I’ll be honest, when I was looking for a tire on my old Toyota; the Mickey Thompson Baja MTZ wasn’t on my radar. I wanted a tire that could handle daily driving, a long trek through the desert and be comfortable driving through Rubicon. It needed to be durable, well balanced, and have exceptional traction.
Then someone turned me onto the MTZ. I had assumed that as of recent, the tires were better suited for a street truck than a rockcrawler. With minimal expectations, I purchased a set, mounting them on my un-balanced beadlocked wheels and went for a test drive. To my amazement, they were very quiet, smooth and the traction was excellent.
With the initial road test behind me it was time to put some real miles on the truck. It was time for King of the Hammers '09, and I was headed south, proceeding into the desert of Southern California. You must remember, at this point I’m driving a 185k old Toyota Hilux with a well worn 22re engine. Previously the truck has been fitted with a set of 31” BFG Mud Terrains. I was expecting the additional weight of the tire to slow me down, and the bigger voids to cause additional noise. To my surprise the tire was quieter than the old BFG muds, and the truck easily cruised at 70mph along highway 5.
The passed my initial road test by leaps and bounds.
Then came the real challenge: The Rubicon trail. It was May of 2009 and the trail saw a late snow melt. Most of the creeks and crossings were deep with 2’ of water. Rocks were slick, and I was being made fun of for not purchasing a set of super swampers. The other trucks on the trail ride were equipped with 37”+ swampers. I felt a bit out of place with my 35” radials, as I was the odd man out. As one can imagine, I was worried for the durability of these tires under harsh terrain. But again, to my amazement, the Toyota was able to conquer the trail, grabbing traction where the swampers slipped. So not only did I feel the MTZ to keep up with the super swamper counterparts, it in fact surpassed them with a better ability to conform to rocks. I was amazed how I was going as far or father than the ‘bigger’ trucks on the trail.
Then, I was sold. I had been proven that both on the trail and on the highway that these tires flat out worked.
Now here we are, 4 years and 25,000 miles later. The tires have since seen many more Rubicon trips, the California Desert, a move to LA, many days of commuting, more days driving through the central valley, and still doing strong. While they are now a bit chunked from rocks, the Mickey Thompson name worn down from wheeling, and having 70% less tread than when they were new, the tires still continue to impress me both on the road, and on the trail.
Here are my Pro's and Cons:
Pros:
Cons:
Now the big question: Would I buy them again? The answer is Yes.
Then someone turned me onto the MTZ. I had assumed that as of recent, the tires were better suited for a street truck than a rockcrawler. With minimal expectations, I purchased a set, mounting them on my un-balanced beadlocked wheels and went for a test drive. To my amazement, they were very quiet, smooth and the traction was excellent.
With the initial road test behind me it was time to put some real miles on the truck. It was time for King of the Hammers '09, and I was headed south, proceeding into the desert of Southern California. You must remember, at this point I’m driving a 185k old Toyota Hilux with a well worn 22re engine. Previously the truck has been fitted with a set of 31” BFG Mud Terrains. I was expecting the additional weight of the tire to slow me down, and the bigger voids to cause additional noise. To my surprise the tire was quieter than the old BFG muds, and the truck easily cruised at 70mph along highway 5.
The passed my initial road test by leaps and bounds.
Then came the real challenge: The Rubicon trail. It was May of 2009 and the trail saw a late snow melt. Most of the creeks and crossings were deep with 2’ of water. Rocks were slick, and I was being made fun of for not purchasing a set of super swampers. The other trucks on the trail ride were equipped with 37”+ swampers. I felt a bit out of place with my 35” radials, as I was the odd man out. As one can imagine, I was worried for the durability of these tires under harsh terrain. But again, to my amazement, the Toyota was able to conquer the trail, grabbing traction where the swampers slipped. So not only did I feel the MTZ to keep up with the super swamper counterparts, it in fact surpassed them with a better ability to conform to rocks. I was amazed how I was going as far or father than the ‘bigger’ trucks on the trail.
Then, I was sold. I had been proven that both on the trail and on the highway that these tires flat out worked.
Now here we are, 4 years and 25,000 miles later. The tires have since seen many more Rubicon trips, the California Desert, a move to LA, many days of commuting, more days driving through the central valley, and still doing strong. While they are now a bit chunked from rocks, the Mickey Thompson name worn down from wheeling, and having 70% less tread than when they were new, the tires still continue to impress me both on the road, and on the trail.
Here are my Pro's and Cons:
Pros:
- Great traction
- Quiet for a Mud Terrain
- Good tread wear
Cons:
- White lettering wore out, turning into a white wall
- Tires started to chunk bad after 4-years
Now the big question: Would I buy them again? The answer is Yes.