ALL-TERRAINS ON HIS PATROL

- RON MOON

OUR stretched GU Patrol has been running on a set of Mickey Thompson Baja Boss A/T tyres for the last 10 months, and in that time it has clocked up 16,000km. Most of those kilometres have been on desert trips, including a run from Ceduna to north of Port Hedland and then back home via the Gary Junction Road to Alice Springs, and then another jaunt through outback NSW and northern SA and down through the Flinders Ranges. In fact, we have a second set of Baja Boss tyres on our 79 Cruiser, and these have had an even tougher and longer life, leading trips in the Victorian High Country, the deserts of WA, the Simpson Desert and to Cape York.

But back to the Patrol and the Mickey Ts fitted to that vehicle. As is the wont of long-distance touring in Australia, we clocked up a few kilometres on the blacktop before hitting the tracks, which varied from soft and sandy to washed-out and rock-strewn. The vehicle was heavily loaded with fuel and water and, for about a third of the distance, was also towing a hybrid camper, so there was a lot of weight on the back rubber.

The Baja Boss A/T range comes in a variety of sizes and for the Patrol we fitted a set of 285/75R16 Light Truck (LT) tyres. They feature an aggressive all-terrain tread pattern with a load and speed rating of 126Q, meaning the tyre is rated for a maximum speed of 160km/h and has a load-carrying capacity of 1700kg per tyre. While 160km/h is an average speed rating for a good quality light truck tyre, the load rating is quite exceptional, with many vehicle rims themselves only rated to 1500kg or less. It should be noted that different size Baja Boss tyres often have slightly different load and speed ratings, so always check they meet your requirements.