Mickey Thompson Baja Boss M/T Better Than Baja Boss A/T?

[allgutsnoglory2]

So, before I get too deep into what I'm going to go on about, I will go ahead and admit that I am quite the Mickey Thompson homer. Ever since I put my first set of 285/60/20 Baja Boss A/T's on my 2021 Silverado Trail Boss, I fell in love. The look was exactly what I was going for, and the performance has (by my standards anyway) been unmatched. I have had a set of 305/70/18 on my 2021 JT for about 6 months now, and they've still not let me down. To note, I have used Toyo Open Country AT3, Toyo Open Country R/T Trail, Nitto Recon Grappler, Goodyear Duratrac, and the most hated BFG KO2. I honestly would have kept the Toyo AT3's had they been more aggressive.

That said, I wanted to move up to a more aggressive M/T style tire for spring-early winter driving here in the Midwest. This led me to the Baja Boss M/T (after also considering the Toyo R/T Pro, Falken Wildpeak R/T, and the Toyo Open Country M/T). I ended up getting those in a 35/12.5/17 (I intentionally went back down to a 17 to get more rubber for wheeling during this time). Something incredibly unexpected (by me) has happened: These more aggressive tires are somehow out-handling my AT tires. They drive smoother, seem to handle just as well (if not better) just in normal driving conditions, my transmission seems to be shifting more regularly/better, and my MPGs have gone by about 1/2-1mpg.

What I'm curious about is what the contributing factor was here. A few things to note:

The AT's are load range E vs the MT's are a D
I keep the AT's air pressure around 34-36psi, meanwhile I upped it in the MT's to 40-42psi
The AT's are obviously mounted on an 18inch wheel vs a 17inch wheel with the MT's
For anyone about to ask, I have used jscan to reprogram tire size, and ironically enough, these ended up measuring the same height within less than .25inch

Why I'm so curious about this is it has me considering ditching the E rated AT's, and switching to a load range C or D tire for winter. OR, is it being a 17" vs 18" wheel? I really don't know. All I know is I have absolutely loved the driving I've done on these Baja Boss MT's so far, and I cannot wait to get them off-road for the real test.

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[Stan H]

So, before I get too deep into what I'm going to go on about, I will go ahead and admit that I am quite the Mickey Thompson homer. Ever since I put my first set of 285/60/20 Baja Boss A/T's on my 2021 Silverado Trail Boss, I fell in love. The look was exactly what I was going for, and the performance has (by my standards anyway) been unmatched. I have had a set of 305/70/18 on my 2021 JT for about 6 months now, and they've still not let me down. To note, I have used Toyo Open Country AT3, Toyo Open Country R/T Trail, Nitto Recon Grappler, Goodyear Duratrac, and the most hated BFG KO2. I honestly would have kept the Toyo AT3's had they been more aggressive.

That said, I wanted to move up to a more aggressive M/T style tire for spring-early winter driving here in the Midwest. This led me to the Baja Boss M/T (after also considering the Toyo R/T Pro, Falken Wildpeak R/T, and the Toyo Open Country M/T). I ended up getting those in a 35/12.5/17 (I intentionally went back down to a 17 to get more rubber for wheeling during this time). Something incredibly unexpected (by me) has happened: These more aggressive tires are somehow out-handling my AT tires. They drive smoother, seem to handle just as well (if not better) just in normal driving conditions, my transmission seems to be shifting more regularly/better, and my MPGs have gone by about 1/2-1mpg.

What I'm curious about is what the contributing factor was here. A few things to note:

The AT's are load range E vs the MT's are a D
I keep the AT's air pressure around 34-36psi, meanwhile I upped it in the MT's to 40-42psi
The AT's are obviously mounted on an 18inch wheel vs a 17inch wheel with the MT's
For anyone about to ask, I have used jscan to reprogram tire size, and ironically enough, these ended up measuring the same height within less than .25inch

Why I'm so curious about this is it has me considering ditching the E rated AT's, and switching to a load range C or D tire for winter. OR, is it being a 17" vs 18" wheel? I really don't know. All I know is I have absolutely loved the driving I've done on these Baja Boss MT's so far, and I cannot wait to get them off-road for the real test.

Dude they are as good off road as Grandma's chicken dumplins' .
My set climbs like no other tire I ever owned however I find the noise from these tires now that I have reached the last 25% to be rather obnoxious.

 

[allgutsnoglory2]

Dude they are as good off road as Grandma's chicken dumplins' .
My set climbs like no other tire I ever owned however I find the noise from these tires now that I have reached the last 25% to be rather obnoxious.

Yeah, I have heard that whether it's the AT or MT, once you get to the end of life the noise gets kind of stupid. That's part of why I'm running a winter set and spring-fall set. Ideally, this will prolong the life of both sets before getting to the point of obnoxious noise levels. Glad to hear they handle so well off road though!

 

[Stan H]

Yeah, I have heard that whether it's the AT or MT, once you get to the end of life the noise gets kind of stupid. That's part of why I'm running a winter set and spring-fall set. Ideally, this will prolong the life of both sets before getting to the point of obnoxious noise levels. Glad to hear they handle so well off road though!

Yes I am going to do the same thing 2 sets of rims and tires AT's/MT's

 

[Biggy]

The higher PSi your running in the MT might contribute to the slight increase is MPG. I'm surprised they ride smoother then the AT's at 40-42PSi. That seems high to me. No complaints here with my 37" Boss AT's. I run them at 32Psi.

