Tested: Mickey Thompson Baja Boss mud-terrains

If you've been keeping an eye on the 4X4 Australia long-term shed, you’ll know we recently added a cheap-as-chips GQ Patrol to the fleet, which recently underwent a whole bunch of basic mods to get it ready for its first big off-road camping trip in the Victorian High Country.

A big part of that was sorting out a new set of tyres. The GQ was pretty well stock when I got it, which included the original tri-spoke, 16-inch alloy wheels (so 1980s!) wrapped in a set of 31-inch all-terrain tyres.

9

Now, I’m very new to shopping for off-road tyres (this is my first 4x4 project) and it was made pretty clear to me early on that those ATs wouldn’t cut it once the going got tough, and I’d need to upgrade to some bigger mud-terrains. I was also told not to cheap-out on the tyres either, because while cheap knock-off brands have a super tempting buy-in price, they’re typically very noisy on the road and don’t actually do well off it. Tyres are the main thing that can make the biggest difference when the going gets tough, and I didn’t want to be that guy that always gets stuck because of bad treads.

After consulting with the experienced heads at 4X4 Australia, the team suggested a new set of Mickey Thompson Baja Boss MTs. They’re a pretty aggressive muddie, rated as one of Mickey’s best off-road tyres at 90 per cent dirt and mud, and 10 per cent sand and black stuff. That suited me fine, though, because I planned on keeping the original wheels and tyres in the event the Patrol has to do an extended period of tarmac-only service.

9

Size was also a big debate, with all my mates screaming at me to get a set of 35s. Now that sounds great to brag about and post on Instagram, but I only have a two-inch suspension lift for clearance and a standard TB42 carby to push them along. I figured a set of 33s would be the perfect happy medium upgrade, so after some agonising and research I settled on a set of 33x12.5R15 Baja Boss MTs. My reasoning was they’ll still give me more ground clearance but without any major scrubbing issues, and they wouldn’t overwork the poor TB42.

A mate of mine generously gifted me a set of no-name 15x8-inch steel wheels with old tyres, and with those in hand I went to my local Mickey Thompson dealer, Borough Tyre Service in Bendigo, to have them fitted. They came in at $511 a pop, plus $175 for fitting and disposal of the old tyres, so I was at a total of $2730 for the lot. It’s definitely at the higher end of the price spectrum of moolah to dish out on mud tyres for a dirty old GQ, so I was keen to see if the spend would pay dividends once we hit the rough terrain in the High Country.

9

The size difference between the old 31-inch AT and the 33-inch Mickey Ts. The extra ground clearance proved handy

Initial impressions of the tyres have been super positive. When I first bolted them on and went for a spin around the block, the extra road noise was pretty obvious at around 60km/h, but, if anything, they get quieter as you nudge north of 80km/h and neither me or the girlfriend had any complaints about tyre roar during the four-hour trek at 100km/h on tarmac to the High Country. The speed from a taller tyre didn’t seem to phase the car either, the Patrol still climbing hills and taking off in traffic the same way it did on the smaller 31s.

But the real test was the off-road capability once we hit the tracks in the High Country. The short of it was, the tyres were awesome! On the first day, we did the steep climb to the top of Mount Terrible, and not once did the car lose traction or struggle for grip. The same can be said on the way down, too. Even fully loaded with Esky, swag, water, fuel and everything else needed for several days camping, the tyres didn’t lose grip at all on the steep descents, which inspired a lot of confidence given the downhill engine braking of the automatic Patrol (even in low range) wasn’t exactly ideal.

9

They smashed out the boggy mud in the gullies and small river crossings were a breeze, so all-in-all I’m very happy with the tyres so far.

We’ll bring you another update on how they’re faring after I get some solid kilometres under my belt, and I’m super excited to test them to their limits this winter. Who’s ready for some mud-slinging?

9

The tyres had no issues on the steep climbs to Mount Terrible; the same can’t be said for the cooling system

RATED
Available from: mickeythompsontires.com.au; boroughtyreservice.com.au
RRP: $511 each
What we say: Meaty tread pattern will get you just about anywhere; road noise levels are surprisingly good for an MT this aggressive.