Michelen xcls

[90sam]

Hey all,
Just wanted to know are they any good off road or ont he road? And what they look like in 7.50 x 16 on a standard 90? Are they any good in mud or not?
Cheers
Sam

[Litch]

I have used them on & off for nearly 20-years and I must say I really like them.
They aren't as aggresive as some modern remolds and the old SAT would give better grip in the mud but having said that they had excelent on-road manners as well which can't be said about many mud tyres. My only regret was that I couldn't find any at a reasonable price for my 101 as I really wanted a set on that as well but in 9.00x16 they were really expensive, even S/H. Just remember that being a directional tyre the spare has a 50% chance of being on the wrong way, I got over this by always carrying two spares.
To see what they look like on a 90 just find some photo's of MOD 90's as they were the standard fit before the G90's came along.

To be perfectly honest time has probably caught up with them and the BFG MT would give the same (or better) performance both on the road and off it but if you can find them at a reasonable price (they seem to be a bit thin on the ground nowadays, where were you buying them from?) they may suit you very well, they did me.

[90sam]

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300101986576&fromMakeTrack=true&ssPageName=VIP:watchlink:middle:uk
I saw these and thought they were really cheap, so i hope to buy them. They look really narrow in the pictures, but are they good in the mud? i only need them for the mud and traveling to it! So want to know if they are good in deep ruts etc.
But i think i'll buy them  :lol:
Kind Regards
Sam

[stageonesimmo]

They get beaten hands down by the ZXL - the tyre fitted by the military after XCLs but before G90s.  I had a set on my Stage One V8 and they really are a cracking all-round tyre.  In fact I'd go as far as to say that I'd have them in place of the G90s on my company car if they'd let me - couldn't say that for XCLs though, tend to fill up with mud then not shed it, turning the whole thing into a big slick - its a basic tread design flaw as the bigger sizes as fitted to 4 Ton Daf/Bedford do the same......  Longevity inst brilliant either even though they have a fairly hard compound - which may be the reason they don't handle excellently in the wet?, but at the speeds the average 90 goes at its not too dramatic, its just a bit of a 'mare if the truck is well loaded up or towing.....

I'd spend my money elsewhere if it was me and that elsewhere would be some BFGs or ZXLs

[Bob Ajob]

Got any pics of the ZXLs?

[stageonesimmo]

Yip, from a crappy Russian site, but its good enough to get the idea - I cant get into my AOL place to get the picks of the Stage One with them on....

Any hoo, here it is:

[blueboar]

withams are selling some

http://www.witham-sv.com/infopage.php?ID=1004&Overide=1

a wee bit too big for lro's

[stageonesimmo]

Oh, I dunno, get busy with the grinder and who knows.....

[Range Rover Blues]

My big reservation with buying tyres that are no longer in production like that would be their age.  It is illegal for tyre suplliers to sell or fit tyres that are more than IIRC 5 years old.  For a reason

[Lucy1978]

here's XZl's in a 900r16


and some in a 750r16



Chris

[stageonesimmo]

Range Rover Blues - I think you'll find they are still in production - they are fitted to the latest Lightweight trailers whcih are still rolling out of the contractors to the MoD, and we can still get them to replace the ones on what is left of the tired old 90/110/Defender fleet, so I'm quite confident of the fact that they are still being made - even we haven't got the room to store that many tires!  Plus if they are coming with the new trailers then they must be new as they wouldnt be able to use old stock due to the very reason you quote........