In the world of high-performance tires, few brands have amassed a reputation on par with Mickey Thompson. Since the brand’s founding in 1963, Mickey Thompson Tires & Wheels has come to stand for unfettered innovation and uncompromising performance, both on and off the tarmac. Go to any big off-roading event in North America and you’re liable to see numerous rigs running around with big, beefy Mickey Thompson tires, and for good reason: they perform.
As spring rolls around and off-roading enthusiasts everywhere start to take to the trails, chances are good that you’re considering ways to unlock that extra bit of off-road performance. You could do a lot worse than a set of Mickey Thompson tires. And lucky for you, we’ve put together a guide detailing the best Mickey Thompson truck tires on the market, from versatile all-terrain tires that won’t rattle your teeth out on the road, to more rugged mud-terrain tires that claw through terrain like a knife through butter.
Table of contents
1. Editor's Choice: Mickey Thompson Baja ATZ P3
The Mickey Thompson Baja ATZ P3 is an all-terrain-style tire in name only. In actual fact, Mickey Thompson calls this model a “hybrid,” splitting the difference between a livable all-terrain and an uncompromising mud-terrain. That means you can take it on the street, and still expect superb off-road performance, thanks to its big, staggered tread blocks, hard biting edges, and sidebiters. It also features self-cleaning multi-draft grooves that reject rocks and other debris, and the 3-ply sidewall construction for excellent durability.
2. Best Mud Tire: Mickey Thompson Baja MTZ P3
If you’re looking to go a bit more hardcore than the ATZ, the Baja MTZ P3 is a Mickey Thompson truck tire with true, bona fide mud-terrain credentials. The unique silica-reinforced tread compound lends the MTZ P3 excellent tread life for a mud-terrain tire, along with superb wet-weather performance and resistance to cuts and chips. The tire features more biting surfaces per square inch than the ATZ, and the sidebiters are that much more aggressive, giving the Baja MTZ the ability to dig into all manner of different terrains.
3. Best All Terrain Tire: Mickey Thompson Baja Boss
Bred for superior rock and boulder crawling in addition to loose-surface performance, the Baja Boss is a premium Mickey Thompson mud tire with 50% larger sidebiters than the MTZ P3. But the tire’s real party trick is its asymmetric tread block design, which has been fine-tuned to handle well and reduce noise on the pavement while delivering exceptional traction and on-center feel off-road. Cut and puncture resistance are bolstered by Mickey Thompson’s new PowerPly XD sidewalls, which take the same 3-ply construction as many of the company’s other tires and adds 50% more denier cords to the outermost ply. Because no one enjoys a flat.
4. Best All Terrain Alternate: Mickey Thompson Deegan 38
Born out of a partnership with freestyle motocross and off-road racing great Brian Deegan, the Mickey Thompson Deegan 38 won’t instantly transform you into a world-class off-road racing driver, but it will give your rig the traction it needs to perform. Plus, it looks excellent, with sharp V-shaped sidebiters and raised No. 38 crests on the sidewalls. Built with on-road manners in mind, this Mickey Thompson truck tire features small inner tread voids for quiet operation and improved contact, while the self-cleaning wide outer voids and stone ejector ribs ensure the tire still delivers world-class off-road performance.
5. Mickey Thompson Baja Claw TTC
The most extreme, hardcore Mickey Thompson mud tire on our list, the Baja Claw TTC is “the ultimate extreme traction tire.” Just looking at its aggressive, V-shaped tread block arrangements is enough to know that the Baja Claw TTC means business. Dedicated mud scoops provide superior self-cleaning traction in deep mud and snow, and the directional sidebiters deliver sidewall protection and exceptional traction through all sorts of terrain. The tread and sidewall are decoupled for superior flex, too, which means that this Mickey Thompson truck tire can find traction on just about any surface. Buy yourself a set of these and you won’t ever want to settle for anything less.
What are the important characteristics to look for in a good off-road tire?
First and foremost, you want to get the right tire for the conditions that you’ll be driving in. If you only use your rig to explore tame trails and fire roads, you’ll want to go with a tire that is considered to be all-terrain. These tires typically offer great off-road performance in mild to moderate conditions, are quiet on the road and have a longer life than more aggressive tires. If you rig isn’t a daily driver and only gets used for 4-wheeling fun on some tough trails, you’ll want something with an aggressive tread that typically has a softer construction compound for increased grip and poor traction performance.
How do I know how big of a tire that I can run?
The best and easiest way is to ask other people that have your similar setup. Otherwise I recommend going to the tire shop you plan on purchasing your tires from and see if they’re willing to do a test fit. Remember that just because it fits in the wheel well, you’ll want to turn the wheel from stop to stop to see what kind of clearance you have at full lock. It’s possible that you’ll end up doing some trimming or going to a smaller tire size.
Additional Resources
Recent Updates
11/16/2021: Ranked products, updated product descriptions, added FAQ, added additional resources
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