Are M/T's really Necessary?

[beachbumm78]

I’m no tire expert but my MTs have done great so far out here in AZ. Great on the trails, and even great road manners. I don’t find them loud, comfortable drive, good grip stopping, and even haven’t had any issues driving them in snow so far. Granted —no snow thats several feet deep, but flagstaff and Sedona snowfalls have been fun. And they’ve still got a lot of wear left in them and I’m at almost 46k on them.

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[WranglerMan]

I think the biggest thing with tires is the correct pressure for what you are running on and whether the tire likes to ride on the crown a bit.

Played around with the KO2 35’s I’m running and they just don’t like high pressure so I run them about 28# cold and after they heat up they get to about 31-32 which is about right, I even chalk tested to 26 and they almost run out to the furthest lug but the ride is a bit mushy so I run 28 cold most of the time and when I hit the sand I drop to 24-25

 

[Zandcwhite]

An MT will nearly always be better off road, from mud to rocks to deep snow to sand. An aired down MT provides more traction. Ice and wet roads An AT is far better than an MT. We almost never encounter icy roads, so the 37" x-mt's have been great in every condition we've run them in. Way better than the ko2's in mud, dirt, rocks, snow, and even high speed desert washes (mostly due to much more sidewall absorbing the bumps). We try to go wheeling at least twice a month, so the road manners compromise is acceptable even with it being the wife's daily driver. Still handles fine, stops fine, and has no problem cruising 85mph on road trips.

 

[Alleycat392]

An MT will nearly always be better off road, from mud to rocks to deep snow to sand. An aired down MT provides more traction. Ice and wet roads An AT is far better than an MT. We almost never encounter icy roads, so the 37" x-mt's have been great in every condition we've run them in. Way better than the ko2's in mud, dirt, rocks, snow, and even high speed desert washes (mostly due to much more sidewall absorbing the bumps). We try to go wheeling at least twice a month, so the road manners compromise is acceptable even with it being the wife's daily driver. Still handles fine, stops fine, and has no problem cruising 85mph on road trips.

Sounds like with icy and snowy New York winters and minimal off roading with the exception for a few beach blasts, an A/T is the way to go for me. Definitely want to go with aggressive looking 37’s or 38’s. Am open to suggestions if anyone feels strongly
about a specific A/T tire.

 

[calemasters]

So here I go! Yes this is another "tire thread". I'm just curious, do we really get an "off road" advantage to using a M/T style tire other then the oblivious. I've been in my JLUR for a little over 2 1/2 yrs, it came with the WildPeak M/T's and about 15k miles in with a lift, I switched to a 315 with the Milestar Patagonia's to give me a bit more belly room. I'm sitting at close to 40k miles and my current tires are wearing great but I'm contemplating going to a 37 and or a different tire just for the hell of it.

What is everyone's impressions of A/T vs M/T when it comes to a DD that sees moderate off-road/trail driving. I'm currently in CO but will soon be moving to OK where it's a completely different off road experience. I'm really wondering if the juice is worth the squeeze?

My Rubicon came with Falken WildPeak M/T 285/70R17 (32.8" diameter). We do some mild to moderate trails, with some technical trails. We take a lot of road trips, so 98% of my driving is on payment. I have been wanting to install 35" tires, so I am going with the Falken Wildpeak A/T3W, 315/70R17 (34.6" diameter) tires. I think it makes sense for me, due the percentage of highway driving.

 

[SleepEatJeepRepeat]

The more aggressive hybrid ATs may be a good compromise. Wait til next month for the new Baja Boss AT from Mickey Thompson, like the rest of their tire lineup they should be a top tier choice!
https://www.moderntiredealer.com/ar...son-baja-boss-at-is-a-hybrid-all-terrain-tire

those looked interesting until I looked at the weight 37x12.5r16 is 85lbs, for point of comparison stt pro are 75lbs, ko2 are 68lbs

 

[SleepEatJeepRepeat]

Haven’t seen anyone mention Nitto Ridge Grapplers. Believe a few use these and like them. @Moto_21 @ExpeditionBuilds

I run the ridge grapplers in a 35 they have been a great tire on and off-road, silent(got a little louder after 5k miles), tough, good traction off-road... but they are stiff and heavy... I am moving up to a 37” and will put a big focus on D or C ply and keeping weight under 75lbs.

 

[blnewt]

those looked interesting until I looked at the weight 37x12.5r16 is 85lbs, for point of comparison stt pro are 75lbs, ko2 are 68lbs

The specs for the newest Baja Boss AT haven't been released yet, so maybe, just maybe they'll shed some of that weight??? Not really sure why the 35s (in the ATZ P3) are a nice 64-65 lbs and the 37s balloon up by 20 lbs

 

[wheels082]

I currently have mud terrains on my JLU. I also hate mud and don't need them for my off roading (primarily two tracks), I went with them mainly for looks. However, I am planning to replace them with something less aggressive like a hybrid type tire.

