M/T or A/T - the long winded debate

[WagoneerSX4]

So the title pretty much explains it all, I'm considering buying M/T's as my next set of tires instead of A/T. More specifically BFG M/T KM2's rather than BFG A/T's. I've been reading reviews from every single source I can, but it's hard to determine that actual truth about M/T tires coming from hardcore off-road enthusiasts as they tend to sometimes say things like welded diffs are fine for the street, or mud boggers are quiet on the highway and other ridiculous things like that. So I figured there is more of a well-rounded on/off road kinda people on this site to ask this question.

I am in no way a hardcore off-roader, these tires would be for my SX4 AWD (215/75/15). It's lifted, front/rear skid plates etc. It's a surprisingly capable little car off the beaten trail so I'd like to get a little more adventurous with my camping next summer. This will include fire roads, logging roads, some ATV trails etc. No specific 4x4 trails with rocks or anything as we really don't have any parks or anything of the sort in Ontario - and lets be honest, the SX4 is never going to be a rock crawler. So basically I just don't want to be getting stuck too often in the middle of no where.

BUT, this is my DD. I drive it to work almost every day except for in the summer when I'm going to have my motorcycle. It's going to see a lot of trails, but nearly as much as it's going to see tarmac. That's where my question lies. Is it worth going to a mud tire rather than an all-terrain? Fuel economy isn't a huge deal, as I know my SX4 will get better mileage than any SUV or Jeep and I know it's not going to get the mileage of any economy hatchback - I'm happy with it getting 22 city/30 hwy. But tire noise is something that I know gets annoying after a while. I've been hearing great things about how quiet the KM2's are. But what I'm wondering is if that's quiet compared to a normal tire, or quiet compared to a competitive mud tire. Those are two very different things. I have Yokohama Geolander A/T-S tires right now and they're amazing - quiet than the OEM tires that came with the car. How close are KM2's going to be for that? The geolanders have been great, but they do fall short in deep sand or mud, they just don't have wide enough tread blocks to clean themselves when they're spinning and they just end up getting slick with mud or sand.

And lastly - handling and winter driving. How are KM2's performance-wise? My SX4 is lifted so it's not a go-kart anymore, but I don't want a tire that's going to give up long before the car does. And how are mud tires on snow/ice? I've heard many people say that A/T tires are actually better than M/T's in snow and ice. I can understand that as large tread blocks are just going to slip on ice. I've been nothing but impressed with the geolanders in snow/ice so far.

So that's where I am right now, still undecided. I'm sure i'm being ridiculous and A/T tires will be plenty for me. I admit the KM2's would mostly be for looks and the piece of mind when back country exploring.

Sorry for the novel, just wanted to be thorough with what I'm looking to get out of a tire.

 

[NC_IslandRunner]

From you have said, I would stick with A/T, better road manners and you don't seem to need that much traction. A good A/T will take you almost anywhere.

 

[toymaster]

First thing, MTs wear quicker than ATs. Second, MTs are straight up dangerous on ice. As has already been advised your usage is exactly why ATs are designed and made.

I do run MTs year round on my jeeps however, no one in my family is allowed to drive it in winter conditions except me.

 

[78Bronco]

Duratracs look to have the best of both worlds but do they come in your size.

 

[Hill Bill E.]

First thing, MTs wear quicker than ATs. Second, MTs are straight up dangerous on ice. As has already been advised your usage is exactly why ATs are designed and made.

I do run MTs year round on my jeeps however, no one in my family is allowed to drive it in winter conditions except me.

Same here.

Some MT's are siped, and do OK on ice/slick roads. But the siping is usually not deep, and disappears as the tread wears.

About 1/2 the guys in my Off Road club run AT's, and never have any problems going where the guys with MT's go. (we avoid mud, unless it's part of the trail- and then we try and avoid trails that are mostly mud)

I run MT's on my Jeeps because they have a thicker sidewall, I run AT's on my truck.

Sounds like AT's would be perfect for your use.

 

[rkj__]

I have found that in a lot of cases, where there is mud, there is often ruts left by bigger, badder vehicles. Hence, I often start to worry about running out of clearance before I worry about traction.

I'll admit though, I'm a rookie, and don't have a lot of experience with 4x4s in the mud.

