Bridgestone Dueler A/T 697 Questions & Answers (page 2 of 2)

Duellers are available in Light Truck - mine are, LT265/60R18

As above, the dueller 697 is a light truck construction

Think the 4 were $1160 fitted with a wheel alignment and a $100 fuel card so pretty reasonable really

Don't know what size you're running but 215/65R16 on my wifes Forester only cost $900 fitted

That will depend on what surface you are driving on and how much load the tow vehicle itself is carrying. I use 40psi on sealed roads with an average load. Lower the pressure for lighter loads off road. The tyres will then soak up more bumps and provide a better footprint for traction and braking.

G'day mate what you need to establish is are the you after a more aggressive A/T such as the STZ or something more true to the A/T I had the general A/T2 on my Land Rover discovery S2 and the only thing that I hated was they'd get little rocks jammed into the tread pattern and drive you nuts on the highway unless you pulled up and physically removed them, don't get me wrong it didn't happen all the time but it did happen occasionally. I haven't been able to fault the BS A/T on our Colorado 7 and we are up to 6000klms and done probably about 2000klms dirt-sand-stones terrain and they still look like the day I put them on my mate has a 2011 BT50 with the BS ATD697 his done roughly 2500klm since fitted and hasn't reported any problems that others have spoken of on different model vehicles. As for the master craft I've never heard of them but ever since few years back when I put a set of nexen on my discovery I've tried to stay away from the lessor know brands of tires

Sorry mate but I don't have any experience on the other tires you are considering, only the Dunlop and the AT 697 because the Dunlop came with the original factory fitted and the AT were the ones that was recommended to me due to the longevity of the thread thickness. For similar price you should have a longer life span between the Dunlop and the AT 697. I have mine inflated at 40 psi front and 39psi and still feel the tires are soft on the road so the compound must be quite a soft compound. I would recommend you talk to the tire specialist who will be able to recommend the tires that will suit your needs.

D697's, great for sand due to a not so aggressive tread and a strong but flexible side wall.

Hey Danny, there's a great set of tyres out there but I think that Dueler A/T D697 with the reinforced sidewalls will certainly do you well. Good luck with the trip

Rodney, I got rid of my tyres. Check the reviews on D694 and D697 - similar noise comments, others refer to bad handling in wet. Perhaps you could message one of them.

Bridge Stone Dueler a/t D697 are non directional.

They are non directional. I have never had any issues with last two set. My broth drives a 200ser LC and changed to Coopers AT, he said he didn't like the BS AT in the wet. But he also has a very heavey right foot and he leave the braking till the last minute then has to brake heavy. So I think it is more to do with his driving than the tyres.

Hi J.T,
I was after a LT construction tyre in my stock 255-65-R17 size, these were the only ones available. Having said that, I have found these to be pretty good on the paved stuff, wet or dry and wear has been good so far, including a weeks trip in the Tassie highlands on pretty ordinary gravel roads towing a boat (about 600km). Fit the right size for your cruiser, and keep an eye on tyre pressures and you shouldn't go to far wrong with any of the major brand A/T's. I can recommend these tyres from my experience so far based on the driving I do. I have been happily impressed with their low noise and comfort as its mostly town driving with the odd weekend in the bush. Wear is around 1.5-2mm after 26,000km. The only real issue is they tend to retain stones in between the tread blocks, but they do clear after a day or so. I have not tried them out in the sand as yet, that will need to wait for next fishing trip.
Cheers
Dannyjim

Hi Elizabeth, generally you can have tyre pressure that varies from 35 to 40 psi. It depends how much load you have on it. The front tyres pressure may be the same all the time because the weight on the front of the car don't change much, I'd say 35-36psi. The rear tyres you have to understand that if you are by yourself in the car without load you can run 35 psi, but if you pack the car for holidays and have 4 adults you may have 40 psi. On the side of the tyre wall it should be the maximum tyre pressure advised by the manufacturer, and as far as your tyres are under that pressure you can vary it accordingly to the amount of weight you have on the car.
I hope you this help.

Hi Elizabeth. I won't comment on the recommended pressure because the tyre you are referring to is totally different to the tyre's that are the subject of my review. Recommended pressures vary greatly depending on the type of vehicle. It's best to use the pressures on your vehicle's tyre placard (usually a sticker on the door frame or in the glove box), or better still discuss with the shop that fitted them. My tyres are of heavy duty 'Light Truck' construction with a higher load rating and fitted to a 200 series LandCruiser. The tyre shop recommended higher pressures than those on my vehicles tyre placard in this circumstance.

Cheers guys, many thanks for your answers, both very valuable.

Hi Alex, must say can't comment on the El but am running 697's on my Xtrail they are light truck rating and they sit nice and square. They as you would expect have much more presents under the vehicle compared to ht's. I recommend them are great on sand hope I've helped

Can't hep you with the Duelers, but back in my "younger" years I used to buy Yokohamas for my sedans. I found them to be a nice soft ride, but being a soft compound rubber I didn't get much more than about 40K kms out of a set of tyres. You may need to look at your suspension if you need a softer ride...

I have the 697 at fitted to my 4x4 extra cab courier .Have only been on black yop so far done aprox 15000 ks they are quiet and show nil wear good in the wet highly recomend Mal

Not the same tyres, but same problem, swap front left tyre and rim with the front right, if not fixed then rotate a tyre on the rim and try that. I would think that the treads are acting both in the same direction of centre!

I have also replaced my 693's with a set of Dueler 697's on my 2009 PK Ford Ranger. Not happy from the start. Vehicle was great to drive on highway with old tyres but after fitment of 697's pulled to the left significantly and steering shook. Also had a thrumming sound at 90 to 100 kmh. Did the wheel rotation thing moving tyres with the most weights to the back. After 13000 km had wheels rebalanced and a wheel alignment. Vehicle steering ok but still shakes and still has thrumming sound at highway speeds. Have now travelled 17000 km on these tyres but will be replaced as soon as i can find a good alternative. Annoyed.

Hi All,

Just bought a 2003 Mitsibishi Challenger 2 months ago. Needed new tyres, as had Chinese and some other strange brand tyres fitted to get RWC.
Planning biggish trip to the red centre next March so thought first thing, new tyres. Read up etc and looked like the Bridgestone 697LT's were a pretty good bet. Have driven about 400klms so far - the previous Chinese tyres steered dead straight but with that slight veer to left over a distance, as I thought it should be.
Put the new 697's on, and immediately pulling across to left.
Went to another tyre place, they swapped the front left for front right tyre/wheel, but still doing it. They also said needs bearings adjusted, as loose. Then take in for wheel alignment check. Will be doing this as soon as have the time and cash.
And will let you know so can compare updates with your experience.
I am annoyed too......