Predator New Mutant X-AT tyres tested

With the huge amount of touring I do each year it’s important that I choose the right tyres for ride, comfort and reliability.

Predator Tyres recently launched a range of all-terrain (AT) and mud-terrain (MT) tyres in various sizes to gauge the Australian market, with more sizes coming soon, so I thought I’d give them a go.

Predator, you ask? Parent company ROH Wheels saw an opening in the market to launch these new tyres for Aussie adventurers. ROH has been making wheels for a huge range of vehicles worldwide since the early 1940s, including OEM rims, and before dipping its toe into the tyre market the company tested several brands before settling on the Chinese-made Predator tyres.

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The Predator New Mutant X-AT is the super-aggressive muddy with deep lugs for maximum traction in mud, sand and rocky terrain.

It features an advanced X-tread pattern with dual sidewall protection for sticky mud situations where you need all the traction you can get. At the moment the MT’s are only available in three 17-inch sizes but according to ROH more sizes will be added as demand increases.

The New Mutant X-AT tyre is available in 15-inch up to 18-inch sizes, and this is what I opted for on my LandCruiser, in an LT285/75R16 size, and after six months I am suitably impressed with their performance. At first I was hesitant that they didn’t look like an aggressive AT tyre, and I wondered how they would perform in outback conditions, but with nearly 20,000km on them I have become a fan.

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They are impressively quiet on sealed roads and offer plenty of grip in dry and wet conditions, but it’s off-road where they really shine.

So far I’ve tested the X-ATs on some pretty remote outback roads where they have again proven to be quiet on dirt and rock surfaces, and they do a good job of flicking away stones that can get caught up in the tread blocks of some other tyres I have tested.

Like the X-MTs, the New Mutant X-ATs also run an X-tread pattern, and they have a ‘Spike’ dual sidewall design.

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When driving through the harsh rocky terrain of the northern Flinders Ranges these tyres really showed their worth; despite the sharp, shaley rocks with jagged edges, the tyres with their 10-ply sidewalls and deep, aggressive X-tread saw them ease through every track I tackled.

Predator claims the New Mutant X-AT has an advanced tread compound for long-lasting wear and optimum traction. The tyre is covered by a four-year manufacturer’s warranty and an 80,000km tread life warranty, so long as certain conditions are met that can be found on the Predator website.

ROH has clearly made a good call in introducing Predator Tyres to the Australian market.