 

[allgutsnoglory2]

The higher PSi your running in the MT might contribute to the slight increase is MPG. I'm surprised they ride smoother then the AT's at 40-42PSi. That seems high to me. No complaints here with my 37" Boss AT's. I run them at 32Psi.

I honestly couldn't agree more. I was planning on running them at the same 34-36 range as my ATs, but one of the technicians at my shop suggested I just try 40, and it's been absolutely wild how much smoother they handle bumps and just overall driving. I do also recognize them being a D rated tire vs E could contribute to that, which is why I'm mildly considering switching to the Falken Wildpeak AT4 in 35/11.5/18 for winter, as those are 10lbs lighter each, and only a C rated tire. I just really don't want to let go of my Mickey's lol

 

[Sweetums]

So, before I get too deep into what I'm going to go on about, I will go ahead and admit that I am quite the Mickey Thompson homer. Ever since I put my first set of 285/60/20 Baja Boss A/T's on my 2021 Silverado Trail Boss, I fell in love. The look was exactly what I was going for, and the performance has (by my standards anyway) been unmatched. I have had a set of 305/70/18 on my 2021 JT for about 6 months now, and they've still not let me down. To note, I have used Toyo Open Country AT3, Toyo Open Country R/T Trail, Nitto Recon Grappler, Goodyear Duratrac, and the most hated BFG KO2. I honestly would have kept the Toyo AT3's had they been more aggressive.

That said, I wanted to move up to a more aggressive M/T style tire for spring-early winter driving here in the Midwest. This led me to the Baja Boss M/T (after also considering the Toyo R/T Pro, Falken Wildpeak R/T, and the Toyo Open Country M/T). I ended up getting those in a 35/12.5/17 (I intentionally went back down to a 17 to get more rubber for wheeling during this time). Something incredibly unexpected (by me) has happened: These more aggressive tires are somehow out-handling my AT tires. They drive smoother, seem to handle just as well (if not better) just in normal driving conditions, my transmission seems to be shifting more regularly/better, and my MPGs have gone by about 1/2-1mpg.

What I'm curious about is what the contributing factor was here. A few things to note:

The AT's are load range E vs the MT's are a D
I keep the AT's air pressure around 34-36psi, meanwhile I upped it in the MT's to 40-42psi
The AT's are obviously mounted on an 18inch wheel vs a 17inch wheel with the MT's
For anyone about to ask, I have used jscan to reprogram tire size, and ironically enough, these ended up measuring the same height within less than .25inch

Why I'm so curious about this is it has me considering ditching the E rated AT's, and switching to a load range C or D tire for winter. OR, is it being a 17" vs 18" wheel? I really don't know. All I know is I have absolutely loved the driving I've done on these Baja Boss MT's so far, and I cannot wait to get them off-road for the real test.

As someone who has been driving in mountain winters since (checks watch) forever, I cannot stress enough how utterly shit MT tires are on snowy or wet pavement.

 

[allgutsnoglory2]

As someone who has been driving in mountain winters since (checks watch) forever, I cannot stress enough how utterly shit MT tires are on snowy or wet pavement.

Oh, I have no doubt about that what so ever! That's where the ATs will be coming in. They handled this past winter exceptionally well. The MTs are just for warm weather fun and wheeling

 

[Stan H]

The higher PSi your running in the MT might contribute to the slight increase is MPG. I'm surprised they ride smoother then the AT's at 40-42PSi. That seems high to me. No complaints here with my 37" Boss AT's. I run them at 32Psi.

I run my 35's at 30psi

 

[montechie]

The Baja Boss' are a little unusual and the MTs tend to be lighter than the ATs, even the 305/70R18 ATs are showing 6lbs heavier/tire than the 35X12.50R17 MTs, and that's not accounting for a bigger 18 rim which may add even more weight. Most brands their MT is much heavier than their ATs. That's going to make a MPG and shifting difference at least.

 

[professorkx]

I run 28 psi unless towing behind the Beast, then I run 35, as I know I will be putting on some miles…

 

[Gvsukids]

Oh, I have no doubt about that what so ever! That's where the ATs will be coming in. They handled this past winter exceptionally well. The MTs are just for warm weather fun and wheeling

The first year of the Falken Wildpeak M/T were good too, but after that they are only good for summer.

 

[chr15m]

Gonna get to that point where we're all running Mickeys. They're that good, I almost miss the anxiety of deciding which tire I'll run next, almost...

Not really.

 

[allgutsnoglory2]

I run 28 psi unless towing behind the Beast, then I run 35, as I know I will be putting on some miles…

WHOA! I tried to drop down to 32ish on the AT's, and I got massive tire squeal around corners and in roundabouts. Gave me a lot of hesitation about them being too low, so that's when I went back up to 34-36.

 

[allgutsnoglory2]

Gonna get to that point where we're all running Mickeys. They're that good, I almost miss the anxiety of deciding which tire I'll run next, almost...

Not really.

I'll just be glad when they have more C or D rated options. Like, if they had a 35x11.5 in a C rated tire, I'd probably just buy the warehouse out. That's part of why I went with the 305/70/18. Just sucks that it's still an E rated tire

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