First time in the snow: I'm impressed

[SINCITY100]

Scott,

The MTR's have a loyal following out west where there are lots of rocks. They work very well on the rocks. Most people I know who use them are less worried about mileage and more worried about trail performance. These are aggressive tires and there are compromises for performance.

I have also not used them personally, but I know a ton of people who do run them and love the trail performance. From what I've seen, they work well and are very durable.

Well all I can say about the MT/R is it`s an average tire at best. I do a lot of desert and gravel driving with some occasional Jagged/Lava-type rock climbs. Dont spin these tires on rough rock or the tread will chunk instantly. After only 1500 miles on mine, I have a quarter-sized slice missing from one sidewall all the way down to the cords, Many small pieces of rubber missing from the lugs, and various cuts along the tread surface . Obviously, this threw the balance off pretty bad, so they vibrate endlessly.
This damage was mainly after a weekend-long run up some very ugly (abrasive) rock hills and high speed runs through gravel washes.

I will never claim to be easy on my 100, but the compound of these tires is just too soft for the type of wheeling I do.

Oh, one last comment....I was in Southern Utah last weekend after a mild snowstorm and the snow had melted on the road, turning it mushy with maybe 2or 3" of mud on the surface. The tread filled up with mud quickly, and would not clear out for the 15-plus miles of driving. I was slipping and sliding the whole time, even after lowering the pressure to about 14 PSI . The mud finally cleared out after I reached about 35-40 mph on pavement....What a mess that was !

 

[spressomon]

It never ceases to amaze me how many different opinions about the same product )and sometimes in the same types of applications/uses) we can generate Just 'shows to go ya' you really, for the ultimate opinion of a product, need to test it yourself...which is unfortunately not always affordable or doable.

 

[calamaridog]

SINCITY,

Average at best compared to what? This is the issue I think. Compared to BFG MT? The people I know switched to MTR from BFG MT and would never go back. They used to destroy BFG's and now they damage MTR's instead.

Spinning tires on rocks will = chunking on any tire I've ever seen. And that soft rubber compound is nice and grippy. Hard compound would equal even more spinning of tires I think.

And the MTR's are not good in mud, almost everyone else will tell you that too. And that red clay stuff in UT doesn't clean out of any tires!

So Sincity, I'm not sure what tire is good for you. You sound like hell on wheels

Spressomon,

People have different expectations. I expect my tires to last around 30,000 mi. of moderate abuse. If they make it, I'll buy the same tire again next time. You seem to have reasonable expectations...

Sincity expects his tires to work 100% in all conditions and never get damaged, even by lava rock

3fj40 (Scott) expects his tires to be cheap and last 70,000 mi.

 

[macneill]

Sin's busy chirping 'em, peelin out and popping wheelies!

By the way, where are the pix of those black wheels eh?

 

[Pskhaat]

Yep, that about sums it up over here!

You forgot to mention I expect excellent off-road handling, snow/ice performance & aggressive pattern for less than $180/tire. I'll settle also for 50-60k, but 70k's a nice number

I'll go daydream some more now.

 

[SINCITY100]

SINCITY,

Average at best compared to what? This is the issue I think. Compared to BFG MT? The people I know switched to MTR from BFG MT and would never go back. They used to destroy BFG's and now they damage MTR's instead.

Spinning tires on rocks will = chunking on any tire I've ever seen. And that soft rubber compound is nice and grippy. Hard compound would equal even more spinning of tires I think.

And the MTR's are not good in mud, almost everyone else will tell you that too. And that red clay stuff in UT doesn't clean out of any tires!

So Sincity, I'm not sure what tire is good for you. You sound like hell on wheels


Sincity expects his tires to work 100% in all conditions and never get damaged, even by lava rock

Heh heh heh.... I was waiting for a bit more " candid " response to my comment...and Calimaridog delivered !

I guess my best comparison to "what" would be the Toyo M/T`s that my buddy is running on his S-charged Tacoma double cab. We have both been through the same trails together, and trust me, I have seen up-close what abuse he has given those tires, and they seem to come away un-scathed.

I know that ..uh, well...driver ability and weight differences between vehicles could make a bit of difference...but His current set of Toyos are frickin` unstoppable !

I looked at his set of Pro-Comps that he took off when he put the Toyos on, they were in quite good shape too, and those tires were beat up constantly!

The mud in Utah was that clay-like crap...but it was not very deep, but I guess I just expected too much..

