Kumho Road Venture MT
The Road Venture has surprisingly good on-road manners. The massive tread voids help channel standing water away while also promoting self-cleaning in the mud. The cut- and chip-resistant compound provides a good ride quality, but our testing indicated that the stiff sidewalls required a little breaking-in to work in heavy rock. They did prove to be a bit aggressive for sand and soft dirt use, and we did notice that ample throttle modulation was necessary in order to keep them from digging holes. Otherwise, these directional tires are definitely worthy contenders for daily drivers. Despite their big, blocky lugs, they offered a surprisingly low level of noise on the street and rolled smoothly without major lug slap. Plus, they just look cool.
Rating
Street: 3 stars
Heavy Rock: 3 stars
Sand: 2 stars
Snow: 2 stars
Mud: 3 stars
Ice: 2 stars
Maxxis Creepy Crawler
Among bias-ply tire options, the Creepy Crawler delivers half-decent on-road manners. You still get the early morning flat spotting, but it only takes a few miles to shake them round again. In the dirt, the lug spacing and edge angles return great traction, while lateral reliefs in the shoulder lugs contribute to forward bite. The sidewalls of the Creepy Crawler are covered with raised, interlocking ribs that defend the air chamber from punctures while also adding traction when in contact with the terrain. This makes them a good choice in the rocks, mud, sand, and snow, but some chunking should be expected with use in sharp rocks. Our biggest complaint with the Creepy Crawler is the lack of ice traction. You may as well strap roller skates to your axles, as the Creepy Crawlers’ large tread blocks inhibit control and leave you fighting to stay on course.
Rating
Street: 2 stars
Heavy Rock: 4 stars
Sand: 4 stars
Snow: 3 stars
Mud: 4 stars
Ice: 1 star
Maxxis Trepador
The Maxxis Trepador is an overbuilt tire with a massive carcass and a big weight penalty. Ample traction can be attained by dropping the air pressure below 8 psi in heavy rock. In deep snow and ice, the compounds lack of flexibility resulted in a somewhat lackluster performance. Sandy climbs require conservative throttle application because the stiff carcass tends to dig holes readily. We recommend beadlocks with this tire, as the robust sidewall construction and an exceptional 3,000-pound load rating limit sidewall deflection. On the street, we did notice a slight amount of tread squirm, but only when pushing the limits in hard cornering. The noise level produced is pretty much the same as others in the category. If you want a summer tire that excels in desert terrain, the Maxxis Trepador could be the perfect answer.
Rating
Street: 2 stars
Heavy Rock: 4 stars
Sand: 3 stars
Snow: 2 stars
Mud: 3 stars
Ice: 1 star
Mickey Thompson MTZ
Among mud-terrain tires, the Mickey Thompson MTZ is a versatile performer in the dirt. On-road, the pattern is louder than expected but still very comfortable in terms of ride quality. Like most Mickey Thompson designs, the MTZ includes Sidebiters that extend part-way down the sidewall. The thick, siped tread blocks provide exceptional grip in the rocks and we’ve found their performance in the mud to be outstanding as well. When negotiating thick slop, the MTZs didn’t require a lot of throttle application to clean out and pull willingly. Overall, the MTZ might not get a top score in any one terrain type, but they do everything better than average. If you don’t like compromising performance, the Mickey Thompson MTZ may be the tire for you. We recommend it to friends all the time.
Rating
Street: 3 stars
Heavy Rock: 3 stars
Sand: 3 stars
Snow: 3 stars
Mud: 3 stars
Ice: 2 stars
Nitto Dune Grappler
If you’re a pyromaniac or just into flame paint jobs, you’d probably like the Dune Grappler with its superfluous tread design. However, if aesthetics rank low on your priority list and function, especially in mud or on wet roadways ranks high, you probably want to consider a different tread. The pattern is full of tightly spaced lugs that make it difficult for water and mud to escape. On rock, this tire is basically worthless, as the lack of grabbing lugs require excessively low air pressures to prevent slippage. As the name implies, they do hold their own in the sand. On-road, the pattern is extremely quiet and they wear well too. If sand dune running is your thing or you simply want a different-looking tire for a drier region, the Dune Grappler might be the ticket.
Rating
Street: 3 stars
Heavy Rock: 1 star
Sand: 4 stars
Snow: 2 stars
Mud: 2 stars
Ice: 2 stars
Nitto Mud Grappler
One of the first things we thought after driving the Nitto Mud Grappler for the first time is, “Wow, somebody finally made a round Bogger.” While the Mud Grapplers may share the Bogger’s legendary WWII bomber noise level, they also share the Bogger’s legendary strength and ability to soak up abuse. With huge lugs extending down the thick sidewalls and huge, thickly siped treads, these tires offer stunning performance in soft, gooey terrain, handle rocks with ease, and even float well over sand. Most surprising for a tire with this aggressive build is its civil road manners. Sure they’re loud as hell, but they roll round, don’t require a lot of weight to balance, and wear slowly and evenly on the road.
Rating
Street: 2 stars
Heavy Rock: 3 stars
Sand: 4 stars
Snow: 3 stars
Mud: 4 stars
Ice: 2 stars
Nitto Trail Grappler
The Trail Grappler works well in the sand and dirt, assuming you can get past the stiff carcass and portly rotating mass. Mud doesn’t phase this tire. However, traction in the snow and ice falls short. On rocks, we prefer to have a carcass with more flexibility. On the road these tires are much quieter than we expected and thanks to the two separate sidewall designs, the visual appearance of the tire is selectable. If you need a puncture-resistant tire, the Trail Grappler is about as close as you can get to a bias-ply sidewall in terms of strength. The real beauty of this tread is its mild on-road manners and well-rounded performance across the board. Most of the Trail Grappler sizes are rated with a heavy-duty E load-range rating so they are best suited on heavier trucks and 4x4s.
Rating
Street: 3 stars
Heavy Rock: 3 stars
Sand: 3 stars
Snow: 2 stars
Mud: 4 stars
Ice: 2 stars