4x4 TYRES ALL TERRAIN VS MUD TERRAIN
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- čas přidán 8. 09. 2024
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Part of the problem with your examples of "highway terrain" tires is the sidewalls are weaker mainly because they are "P-metric" tires designed for passenger vehicles. They're softer for comfort and lightweight for economy. Whereas most "real" all-terrain and mud terrains are "LT-metric" or Light Truck. They're built with stiffer sidewalls and are heavier because they're ment for use on work trucks. So gym shoe vs Work boots/hiking boots. Proper footwear for the tasks.
True, and LT is the most important thing for casual / soft-roading - but an HT tread on an LT carcass will still suck, so it's kind of just an academic argument. The scenario that could be an interesting comparison is on something like a Subaru, whether to use small LT tires versus car-rated gravel rally tires.
With P-metric, I mostly got stuck from tires popping. With LT ATs, I would get stuck from lack of traction, but never popping. And with MTs, I really didn't even get stuck. A couple close calls, but even high-centered on the front diff, they were able to claw their way up and out of ruts.
Also most AT tires have a lot of sizes that are P-metric - it can often actually be hard to find an AT tire that is E load.
@@adrianbjones it is not hard to find AT tires in LT ratings at all.
Very good review but you forgot one important difference. Mud terrains are terrible on wet pavement. They also have less grip on pavement so worse cornering and braking. If you only consider time, most off-roaders would do well to do 20% off-road. But if you consider milage it's probably less than 10% off road. I'd rather have the safer tire on road where you're much more likely to have an accident or close call.
Fair point but when it comes to road driving, also consider the "number one rule" drive to the conditions, most people don't regardless of tires, this also should account for your vehicle type, its load and your abilities, many on the road have a lack of, add condition of tire and tire pressures! Again misleading!
@@denisleblanc4506 very nice discussion that's the way I like it 👍💯🤠
💯
to be fair that also has a lot to do with brand / quality. i have maxxis razr's and outperform any lesser brand any type tyre in any condition easily. the only 2 brands id reccomend is BFG or Maxxis for quality, and i lean a bit more towards BGF in my own opinion
@@doublehelix109 I have BFG tyres on my 4WD (trail terrains) and they are absolute shithouse in the wet. I’ve had the back end twitch (mine and the car) on two occasions on a roundabout in the wet. When they next need replacing I’ll be going back to the Michelin LTX Force tyres which were unbelievable in the wet. They were also better on sand. I’m sure there’s brands that will beat the BFG in the wet but I’m not sure I’m up for another 60000km experiment.
All Terrains has got me all over Australia without a drama
@@JustPete65 yeah but your not promoting a tyre brand on you tube . How else is maxxis going to sell tyres
@@trickymon think I have Yokohama... Tyre plus. I don't listen to anything pushed on CZcams
I too, have had no issues using a good set of all terrains on my old 4x4.
Agreed mate! Falken Wildpeak AT's are my choice ;)
I don't really get this type of comment, you can go 5 minutes down the road and get stuck even in muddies it really depends where you're going.
'All over Australia' I mean mate, more info needed.
In my part of the US (Utah) we don't really get a ton of mud, but we do have a lot of snow. Since my jeep is also my daily driver I go with the an aggressive 3peak rated all terrain. The Mickey Thompson Baja Boss AT has done everything I've thrown at it without complaint. It's pretty agressive, the side and shoulder lugs have some decent spacing, snow rated, fairly quiet etc. If we didn't spend half the year in snow I'd consider an MT. And as always, tire pressure, throttle control, line choice etc are going to play a bigger factor for a lot of situations that AT vs MT.
Same here in Patagonia! We do have mud but we do have snow and ice in winter. So a 3 pick All Terrain is the way to go for mi and my Hilux. In my case I’m using Duratrac for the first time since I always used BF Goodrich and so far so good!!
I live in Kentucky and we have it all mud rocks and snow and I drive a heavy 1999 2500 suburban 4x4 so if I start up a hill and I don't have something that will grab even in dry weather I will start to spin even when my lockers kick in so it's mud terrain tires for me
I run Westlake MT on my truck, handles everything pretty good. Grips the wet roads a little too good, to the point my truck can barely spin tires if I floor it at a dead stop. Handles real well in the snow too, up here in MI where we actually get lots of snow, it chews it way through quite well on the seasonal roads where I go. Better than the BG Goodrich tires I had before and I keep my tire pressures around 30 psi.
My Blazer came with Good-Years that pulled when I breaked 😢
The replacement MT's solved that and being in NJ saw a lot of sand
Using a decibel reader is what you should’ve used in the road noise test. Getting “used” to it can just be compared to plain hearing loss lol awesome video
They have hybrids that are a blend of both, they are called R/T for rugged terrain.
Honestly those just seem like bald mud tires lol
@@KP-w4gu I have a set on my vehicle, they aren’t too bad 🤙
Milestar Patagonia XT is a hybrid too.
