Mickey Thompson baja boss at 255/85-17 VS baja boss mt 35/12.5-17

[jadmt]

so just an update on these two tires...I run both sets and and switch back and forth quite often out of boredom. the pizza cutters on stock wheels with 1" BORA spacers and the MT's on AEV Borah wheels..the pizza cutters are a hair taller and the set on oem wheels make them considerably lighter....here is the kicker the MT's are actually quieter...I have about 7000 miles on each...I have had both sets to Moab and live about 750 miles away so generally set the cruise on 80mph to get there...

both did extremely well in Moab but the MT's were better overall in Moab..we came down Moab Rim in the pouring rain and they just flat stuck...lots of water on fins and things and no matter how wet the tire they did not slip..my buddy's 37's ridge grapplers would always take a few spins to dry off and grip...he was amazed at how well mine gripped....we have essentially the same vehicles....

the MT's have worn absolutely perfectly and zero cupping. fingers crossed they won't get loud, but so far they are quiet...the MT's deform really well at 12-15psi better than the AT's do at that same psi...neither tire has chunked at all. Prior to this moab trip I was at the flip a coin stage if deciding between them but after this trip the MT's definitely win the coin toss...the pizza cutter is a great tire but the baja boss mt is even better...

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[Aonarch]

AT vs MT is apples to oranges.

Could you describe or compare the sizes to one another?

I prefer pizza cutters for various reasons.

A narrower tire can have more grip than a wider tire due to more pressure applied on the terrain.

 

[jadmt]

AT vs MT is apples to oranges.

Could you describe or compare the sizes to one another?

I prefer pizza cutters for various reasons.

A narrower tire can have more grip than a wider tire due to more pressure applied on the terrain.

yes indeed apples to oranges but it is the two tires I have...not sure what you mean by comparing sizes...the 255/85-17 are about an 1/8" taller when mounted and the 35/12.5 are considerably wider..surprisingly the wider ones seemed to get better traction on the moab trails..I like pizza cutters and was not expecting the fatties to be better..both are great tires. I normally like e rated tires but the 255/85-17 gave me my first sidewall puncture ever crazy thing is I do not know what I hit and there was a hole in the sidewall you could stick your fist in...the MT's conform a lot more at 12-15psi than the 255's..

 

[jadmt]

One other thing that I found was extremely odd....with the pizza cutters my power steering kept overheating on the slick rock and I was getting the steering hot warning and never happened a single time with the 35x12.5's.......no explanation for that one...

 

[ColonelSanders]

I just don’t buy into skinny tires getting more grip on rocks like Moab.. that’s like saying you should air up for a smaller contact patch to get more grip. More contact is more friction.

 

[AmericanPatriot100]

I love my MT BB AT pizza cutters! Same size as yours 255/85/17! It is very interesting to hear that the MT is quieter considering how quiet my ATs are. I might have to try the MT next. The wet grip of these ATs is phenomenal, surprising to read an actual review of them that the MTs are so sticky in wet. Not surprising that they are already rated decently for wet conditions.

There is a guy on YouTube who does comparisons on tires and he was saying that there is more pressure(grip) applied per square inch from a skinnier tire opposed to a wider tire. If I remember who it is I’ll link it here. He goes into the math and everything about how it works. Trail built offroad also has a video on skinnies vs wides. Same thing with them they go into the numbers of it also. It’s pretty cool. But the debate really comes down to personal use.

 

[jadmt]

now again i am comparing 255/85-17 AT's to 35x12.5-17 MT's the AT's are E rated theMT's D rated so not the same as the video and I am only reporting on how they feel to me..both are exceptional tires but some things just surprise me like the quietness and smoothness of the MT's and that there really is no negative seat of the pants for the ~19-20lb weight difference(my 255's are on oem wheels ~ 88lbs the MT's on AEV borah with protection rings ~108lbs) per corner that everyone always worries about..Also MPG ended up for the round trip being within a few 10ths not enough to make a difference either way. either tire I got as low as high 13's and as low as mid 17's depending on the wind and the elevation change...going from Montana to Utah/Colorado and back you can be driving up or driving down for miles....either a tail wind or a head wind...speed limits are 75-80mph for much of the trip.

