Mickey Thompson Baja Boss AT 255/85/17 (35" Pizza Cutters).

[SamJ3]

I choose these tires (Mickey Thompson Baja Boss A/T 255/85R/17) and have been running these for about six months. 100% happy with the choice. The tires are mounted on stock steel 17x7.5 rims, no spacers, and front-end 1.5" Teraflex leveler. The vehicle is a Sport with an automatic transmission, and non-TowMax (i.e., standard width Dana 44 axles.). I recalibrated the speedometer using a Tazer. The ride is no louder than the original A/T tires and the fuel mileage seems unaffected. Here is a pick of how these sit under the fenders, and another with the profile showing clearance and rake.

Sponsored

 

[ecidiego]

Would these be better than factory Falken AT3/s if my primary offroad use is sand/desert? Some rocky trails but not "crawling"....

 

[chr15m]

Would these be better than factory Falken AT3/s if my primary offroad use is sand/desert? Some rocky trails but not "crawling"....

Do you have traction issues with the Falkens now?

Theyre both really good tires, I prefer the Bajas to any other tire I have ever run, but they may not be worth the cost unless your Falkens are running low on tread.

In my experience theyre both quiet, both great in the snow, but the Bajas are a lot better in the rain. Tread spacing is slightly wider which is likely why they seem better in the rain as the ATW3s have no dedicated water channels. The Bajas dont either, but the gap between the edge tread and center tread is pretty open. The blocks are also more open, I would suspect theyd be better in sand.

If I had low mileage ATW3s I wouldn't fork over the 1400+ in cash for the Bajas. The differences arent that valuable.

 

[mortuar]

What are you guys getting for mpg on these?

I've got just over 2,000 miles on my Gladiator, but I'm seeing right at about 15 mpg via the truck itself (I haven't done the math myself as I don't drive often and always forget to). Not sure if that's normal or just my driving habits. I also live close to the mountains, so elevations change a lot on really any drive I go on. I'm also using a Tazer and have it recalibrated for the tires. PSI I have set is 30 cold.

 

[ourjeeps]

Understandably lots of Mickey Thompson Baja Boss A/T fans/users out there - they are well designed tires, and have been historically.

As an FYI the Mickey Thompsons are under the Goodyear brand, after Goodyear bought Cooper in 2021... Cooper bought Mickey Thompson (AKA Max Track Tire Co.) in 2003. A long line of US tire manufacturers.

Re. the Falken WildPeak AT3W, the new AT4W is replacing the AT3W... See Link: https://toptirereview.com/bfgoodrich-all-terrain-ta-ko3-vs-falken-wildpeak-at4w/

 

[Solar Sparky]

So I went with the Venom Power in 35/10.5/17’s on my new Mojave and love them. Much quieter than the Falken MT’s. Still haven’t got out to the Ocala NF to test them in the mud, but I like the way they ride and look

 

[ourjeeps]

So I went with the Venom Power in 35/10.5/17’s on my new Mojave and love them. Much quieter than the Falken MT’s. Still haven’t got out to the Ocala NF to test them in the mud, but I like the way they ride and look

The Venom tires look great. I don't have any personal experience with the brand, but it appears to be a great value-priced tire in the current market. Pls keep the forum posted on the durability and handling experience.

Re. your tire size, came across a eye-opening, excellent, science-based 16 minute video analysis by a mechanical engineer of wide vs narrow offroad tires (proverbial fat vs. skinny "pizza cutter" tires argument) for a FJ-Cruiser from an offroad flex perspective. I encourage all to give it a view, with an open mind. The visual aesthetics of fat tires is admittedly compelling, but the derision of skinnies is somewhat unfair allowing for owner's specific vehicle use. Deep mud, sand, gravel, snow, and ice are special considerations.

Of note - in other videos, he readily and honestly supports the solid axle Jeep design as best for the most demanding off-road applications. Even as the Toyotas have the on-road (think urban "Consumer Reports" users) --- NOT why we choose Jeeps however!

He makes a detailed, unemotional, performance argument for the Non-Bro-Approved 35x10R17 ~255/85R17 skinnies.

Seems the Bro-Approved 12.5+ wide truck tire trend, is largely USA based. Recalling the old school WWII jeeps and classic Land Rovers of years gone by w/ ~6-8 inch wide tires.

Across the decades, we've ended up with 12.5's on most all of our Jeeps, but the video has us considering the 35x10R17 255/85R17 skinnies as an upgrade for the wife's 2024 JTRX.

Bonus is - you don't have to buy new wheel$ if the OEM ones work for you. We have some "new" 2017 JKUR Recon wheels, sitting in the shop, that we may repurpose with 35" skinnies for the Gladiator... Wife says please NO lift on her Glad Rubi... ...as the years roll on by - she has an increasing challenge getting (up) into her JKUR Recon, and my lifted CJ-5...

 

[Solar Sparky]

The Venom tires look great. I don't have any personal experience with the brand, but it appears to be a great value-priced tire in the current market. Pls keep the forum posted on the durability and handling experience.

Re. your tire size, came across a eye-opening, excellent, science-based 16 minute video analysis by a mechanical engineer of wide vs narrow offroad tires (proverbial fat vs. skinny "pizza cutter" tires argument) for a FJ-Cruiser from an offroad flex perspective. I encourage all to give it a view, with an open mind. The visual aesthetics of fat tires is admittedly compelling, but the derision of skinnies is somewhat unfair allowing for owner's specific vehicle use. Deep mud, sand, gravel, snow, and ice are special considerations.

Of note - in other videos, he readily and honestly supports the solid axle Jeep design as best for the most demanding off-road applications. Even as the Toyotas have the on-road (think urban "Consumer Reports" users) --- NOT why we choose Jeeps however!