I've got Radar Renegade RTs on my RA ranger, I rate them, not as noisy as MTs but more aggressive than ATs. Great value for the coin ayy
@@Godammit666666 that’s what I have on my Pajero 🤙
I had been running all terrains for decades and decided on mud terrains this last time to just try them out. At first I didn’t like the noise, but these have been the longest wearing tires I’ve ever had and do quite well in the rain and snow on my 2005 Grand Cherokee. Nitto Trail Grapplers.
I had those too, great tires, not as pricey as some of the other options out there either.
I have heard from many off-roaders that Yokohama Geolandar A/T G015 is one of the best All-terrain tyre out there.
Ive got Geolander M/T, they are the most underrated tyres on the market, my son has Razors M/T , they are equally as good.
Mud terrains work great for mud, especially uni-directional patterns like the old Ground Hawg. That's why military vehicles all over the world use this tread pattern.
I bought and used a set of those Maxxis MTs for a year, mostly from watching your reviews. Here in the states,.... I have to say I abandoned them. Super quiet on the pavement, but off road the tread sliced up very easily.
After two years of the milestar Patagonia MTs, I felt much more confident. But this year I'm going with the Patagonia XT, which is their hybrid.
Man, I love you Land Cruser. Wish we could get them here.
Maxxis is going to last longer, have better grip and your sidewall wont blow out like the pats. They are soft to help traction. Slices are fine as long as they arent chunking to the point it become detrimental.
I got 18k out of my maxxis. 25k out of bf k02. 65k out of Toyo open country MT’s. Won’t get another tyre now.
@tdel8613 I hear ya, but this is very old news. Milestar has continued developing their tire compounds. From first had experience I can only tell you my opinion. The Patagonia is an all around better tire than the maxxis . Sidewall failures were completely overblown.
I love my XT's!
Also for Alpine areas the All Terrain KO2 are snow/peak rated whereas the Mud Terrains are not. Worth considering if you you are running up and down the ski fields.
I had muddies on my 80 but I have ATs on my 200. I don’t do as much crazy stuff in the 200 for the obvious reason - it isn’t a lifted and locked 80!!
But I also had a small run around as a daily so didn’t drive the 80 all the time. If you can afford to run two vehicles then go for muddies - if your 4WD is your daily then ATs are the go.
If you're in a location that gets frequent snow, that might tip the scales towards good ATs. The edges of the tread blocks give grip on snow, so the large solid tread blocks on mud tires give dismal grip in the white stuff. The additional edges of the more intricate AT tread patterns, combined with siping that isn't usually present in a mud tire tread, give the AT a much better grip on snow. I'm in Colorado and I see jeeps with big mud tires off the road all over the place when the snow rolls in, while my Duratracs are pulling along nicely.
If you want to run the same tire year-round, there are some very decent AT options for snow. But you're probably doing serious off-roading in the winter. For me I'd rather switch to a true winter tire with some cheap steelies for the winter months. Nothing beats a good winter tire in the snow, they're downright magical and the extra 10m stopping distance might just save your life.
@@jgalt99 or get studs (if legal), they will help an all season M&S tyre (like the Duratrac) even though as a tyre its not as good as a true winter. Personally, I go for a separate set of winters.
@@hdavies0 But then again: Studs reduce your grip on dry and wet roads and don't change snow grip. So if the road isn't fully icy they are quite a disadvantage.
And they don't keep the tyre softer at low temperatures either.
I agree that seperate winter tires for regions that experience winters are the best choice.
We live at the end of an unimproved road at elevation and higher latitude. We've tried M/Ts over the years but always come back to A/Ts for our conditions. If snow of any significant depth is involved, I've yet to find a M/T that can perform was well as a good A/T.
@@stephenbesch5331 snow and/or rain
what about the extra fuel consumption using a mud tyre, not mentioned
negligible
Size will have a greater impact than tread pattern and most people who are dedicated to offroading are willing to make the sacrifice
@@loafofbeans9126yep, size will make the difference far before tread pattern on a new set
No one cares about fuel m8 😅
Never have we had tyre issues for 5 years with running a good set of mud terrain tyres, driven the toughest conditions and in the outback. Deflating the tyre pressures and reducing speed on the dirt helps.
Mud terrain is the best option, and our only option, for all the points you said.
Good video Ronny, thanks for sharing.
Had MT Nitto Trail Grapplers on mine for 50k and still got a heap of life left on them. Noise is not an issue as the roof rack is way noisier in a modern 4WD.
No problems in the wet on roads just drive to the conditions.
I’ve even had a 40mm tech screw from a construction site go through the tread block and once I got it out it didn’t puncture the tyre.
I’d rather have MTs and have them rather than be stuck in a situation where I wish I did. Just my opinions though.
