Ryan0260

As a long time Nitto fanboy, I decided I was ready to go a different direction with my next set of tires. Having run the Nitto Mud Grapplers, Trail Grapplers, and most recently the Ridge Grapplers, I have a lot experience with all 3, which are all very different. My favorite all around of the 3 was the Trail Grappler, although they aren't perfect. It seems like most of the Jeeps in my area run Nittos and Toyos, so I started looking for something completely different. Another problem I'm sure a lot of you have run into is availability. Many tires are hard to get right now, and many seem to never be in stock, especially anything over a 35.

So I started doing research and looking at reviews and I kept coming back to a tire that I honestly have not seen anyone running in my area which is the Mickey Thompson Baja Boss M/T. All of the reviews found on them said they had good road manners and were relatively quiet for how aggressive they are, but were absolutely incredible off road, especially in the mud and rocks. The mud in my area is clay, and many tires struggle in it, so this will be a good test for them. The only complaint I heard was some chunking on the rocks, but those saying that admittedly were beating on them pretty hard. A few others questioned the lifespan of these tires due to what they felt was a softer compound. I will touch on that later. I think many saying these are soft are comparing them to some of their tires from years ago. I ran a set back in the day and they were definitely a softer compound, but these are much different tires, and that was a long time ago.

The Baja Boss M/T is marketed as a premium extreme mud terrain tire. I will say that this tire is a lot more aggressive in person that what pictures show. It features an asymmetrical tread design, which is supposed to improve on road handling, ride, and noise. It is NOT a directional tire though. When mounting the tire is labeled in and out, but it is a no brainer when looking at them. Some people have compared this tire to the Goodyear MTR, but it is a very different tire. I have experience with the MTR and was never impressed by them. Per Mickey Thompson, These tires feature extra large 4 pitch sidebiters, Powerply XD which they say adds 50% heavier denier cord to the angled 3rd ply for better puncture resistance, quicker steering response, and greater stability, stone ejector ribs, and a silica reinforced compound for better wear, cut and chip resistance, improved wet handling and braking, and are available in many sizes from 15'' up to 24''. I went with the 37x12.50R17. This is a load range D tire, which was important when choosing my next tire. E rated tires are too stiff on JK's. It is listed at 36.8" OD, with a 13' section width and 10.2 tread width. I do wish they would offer this tire in a 13.50 width. Their 40" version is 13.50 wide. This tire is only 79 lbs, which is very good for a mud tire. The best spec for me on these tires is the tread depth which is 22/32nds. There are only a few tires on the market with 21/32 or 22/32. Namely Nitto and Toyo. In person the tread depth is incredible.

I ordered these tires Directly from Mickey Thompson and a few days later a semi was dropping them off at my friends shop.




Here is a comparison of the Baja Boss M/T and the Nitto Ridge Grapplers coming off. Although both tires share a tighter pattern in the center, they are completely different tires. The outer lugs on the Baja Boss are massive, almost like paddles.




Now the fun part of mounting these on my ATX Slab beadlocks. One small complaint I have on the Baja Boss for those who are mounting on beadlock wheels is that you will have to use a razorblade to remove the excess flashing in the inner bead so the ring seals properly, but not a huge issue by any means. Other than that, zero issues mounting these up. These tires look fantastic in person and you can tell they are a quality tire. I will even say in my opinion they are the best looking MT currently on the market, although everyone will have their opinion. They knocked it out of the park with the looks and design. The tires run true to size and the rubber does not feel like a real soft compound at least by touch, and you can definitely feel the silica in the rubber compound. I also forgot to mention that Mickey Thompson offers the Baja Boss M/T in a sticky compound that is not DOT approved and not for on road use. Looks wise, I really like the design of this tire. It doesn't have the cookie cutter tread pattern like the Nittos and Toyos, although the Toyo M/T is still one of the best looking M/Ts out there. Side by side with a friend running Toyos, the Baja Boss just looks more aggressive. Reports on this tire have said that it is an extremely durable tire and hooks up great on the rocks.

Here are some pictures of the tires mounted.







I had these balanced at a different shop and after asking them to let me know how much weight they took, they forgot. But other reviews I had read on them said they didn't take much weight to balance. Time to slap these on the JK and take a drive.







Yes I cleaned and detailed the JK before bringing it to the shop. I was doing some other work as well, but the wheels were absolutely covered in brake dust and didn't want to drop it off in that state lol.










