As long-time readers know we always break our tire reviews into two separate parts. The on-road review and the off-road review. We do this so you can focus on what features are most important to you and to give greater detail about tire performance than one article allows for.
GEOLANDAR XMT Road Noise Update
One concern I had with a tire that has such large lug spacing was road noise. The initial miles and testing showed that it wasn’t a big issue and in fact, the XMT was a relatively quiet tire despite those massive echo chambers.
That hasn’t completely changed although the tires are starting to show some wear. With the first 1/32nds of tread wear, the lugs have lost a little ridge. There is now more surface contact and on certain road types the XMT has picked up some highway drone that wasn’t originally present.
Rocks and Gravel
I love driving on gravel roads. There should be more of them in the civilized world. Natural tailgater prevention, less ambient heat, and with a Jeep, there is plenty of traction and a much more pleasant ride than most paved roads.
The GEOLANDAR XMT is an excellent back road companion. Just enough slip to allow you to sling the Jeep around and more than enough traction to never leave you unsettled.
Excellent tread design, sift grippy rubber compound and flexible sidewall all make the XMT a great rock tire. There have been several times where I have been running around on back roads or other OHV areas without airing down because I had a destination to get to. None of those times did I have any trouble when I decided to hit an unplanned obstacle. The XMT didn’t even miss a beat when they were wet.
Mud
For the love of me, I don’t like mud. I won’t back away from it as a challenge but I don’t go looking for it either.
If you have to tackle mud the GEOLANDAR XMT is a perfect companion. It’s what this tire was built for. Those large stepped lugs, massive void areas, and aggressive build tear at mud like a fat man at a buffet. The tires shake the mud off like water off of a duck’s back. It would take a deep mud hole to pack these tight. If you can keep the wheel speed moderate the mud just won’t stay on them. Agricultural tires are about the only tires I have used that slough off mud better.
Final thoughts.
Thinking about the mud-terrain tires that have been tested here at 4WAAM, and trying to see where the XMT stacks up, I am left with one impression. They are tied for the top of the off-road testing. There isn’t another tire that outperformed the XMT off-road and this might be the hands down winner in a straight shoot out for off-road prowess.
The on-road performance falls a little short of perfection. There are at least 2 tires that are more comfortable and quieter on-road. The XMT handles weather and daily driving as well as any competitive tire and it never lacks for traction. Compared to the G003 it replaced it is a big improvement.
In the end, if you need an all-around tire that is biased more towards off-road the GEOLANDAR XMT is the tire you want. The excellent rubber compound, tread design, durable build, and traction in any situation really stand out.
