Michelin XZY or XZL for trans-Africa?

[Erik D.]

I've sort of narrowed it down to these 2, I think XZY will probably be better in sand and XZL in mud, but we will experiance both. So which to chose? I know both come in tubeless and I guess maybe as tubed. What do people think would be the best choice?

Erik D.

[Andyk]

I would go for the XZYs. They are more of a general purpose tyre they are very tough, and will last the distance. Although they are rated 12 ply, this relates to their load carrying ability, not their construction. The side walls are quite flexible if you need to get them off the rim to repair punctures etc.

I have also used the XZL's - they are good in mud, but the side walls seem quite vunerable to damage, as sticks etc can catch on the raised sections and penetrate the tyre, and not just slide along the side of the tyre.

Cheers,

Andy

[GWJ]

Hi
I have recently sold my LR130 which did Lon-CT approx 50,000kms on XZY's and they performed brilliantly - only about 4 punctures the whole trip. Goodluck
cjcoombs@hotmail.com

[GWJ]

I did 35000 km with XZL -with tubes inside- in West Africa (Mauritania, Mali, Burkina, Niger, Benin, Togo), 50% on tarmac, 50% on other surfaces, sometimes very rough.
I only had 1 puncture in l'Aïr. They are very good, but becareful on wet tarmac.
f you choose to stay on main roads, you don't need this sort of tyres.
They need to be deflated quite low on sand,because they are narrow and so you need a good compressor.
I have a EMS compressor. No problem.

[GWJ]

XZY is now even 14-ply (!) and rather hard to get on and off the rim (by hand).
I bought 6 new ones last year, but no real off-road experience yet (2002 trans-Africa)
They may indeed be used with a tube.

[Andyk]

Hi,

I almost forgot..... you should check the speed ratings on the tyres if this is important to you. The speed rating is given by a letter on the side wall, usually after the tyre size. J means rated to 100km/h, K to 110 km/h, L to 120km/h....etc.

Cheers,

Andy

[This message has been edited by Andyk (edited 29 April 2001).]

[Andyk]

Hi,

I just tried editing the last message - didn't seem to work. The speed rating is denoted by a letter on the side wall of the tyre, usually after the tyre size. J means the tyre is rated up to 100km/h, K to 110, L to 120 etc.

Cheers,

Andy