AT’s are usually (brand dependent) far better than MT’s on wet tarmac and also in snow. But given that you live in WA neither are likely to be a common occurrence. Especially snow.. For daily driving I prefer AT’s but I have a second set of wheels with MT’s on.. Here in Scotland I use AT’s most of the time. The difference between the BFG AT’s and MT’s in snow is huge. Totally agree that Road Tread’s are crap.
I agree with you on most points, but you left out where mud terrains really suffer:
1. Wet roads
Mud terrains stronger and larger block patterns create a very slippery surface on wet roads
2. Snow-covered roads
As with wet roads, the design of the mud terrain is not suitable on snowy or icy roads. They have little to no functional siping, and a harder rubber compound that gets even harder in cold weather
3. Road comfort
Given the harder compound and heavier sidewalls, noise isn't the only adjustment you'll need to make when running an MT on the street. They ride much harsher than an AT
4. Fuel economy
You can expect to lose 2 - 4 mpg by switching to an aggressive MT. In a vehicle that only gets 20mpg, that equates to a 10% - 20% reduction in fuel economy. That is a result of the additional weight and increased rolling resistance due to the aggressive lugs colliding with the road, which can often be felt in the steering wheel at low speeds.
If you have a dedicated trail rig, then mud tires are the clear choice. However, if you are an occasional off-road adventurer, or if you take extended overland trips that will include at least 50% of the travel on improved roadways, or you live in a climate that sees snow and ice in the winter, then an AT would be a much better choice.
I choose AT tires for my Jimny. because you can get them with the symbols for winter. So it is an all season tires and Im allowed to drive with them in winter conditions.
I run 35" muds and use balancing beads. Over the road semis use them.
Dump a bag of ceramic beads in the tire and you never lose your wheel weights.
With M/T be careful on snow packed and icy roads! They are awesome on slushy or powdery snow. Muds all day any day!
Great video Ronnie and hello from the Scottish Highlands. I have both MT (KM2s) and AT (KO2s) for my old Hilux and one thing that may not be an issue in Perth WA but very much is in Perthshire, Scotland is snow and ice.
I have had disappointing and terrifying moments with MT in snow. They are worse than a winter highway tyre on a snowy road. The ATs are phenomenal in wet or powdery snow on or off road.
So if you live in a colder climate, consider what my 2 decades experience here has taught me: MTs for summer and autumn and ATs for winter and spring (still snows here in April).
Correct, MTs are pretty useless in the cold and snow and ice. This is due to their compound, large voids and little to no siping. You want smaller voids and a lot of siping in the snow an ice, not to mention a rubber compound designed to stay flexible in cold temperatures.
My KO2s are the worst tires I've ever had in ice/snow and rain. Having my local tire shop sipe the tires made an enormous difference.
@@henrikm4657 KO2 are renowned for being a death trap in wet, even here in the tropics they cause plenty of 4wders to end up on their lid at a roundabout. No snow for thousands of miles.
Use SIPED mudders. Try something like a Trxus MT.
How about winter tires in the winter?
Good review Ron. Side wall size, strength and protection at different tyre pressure is probably the most under considered aspect of 4x4 tyres and their use. "DOT" codes also need attention. The DOT code describes the tyre rubber, composition, sidewall AND date of manufacture. Tyre rubber hardens up as it ages. This means it loses grip, strength and wares faster the older it is. That means you get fewer kilometres out of them. I'm pretty sure many have been caught out buying what should be "good" tyres, but because they sat for 3 years on the shelf in stock you only get 2 thirds of the life out of them and they handle like crap with little grip. My guess is that OLD tyres at the time of sale is probably a main reason people change tyre brands and type, blaming the tyre, when the real problem is they were just sold OLD tyres. I'm going to stick with strong side walled, aggressively lugged All Terrains because it suits my use. The All Terrain - Mud Terrain argument is a spectrum with a lot of in between areas. Cheers.
Thank you. I learned a lot about the differences and why the differences matter.
Nice video production quality mate - looks great 👍🏻
Pity you forgot about performance on the road in the wet, particularly if you’re towing. Considering most of us live in urban areas we need to get to the off road tracks first 🤔
Not the context of his video.
I put some cheap A/Ts on my honda pilot, basically because its not much of a off-roader.
They have a very interesting tread pattern. There is a lot of fine siping that progresses to bigger siping, that progresses to the actual tread blocks.
I basically just needed something that i could take off road to get to fishing spots and drive down in the pasture.
I have encountered pretty muddy conditions when it floods here. So far they have been amazing. Sometimes, i have started spinning when climbing steep hills, but i just roll back a bit and come up at a different speed (usually slower).
I dont expect them to last for a lot of miles, but i barely drive that thing anymore.
They are called Dextero ATs, and the only difference between the ATs and highway version is tread spacing and side lugs on the AT.
My buddy just put 37inch interco Super Swamper SXTs on his Gladiator, and they are AGGRESSIVE! He gets bothered because he is OCD about his truck and they throw stuff up at the truck. Lol
He only goes off road when i talk him into it.
