Mickey Thompson Baja Boss A/T Tires Review: Aggressive Looks, Quiet Ride – GWC Mag

I’ve been building vehicles capable of off-road use and abuse since I was in high school. Out of all of the components that I have toiled over in deciding what’s best for that vehicle, tires are easily the ones I do the most research on. After all, there are factors like fitment, handling in rain and snow, ride comfort, and even road noise that all go into the overall experience you have with your vehicle; on or off-road.

For a decade, I’ve used General Tire Grabber AT/X tires on my 2005 Toyota 4Runner. I’ve enjoyed how they’ve handled on-road and off-road in all conditions. While I loved them, after three sets and more than 200,000 miles combined, I wanted to try something different.

To do that, I took a trip back into my past, to a company that I relied on for the biggest, knobbiest, mud-terrain tires I could find for an old Bronco. That company is Mickey Thompson, and those tires are the long-discontinued, but legendary, Bear Claws (they’ve been replaced with these beasts).

But, I didn’t need a massive, off-road only, mud-terrain tire. I needed something that could provide me with all of the on-road and off-road capabilities I had come to love and rely on. It didn’t take me long to decide the Mickey Thompson Baja Boss A/Ts would be those tires.

Now, after 998 miles, I have a pretty good idea of what these tires are capable of. For my needs, they are the best of what’s around.

In short: If you’re looking for a premium-performing, all-terrain tire to improve your overall ride experience, look no further than the Mickey Thompson Baja Boss A/T.

M/T Baja Boss A/T Review

About the Brand

Mickey Thompson (M/T) is known as an “enthusiast tire brand” — meaning that it make tires aimed at burning rubber and navigating through the gnarliest of trails. Since 1963, it has been developing and providing a wide range of street tires, drag racing tires, and truck tires.

It has a series of accomplishments under its belt ranging from being the first tire to successfully make it past 400 mph, the first company to produce a quiet on/off-road light truck tire, as well as many more first-to-market innovations.

Currently owned by Cooper Tires, Mickey Thompson tends to get passed over for other, trendier, tire brands for off-roaders, overlanders, and people looking for an all-terrain tire. But, I assure you, not considering these tires for your next set is a mistake.

Having owned BFGoodrich, Nitto, and General Tires, I have no issue stating that the Mickey Thompson Baja Boss A/T is the best tire I have ever used. And, my driving habits and conditions haven’t changed much in nearly 30 years.

Premium Extreme Hybrid All-Terrain Tire

Characteristically, all-terrain tires are thought to be loud, offer a less-than-smooth ride, and wear down more quickly due to their large, aggressive tread patterns. Where this really isn’t an issue when you’re navigating through muddy ruts in the woods, this is obviously less desirable when you’re driving down the highway or taking the kids to school.

The Baja Boss A/Ts are considered a “Premium Extreme Hybrid All-Terrain Tire.” What this essentially means is that they can provide a first-class smooth and quiet ride, in all conditions, both on- and off-road.

After 1,000 miles of driving through snow, ice, rain, mud, sand, gravel, and pavement, I can confirm that the Baja Boss A/T meets and exceeds all of those claims. That also includes how quiet they are at highway speeds — which is where other all-terrain tires tend to howl.

Mixed Use While Adulting

On an average day, I drive on your standard run-of-the-mill country roads, the highway, and a couple of clay-packed and gravel roads to get the kids to and from school. It’s 30 miles round trip, 15 of which are highway miles. I do this two times a day. This mileage and these road conditions represent the minimal amount of driving I will do in a day.

In the last few weeks since I had the Baja Boss A/T’s mounted, half of it was spent driving through the rain. It’s springtime in Connecticut, meaning March and April tend to be wet. This is great for driving and off-roading, but it sucks for camping, hiking, and doing yard work. I digress, we did have one day of ice and snow as well.

In all conditions, and on all of the different road types, the ride was comfortable and quiet. I didn’t experience even one bit of vibration, and when it came time to traverse one of the many potholes that festoon our fine state, none of them were jarring.

If there was one thing I had to say I am extremely impressed with, besides how great these tires look, is how they easily shed water away from the tire to keep you from hydroplaning. This is due to the tire’s asymmetric tread design, silica-reinforced compound, extreme Sidebiters, and PowerPly XD 3-ply construction.

