ATs vs MTs

Just to start, I’m from Mississippi and we don’t have a whole lot of public access OHV trails (almost none) but I plan on traveling out of state to camp/trail ride in public national forests.

I’ve noticed a lot of you guys run AT tires and not MT’s. Is it frowned upon to run MTs on USFS trails because they tear the trails up? Or do the majority run ATs cuz they just don’t need MTs? I’m trying to decide between S/T maxx’s and STT Pro’s.

One trip I do plan on making in the near future is the Rendezvous in the Ozarks event at Byrd’s.

I will prolly go with the STT Pro’s but I don’t wanna go somewhere out of state and find out I can’t ride because MT’s are not allowed.

I have a 2016 Tacoma limited btw.

 

People only run AT’s cause they’re scared to buy a new set of MT’s every year

 

Never heard of any restrictions like that. Most probably go with a tire that performs better all around and not just mud. If you're driving long distance an AT will last longer, quieter too. I don't drive in a lot of mud but the maxxs have done great everywhere I've taken them.

 

That's $1500 I could be putting in suspension and turbo mods!

 

Why not go with the hybrid (Cooper Discoverer ST Maxx) if you can't choose between an AT and an MT. Other options include:

Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac
Mickey Thompson Baja ATZ P3
Nitto Ridge Grappler
Toyo Open County R/T
Dick Cepek Fun Country

 

If you drive 50k a year sure

 

S/T maxx’s are one of the two tires I’m contemplating going with

 

I know, I just wanted to point out a few more options if you are interested in a hybrid tire. The ST Maxx has tons of good reviews so it would be hard to go wrong with that tire. If you spend a lot of time in thick sticky mud then maybe the pro would be a better tire for you.

 

Ive had duratracs that lasted a long time

 

AT's in general do most everything "well enough", MTs do great in mud but depending on the tire you might be sacrificing abilities in other kinds of terrain.

And probably the biggest factor is everyday drivability...the more aggressive the tire the more you usually sacrifice in street comfort and MPGs. ATs are a good compromise in that regard not being as aggressive with big tread as MTs are.

If my truck was a dedicated trail toy that I towed to the trails I'd probably get some well rated MTs for it, but since it's also my DD I need to retain some level of street comfort...though most of it's pretty much gone by now anyway

 

Yea thanks. I tend to think the hybrid tires are actually AT’s and traditional ATs are just street tires but the industry thinks otherwise oh well lol.

Main reason I’m considering the Pros is due to not wanting to get stuck on my property (I have lots of hayfields that get real soggy in the winter) and not wanting to get stuck pulling off on the shoulder of the road when I’m finding a place to park at the local WMA’s during deer season.

 

Most D rated grips are questionable around 30k. E’s sure. But E’s are heavy af and overkill for our rigs.

 

STMaxx are my favorite AT tire that I've had so far, they do everything well except for mud and hard packed snow/ice.

I use E rated tires for their durability offroad, even then I've managed to tear the sidewall on one of them. But they are heavy and will noticeably effect your mileage. But the trade off is durability and you can air them down real low offroad for maximum traction. Lighter load tires you risk a blowout or rolling them off the wheel if you air down too much, sidewalls are weaker.

 

Agree. I beat the crap out of mine and they have cuts all over the sidewalls but they still hold air.

 

yeah the only one I've managed to rip a hole in was when it rounded itself against a sharp rock, but in 3 years of regular trail usage that's the only flat tire I've ever had.

 

yeah but go big or go home, plus I have yet to puncture my e rated wildpeaks. my d rated kos had like 7 plugs in each tire

 

Thanks for the advice guys. I’ve decided I’m gonna go with the STT Pros due to them being cheaper than the S/T maxx’s and the times I need off-road tires locally are for mud. In my case except for the few trips I’ll take a year stock tires will do everything an AT can do but ATs still won’t help in the mud. And I prolly won’t have a winch by Rendezvous in the Ozarks so I’d rather not get stuck if there’s any bad stuff on the trails up there.

 

Where did you find STT Pros for less the STMaxx??? I love the ST Pros but when I was shopping they were way more expensive than the STMaxx

Also I don't think they come in skinny 33s which was a deal breaker for me, but they are great looking tires.

 

st maxx were cheaper by 25 bucks a tire when I was shopping for tires. weird that you found them to be more than the stt pro

 

Maybe check out their new evolution MT if you are going that route.

http://us.coopertire.com/tires/evolution-mt