Good Year Wrangler MTR
We had the opportunity to truly test the next generation of Good Year Wrangler MTR’s with Kevlar sidewalls. In a two month period we put over 12,000 miles on the new generation tire and put them to the test on highway, mud, snow and every condition we could possibly throw at them.
Since we are constantly looking for products that stand out and perform in a fashion that we can rely on and promote as items that we would not only run on our own wheeling rigs, but that we would also recommend to our friends and colleagues in the industry. Having run and tried several tires on our personal Jeeps over the years it is always tough when it comes time to replace them. When you ask guys at tire stores they have their preferences (usually the brand they sell) but they aren’t always guys that take vehicles out and use them like we do and rely on the performance of a tire.
When it does come time to buy new tires nothing is more frustrating than ordering a set of tires online or from a magazine expecting to get a 36” tire and winding up with a set that is closer to 35” or sometimes even smaller, especially after tossing down what could amount to a paycheck or two to get them. One of the first things that we did see and appreciate is the fact that these tires are as close to the advertised measurement as we have seen.
We took these tires on our road trip around the country wheeling while getting the chance to test how they did on the highway as well. The tires were surprisingly quiet on the highway which was nice to not have to listen to the howl and growl of a tire and at the same time rode smooth and comfortable. We had the first chance to test them off-road in Texas while attending Jeep Jamborees Texas Spur. The conditions were wet with flash flooding, we ran the tires at manufacturers recommended air pressure and they did great on the wet, granite rock we put them up against as well as the sandy creek beds that had more than a foot of running water and never broke traction.
From there they went through the mountains around Ouray Colorado under snowy, muddy and wet conditions again at manufacturers recommended pressure and did great. Another 2,000 miles on the highway as we made our way to New York for some east coast wheeling which consisted of large mud holes, off camber sections where we wound around trees, boulders and rock gardens where we needed the traction to keep from caving in body panels. Once again they did all that we expected from them.
In Maine we had more mud and even wetter conditions so we aired down for the first time to 16 psi in the front and 14 psi in the rear on stock Jeep rims since we knew there was plenty of mud and rocks that we would be contending with. Dealing with wet rocks can pose frustrating challenges due to the fact that you may pick one line but the wet rocks and gravity can quickly change that. The MTR’s held up well and got us through the rock gardens and obstacles in outstanding fashion. The next week we were in Indiana under the same conditions and lowered the pressure back down and they never let us down.
One of the true tests was in Kentucky where the rain had literally washed some of the trail system away creating extremely muddy and loose soil conditions. A large part of the area that we wheeled for that event was in ravines and up and over tree roots that we depended on a tire that could grab on the sides as well as the tread. This was where we really began to see how well these tires performed after everything we had to throw at them. They held the Jeep when we were using the outer edge of the tire and the side biters to hold our grip and when we needed to get over the tree roots they held up when other tires had the sidewalls tear.
We had another 2,000 miles to travel to get to our last wheeling stop Moab, Utah. On our way we ran into a blinding snow storm in Colorado that was a wet, slushy snow that collected on the ground quickly and left several vehicles sliding into the ditch to be left stranded and others that we passed had rolled over. We even pulled off the road into rest area parking lots so we could slam on the brakes and test the stopping power of the vehicle and the grip of the tires and were surprised at how well they did giving us the confidence to continue on (at a safe and controllable speed of course). Once in Moab we had a chance to see how they did on the famed “slick rock” and once again we were not let down.
These tires are extremely impressive in all areas and I would recommend them for anyone thinking of purchasing new skids for their rig. I am personally impressed with the strength of the tires, and would have to credit the Kevlar in the new design for that. We did stay on top of the rotation every 3,000 miles for this trip and when not on the trail we did make sure to run them at manufacturer’s recommendation for the tire pressure.
