Both Yokohama Geolandar G012 and G015 are All-Terrain tires, capable of both on-road and off-road performance. G012 performs better off-road because of its higher void ratio, while G015 has a higher contact patch, giving it a better on-road performance.
They perform differently on different terrain; read more to find out which will suit you best according to your needs.
Table of Contents
Comparing Yokohama Geolandar G012 with Yokohama Geolandar G015
Yokohama G012
Yokohama G015 AT
Vs
G012 can be a good choice for off-road because wider grooves and smaller blocks are spaced broadly on the tread, resulting in a higher void ratio and offering an excellent off-road grip. G012 is also suitable for preventing hydroplaning. The water passes easily through the tread due to the larger grooves within the smaller blocks and maintains a good grip on wet roads. It provides a good driving experience on mud and snow terrain because the larger voids and the broadly spaced blocks don’t allow the mud/snow particles to get trapped within the grooves. Such tread design can toss the mud backward, enabling the tire to move forward without any hindrance. The numerous stone ejectors in the broader grooves make this tire an excellent performer on rocky terrain. The noise produced by G012 is high due to trapping and back and forth hitting of air particles within its wider grooves.
G015 can be a good choice for on-road because there are narrow grooves within widely spaced, relatively larger blocks. It results in a higher contact patch and offers excellent on-road grip. G015 is not good in preventing hydroplaning because the water cannot pass easily through the closely packed blocks and the constricted voids. Such tread design causes the tire to lose grip on wet roads resulting in hydroplaning. It doesn’t provide a good experience on mud and snow terrain because the mud/snow particles can get stuck within the larger blocks and confined gaps. In such conditions, the tire cannot throw the mud back from its path, losing grip and getting slippery. It doesn’t perform well on rocky terrain because the grooves are very narrow, and no stone ejectors are present, resulting in poor performance. The noise produced by G015 is less because the air particles cannot be trapped and hit around within the narrow grooves
On-road Traction Comparison
Yokohama Geolandar G012 is not an excellent on-road performer because the contact patch is less due to the wider grooves and smaller blocks. The higher void ratio can cause the tire to lose grip on-road affecting its performance. But it acts perfectly on a wet road, providing excellent resistance against hydroplaning. The water easily passes through because the design of the tread is such that larger voids and smaller blocks are maintaining a good grip.
Yokohama Geolandar G015 is an excellent on-road performer because the contact patch is high due to the narrow grooves and larger blocks, causing the tire to maintain an excellent on-road grip. But it doesn’t offer good resistance against hydroplaning as the water cannot pass through because of the constricted voids and larger blocks. Such a tread design causes the tire to lose grip, affecting its performance on wet roads.
Off-road Traction Comparison
Mud Terrain
G012 provides excellent performance on mud terrain because the larger voids and widely spaced blocks don’t allow the mud particles to get trapped within them. The tread design is such that it throws the mud backward and moves forward without any hurdle.
G015 doesn’t perform well on muddy terrain because there are chances for the mud particles to get trapped into the constricted grooves and larger blocks. The trapped mud particles make the tire lose grip and get slippery.
Snow Terrain
G012 performs well on snowy terrain because the wider grooves and smaller blocks prevent the soft snow particles from getting trapped into them. Due to the higher void ratio, the snow is thrown backward, and the tire moves forward efficiently, maintaining a firm grip on soft snow. It doesn’t perform well on ice, as there is less contact area and lesser sipes on the blocks, so it may lose grip on ice, causing difficulty in handling.
G015 doesn’t perform well on snowy terrain because the narrow grooves and larger blocks can cause the snow particles to get trapped within them. The narrow voids cause the tire to lose grip in soft snow. But it offers excellent handling on ice, as the overall tread design with narrow grooves, larger blocks, numerous sipes, and sharp, biting edges offers excellent grip on ice.
Rock Terrain
G012 is also a good performer on rocky terrain due to the presence of numerous stone ejectors within wider grooves and widely spaced blocks. The rock particles easily pass through it without causing any damage to the tread.
G015 is not a good performer on rocky terrain because there are no stone ejectors within the narrow grooves, and the blocks are also larger and closely packed, causing the rock particles to get trapped within them and damaging the tread. It also causes the tire to lose grip and affects its performance on rocky terrain.
Which tire is more Comfortable?
Yokohama G012 acts as a better shock absorber due to its higher void ratio and offers you a comfortable ride on bumpy off-roads. But it produces more noise due to entrapment and hitting of air particles within the grooves, making on-road drive uncomfortable.
G015 makes your on-road drive more comfortable, as it produces less noise because there are narrow grooves and larger blocks, avoiding the entrapment and hitting of air particles. But it is not good at absorbing shock due to higher contact patch and acting as a more inflated tire, making your off-road drive uncomfortable.
Durability and Treadwear Differences
The Design of the tread of G012 is such that there is minimal irregular treadwear. On the tire’s sidewalls, strong side block protectors guard the tread against abrasion and cuts. The block protectors also enhance the traction making it highly durable. The Treadwear of G012 is excellent as the tire is highly rugged, offers a one-year warranty, and is fixed under Free Road Danger Protection of Yokohama.
G015 tire’s internal structure comprises two high-quality steel belts on the upper part of a two-ply polyester wire cover and a nylon strengthening which is spirally wrapped to combine stability with ride comfort. It offers a limited treadwear warranty of 60,000 miles and a guarantee of 30 days trial satisfaction.
Price Differences
The price difference between both tires is not much; Yokohama G015 is a bit expensive than G012 because it offers a more mileage warranty and performs better on-road as there is a high contact patch.
Quick Summary
- Both Yokohama Geolandar G012 and G015 are All-Terrain tires.
- Yokohama G012 is a better choice for off-road, and G015 is a better on-road performer,
- Yokohama G012 performs well on mud, soft snow, and rocky terrain, while G015 performs better on icy terrain.
- Yokohama G012 is comfortable off-road, while G015 is comfortable for on-road.
- Durability and treadwear differences are not much in both tires, offering an equal level of reliability.
