Tyres Direct Online - Tesche Tyre Test Day
Photos by Simon Miskelly
Tyres Direct Online recently organised real-world tyre testing session, held at the ever-legendary Devil’s Pit Offroad site in Bedfordshire.
The event, run in partnership with international tyre maker Tesche Tires, was all about putting the brand’s latest all-terrain and rugged-terrain offerings through the kind of punishment only the UK can deliver - rain, clay, ruts, and that mysterious brown goo that ruins your socks.
Tyres Direct Online have been supplying wheels and rubber to the UK’s 4x4 community since 2008, and they’ve earned a reputation for knowing their stuff. If it fits under a lifted Disco or a chopped Jimny, chances are they’ve stocked it, tested it, and probably sold it. Their technical know-how made them the ideal partner for Tesche Tires, a brand already well-established across Asia, where its China-based plant ships 4x4 tyres far and wide.
Tesche, meanwhile, is on a bit of a global charge. The firm has been making waves in North America, opening its Global Brand & Development Centre and rocking up to the SEMA Show in Las Vegas this year to show the world what they can do. With that momentum behind them, the brand now needs proper feedback from tough, varied markets, and the UK is easily one of the best testing grounds on Earth. Chalk, clay, rock, tight wooded trails, axle-deep ruts, and tarmac that changes texture every 40 yards… we’ve got it all.
To gather honest insight, Tyres Direct Online invited experienced off-roaders from across the country to test two of Tesche’s newest models: the Ridge Blade X/T (all-terrain) and the Ridge Blade X/RT (rugged-terrain).
Representing Surrey 4x4 Tours, Rohan Grace arrived in a nicely sorted Land Rover Discovery 2 Td5 running the Ridge Blade X/T in 235/85R16 120/116R. The X/T is Tesche’s go-anywhere, do-everything tyre, designed to keep road manners civilised while still offering dependable grip when the tarmac ends.
Backing him up was Scott Cordy from Ranger Club UK, who brought along a Ford Ranger Raptor fitted with the Ridge Blade X/RT in 285/70R17 121/118Q. With its more aggressive tread pattern and chunky shoulders, the X/RT is aimed squarely at drivers who like their lanes lumpy and their mud sticky.
After a short on-road warm-up loop, the team rolled into Devil’s Pit - a name that should send a shiver of excitement (or mild trauma) down the spine of anyone who’s ever driven there. Barton le Clay is notorious for its slick, glue-like mud and slippery climbs, especially when wet, which of course it was. It’s the perfect recipe for testing traction, stability, brake performance, and how quickly a tyre can clear itself when it’s more clay-covered than a GCSE art project.
Both drivers plotted their own structured routes to ensure the tyres got a fair and consistent workout. These included:
Steep and shallow muddy climbs and drops
Rocky sections of varying nastiness
Tight rutted tracks — some shallow, some the sort that swallow bumpers
Off-camber surfaces ready to test sidewall bite and driver nerve
The tyres were put through repeated loops, and both vehicles made it through the day without any issues worth mentioning - unless you count repeated cries of “I wasn’t expecting it to climb that!” Both drivers admitted they were genuinely surprised at how well the X/T and X/RT performed, particularly given their relatively low profile in the UK market and their competitive price point.
The general chat around the site was extremely positive. The drivers highlighted how confidently the tyres tackled the slippery clay climbs, how quickly they shed mud to keep the tread biting, and how stable they felt under braking on unpredictable, undulating surfaces.
Using a simple scoring system: 1 for Poor up to 4 for Excellent, both the X/T and X/RT scored consistent 4s across core performance categories including on-road traction, off-road grip, braking, cornering stability, steering feel, and self-clearing ability.
By the end of the test session, with both vehicles thoroughly muddy and the drivers sporting that familiar “tired but happy” off-roader grin, the verdict was unanimous: Tesche’s Ridge Blade X/T and X/RT tyres deliver far more performance than you’d expect from a newcomer to the UK market.
If you want to check out the full tyre range, prices, or sizes available, head over to Tyres Direct Online’s website or drop them a message:
https://tyresdirectuk.co.uk
info@tyresdirectuk.co.uk