I still think the compund is just too soft...or....

OK...Maybe I just have TOYO ENVY !!!

 

[SINCITY100]

Sin's busy chirping 'em, peelin out and popping wheelies!

By the way, where are the pix of those black wheels eh?

Was it THAT obvious how I drive ?..lol

Do you really want a pic of my wheels now ? They are kinda nasty looking after all those wheelies !!

 

[spressomon]

Heh heh heh.... I was waiting for a bit more " candid " response to my comment...and Calimaridog delivered !

I guess my best comparison to "what" would be the Toyo M/T`s that my buddy is running on his S-charged Tacoma double cab. We have both been through the same trails together, and trust me, I have seen up-close what abuse he has given those tires, and they seem to come away un-scathed.

I know that ..uh, well...driver ability and weight differences between vehicles could make a bit of difference...but His current set of Toyos are frickin` unstoppable !

I looked at his set of Pro-Comps that he took off when he put the Toyos on, they were in quite good shape too, and those tires were beat up constantly!

The mud in Utah was that clay-like crap...but it was not very deep, but I guess I just expected too much..

I still think the compund is just too soft...or....

OK...Maybe I just have TOYO ENVY !!!

The Toyo Open Country M/T is the other tire that I considered...it just wasn't available when I got my MT/R's. So SINCITY: How are they on the road (to and from the trails)? Noise level? Construction? Weights needed to balance? Etc.? Give us the full review buddy!

 

[calamaridog]

I would have gotten those Toyo MT's if they were available, even though I don't really need an MT style tire. I was dying to check them out but they were not available yet.

I've heard only good things about those tires from the few lucky people who are running them.

 

[Pskhaat]

I've tried customer support @ Toyo and they are WAY backed up in orders for almost any MT size.

 

[SINCITY100]

The Toyo Open Country M/T is the other tire that I considered...it just wasn't available when I got my MT/R's. So SINCITY: How are they on the road (to and from the trails)? Noise level? Construction? Weights needed to balance? Etc.? Give us the full review buddy!

Well, since you asked !!...


Ok..I apoligize if this thread got off-track a bit, after all..it was simply a "first time in the snow" comment...right?...

The day I purchased my MTR`s, I immediately went out to the desert near my house, and tried them out on a fairly steep and rocky hill that I had gone up a few times before with both my stock Dunlops and my Michelin Cross/Terrains. The ride out there was very smooth and fairly quiet, and the traction on wet pavement is quite good.
I was amazed at the difference, even before I got to the hill ( it required driving up a pretty deep gravel/sand wash), the tires floated MUCH better on top of the surface, and it took less effort from the engine to get through.

The hill was the next test, and it climbed to the top without even SLIGHTLY slipping a tire ! I was like.." Hell Yeah ! "

I even went further down the trail to a spot where I had an embarrasing episode a few months earlier when wheeling with a number of other rigs. I was armed with my Dunlops (and my stock suspension) at the time, and I hung my rear diff and various other underpinnings on a large outcrop of rocks while spinning my tires helplessly.

Now with my OME lift and the MTR`s..I walked up that monster with ease !!

I must admit...I felt like I was driving a Sherman Tank that day.

I had met a friend at the trailhead to go with me, and he was so impressed that he said he was going to buy MT/R`s for his 4runner !

Well...I have to say that I was quite happy with the tires.. until the next outing..

A couple of co-workers decided to do a run up a popular pass nearby, and I came along, of course, to show them how a "real 4x4 " climbs, so we set out and..Oh, AFTER the Chevy that was with us broke its front end and had to limp home, we continued up the mountain. My 100 did awesome, but when I got back to town I noticed an unusual amount of cuts on my tread.

It has only gotten worse since then. As I mentioned, after a recent run with a fair amount of steep, rocky climbs my tires are starting to lose small chunks of rubber all over the lugs. Yes, I have had to spin the tires a bit on some of these hills, but I honestly thought that the tread would hold up better than this.
One other thing I noticed when climbing slopes laterally, was the modest amount of traction (my 100 tended to slide sideways downhill pretty easy).

I have a lot of vibration and a little more noise now, but I am sure that a rebalance would help.

I am not saying that these tires are junk...In fact they will claw their way up almost anything easily... I just expected MUCH better durability

OK... I am officially DONE whining about these tires !!

 

[spressomon]

Well, since you asked !!...


Ok..I apoligize if this thread got off-track a bit, after all..it was simply a "first time in the snow" comment...right?...

