Mickey Thompson Baja Boss A/T tyres tested

Our stretched GU Patrol has been running on a set of Mickey Thompson Baja Boss A/T tyres for the last 10 months and in that time it has clocked up 16,000km.

Most of those kilometres have been on desert trips, including a run from Ceduna to north of Port Hedland and then back home via the Gary Junction Road to Alice Springs, and then another jaunt through outback NSW and northern SA and down through the Flinders Ranges.

In fact, we have a second set of Baja Boss tyres on our 79 Cruiser, and these have had an even tougher and longer life, leading trips in the Victorian High Country, the deserts of WA, the Simpson Desert and to Cape York.

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But back to the Patrol and the Mickey T’s fitted to that vehicle. As is the wont of long distance touring in Oz, we clocked up a few kilometres on the blacktop before hitting the tracks, which varied from soft and sandy to washed-out and rock-strewn. The vehicle was heavily loaded with fuel and water and, for about a third of the distance, was also towing a hybrid camper, so there was a lot of weight on the back rubber.

In the dirt they are bloody fantastic, offering confidence and an ease of handling that makes driving a pleasure

The Baja Boss A/T range comes in a variety of sizes and for the Patrol we fitted a set of 285/75R16 Light Truck (LT) tyres. They feature an aggressive all-terrain tread pattern with a load and speed rating of 126Q, meaning the tyre is rated for a maximum speed of 160km/h and has a load carrying capacity of 1700kg per tyre.

While 160km/h is an average speed rating for a good quality light truck tyre, the load rating is quite exceptional, with many vehicle rims themselves only rated to 1500kg or less. It should be noted that different size Baja Boss tyres often have slightly different load and speed ratings, so always check that they meet your requirements.

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The tyres have a bold look with aggressive side biters and an asymmetric tread pattern, meaning that the tread blocks don’t really correspond to one another in shape and size. Mickey Thompson reckons this design means the blocks provide a greater contact area for improved handling and stability during hard cornering, better traction off road and a more even wear than is typical of a mud-terrain tyre.

The intermediate grooves in the tread design are designed to minimise road noise, while thinner sipes are aimed at providing enhanced all-weather grip and traction.

Take a closer at the tread area, specifically the outside set of large grooves, and you’ll see what Mickey Thompson calls ‘claw-like ribs’, and these are claimed to maximise grip as well as to provide protection for the tyre’s carcass. These might seem like a minor addition, but every little bit helps when driving off road. Another thing you’ll notice is the tread depth, which at an impressive 14mm is more than most tyres of an equivalent size.

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The side-biters, according to Mickey Thompson, are 50 per cent larger than any previous radial tyre from the brand, improving off-road traction in extreme conditions and minimising the chance of sidewall damage. This is something we are keenly aware of when running lower than normal tyre pressures in a range of off-road environments, where stakes and rocks can easily rip a sidewall out.

Another fantastic feature of the Baja Boss is its three-ply sidewall construction (most tyres have only two-ply sidewalls) with the third ply laid at a slightly different angle to the other two plies. This third ply also has a 50 per cent thicker sidewall cord resulting in even greater puncture resistance, and its inclusion in the tyre also results in claimed improvements to handling and steering response.

Like most tyre manufacturers, Mickey Thompson Tires uses its own exclusive compound recipe, in this case utilising chemically-coupled silica, designed to minimise rolling resistance, while also enhancing wet-weather grip and improving the cut and chip resistance across the tread face.

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With the technical mumbo jumbo out of the way, I’m sure you want to know how the tyres perform in Australian conditions. On the blacktop they are surprisingly quiet for such an aggressive-looking all-terrain tyre, and after our 16,000km we haven’t noticed any increased noise levels as they wear.

They perform well under brakes and when cornering, with good grip and responsive handling. We’ve only had them on wet tar on a couple of occasions and at no time did they exhibit any unwanted characteristics, nor did they exhibit any slipping or sliding.

In the dirt they are bloody fantastic, offering confidence and an ease of handling that makes driving a pleasure. In the really tough stuff where traction is super important, they climb slopes and crawl up gullies with little wheel spin or slip, the side-biters helping in these situations as well as protecting the bulging sidewalls form stakes and stones.

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Tyre wear has been good too, with the fronts showing less than 4mm loss of rubber while the heavily laden rears have worn a little more. Wear has been even across the tyre tread face with no indication of any chipping or scalloping of the tread blocks.

We haven’t yet had a puncture, but with tyres, any tyre, that can be as a result of good luck as much as anything else. With a tyre rotation coming up (maybe we should do that more regularly, but it hasn’t been convenient) we reckon we’ll be good for around 50,000km out of this set of rubber. Some may think that’s not exceptional, but I reckon it’s bloody good considering the conditions the tyres have been subjected to.

The Baja Boss A/Ts don’t come cheap at around $540 a tyre. I have spotted them for a bit less online, but the further you go away from the major city centres the more you are likely to pay.

The majority of our travel is on gravel roads, dirt tracks and rougher terrain, all the time carrying heavy loads, and for these conditions, the Baja Boss A/Ts are about as good as you can get.

You may pay a bit more than for other brands, but in handling and performance departments (read: safety) plus off-road ability, you can’t get much better.

Pricing

RRP: From around $540 (285/75R16 LT)
Available from: www.mickeythompsontires.com.au