He was a car guy, but he bought a Jeep to fit in with some friends that we hang out with now. 😅
In my country when the world is covered by snow from November till April 3peak snow flake rated tires are a must unless you switch to true winter tires.
I run them all year around as I’m close to the mountains.
which tires are you using in the snow? I’m using BFG KO2. Should I get the KO3 or do you recommend another brand?
true winter tires run laps around mud terrain and all terrain in winter. But I don`t want to have 6 tires stored in the shed all year round
MT tires would laugh at snows, because they act as paddles, but okay genius....
@@valdorobantu290 For 4 wheeling in deep snow yes. For grip on ice and packed snow MTs are awful. MT tires have really hard rubber designed for warm weather.
Hi Ronny, have you noticed a lot of the new/updated All Terrain tyres main tread pattern is becoming more highway oriented and a number of once great Mud Terrain tyres seem to have morphed into a strong looking side wall but with more of a classic All Terrain tread pattern.
I’ve been told this is because of modern rubber technologies and tire construction !
But I believe it’s more to do with people fitting Mud Terrain tyres for the looks and complaining about their performance on the open roads!
What do you feel about this?
100%. insurance companies probably have a part to play in that as well with shiny mall crawlers having prangs left right and center
Switched to Maxxis ATs from Bridgestone ATs for that exact reason.
I run a 255 85/r17 Mickey Thompson Baja boss AT load E tire. Jeep Mojave no mods, offset rims to zero. It handles all mud, sand and rocky terrains of Michigan very well. In Missouri they really shines through the mountain gravel and slick rocks. Now mind that these are considered pizza cutters so when airing down they tread grows long instead of wide. I haven't found any major cons yet. Find out when we go to Colorado. Road noise is very low. Snow traction is A+.
I wanted those for my Ram. Those and the new Toyo RT will probably do great in mid.
I had those tires on my JKR and I loved them. They worked out great in Moab & Silverton. Excellent wet weather tire, great in the snow, larger rocks they are very grippy, highways very quiet with plenty of traction. My only complaint with them now is the fact that I no longer have the JKR and have purchased an LJ on 15" wheels. Who wants 31" tires? I want tall skinny 33's.
Fantastic that you have revisited this armed with real world experience and knowledge. Well done Ronny
Thank you for helping me decide to get mud terrain tires for my motorcycle! With ear plugs, road noise isn’t an issue
Right now I have a set of Razrs I put on when I got my truck 2 years ago and like them. I will consider MT tires next round when i am ready.
Mud tyres only for me. I have a 200 series landcruiser with a lot of weight on board. I've had multiple sets of standard tyres, all terrain tyres and mud tyres of all high end brand names BFG, Mickey Thompson, Coopers and now a set of Maxxis Mud terrain's and dare i say they have been the best of the bunch. I'm loving the great content you have to be one of if not the best you tube channels in this beautiful country of ours and have been inspirational to me for years. Keep up the great work 👍
Cooper Pro's for me.. on my second set of this Generation.. also run them on my Adventure trailer.. Trailer and spares get hand me downs.. you get use to the noise.. quiets the lady down.. Did I say that? Thank for the info, you proved what I thought.. 1998 XJ 12.5 x 33 x 15.. 4600 lb loaded , 2200 front, 2400 rear.. Jeep is always loaded and ready to Adventure.. Adventure trailer 2700lb.. fully loaded and always ready to go..
Thanks again.. always great info..
Nitto exograplers for me
Good video, and certainly has me more open to mud terrains in the future but for a couple things: Wet pavement (very common in my area) I think favors the all terrain. Also, snow and ice. KO2's (all terrains) are mountain/snowflake rated so I can run them year 'round up where I live.
To be fair not all allterane tires are equal either. The mickey thompson baja boss at has an asymmetrical pattern and the lugs are quite a bit more spread out than most. These tires are also the quietest I've had and great in mud and on rock. If you haven't used them I would check them out, you may like them
On appearance they look like a MT but the MT is even more aggressive. Great tyre
I had MT Baja STZs to 110k Km on my Cruiser. They only died when an old lady drove into me and wrote the car off, though they probably only had another 20k in them.
Great advice, as usual. Thanks for busting the myths & covering the pros & cons so we can make an informed choice.
For five years I've been using a hybrid that sits right between the two and it's been an excellent compromise.
What brand?
@@javanloadholtz8351 Nitto Ridge Grapplers
@@javanloadholtz8351 Nitto Ridge Grapplers
Another CZcamsr Dan from the Road Chose Me circumnavigated Africa with Geolanders and never had a puncture or failure. He just left Australia after driving all over. He is Australian living in Canada. Great video Ronnie.
I guess a quick way to sum things up. MTs are for extreme terrain, the more the path is unlike the road, the better the MTs will usually do.
ATs are a good mid ground between the extremes of on and off road optimized, provided one gets a good quality AT with a good quality side wall.
Highway tires are for the highway (duh), if one brings them off road, then one is taking their chances with having the wrong tool for the job.
