This is one of the most aggressive tires on the market, and if you have these on your vehicle, you can expect a lot of compliments and questions from strangers at gas stations and in parking lots. This is a 4-ply construction, load range D tire that is D.O.T. certified for light/occasional highway use. If that seems like an odd phrase, it’s because these tires were never designed to be optimized for road use. I tested a set of 38×13.50-17LT that cost approximately $640 per tire, which works out to over $2,500 for a set of four.
Road Noise
No one needed to read this review to know that these are very loud tires on the road. If you want a quiet ride where you can have a nice conversation with your passengers, this is not the tire for you. If you want other cars on the road to hear you coming before you get to them, then this just might fit the bill.
Dry Traction
Despite the large gaps in contact area due to the massive lugs on this tire, the dry traction is excellent. The rubber compound is softer than most street tires, and I never experienced any issues breaking traction with rapid acceleration, sharp turns, or intense braking. My only concern with long-term use of this tire on the street is uneven tread wear and tread life. Luckily, with 27/32 inches of tread depth, these tires start with almost double the usable tread depth of other light truck and SUV tires.
Wet Traction
I have had several all-terrain or mud-terrain tires that I have had traction problems with during wet conditions, but I had none of those issues with these tires. While they may kick up a considerable amount of water and debris on your vehicle, you won’t have any safety concerns. It was nice to be able to take my Jeep into an off-ramp during a storm at freeway speeds without any concern that my vehicle would lose traction and slide.
Balancing
Each of these tires weighs approximately 90lbs, so it should come as no surprise that these were not easy to balance. One tire took 23oz of weights to balance, and the others took nearly as much. Depending on where you live, you may have issues finding a shop that is able to balance these due to both their size and their weight. Because of the rapid tread wear on these tires, anticipate that you may have to balance them multiple times during the life of the tire. Keep in mind that a heavier tire will also contribute to decreased gas mileage, acceleration speed, and potentially your stopping distance.
Wrap Up
You get what you pay for, and these are a high-quality tire that performs well for the function it was designed for, which is primarily off-road with light or occasional road use. These are not the ideal street tire when you factor in the cost, tread life, and performance compared to more street-oriented AT or MT tires. However, they look undeniably cool, and I understand those who are willing to put these on a daily driver. My recommendation would be to leave these for your trail rig that still needs to be street legal. I unfortunately had a bearing failure that caused me to lose one of these tires on the freeway. I don’t attribute the bearing failure to the tires, but we all know that larger, heavier tires do contribute to additional wear and tear on joints and bearings, which is another consideration to keep in mind when selecting a street tire.
Wheels
I mounted these tires on Dirty Life Mesa Race beadlock wheels that I purchased from Ryan Liggett at Beadlock Marketplace. I was very particular about the style, bolt pattern, and backspacing I was looking for, and Ryan was easy to work with to get exactly what I needed machined from a blank at a very reasonable price.