The day I purchased my MTR`s, I immediately went out to the desert near my house, and tried them out on a fairly steep and rocky hill that I had gone up a few times before with both my stock Dunlops and my Michelin Cross/Terrains. The ride out there was very smooth and fairly quiet, and the traction on wet pavement is quite good.
I was amazed at the difference, even before I got to the hill ( it required driving up a pretty deep gravel/sand wash), the tires floated MUCH better on top of the surface, and it took less effort from the engine to get through.

The hill was the next test, and it climbed to the top without even SLIGHTLY slipping a tire ! I was like.." Hell Yeah ! "

I even went further down the trail to a spot where I had an embarrasing episode a few months earlier when wheeling with a number of other rigs. I was armed with my Dunlops (and my stock suspension) at the time, and I hung my rear diff and various other underpinnings on a large outcrop of rocks while spinning my tires helplessly.

Now with my OME lift and the MTR`s..I walked up that monster with ease !!

I must admit...I felt like I was driving a Sherman Tank that day.

I had met a friend at the trailhead to go with me, and he was so impressed that he said he was going to buy MT/R`s for his 4runner !

Well...I have to say that I was quite happy with the tires.. until the next outing..

A couple of co-workers decided to do a run up a popular pass nearby, and I came along, of course, to show them how a "real 4x4 " climbs, so we set out and..Oh, AFTER the Chevy that was with us broke its front end and had to limp home, we continued up the mountain. My 100 did awesome, but when I got back to town I noticed an unusual amount of cuts on my tread.

It has only gotten worse since then. As I mentioned, after a recent run with a fair amount of steep, rocky climbs my tires are starting to lose small chunks of rubber all over the lugs. Yes, I have had to spin the tires a bit on some of these hills, but I honestly thought that the tread would hold up better than this.
One other thing I noticed when climbing slopes laterally, was the modest amount of traction (my 100 tended to slide sideways downhill pretty easy).

I have a lot of vibration and a little more noise now, but I am sure that a rebalance would help.

I am not saying that these tires are junk...In fact they will claw their way up almost anything easily... I just expected MUCH better durability

OK... I am officially DONE whining about these tires !!

Sorry SINCITY...I meant how are the Toyo M/T's?

 

[calamaridog]

LOL,

Sincity, just remember your 100 weighs almost as much as a Suburban when you are wheeling with the lighter rigs. Real noticeable on the off camber stuff.
(I've found my rig is invaluable when my buddies don't take the easy line and get stuck. This big bitch can yank anything out with one little tug)

If for example you ran the same tire on a lighter vehicle you may get better results. Or if you were locked in the rear and had less wheel spin on a difficult rocky climb. All this stuff will come into play.

 

[SINCITY100]

Sorry SINCITY...I meant how are the Toyo M/T's?

Aww man !! I wrote ALL that for nothing ? !! I had to proof-read that damn review over 10 times AND correct my spelling at least 17 times !!

Oh well..I guess someone out there got a free MT/R "hands-on" experience !!

LOL !!

Oh, as far as those Gosh-Darn Toyos go...They are TOP NOTCH !!

My buddy`s Open Country MT`s (33x13.5) are quiet, smooth, balanced out with 1 or 2 weights max, effortlessly climb ANYTHING, do great in the mud, snow or on wet pavement....And show NO signs of wear !!

I had originally ordered Toyos, but after 6 months of back order hell...I went with the Goodyears...

He CONSTANTLY reminds me of how much he loves those Toyo`s....Wait, and I still call him a friend?...

 

[SINCITY100]

LOL,

Sincity, just remember your 100 weighs almost as much as a Suburban when you are wheeling with the lighter rigs. Real noticeable on the off camber stuff.
(I've found my rig is invaluable when my buddies don't take the easy line and get stuck. This big bitch can yank anything out with one little tug)

If for example you ran the same tire on a lighter vehicle you may get better results. Or if you were locked in the rear and had less wheel spin on a difficult rocky climb. All this stuff will come into play.

You are 100% correct dog... and as you said earlier too, the type of INTENDED USE has a lot to do with tire selection !

The 100 is a hefty rig, to say the least...But I dont mind being the IH8MUD tire tester/abuser for all of the readers` future reference (BTW.. donations are accepted ) !!

 

[calamaridog]

Donations? You can donate those MTR's to me and I will put them on a separate set of rims

Then you can test the Toyo MT's you have been publicly lusting after