Tire Selection...Nitto or Mickey T MTX

[CruiserRx]

I'm going to purchase 285/75/16 for my 80 and I've narrowed it down to the Nitto TG. I can't find much/any info on Mickey Thompson MTX tires and I was wondering if anyone has an experience with them.

thanks

 

[tech_dog]

If you do a forum search on "Nitto" and/or "Mickey Thompson" you'll find more information than you'll be able to read.

 

[concretejungle]

i am currently running the nitto terra grappler. First wheelin' trip i was very disappointed.....but that was because they had 42 lbs of air in them and i couldn't air them down because the valves were clogged with equal tire balancer.

Second wheelin' trip, i removed the cores and aired them down to about 22 lbs. Totally different experience. They gripped great and i climbed up and over stuff unlocked following locked rigs. I really was impressed.

 

[GreatLakesWaterjet]

Don't know about the Nitto, but M/Ts are junk! I wouldn't put them on my lawnmower!

 

[Bear80]

Don't know about the Nitto, but M/Ts are junk! I wouldn't put them on my lawnmower!

What basis do you have for this opinion?

 

[eurorom]

If I had to make a decision between the two brands I would go with Nitto Terra Grapplers, just because everybody likes them for their purpose!

Plus they seem to be more aggresive looking!

 

[GreatLakesWaterjet]

What basis do you have for this opinion?

I bought a 4-runner that had a set on it that were new. After a while, the tire cupped bad and you didn't get much tread life. I think I pulled them after 10k or so. I rotated and balanced like any other tire. Plus they were terrible off-road. I have not found a better tire than the Truxus M/T or the Goodyear MTR yet for a dual purpose rig. If it was strickly on-road, I would go with a Michilen. JMO.

 

[Bear80]

Fair enough but tire cupping shouldn't be due to the tires. I mainly asked because people confuse the name Mickey Thompson with their bias ply line of tires. I'm running their new radial MTZ's and really like them. Previously I ran bias ply baja belted and love the performance but not the road heat wear.

As for the MTX I have no experince with them and they are an old line of tires. There are better choices even within the new line of Mickey Thompson tires.

 

[ginericLC]

Also you might consider the Pro Comp Xtreme MT, the new Dick Cepek MT, or the Cooper STT. Cooper makes these as well as the MTZs. PM Walking Eagle He has about 20k or more on his MTZs.

GreatLakesWaterjet,

If the TXRus and MTR are the best tire for this sort of tire you can find I can tell you to look a little further. The Toyo Open Country MT takes the attributes that make the MTR a good tire once step further and makes a super tire.

 

[GreatLakesWaterjet]

I haven't had a set of those yet. The tires I've named are just the best I've had for this purpose. The Toyo and BFG are probally good chioces. My son's truck has the Kuhmo M/Ts and they seem to be good. He doesn't go off-road though.

 

[BrotherRob]

I have 35k and lots of wheeling on my Nittos and they are still going strong. I am highly impressed, good all around tire at a good price. Unless you are wheeling at the mall, I would consider 315s. I never regretted going big.

 

[CruiserRx]

Thanx for the feedback. I'll take a look at some of the other ones mentioned. I think that for the price the Nittos are the right choice. I'm going to look at a more aggressive tire and then decide what my wants/needs are.

 

[CruiserRx]

How about these:

Dick Cepek FCII

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/285-...tegoryZ66474QQihZ006QQitemZ160139722046QQrdZ1

 

[cruzizzle]

I am currently running MTZ's as well (33x12.50x17). They actually ride pretty decent on the road for a tire which wasn't intended solely for that purpose...and they are as quiet at speed as the Kumho AT825's I had on previously. Wear has been even so far (~2000 miles) and I would buy them again.

I did use 33" MT Baja Claws on my 94 Mini years ago when they first came out ( I think I had one of the first sets available) and radials were not available in that series yet. Granted, it was a bias tire but I wouldn't give it the same "thumbs up" as the MTZ. Extremely loud and ill-handling. Not a dual purpose tire, but not advertised to be, either. Did well off-road.

 

[concretejungle]

I will add that my former tire was a truxus (33 x 12.5) and i loved that tire!! They were awesome in the snow, awesome in the mud, awesome on rocks and pretty good on the road.

I will probably end up going back to this tire after these nittos wear out.

 

[Walking Eagle]

Also you might consider the Pro Comp Xtreme MT, the new Dick Cepek MT, or the Cooper STT. Cooper makes these as well as the MTZs. PM Walking Eagle He has about 20k or more on his MTZs.

About 22,000 miles on them. They look like they'll make 40,000 no problem. They've gotten a little noiser as time has passed as I do have a little bit of chunking. But I wheel at least once a month, sometimes more, I'm not nice to my tires, I never got the truck aligned after my 3" lift with MAF drop brackets, and they've worn great for a MT as far as I'm concerned. Been super thrilled with them on ice and snow, which we actually got a bit of this year. Wet pavement traction is great. They ride great. They go through mud great. And they've held up well to the rocks around here. Our rocks are probalby closer to the sharp pointy nasty Lava rocks in Idaho than to the smooth slick stuff in Moab. For the price I paid for them, I couldn't be happier. Well, I'd be happier if they were a full 35" Otherwise, really, no complaints.

If anyone is really interested, I can snap a shot or two of what the tread looks like now, and how deep the lugs still are. Really, I think 30,000 miles with still good tread on an MT is great, and like I said, they should run 40,000+ before they have to be replaced. What I'm saying though between 30 and 40,000 I'm guessing tread depth will give closer to AT performance off road. Sort of like having a bogger with only 1/8" tread left, they're usable on the street, but aren't going to pull you through the mud no matter how agressive they were when new.

 

[Polak]

My vote is for Nitto, but I'm bias since that's what I run!