Very very good information on types of tires and their pros and cons. Thanks.
Great review Ronny, 💯 % agree, your line about H/T are the tyres that get you to the tyre shop cracked me up!😂😂😂
I ran the toyo MT and the falken at3w on my power wagon driving across the rockies from colorado to california in winter storms multiple times and honestly never noticed a difference. I pretty much only run toyo or nitto mts and have never once locked up in the rain. Also either of those brands I've experienced to be quieter than other brands ATs. I'm an MT guy.
I have gone Mud Terrains for mud, snow and grass and tracks for sand. On my wife's SUV the most important thing is a rim protector. She scuffs the curbs weekly. On my diesel it is so loud that road noise doesn't matter. On my F-150 hybrid I have all-terrains and plan to go with a milder tread since it lives on the highway and I appreciate the quiet.
Good comparison, but worth noting braking distances are longer with MTs than ATs.
AT's are preferable in most conditions, for most drivers, but MTs are better in extremes.
Weight should also plays a VERY big factor. Rotational mass is extremely hard in a vehicle.
If I can get skinny pizza cutter Mud Terrains in 255/85/16 that are significantly lighter than an AT tire, than the Mud Terrains because the MUCH better choice.
So the options you have at hand & weight really effect choice. Way too many people slapping on ridiculously heavy All Terrain tires and getting all the negatives of weight, and none of the 4x4 benefits of an MT off-road. Thats a double negative imo
Can highly recommend the Nitto m/ts. Lasted over 60,000ks and weren't to noisy on tarmac. Loved the tread pattern. Recently went yto Razr A/t and really didn't notice much improvement slightly less road noise. But no real difference in handling in wet, which surprised me, thought the A/ts would b better.
There's a new kid on the block, and it's an RT, it's the Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac RT LT...
Not as aggressive as an MT, thereby less road noise, but way more capable than an AT, especially some of the AT's that are hitting the market now...
I ran Bridgestones REVO AT's for 20yrs, was never disappointed UNTIL the AT Revo 3's came out, ran a set on my 2020 GMC 3500HD AT4 for 4yrs, they wore fast(24k mi), they were NOT comfortable, and they really weren't an "AT", they were more of an HT for trucks...I switched(may 2024) to the Goodyear Wranglers Duratrac RT LT's and never looked back, they're pricey for sure, but the ride nice, have a little road noise that is more than acceptable, and are wearing well...I like the Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac RT LT's so much, I put them on my 2024 Chev Silverado Trail Boss LT, and it came with decent tires(another Goodyear Wrangler) to begin with...
These Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac RT's are NOT the Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac's of the past, these are NEW tires, redefined and redesigned...
I also have a 2002 GMC 2500HD with the LB7 Duramax, lifted, etc with 35x12.50 Yokohama G003 MT's...
ALL tires I run are load range E LT's, no P tires for me...
Fuel economy changes between brands and types of tyres as well. We also put little nylon beads in the MT and AT tyres so they self balance once up to speed. It reduced the vibration. some manufacturer now have foam inside the tyres to reduce the noise as well. Like you say you have to decide on what you are using the tyre for the most of the time first and work from there. Or get a spare set of wheels. most of europe have winter/summer sets! Thank you for the information.
Great video! I live in Dubai and own an FJ. Mud terrains DO NOT perform as well as ATs on the sand. Not in a million years. I would even say you need a P-rated less aggressive AT to get the maximum performance.
I always laugh at those who keep telling me how good mud terrains are on sand while i drive around them in my Defender on skinny road tyres. I look at you guys in the dunes all the time and see there are NO mud tyres and you should be the experts.
@@timsbike4887 for sure man we do some extreme dune bashing here and like you said, the skinny tires on your Defender will FOR SURE out-perform mud tires any day of the week!! The most aggressive tires I have seen someone running are BF’s KO2s, and they are not even recommended.
I had 33 inch mud terrain tyres with a 15 inch rims,the grip advantage I had was insane,but I must admit the road noise drove me nuts,but it looked so goooooood on my Land Rover TD5 110 👌😂
Out all the cons you mentioned about mud tyres I’ve never had any issues with Kenda tyres just saying, love the content bro ❤
Tip of the hat to you man! Great review. Ive been offroading for more than 30 years and have tried every tire possible. You are spot on in every detail of this video, even down to the difficulties of various tire types on traction boards. Id like to add a couple comments that i have seen. I run virtually identical trucks with mud tires on the diesel and aggressive all terrain ( kevlar reinforced) on the gasser. I have another diesel truck with mud, a toyota with all terrain, and a tractor with industrial tires. Ive used paddle tires in deep sand too. The highway terrain term you coined is perfect. They are bad in most offroad environments except pure sand (like beach without debris) they are very good there when aired down appropriately (i am referring to your definition of highway "off road" tires and not pure street tires). Mud tires have a weakness when it comes to snow on pavement. You need siping and they just dont have enough to take steep grades in really slushy or icy conditions as good as an all terrain or snow tire. They work fair enough in deep powder on flatter surfaces or off pavement snow. Great video! Best one i've seen. You should do an addendum that talks about airing down effects on contact patch...if you havent already.
