TRAIL TOUGH

FROM BULLDUST TO BEACH SAND, CORRUGATIONS TO SHARP SHALE, THESE KUMHO MT51S HAVE CLOCKED 25,000KM OF FAULTLESS PERFORMANCE ACROSS AUSTRALIA'S TOUGHEST CONDITIONS

- WORDS AND PHOTOS GLENN MARSHALL

When it comes to tyres, every four-wheel driver knows they can make or break a trip. You can spend thousands on suspension, accessories and recovery gear, but if your tyres aren't up to the job, you'll come unstuck fast.

For the past 25,000km I've been running Kumho Road Venture MT51 (265/60R18) mud-terrain tyres on my Isuzu D-MAX, and they've seen just about everything Australia can throw at them. From the rocky climbs of the Victorian High Country to the endless sand of the Canning Stock Route, they've performed faultlessly - and, more importantly, they've given me the confidence to keep pushing further.

WHERE THEY'VE BEEN PUT TO THE TEST

I don't baby my tyres, but I do respect them. Over the past 25,000km, the Kumho MT51s have seen:

• Victorian High Country: steep, rocky tracks, sharp shale and wet clay descents.

• Canning Stock Route: 1800km of remote desert tracks, corrugations, dunes and soft sand.

• Mary River National Park (NT): bulldust, deep sand, muddy sections and loose soils.

• Litchfield National Park (NT): red dirt, rocky tracks and tropical humidity.

• Outback dirt roads and long stretches of bitumen: from highway hauls to remote station tracks.

• NT beaches: soft sand that will bog you instantly if you don't set your pressures right.

• Tracks like the Telfer Road (WA): tyre-eating stones used to cap the roads.

In every one of these environments, the MT51s have handled themselves perfectly. Robustness, grip, stability and wear have all been impressive - and considering the mix of terrain, that's no small achievement.

DEEP MUD TERRAIN, NOT HYBRID