krelja said:
The MTZ's got a pretty good rating from the guys @ petersons or one of the magazines right now check it out. Its this months issue and on the front it says massive mud tire test. I've searched about the Bighorns before and there was alot of good things about them. I think its just gonna come down to personal preference because both tires seem to work well
I just posted this in another thread...
I read the same article in 4Wheel and Offroad that was mentioned earlier.
I believe there were about 6 tires listed in the review, Pro Comp Xtreme MT, M/T MTZ, Hercules ???, Dick Cepek ??? something from Hankook and maybe one other that I can't remember.
The Pro Comp Xtreme MT did well overall, but the impression given was that it performs better in the rocks than in the mud. They were hinting that the name of the tire was misleading. All in all it didn't do awful in the mud, but it finished in the middle of the pack. Once again it excelled in the rocks.
The Mickey Thompson MTZ (made by Cooper Tires just like the Pro Comps and Dick Cepek's, in fact there's a good chance that the Xtreme's, DC's, MTZ and Cooper SST's all have the same carcass) performed better in the mud but slightly worse on the rocks. MTZ's cleaned out their treads a lot easier than the Pro Comp's did so they performed well in the mud.
A sleeper tire was from Hercules. Can't remember the model name but the magazine was impressed with its overall performance. Biggest problem with them though was their 2-ply sidewall, which means a greater potential for trail carnage. I would assume the Hercules is the cheapest offered tire in the review.
IMO when it comes to sidewall strength it really comes down to luck. I have seen all of the mainstream mud tires be referred to as having tissue paper sidewalls over the years. I doubt it can be proven that one is significantly weaker than the other. I personally think it is often a matter of hitting the tire just right with an obstacle and whammo, you have a ruined tire. So I generally take references to weak sidewalls with a grain of salt.