AT, MT, HT: What the Heck is the Difference?

So, you know that when it comes to off-road tires there are a ridiculous amount of options available to you. But honestly, what the hell is the difference between them? Well some tires are geared more towards intense off-roading, some are a hybrid meant for both on and off-road performance, and some are meant high-level on-road performance.

Let’s start with the most common, the AT.

The AT tire is meant to be driven on the road, but still provide the performance and durability you need when you hit the dirt. This tire is typically engineered for all things considered, consider this tire the jack of all trades. It is engineered for gas mileage, reduced road noise, high-speed stability, off-road durability, and a tread pattern that can grip and sift through mud, rocks and gravel. While it may not be the best at any given application, it is the best all around solution for the driver who takes their truck on the daily commute and may go off road on the weekends.

Now for the MT.

The MT can be broken down into a couple different parts. There can be the MT and the Extreme MT. This tire is designed to primarily focus on off-road performance. This is where we start seeing the aggressive tread patterns, and huge blocks that are meant to grip and rip the earth beneath them. These monsters aren’t too concerned about menial things like road noise, high-speed stability, or *psphhh* gas mileage. However, where it lacks in its soft features it makes up for in its off-road control, its almost indestructible design, and ability to literally roll over ANYTHING that bothers to be in its path.

The Extreme MT is exactly how it sounds, for instance the Accelera BADAK X-TREME is a monster. This beast looks scary enough to make all other tires shake in their treads. All of these intense features the MT offers is just that much more amplified for these guys

Now let’s talk about the HT tire.

This guy is the boy scout of the group. It is meant to work hard and keep its nose clean. The HT is designed to be driven on the highway, with the best gas mileage, high-speed stability, and road noise reduction that a truck tire can offer. If you’re someone that uses his truck to load up and take to work everyday than this is the tire you’re going to mount on your wheel. These tires become doubly useful if you are somebody that regularly needs to tow a load down the highway. These guys are designed to keep you stable while barreling down the highway with skid trailed behind you.

We know there are an actual ton (or two) of things to consider when shopping for tires to mount on your truck. No matter whether you are a work horse, a muddy fun-haver, or someone who just wants a little bit of it all; there’s going to be a tire specific to you. The universal trait for these tires, is no matter the goal these guys will get it done.