 

[WendiN]

I live in Kansas and we get some snow here, and I Offroad from West Virginia to Arizona, Utah and everything in between. I’m running BFG KO2’s and absolutely love them. I had KM3’s before and though they are great in the mud, the KO2’s are more versatile. KO2’s are also snow rated. Up to this point, I haven’t had to be winched over an obstacle. I did need winched out of mud with my KM3’s.(To be fair, it was a lot of mud).

 

[RidgeRider]

I have about 10k miles on 37x12.5 Nitto Ridge Grapplers and really like them. I originally wanted KM3s but was worried about ice in the winter (also from Colorado) and the Jeep pros I hang out with all pointed toward the Ridge Grapplers. Have run the Ridge Grapplers on miles of ice/snow/slush and over all the passes between Aspen and Crested Butte as well as Ouray to Telluride plus Moab Top of the World, Hell's Revenge, Wipeout HIll, etc. and have never had an issue. We are headed to the Grand Staircase and while the roads are not technical, they are reported to be treacherous when wet. Thought of the KM3s for that but ran into a King of the Hammers racer who lives in Kanab and he says there is no rig or tire that he is aware of that will handle these clay roads when wet so have just decided to stay with the Ridge Grapplers for the trip and watch the weather.

 

[SleepEatJeepRepeat]

I think the answer is unless you have a purpuse built trailer queen, then MT's are not necessary. And AT and RT options provide a great on road tire, and sufficient offroad for most use cases.

 

[Zandcwhite]

I think the answer is unless you have a purpuse built trailer queen, then MT's are not necessary. And AT and RT options provide a great on road tire, and sufficient offroad for most use cases.

M/T's have been proven better in dirt, sand, deep snow, rocks, and obviously mud in every tire test ever conducted. I don't think you need a trailer queen to reap these benefits. A modern aggressive mud tire is not the bogger of 20 years ago. Unless you encounter icy roads regularly, there no real benefit to running an AT. Slightly less road noise, but it's a jeep so you already compromised a quiet ride for off road performance. Handling? Our jl on 37's will handle corners at speed well enough to scare passengers, but it'll never be a Porsche. Tread life? It's not a commuter car, so I need tires every 4 years instead of every 5? I'll gladly take the slight compromise for the added off road performance, as will the wife that daily drives the jeep on x-mt's.

 

[Arterius2]

M/T's have been proven better in dirt, sand, deep snow, rocks, and obviously mud in every tire test ever conducted. I don't think you need a trailer queen to reap these benefits. A modern aggressive mud tire is not the bogger of 20 years ago. Unless you encounter icy roads regularly, there no real benefit to running an AT. Slightly less road noise, but it's a jeep so you already compromised a quiet ride for off road performance. Handling? Our jl on 37's will handle corners at speed well enough to scare passengers, but it'll never be a Porsche. Tread life? It's not a commuter car, so I need tires every 4 years instead of every 5? I'll gladly take the slight compromise for the added off road performance, as will the wife that daily drives the jeep on x-mt's.

Even for the most avid off-roaders, they still make 90% of their miles on-road. So I wouldn't say ATs are completely useless.

People always over-estimate of their off-road driving %.
I find myself fairly adventure-minded, I work weekdays but would be hitting the trails almost every weekend, out of the 30k miles I put on my Jeep, I'd be surprised if more than 1% of that is purely off-road.

 

[SleepEatJeepRepeat]

M/T's have been proven better in dirt, sand, deep snow, rocks, and obviously mud in every tire test ever conducted. I don't think you need a trailer queen to reap these benefits. A modern aggressive mud tire is not the bogger of 20 years ago. Unless you encounter icy roads regularly, there no real benefit to running an AT. Slightly less road noise, but it's a jeep so you already compromised a quiet ride for off road performance. Handling? Our jl on 37's will handle corners at speed well enough to scare passengers, but it'll never be a Porsche. Tread life? It's not a commuter car, so I need tires every 4 years instead of every 5? I'll gladly take the slight compromise for the added off road performance, as will the wife that daily drives the jeep on x-mt's.

the question wasn’t are they better, it was are they necessary... and the answer is no.. they are not necessary, AT/RT do quite well Offroad, maybe I over stated with the trailer queen statement (it’s just fun to say) all reports indicate stt pro, km3 and some of the other new leading tech MTs do really well as a daily driver.. they are not necessary to off-roading, even if you are wheeling every weekend a high quality at or rt like ko2 or ridge grappler, will do very well..

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