Initial impression from the first drive is that the tires ride very smooth for as aggressive as they are. I started with 30 psi and will likely come down a bit. These aren't as smooth as the Ridge Grapplers but again this is a much more aggressive tire. They are also surprisingly quiet for a M/T as well, but they have a good sound to them. Definitely not as quiet as the Ridge Grapplers, but that was expected. Time will tell how much louder these will get over time but I will let everyone know as this is gong to be a long term review. Unfortunately there is no rain in sight here and haven't had any for weeks, so that test is coming, as well as snow which in likely 2 months away. Will be planning a wheeling trip soon as well and am very excited to see how these do. I know Genright and a few others swear by these so they must be pretty dang good. My first thoughts on the Baja Boss M/T are very favorable. So far I am very happy with them. They look great, ride good on the street and handle well considering the tread pattern. I will also mention that this is a very flat tire, which I like. The Ridge Grapplers are oval shaped and I had issues with cupping from them. I do need to get an alignment before making a judgement but I do have a slight pull to the right and not sure if this is due to the current alignment or radial pull. Those with Trail Grapplers or Toyo M/Ts know what I mean. One pulls left and the other pulls right. This was not an Issue with the Ridge Grapplers, but they are a hybrid tire and more on the all terrain side as far as I am concerned. There is always a trade off. The Ridge Grapplers are great on the street in dry conditions but not the best in rain or snow, and there is much to be desired off road especially in deep mud. Are any of you running the Baja Boss M/T and if so what are your thoughts?

Sixty4x4

Great review. Son has the same in 315/70/15 on his JKUR and gotta love the more diameter of rubber than steel with the 15" rims. Very impressive and he has C rated.

Ryan0260

Glad to hear it! How many miles has he put on them?

resharp001

Nice review. Like your area, it's a lot of Nittos and Toyos around me. I absolutely loved the way my Trail Grapplers were on both pavement and off-pavement but I wasn't thrilled with the chunking and general wear of them as they almost appeared to dry rot a bit. I think I had them about 40k miles and then I went to the Open Country MTs. I really love the look of the Toyo, especially in 13.5" width, but I do often wish I had stuck with a 12.5" wide tire just due to the weight savings. I have ATX Chamber Pro II wheels and, as you know with your Slabs, it's just a heavy combination at the corners. It will probably take me forever to wear through these tires given the jeep is, for the most part, relegated to toy status. Seeing those various angles on that Mickey Thompson helps because it is definitely hard to get a good idea what those outter lugs are like in basic pictures, especially the lugs on the sidewall. Those pics make me want to go clean my jeep.....then I think about how much work that is and how long it takes!

Ryan0260

In my experience, the Toyo M/T does last longer than the Nitto trail grappler due to a slightly harder compound, and I agree with the looks aspect of a 13.50 although I wish the Toyo stuck with a D load rating on that width like their 12.50 offering. As far as weight, the Baja Boss M/T are over 8 lbs lighter than the Trail Grapplers, 5 lbs lighter than the Toyo M/T in the 12.50 and a whopping 15 lbs lighter than the 13.50. And yes it makes a huge difference. With that extra weight the Toyos and Nittos have been extremely durable in my experience with their thick sidewalls. Everything I have read on the Baja Boss M/T have talked about the extreme durability and coming at a lighter weight, that is very impressive. As far as the outer lugs on the Baja Boss, they are massive, and it really is hard to tell in person. Like I said before they were more aggressive in person than than what I thought they would be from looking at pictures, and the sidewall lugs are a staggered design and look great, although they don't come down as far into the sidewall as the Toyos and Nittos, and I imagine that was done to allow more flexibility in the sidewall as they trusted the sidewall strength without having to add a ton of material and extra weight there. My JK is basically toy status too lol, and cleaned up still looks almost new, and October is such a dry month here it is the only time of the year the Jeep stays clean more than a week at a time lol.

Sixty4x4

He has about 5000km / 3000miles on the tires

TheDirtman

Nice write up.

Ryan0260

Well hopefully he gets at least 30,000 more.

Ryan0260

Thanks. Have you seen anyone one running these in your area? I know a lot of people out West are running them. I always respect your brutally honest opinion on things. A lot of people don't realize that companies rely on real world results to improve their products in an insanely competitive market and if issues with a product aren't brought to their attention, then they can't improve on it.

Sixty4x4

Ryan- with the son's mileage there is not even signs of center wear yet but our pavement is mostly hotmix which is quite smooth.