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(and Our Top M/T Tire Picks)
If you spend a lot of time in off-road conditions, investing in a reliable set of mud-terrain tires is money well spent. They’re as important as a sturdy tow strap or a beefy electric winch.
A word to the wise: Don’t buy hardcore mud tires unless you intend to put them to use—not just for looks.
Mud-terrain (M/T) tires are noisy and wear faster than all-terrain tires on the street. In addition, they ride rough and have higher rolling resistance. As a result, you’ll need to replace them sooner than all-terrains and spend more of your hard-earned money on gasoline.
What Makes M/T Tires Different?
Mud-Terrain tires have a more aggressive tread and larger lugs than conventional all-terrain tires. They’re engineered to handle the worst conditions, including heavy muck. In addition, the gnarliest tires have tread that wraps around the reinforced sidewalls for an additional bite.
While radial tires are the best choice for the street, investing in a set of specialized bias-ply M/T tires is a wise choice for extreme off-roading. Bias-ply construction allows the tire to conform to irregular surfaces, which provides traction in all conditions.
On the other hand, if you’re super serious about your weekend off-roading but your 4×4 sees daily use on the street, two sets of wheels and tires may be the best way to go.
Read this: Mud Tires vs. All-Terrain Tires.
Today’s Top Mud Terrain Tires
BF Goodrich Mud-Terrain T/A KM3
BF Goodrich Mud-Terrain T/A KM3
The BFG Mud-Terrain KM3 is developed from a hardcore offroad racing tire and features rigid, thick sidewalls to prevent splits and punctures.
It also features a Linear Flex Zone to create excellent traction even when aired down for off-roading.
Cooper Discoverer STT Pro
Cooper Discoverer STT Pro
This Cooper Discoverer STT Pro features sidewall ribs that give superb traction and protection when encountering sharp rocks while offroad.
Each tread block has trenches, called Mud Slingers, that help move thick mud away from the grooves and contact patches to keep on crawling.
Goodyear Wrangler MT/R with Kevlar
Goodyear Wrangler MT/R with Kevlar
These heavy-duty mud tires have sidewalls reinforced with Kevlar to help increase puncture resistance. The Wrangler MT/R also has an asymmetric tread design to improve on- and off-road traction.
Mickey Thompson Baja Boss M/T
This hardcore tire from the original mud tire company features ribs between each tread block to help eject stones that might clog the tread grooves.
Mickey Thompson Baja Boss
The Baja Boss M/T also features a heavier-duty cording to the radial tire ply to improve puncture resistance and directional stability.
Nitto Mud Grappler
The Mud Grappler from Nitto features a high void ratio between the tread blocks to evacuate mud from the contact patch. That helps to ensure traction in rough conditions.
The Nitto Mud Grappler also has prominent sidewall lugs that help grip rocky terrain and protect from punctures.
Nitto Mud Grappler
