Are M/T's really Necessary?

[Zandcwhite]

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..

I agree a quality AT or even an RT will do well off road. So will a 4runner, and yet here we are in Wranglers. Why make the known compromises of buying the most capable off road vehicle on the market and then stop short on tire choice? If you prefer an AT, go for it. The fact of the matter is nothing is necessary for off-roading, but I still make mods and tire choice with off road performance in mind. You could get by with a basic LT tire or even a low profile performance street tire on a lot of trails but I'm not doing that either. 1 climb, mud hole, or dune that I don't get stuck on is enough motivation for me. If I had a trailer queen, I'd run a competition sticky, but that's a whole other level of traction.

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[Bubalooie]

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?

The M/T is designed for mud. They are much noisier than something like a Toyo all terrain. The sipes in the lugs of the tire is what gives the best traction on hard surfaces, the large lugs of the M/T are the best for mud. The M/T's look cooler and more aggressive but the are not as good on wet pavement or rocks, and they are really bad on ice.

 

[Zandcwhite]

The M/T is designed for mud. They are much noisier than something like a Toyo all terrain. The sipes in the lugs of the tire is what gives the best traction on hard surfaces, the large lugs of the M/T are the best for mud. The M/T's look cooler and more aggressive but the are not as good on wet pavement or rocks, and they are really bad on ice.

I agree with everything accept the rocks part. There's a reason why every rock buggy or rock bouncer on the planet runs an aggressive M/T, often with every other lug cut off. Huge voids and gripping edges are always going to provide the most traction over rough, uneven surfaces. AT's work great in places like moab where the rocks have huge traction, but not so well where the rocks are mixed with loose dirt like the Rubicon, dusy, or big bear trails in my experience.

 

[blnewt]

I agree with everything accept the rocks part. There's a reason why every rock buggy or rock bouncer on the planet runs an aggressive M/T, often with every other lug cut off. Huge voids and gripping edges are always going to provide the most traction over rough, uneven surfaces. AT's work great in places like moab where the rocks have huge traction, but not so well where the rocks are mixed with loose dirt like the Rubicon, dusy, or big bear trails in my experience.

Also another thing to keep in mind is most ATs start with a pretty shallow tread depth, not as good for off road traction. Luckily there are a few hybrid ATs (like my new Mickey Thompsons) that have good tread depth at 18.5 mm. and decent outer lugs w/ more spacing than most ATs. Siping really is where it's at for cold & wet weather grip, luckily many tires are getting more , and deeper sipes so even MTs are improving in that regard if they're including the siping in the tread design.

 

[Bubalooie]

I agree with everything accept the rocks part. There's a reason why every rock buggy or rock bouncer on the planet runs an aggressive M/T, often with every other lug cut off. Huge voids and gripping edges are always going to provide the most traction over rough, uneven surfaces. AT's work great in places like moab where the rocks have huge traction, but not so well where the rocks are mixed with loose dirt like the Rubicon, dusy, or big bear trails in my experience.

I do agree with what you said.

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