He makes a detailed, unemotional, performance argument for the Non-Bro-Approved 35x10R17 ~255/85R17 skinnies.

Seems the Bro-Approved 12.5+ wide truck tire trend, is largely USA based. Recalling the old school WWII jeeps and classic Land Rovers of years gone by w/ ~6-8 inch wide tires.

Across the decades, we've ended up with 12.5's on most all of our Jeeps, but the video has us considering the 35x10R17 255/85R17 skinnies as an upgrade for the wife's 2024 JTRX.

Bonus is - you don't have to buy new wheel$ if the OEM ones work for you. We have some "new" 2017 JKUR Recon wheels, sitting in the shop, that we may repurpose with 35" skinnies for the Gladiator... Wife says please NO lift on her Glad Rubi... ...as the years roll on by - she has an increasing challenge getting (up) into her JKUR Recon, and my lifted CJ-5...

If you spend enough time off-road in Colorado and Utah, you’ll find that the trails get narrow, and the wider your stance the more subject to the sharper rocks that get less traffic to smooth the edges. I don’t dislike the look of the wider tires, they just seem more for looks than useability. A cut or hole in the tread can be plugged, at least enough to get back down to civilization. A cut or hole in the sidewall and you are done. Taller gives you better clearance from the ground, but wider puts you closer to some nasty jagged edges.

 

[Flanders]

The most capable tire is the tallest, skinniest tire that will fit under the fender, assuming comparable tread and durability among the options. Everything else is puffery.

 

[ScoutVet19D]

After reading the comments in this thread I decided to chance a set off the Baja Boss A/T's in 255/85/17. I had a set of Falken Wildpeak AT3W's that were likely take off's since I bought my truck last year used. I'm guessing they were about 1/3 recommended tread life left but I hadn't checked recently. I live in potholelandia AKA Indiana. My JTR rode really rough over the roads locally. Every bump was really noticeable. I ditched the worn out Fox shocks earlier this year and felt like the clown wagon floaty feel was much improved but the ride was still pretty harsh for anything longer than 30 minutes. So far, and it's only been a week, the steering feels more responsive and the potholes aren't as abusive on the spine.

I had no delusions my JTR was going to be luxury SUV level comfort but between the garbage ass fox shocks and Falken tires it was not pleasant to say the least. Admittedly at 49 yrs old my back prefers much more comfortable seating. The new tires do make a good amount of improvement to both the steering and the comfort level of the ride. I felt the Wildpeak's were leaving the steering feeling like it was just kinda loose even after getting the PSC big bore gearbox last year. Now the steering feels like you turn the steering wheel and it responds the way I think most people would agree is better.

When the truck hits a pot hole or rail road tracks or what have you it's still harsher than a luxury SUV but dialed down about 1/3 less than it was. So it's not like I am aiming for the rough patches it's just less grating when I can't avoid them.

Overall good feedback from all of you who have posted already and thanks for the reviews. I agree the Baja Boss A/T's in the narrow 35" height (255/85/27) are a good pick.

The tech at Discount Tire set them to 45 psi per tire and I'm wondering what other's have found to be a good psi to run them at on the road? I'm thinking I am going to try to run them at 40 psi and see if that feels a bit better in buttometer ride feel

 

[SamJ3]

. . . I'm wondering what other's have found to be a good psi to run them at on the road? I'm thinking I am going to try to run them at 40 psi and see if that feels a bit better in buttometer ride feel

I called M/T support, and they suggested 42psi. I tried that and felt too high. Using both a chalk test, and measuring wear on the tread 1,000 miles at a time, I am now running 35 psi. (I may lower to 32 next time I air down and refill to see how that feels.)

At 35-36, the ride is more than acceptable, and the tread seems to be wearing evenly. The recommended pressure for the OEM tires was 36 all around. (Thinking about it from a physics perspective, I probably should have started at 36, since the vehicle weight is virtually unchanged.)

 

[Thunderspud]

The tech at Discount Tire set them to 45 psi per tire and I'm wondering what other's have found to be a good psi to run them at on the road? I'm thinking I am going to try to run them at 40 psi and see if that feels a bit better in buttometer ride feel

At 35-36, the ride is more than acceptable, and the tread seems to be wearing evenly. The recommended pressure for the OEM tires was 36 all around. (Thinking about it from a physics perspective, I probably should have started at 36, since the vehicle weight is virtually unchanged.)

I started at 33 cold. Noticed these skinny guys would end up somewhere around 39 once warm......which was a bigger difference than I expected. I'm sure someone smarter than I can provide the math on why that is. Those Fluid Dynamics classes in college were a long time ago, lol.

I ended up at 30psi cold after doing the "chalk test". Figured I would test again once the weather stays warm for more than a week. Only have a couple thousand miles on them but they seem fine. Didn't notice a difference in ride regardless.

 

[Zerotrev]

When you say better steering are you guys meaning easier to steer or less wobble?

 

[SamJ3]

I started at 33 cold because thats what the door jamb said for the OEM Falken MT's. Noticed these skinny guys would end up somewhere around 39 once warm......which was a bigger difference than I expected. I'm sure someone smarter than I can provide the math on why that is. Those Fluid Dynamics classes in college were a long time ago, lol.

I ended up at 30psi cold after doing the "chalk test". Figured I would test again once the weather stays warm for more than a week. Only have a couple thousand miles on them but they seem fine. Didn't notice a difference in ride regardless.

Now that think about it, I've been running at 33 since December arrived with the cooler weather. I didn't add air after the temps dropped.

 

[1945gpw]

I recently got the falken at4w in a 35x11.5r17 so far I really like them. Was thinking about getting the Baja but they were a bit more expensive. If I go 37s I’ll probably get the Baja since they are the only ones I am aware of that have it in a 11.5 wide

Sponsored