Aggressive all terrain or less aggressive all mud terrain?

[scandy]

I'm looking for new tires for my rig, I've got Wildpeaks now, but looking for something a little more offroad oriented. And after having a terrible experience almost sliding off a cliff at 1/2 mph with zero control in mud last year, i wouldnt mind something with a little more mud performance, even though its something i have no interest in seeking out. I do a lot of long stretches of highway driving, and my rigs underpowered, so i dont want something super heavy and and slow rolling.

I'm looking at the Cooper ST Maxx, maybe the STT pro, but wondering what more all around/road friendly mud terrains might be a good option? I feel like the ST Maxx is about as aggressive as it gets for an all terrain.

 

[eyemgh]

Mud tires and polite road manners aren’t things that generally go together. You have to put up with noise at a minimum. As for an aggressive AT, not sure you’ll find better than the Wildpeak. Sure, there are other options, but Open Country, K02, etc. are equivalents.

 

[plh]

Sounds like you need some mudders

 

[ExpoMike]

Look into the newer "hybrid" tires, like the Nitto Ridge Grapplers or Toyo Open Country R/T. They are a cross between mud and A/T tires and have really been getting great reviews. Not as noisy as a true M/T (though I have not found the Toyo Open Country M/T to be noisy but don't have many miles on them yet) but better than a standard A/T. Likely my next set will be one of those two.

 

[lugueto]

sliding off a cliff at 1/2mph without being able to control looks like a situation where not even mud tires wouldve saved you, but you'll probably never know. Glad you're OK.

There is a noticeable difference in performance between a HT tire and a MT one. AT Tires are a gray area that will lean toward one or the other depending on the aggressiveness of the tread, obviously. This applies to manners, wear, etc.

If you want a lighter tire, and your truck is on the lighter side as well, you can get away with Load C Tires. You'll cut down in weight significantly vs E rated tires. But this will generally leave you with less options sizewise. What size are you looking for?

I don't recall exact numbers, but my Toyo AT2s were about 10lbs lighter per tire in 265/75R16 vs the E rated version. I really like performance of these tires both on the road as well as off road. I can highly recommend them. (My normal trips are about 900kms on road and 400 off)

 

[scandy]

Look into the newer "hybrid" tires, like the Nitto Ridge Grapplers or Toyo Open Country R/T. They are a cross between mud and A/T tires and have really been getting great reviews. Not as noisy as a true M/T (though I have not found the Toyo Open Country M/T to be noisy but don't have many miles on them yet) but better than a standard A/T. Likely my next set will be one of those two.

Yeah been looking at both of those today. I dont mind a little noise too much, more concerned with weight/drag, which is keeping me away from MT's I was leaning toward the ST MAXX because it sounds like it does well in snow too, but ill need to look into the Nitto's and Toyo's some more.

 

[Alloy]

I've had Wildpeaks do the same thing you experience in mud and snow plus the extra weight has taken a chunk out of the fuel economy.

The KO2s I was running were better especially while towing. They didn't last though. After 17,000 miles of winter/towing use they were down to 9-10/32 and the rubber was hard.

Buddy of mine has Toyo ATIIs and has found they slip more in the snow than the KO2s he was running.

 

[dstefan]

Goodyear Duratracs. Very aggressive for an AT, lighter, pretty quiet on highway, but a little noisier past 10-15k miles. Great off road tire if you’re driving far to the dirt. I loved mine on a Tacoma.

 

[eyemgh]

I've had Wildpeaks do the same thing you experience in mud and snow plus the extra weight has taken a chunk out of the fuel economy.

The KO2s I was running were better especially while towing. They didn't last though. After 17,000 miles of winter/towing use they were down to 9-10/32 and the rubber was hard.

Buddy of mine has Toyo ATIIs and has found they slip more in the snow than the KO2s he was running.

most report just the opposite

 

[scandy]

Oh yeah and looking at either 235/85/16 or 265/75/16. kind of leaning towards the skinny's, i've heard some convincing arguments on going skinny vs wide. I'm on 265/75/16 for my wildpeaks though and find them fine. they are a little wandery on snow.

 

[pith helmet]

I would give the BFG M/T or Nitto Trail Grappler a shot. They aren’t super aggressive MTs but better than a KO2. I have run several sets of KO2s and have them on my Tacoma now and Nitto Terra Grapplers on the Jeep, neither are good in mud.
Next tire on the Tacoma work truck will be the BFG M/T. I think it’s a reasonable trade off.

 

[jadmt]

I am embarrassed to say I have had falken at3w's, Cooper ST maxx's, bfg ko2, goodyear duratracs and Toyo RT, AT2 and AT3's. and in the mud all about the same with the RT's having a slight advantage. All these tires are good tires and blindfolded most would not tell the difference...

 

[plh]

Oh yeah and looking at either 235/85/16 or 265/75/16. kind of leaning towards the skinny's, i've heard some convincing arguments on going skinny vs wide. I'm on 265/75/16 for my wildpeaks though and find them fine. they are a little wandery on snow.

Not sure what vehicle you are putting these on, but 235/85R16 are too narrow for most. I ran this size KO2s on my old/ex 2005 Montero to around 30K miles and was so glad to get them off. I moved over to 285/75R16 KO2s and never looked back. The 235 from my experience made the vehicle too squirrely on the highway. From a snow perspective I also preferred the 285s.

 

[Somecallmetimm]

Another enthusiastic vote for Duratracs for aggressive AT. Look into Patagonia MT for a mild mud tire. They have a close center and open outer tread pattern that should be good for longevity. Not sure how quiet they are. I find them intriguing and will be looking at them for my next tire.

 

[craig333]

Having almost slid off a levee in my Jeep running BFG MT's, I agree with Frenchie. I shouldn't have been there. I was young and still learning.