I run STT PROS after 6,000 miles I rotated them and they had wicked vibrations! Had to rebalance them all. One in particular has a ton of weights on it. Rims have gashes in them as well from off roading. But I love my Mud Tires lol they are louder after rotating as well. But hopefully they will last a while longer. Love your videos !!
One thing not mentioned is MTs are made of a softer rubber compound. Better grip, wear out faster. Same sliding scale for AT and HT. Everything's a compromise.
Ronny I think, is one of me the most informative 4x4 CZcamsrs
Thanks for the ad for Razor tyres
4 years of 31" bfg km3 on a stock hilux. (not in winter). Gravel, muddy excavator trails, forest machine trails, unfinished gravel roads with fist sized sharp granite rocks. Hilux has been beaten up but tires last. Dad popped a tire driving a normal gravel road and hitting a pothole. I could just cruise along going 130km/h over the holes. Tree stumps and sharp rocks have bashed the side steps and plastic parts of the hilux, but I have never had a puncture or got stuck. (Well, axles deep in a watery, bottomless mud pit and a stump in front of rear diff do not count)
I have run several sets of BFG ATs and MTs. The MTs are death on snow and ice on the road, ATs gum up in mud. I went to a Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac, studded. It was a happy medium between the AT and MT tires plus the studs were better on icy roads. Tire chains for hard winter off-road. I'm in Colorado, driving an XJ Cherokee. My usage is mostly off-road, but I drive on the highway through the mountains to get there. One guy's opinion. Thanks for the good content.
I totally agree with you on tire choice. The all terrains love to hold onto rocks/gravel and then eject at a later time. Watching your review I also looked up the Maxis tires and saw that they make a tall skinny 15" tire so I think that I will give them a try on my next purchase. 15" tires are getting harder to find now that everyone has larger diameter brake rotors. I think that the 15" went away after 2006 here in the US.
Ronny, if the IOC ever made 4wding an Olympic sport; You would win Gold mate!
Your vids are 110% awesome. I learn something every time. Thank heaps.
I used to run AT's on my trucks but I've switched to RT's (Rugged Terrains) currently rocking Toyo Open Country RT Trail tires. RT's are between AT's and MT's and are starting to gain popularity. I'm quite satisfied with my RT's on my Jeep Gladiator they perform quite well, they are better offroad than AT's, better in snow than MT's and we get 4-5 months of snow where I live so MT's are out of the question. Going to try Falken RT's for my next set!
❤ Ronny, please come to Africa, specifically Namibia, you won't regret it......we need you to come make a review here..
Love from Namibia 🇳🇦
When we lived in southern Africa we did three tours throughout Namibia and quite honestly it’s God‘s own country. Breathtakingly beautiful with incredible four-wheel driving.
@@English_Speaking_Fox Thank you so much, I hope we didn't disappoint
Some other folk have hit rain / snow as a nissed point.
I'm going to add one last thing....
Is it a daily driver? Mud terrains on a dedicated adventure rig are a no brainer. But if you're doing 80-90% highway driving.... with light forays offroad.... AT's are probably the better buy.
All depends on your use. Great vid though!
I've just switched from AT to RT last year and when it rains it's almost like driving on ice. I'm considering getting back to AT as it's my daily. And AT's have never really have let me down.
Regarding road noise, I bought a set of "all season" tyres for my road car, and there is quite an increase in noise compared to ordinary tyres - more than I expected. But, just as in the video, I got used to it soon enough. I just turn up the volume on the car radio. Positive side is: I hear less yapping from the missus (or, at least, I pretend to). So yeah, I highly recommend noisy tyres. 😉
driving 40" toyo open country mt. very happy with them.
not noisy. not much extra fuel consumption. good grip. just when the road gets wet u have to be carefull.
I've run A/Ts for ~10 years now on my jeep. First 5 years was 90% street / 10% off road, mostly beach with trail riding / rock crawling once a year. The last five years has mostly been trail riding / rock crawling. The A/Ts have done just fine. Definitely lacking on the muddy trails. The A/Ts have not been the weak link rock crawling, the suspension has been.
Building the rig more for rock crawling theses days, next set of tires will be M/Ts.
Had 38 super swampers on 99 f250..terrible in the rain...noisy as hell...never got stuck in mud. Have 31 wrangler authority on my cherokee....no complaints at all. Rain snow and mud...go like crazy
Pretty good analysis. Thanks. Have used both over the decades and generally, MTs always work better for me.
The only other thing I might add is the M/T tires don't do as well on the asphalt in the rain. Great video, Thumbs up.
I've been using Coopers for 20 years on the same rig. The dealership fitted me up for free on request when I said, "I don't want HT's on my rig".