Sidebiters and PowerPly XD are proprietary to Mickey Thomspon. You can’t see the PowerPly XD — it’s the thickness of the tire. But you can totally see the Sidebiters as they protrude from the sides of the tire giving the Baja Boss A/T more of a mud-terrain look.

Unimproved Road Testing

When I’m out heading into town, I generally take a few unimproved (clay-packed or gravel) roads that lead to a state forest and then into the town center.

One of the unimproved roads I take, River Road, follows the Connecticut River and is constantly being regraded due to it either being washed out or worn out. There’s one spot in particular that has caused me to spin my rear tires coming up and around. I made it a point to specifically test this area out, and I am stoked to report that there wasn’t any tire spinning.

In fact, there isn’t any loss of traction on the gravel even when I goose the gas a bit. But, I will say, the tread on these A/Ts can shoot that loose gravel all over the place, and the uptick in those rocks banging my undercarriage is noted.

Off-Road With the M/T A/T

When it comes down to throwing it in 4WD and hitting the trail, I don’t feel the bumps and ruts as much as I had in the past. I’ve driven these trails for years, and I know the makeup of the terrain so I have been able to identify key areas where I may have felt slipping in the past. That’s all gone.

Just like potholes, the jarring has been replaced with a rolling feeling. I have made a lot of improvements to the stock suspension on my 4Runner, but these tires really put that soft ride feeling right over the top.

Just like driving on-road, I am very impressed with the Baja Boss A/T’s ability to shed water, and now also mud, away from the tires so that they can retain as much contact with the ground as possible. This is again due to the composition of the tire and those gnarly Sidebiters.

I’m also loving all the mud on the truck. It’s way more than usual, and I wear it as a badge of honor.

One thing you won’t see is many rocks stuck in the treads. One drawback to aggressively styled all-terrain tires is that rocks always get stuck in the tread and drive you nuts as they make an annoying tap-tap-tap as you roll on down the road. That does not happen with these tires.

The Fit

Every vehicle is different, but my experience with my 2005 Toyota 4Runner has been that LT265/70 R17 tires fit without any rubbing or issues. But, just like every vehicle is different, so is every tire.

The overall size of the Grabber AT/X tires I was running was 31.6 inches in diameter by 10.7 inches wide. The same size Baja Boss A/T tires are 31.9 inches in diameter and 10.7 inches wide.

Upgrading to these tires didn’t cause any rubbing or interference, but it’s something to consider when investing in a new set of sneakers for your rig. Don’t worry, the internet has a plethora of facts and opinions that you can sort through to determine if you’ll have any issues.

The Long Road

With an assumed 49,000 miles left on these tires, based on the 50,000-mile factory tread warranty, it’s fair to assume that I won’t be noticing any change in performance and handling any time soon. But that doesn’t mean it won’t come when the time comes. The one downside to all-terrain style tires is that when they’re ready to be replaced, it’s noticeable.

Unlike a standard passenger vehicle tire, an all-terrain tire’s aggressive lugs appear as if they would give you more tire life. Realistically, they wear down quicker than those standard all-season tires. The trade-off is the ability to drive through ruts and climb up rocks with ease.

I drive around 15,000 miles a year. If I can get 3-3½ years out of these tires before they’re out of warranty, then they’re worth it.

M/T Baja Boss A/T Review: Overall Take

Initially, I wasn’t considering changing tire brands, but I was ready for new tires. Having realized that I am coming on a decade of owning my 4Runner, this May, I figured that if I was going to, this milestone could serve as my excuse. So, when the opportunity arose to test out some tires, I jumped at it and am beyond happy that I have.

My 4Runner is my daily driver, grocery getter, kid carrier, and excuse to get out on the trails. The tires I choose are one of, if not the most important part of the vehicle, its safety, and my overall experience with it.

I’ve been telling all my friends how awesome my General Grabber AT/X tires are for a long time, so this change has had an impact. But I need to note that I didn’t stop rolling those Grabbers because they’re inferior or something went wrong. Hardly. In fact, I still endorse those tires to anyone looking for a stoic all-terrain tire for their rig. However, for $25 more (on average), per tire, you can check out the Mickey Thompson Baja Boss A/T and enjoy their benefits.

At the very least, you get to experience the Sidebiters.