 

[jadmt]

I just don’t buy into skinny tires getting more grip on rocks like Moab.. that’s like saying you should air up for a smaller contact patch to get more grip. More contact is more friction.

contact patches are very similar when aired down

 

[AmericanPatriot100]

now again i am comparing 255/85-17 AT's to 35x12.5-17 MT's the AT's are E rated theMT's D rated so not the same as the video and I am only reporting on how they feel to me..both are exceptional tires but some things just surprise me like the quietness and smoothness of the MT's and that there really is no negative seat of the pants for the ~19-20lb weight difference(my 255's are on oem wheels ~ 88lbs the MT's on AEV borah with protection rings ~108lbs) per corner that everyone always worries about..Also MPG ended up for the round trip being within a few 10ths not enough to make a difference either way. either tire I got as low as high 13's and as low as mid 17's depending on the wind and the elevation change...going from Montana to Utah/Colorado and back you can be driving up or driving down for miles....either a tail wind or a head wind...speed limits are 75-80mph for much of the trip.

Even though this video gives all the data as to why pizza cutters are superior there are still those who will argue against it. That said I love my pizza cutters!

 

[Flip]

Does Mickey Thompson offer the pizza cutter in a Mud Terrain?

 

[Flip]

One other thing that I found was extremely odd....with the pizza cutters my power steering kept overheating on the slick rock and I was getting the steering hot warning and never happened a single time with the 35x12.5's.......no explanation for that one...

That is odd. I would think the wider tires would create more pressure/heat on the powering steering. Hmm

 

[jadmt]

Even though this video gives all the data as to why pizza cutters are superior there are still those who will argue against it. That said I love my pizza cutters!

all the parking lot data collection tho does not always play out in the real world..I am glad I have both and get the chance to run them both under pretty similar situations and it is easy for me to switch back and forth...in fact I did swap back to the pizza cutters this morning because I was bored..I am still surprised that I don't feel the weight penalty as the pizza cutters on oem wheels weighed 88 lbs and the 35 MT's on AEV wheels weighed 108lbs.. I have to say I will keep my pizza cutters on for running around to save the wear and tear on my MT's but when I head back to moab in the fall the MT's will be what I will be using again. both are great tires.

 

[jadmt]

That is odd. I would think the wider tires would create more pressure/heat on the powering steering. Hmm

yea not sure why that happened with the pizza cutters and not the 35's.

 

[Aonarch]

I just don’t buy into skinny tires getting more grip on rocks like Moab.. that’s like saying you should air up for a smaller contact patch to get more grip. More contact is more friction.

The data is out there. Whitepapers, Tinkerer's Adventures testing, etc.

I've attached Expedition's West white paper.

Contact patch aired down is very similar. The contact pressure to the terrain is higher with a skinny tire, which provides more grip.

The only time wider is better, is when you need floatation, which is the opposite of what you want for rock crawling.

If you are in Florida or see a lot of mud or sand, yeah go with the 12.50s or 13.50s, but for me in the rocks, skinnier is better.

 

[ColonelSanders]

The data is out there. Whitepapers, Tinkerer's Adventures testing, etc.

I've attached Expedition's West white paper.

Contact patch aired down is very similar. The contact pressure to the terrain is higher with a skinny tire, which provides more grip.

The only time wider is better, is when you need floatation, which is the opposite of what you want for rock crawling.

If you are in Florida or see a lot of mud or sand, yeah go with the 12.50s or 13.50s, but for me in the rocks, skinnier is better.

That white paper is written to provide evidence of a position. It makes a lot of assumptions without performing their own testing and oversimplifies things such as mechanical keying. It speaks to a comparison between tires at 15 psi but says a larger contact patch with a skinny tires is achieved by using taller tires and airing down further.

Believe what you want to make you feel good about your tire choice.

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