I'm on the 5th set of Coopers now. I had Muddies for one set = excellent grip, more road noise, not as much longevity. I'm using AT3 LTs now and they are good. I have the same wheels n tyres on the 4WD and on the off-road pod trailer... that’s 8 of them all up. There are lots of spare options in an emergency. I tend to avoid mud baths and rock-hopping, so it works for me.
Ive run Coopers in the past . great tyres .
I've had 3 vehicles that came with coopers on them.
Been disappointed 3 times.
@@MotherBiscuitLover I got over 90,000 km out of 2 sets and know others who got over 100 k out of theirs .
I run Cooper AT3 XLTs and absolutely love them! I only do mild - medium trails and I’m not into rock climbing or mudding!
When it comes to mud terrain vs all terrains and road noise, all terrains will be quieter the more miles that are put on the tires. The issue with mud terrains on roads is the blocky tread pattern. Over time, they will start cupping/feathering, and this makes them much much louder as you drive on them. All terrains don't have that issue, and if they do, it's to a much lesser extent. Another issue with the cupping is the fact that the tire will be out of round, and will have various high and low spots. The low spots won't ever be touching the road, which reduces your contact patch with the road. Reduced contact patch=less traction. Less traction=longer stopping distance. If your car is a pavement princess more often than not, please avoid mud terrains. It's just a safety thing. (My sources:Me. I work at a tire shop, and I offroad on the weekends.)
Completely agree.. I even put an AT on my Honda CRV just for an insurance considering where I take it some times.
In my 40 years of off-roading in the harsh, rocky deserts of California, Arizona, Nevada, & Baja Mexico, i have found The Maxxis RAZR MT's to be the overall best! Performance, durability, long lasting.. my all time favorite tires .
I’ve used countless M/T over the 35 years of off roading. To me all radial M/T’s seam to work the same. I now just stick with the Goodyear Duratrak. Two reasons. Made in USA and they came on my truck from the factory. Seam to work just as well as any other M/T I’ve owned and they are not even a real M/T.
I've run the same RAZR MTs for several years and they have been superb. Now the top step in the tread blocks is gone they're still superb off-road and on dry sealed roads. However... Wet sealed road performance is now atrocious. Unpredictable understeer and oversteer. It's very clear that it's now a dangerous proposition thinking about wearing these tyres down to minimum tread depth. Not ditching them though. For the one clear weakness, I've got a set of quality ATs for daily driving through the wetter months. These MTs, though worn, still play hard off-road, and on unsealed roads.
Where Ronnys advice is spot on is in choosing the tyre that best suits the majority of the terrain travelled on.
As a fellow West Australian who lives in the southwest and spends 90% of my driving on gravel, mud and sand, can agree 100% that Mud tyres are DEFINITELY much quieter than AT's on the gravel!
My kids used to freak out with the constant noise of rocks hammering the underside of the vehicle with AT's, whereas the switch to 33" MT's completely got rid of this issue to the point where it was just as quiet on the gravel roads as it was on the bitumen 👍🇭🇲
*EDIT: Forgot to mention that braking and steering was vastly improved with the MT's on the gravel as well.👍
I have both these tires on 6 of my rigs, outstanding tires!!!!
Goodyear dura tracs best overall tire I've ever thru on axles mud,snow, rocks,sand they take it and take it well and run more asphalt miles than mt/s. Good vid 👍
I would love to hear more about the physical properties of the rubber compounds used in manufacturing the different types of tires also. Thanks for the great video!
I have run all terrain and deep lug mud tires on my 3/4 ton Dodge. The deep lug tires carried me through snow up to the bottom of the doors on the first trip up in the mountains hunting. I have never done that in all terrain tires. Deep lug for me. I live near the mountains not the desert.
I put light truck AT on my Rav4 since it goes more freeway time than mountain roads, but it spends a lot of time up in the old logging roads up in the rocks.
A/T is all 99% people need unless ur in mud all the time
M/T is really not a smart decision. My number one choice for A/T tire is the cooper AT3. Iv never got more than 30,000 miles on any tire iv owned usually more around 20-25000 miles. Coopers iv seen up to 60,000 miles on a set i was blown away. Idk if there best traction but always got the job done for me. Im a hunter cut firewood do scrap metal removal. Also do a lot of snowmobiling in the winter drive in some really slippery conditions. So im in some pretty rough spots sometimes cant say enough good about the cooper AT3’s. The tire even has the cool factor with the sidewall tread lol!! U can always put some chains or traction devices on ur A/T tires if u know ur going to need more traction best of both worlds.
A mate of mine had a 60 series with lockers front and rear 12.5 x 33 tyres, my 60 had open center diffs and to prove a point I fitted light truck chees cutters to mine, we went away, through river crossings, mud bogs and huge rocky hills, I went every where he did and got to the same point on a steep rocky fire trail as he did. I have found the Kevlar Goodyear MTRs very good, never had a puncture with them. My favorite tyres were the Olympic steel trek tyres, 14 ply never a puncture, tuff as nails.