 

[Lord Vader]

Definitley look into the Goodyear Duratracs. The guys at CT4WD swear by them. They are a dedicated winter tire with the severe snowflake rating. They are an AT but have excellent traction on various surfaces including gravel and most trails. The Duratracs are siped, but they do better in snow then ice, but they are also studable for even more ice traction. Not sure if its legal in Ontario but I figured I should say anyway. Some people have complained of soft sidewalls and related issues, but it's not very common and you won't have to worry on a small SX4. I see guys in Dodge 2500's and F350's run them. They are more designed for suv's like the 4Runner size.

 

[Heloflyboy]

I would stick with AT's. I have only one 4x4 that I run mud tires on, and it is my dedicated wheeler. Everything else I run AT's on. I have a set of duratracs for my wife's suzuki sami and they work great in the snow. MT's in icy condition are no fun and do not handle as well all around. This is my experience .

 

[BigSwede]

Although I am running MTs at present, that is mostly a holdover from my rock crawling days. My next set will be ATs, for all the reasons above.

But AT treads vary in aggressiveness too, I would look toward one of the more aggressive ATs.

 

[shov3lbum]

I run m/ts right now, the bfg ones, had them for a year, used them in the flaming gorge where there is very sharp shale and rock, and flattened one of my group's tires. Mine were fine, and I think they have very good road manners.

I used the a/t bfgs in the past and they sucked in the snow, especially heavy pack. The tread just clogged up and then iced over. So the a/ts are not for me, and they wore really bad on my rig too. So far the m/ts are wearing very evenly and are very grippy.

I do about 90% road 10% off road right now, but soon to be more off road in the future.

 

[WagoneerSX4]

Thanks for all the opinions! I'll definitely check out duratracs. With my luck nobody will carry them in Canada. The snowflake is nice since on some mountain passes by law you are required to have a dedicated winter tire, or chains.

 

[WagoneerSX4]

Looks like duratracs aren't available in anything 28". It looks like I'll be happy with BFG AT KO's. The few times that I won't be able to avoid some mud or sand are going to be very far and few between. Plus I'd like to keep the snow/ice traction.

 

[G_fresh]

I've been hearing great things about how quiet the KM2's are. But what I'm wondering is if that's quiet compared to a normal tire, or quiet compared to a competitive mud tire.

My experience is that the KM2's are quiet for a MT.

I've had both the BFG AT and KM2's. It was difficult to notice the AT tire noise at all over my LC's other noises, wind specifically. Now, I do notice the KM2 noise. It is a close second to wind noise. If I can "seal" my sunroof to cut down that wind noise, the tire noise will be the loudest noise I hear.

Now let me qualify the conditions. The above only applies to smooth roads (US interstate smooth) and higher speeds (55+) hence higher tire pressures.

When we drive on older, non-smooth roads, it's hard to discern the KM2's added tire noise over what the AT's noise level would be. Said another way, the road noise drowns out the tire noise make sense?

To add some color to this, going from SoCal to Mexico's Copper Canyon, we only noticed the tire noise on the US interstate side. When we slowed down for Mexico's slower rougher paved roads, we forgot all about the tire noise. Obviously, when we got on the dirt, it was a non-issue.

My bottom line is, since this is NOT our daily driver, the stiffer more robust side walls of the MT's are worth enduring the extra tire noise to get to our adventures.

I cannot comment on snow/ice since I have not taken the MT's out yet. (I'm waiting for it to snow in Tahoe right now!). The AT's were not fun though...

All the above being said, I would agree with others that the AT's are probably what you are looking for...

(I guess this goes without saying, the MT's are night and day on sticky mud. I have a post on my Copper Canyon trip report on this topic. If you're interested, I'll try to dig it up...)

Good luck with your decision!

 

[Heloflyboy]

Looks like duratracs aren't available in anything 28". It looks like I'll be happy with BFG AT KO's. The few times that I won't be able to avoid some mud or sand are going to be very far and few between. Plus I'd like to keep the snow/ice traction.

Tire rack has them. 235/75/15 $156. a tire. It is about 28.5" tall . That is the size we run on our suzuki.

 

[WagoneerSX4]

Tire rack has them. 235/75/15 $156. a tire. It is about 28.5" tall . That is the size we run on our suzuki.

I have an SX4 though. With 28" tires the gearing is already getting to be too tall and my clutch takes a lot of abuse through rough terrain where you're crawling along. Plus if you go any larger than 215/75/15 or 215/70/16 you get into severe rubbing. It's like falling off a cliff, going from zero rubbing to huge amounts of rubbing.