I have had all terrain on my Jeep for over a decade now, and I’ve done some pretty narly rock climbing. And as all terrain tires have gotten even more off road worthy in the last 4-5 years I don’t think I’ll put anything else on.
I've fitted Toyo MTs on my Patrol, which I use daily. Four years in, the rear tyres are at about 50%, while the front tyres are nearing replacement time due to incorrect caster. They perform well on all terrains, including mud, snow, and rocks. Off-road, I need to lower the pressure to 10-12psi because of the thick sidewalls, whereas I normally maintain 36-40psi on-road. Overall, I'm satisfied with their performance and would purchase them again, despite the steep price of $460 per tyre.
Use balance beads to balance mud terrain tires and rotate often
Myself, I do a lot of highway driving and a decent amount of offroading, so I have 2 sets of tires and rims. Also allows me to purchase offroad tires not "legal" for highway use.
This is the smart decision. The fuel economy of the road tires will save you money pretty quickly
On the Great Lakes dunes, mud terrain tires dig holes. The local scenic tour trucks all use farm equipment / gravity wagon tires that grooved circumferentially, and have no tread to speak of, They roll over the sand without digging, and run 12 psi. Only paddle tires work better, but aren't streetable.
I have a Land Rover 110 (Defender) with 285/75/16 BFG Mud Terrain KM2, fully siped. Use them all year in Norway, even in heavy snowconditions. They are old not (cause they refuse to wear out...) but still do a great job. The siping is also good when offroading in the summer, like climbing rocks.
I am a big fan of having two full sets of tyres and rims you have to remove them after a muddy trip to clean 🧽them anyway so the work is half done so put road tyres back on and enjoy the ride and fuel saving till the next Adventure
Thanks for the info this will definitely help me when I get a new set off tires ! Good on ya mate.
You did not discuss how they handle on a wet surfaces like bitumen, after all it might be a long ride home on sealed roads after you adventure.
If you crash in the wet no problem
Videos like this is the salt of YT. Really really useful info.
It's pretty basic common sense.. he's not really saying anything new
Does he have to ? Experience and viewer knowledge differs a lot.
Having solid axles help with tyre wear & noise, independent suspension are harder to align correctly and cause tyres to wear weird and create noise. Body on frame chassis are better for noise aswell. Cheap tyres are harder to balance and make heaps more noise than an expensive tyre. I've had BF KM3s on for a while now and and wearing great, don't make much noise and balanced perfectly even doing 110km/hr with very little wheel weights. They are 33/12.5 profile so they are quite a high profile tyre aswell.
I've had Falken Wildpeak AT3W tires and they were great in snow, highway, and rocks. They seem wear down quick. I now have Milestar Patagonia MT for almost 2 years they are a little louder but much better off roading, gravel and it's just a much quieter softer ride on ruts, and gravel.
Looking cool is just that simple! Muddies!
‘Grip strength’ = friction. Friction = energy loss = rubber wear and higher fuel consumption. A/T are a good balance for offroad touring and higher load carrying.
But that requires science and common sense lol
You do realize that wheels are rolling? A tyre with more grip/friction on the road surface does not increase energy loss, because the wheel rolls and isn't dragged in a slidy way over the surface. (if it were, the tyres grip=friction would indeed do what you claimed.)
What increases the fuell consumption with AT and more so with MT tyres is their weight, and the increased tread block stiffness and sidewall stiffness.
The weight means more inertia needed to change the wheelspeed (accelleration) and the stiffer built means more rolling resistance as the tyre resists any form of squishing more. (and tyres on motorvehicles do need to squish in use, otherwise they would bounce around and not offer a safe level of ground contact)
And so you need more force to roll a wheel with an AT over a normal road tyre and most MTs over ATs. More force equals more energy.
In Canada : Snow and ice!
From my experience experiences with mt tires over the last 8 years . Have had toyo mt cooper sst pro and bfg km3 . The cooper and the km3 bite really damn good off road . The toyo seems to last alittle longer .
In MN, all-terrains w/ lots of siping is the way to go for me.
They work great in the snow/rain and most of my driving is on blacktop w/ only 2-3 major off road events per year.
Very Interesting. Your Last Comment - One trip per Year, go AT's. This is where I am at. Having Family/Parents in RSA that has done Adventures all troughout RSA/Namibia/Mozambique/Botswana/Angola/Malawi/Lesotho/Swaziland over the Last 40 Years. I trust what they say and all of them prefer All Terrains. They all say tyres now are way beter than what they fitted in 1980's and that got them to extreme places. The right techniques also makes a big difference.
My neighbour fitted MTs to his Ranger pavement princess. You can hear him coming a mile away but it looks tough 🤣🤣🤣
I have the cooper discoverer at/xlt tires and they look like a mt but don't have all the noise on the road. So far they are my favorite tire and way cheaper than most of the big name tire brands out there