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Home » Comparisons & Reviews » Best RT (Rugged-Terrain) Tire

Best RT (Rugged-Terrain) Tire

January 31, 2023 by Emrecan Gurkan 2 Comments

  • A side note here: As a former Bridgestone engineer, I strongly recommend checking DiscountTire - Treadwell out. This is a tool that DiscountTire dealers use in the store. You can get recommendations based on value, performance, and local favorites.
    TRIED & TESTED!

Rugged-terrain tires are a combination of all-terrain and mud-terrain tires. While they look aggressive as mud tires, they have also good on-road manners like accomplished all-terrain tires.  If you have to drive in severe conditions and also ride on smooth surfaces, you are at the right place.

Rugged-terrain tires can be used as all-terrain or mud-terrain tires. While they have slightly more durable than all terrains, yet, this feature might increase your fuel mileage. I do recommend these tires for commercial usage, heavy-duty applications, and towing. Well, you can buy them for a more aggressive appearance while conversing on-road manners of all-terrain tires.

At a Glance

  • Nitto Ridge Grappler – Great highway/street tire for 50% on and 50% off usage – Best Performance Driven All-Round RT Tire
  • Toyo Open Country RT – Great for hauling & towing – Best Efficiency Driven All-Round RT Tire
  • Patriot RT – Great for winter usage – Best Performance Driven Affordable RT Tire
  • Kenda Klever RT – Great appearance and durability – Best Efficiency Driven Affordable RT Tire

What are Rugged-Terrain Tires?

Rugged-terrain tires are the top point of tire technology. They can perform like an all-terrain while providing tons of off-road gripping like a mud-terrain. Sound good, right?

  • Look as aggressive as mud-terrain
  • Grip like mud-terrain
  • Perform almost as good as all-terrain on the highway
  • Less loud than mud-terrain
  • Stronger than all-terrain
  • Ability to drive on low inflation pressure

Although they can handle pretty much everything, they are not meant to be number one in one condition. They are optimal.

In order to achieve this optimum point, manufacturers sacrifice some features. These scarifications come up with advantages and disadvantages. I’ve prepared a comparison table for better understanding.

  • A side note here: If you’d like to see the best all-terrain tires by vehicle or usage, this article is GOOOOLD –> https://tireterrain.com/best-all-terrain-tires/

All-Terrain vs Rugged-Terrain vs Mud-Terrain

All-terrain, rugged-terrain, and mud-terrain tires perform differently in different conditions. The below table will explain it better!

All-TerrainRugged-TerrainMud-Terrain
DurabilityPoorGoodBest
ComfortBestGoodPoor
Fuel-EfficiencyBestGoodPoor
HighwayBestGoodPoor
DirtBestBestBest
GravelGoodBestPoor
MudPoorGoodBest
RockPoorGoodBest
SandBestGoodPoor
WetBestGoodPoor
WinterPoorGoodGood

Where to Use Rugged-Terrain Tires?

Alright,  this question is kinda tricky. You might want to use them for harsh winter conditions. Maybe for muddy surfaces. Even for rock.

Above surfaces have one common feature. They are all hard conditions for an all-terrain tire!

So the answer is easy. If you need huge off-road traction and durability while spending most of your time on the road; you must go with a rugged-terrain tire instead of mud or all-terrain.

Now, I’d like to share my top 5 picks with you. I’ll sort them according to overall performance. 

In the following section, I pay attention to overall performances.

Note: Reviews are tailed into every product

  • Nitto Ridge Grappler
  • Falken Wildpeak AT3W
  • Cooper STT Pro
  • Hankook Dynapro MT2
  • Firestone Destination XT

Nitto Ridge Grappler

Nitto Ridge Grappler on Mud

Nitto Ridge Grappler is a well-balanced RT tire that has an extremely aggressive appearance. Due to its stiff compound, it lasts long. However, this feature decreases its winter and wet traction slightly. What I like most about this tire is its on-road manners. It’s exceedingly smooth and quiet for this design.

If you are looking for something big, it is available even for 24-inch rim size!

What I like

  • Exceptional comfort and road noise reduction
  • Gravel and dirt traction
  • Mild off-road beast
  • Product range is wideeee

What I don’t Like

  • Does not have tread wear warranty
  • Winter performance is decent
  • Severe (mud,rock) performance is average

Toyo Open Country RT

If we only consider light-trucks, the Toyo RT is the best tire on the market

Toyo Open Country RT is a slightly different tire than Ridge Grappler. This dude is more functional. It’s a perfect option for those who are into hauling or towing. It’s durable, last-long and offers decent traction on wet and snowy surfaces. However, a bit noisy ride is a common feature of RT tires. No worries, it’s bearable.

What I like

  • Exceptional comfort and communitive tire
  • Off-road beast
  • Long-lasting rubber
  • 45,000 miles treadwear warranty

What I don’t Like

  • Winter performance is decent
  • It isn’t available on passenger metric sizes. Hence, it works best on 3/4 ton or above trucks (or lifted 1/2 tons).

If you’d like to see a detailed comparison between Nitto Ridge Grappler and Toyo Open Country RT –> https://tireterrain.com/nitto-ridge-grappler-vs-toyo-open-country-rt/

Kenda Klever R/T

Its beefy sidewall works perfectly on loose grounds

Kenda Klever R/T is a reliable tire on wet and dry grounds. It provides a smooth but a bit noisy ride. Moreover, even though it doesn’t have a 3PMSF, it still has decent winter performance in all conditions but ice. Due to its 3-ply sidewalls, its off-road capability is huge. Especially for rock crawling. Though, its tread life is slightly lower than all-terrain tires but better than most rugged-terrain tires.

Note: Kenda Klever R/T is specified for 3/4 or above light trucks. Hence, it’s only available in LT sizes. So, its on-road manners might feel a bit harsher on SUVs or 1/2-ton trucks.

ProsCons
Dirt-cheap priceSlightly noisy ride
3-ply sidewallRelatively poor steering response for below 3/4 ton trucks and SUVs
Huge wet and dry tractionNo treadwear warranty
Satisfiying winter performanceOnly available for LT sizes, hence you don’t have an option for a better on-road manners
All-round off-road capability, especially rock crawling

Here is the detailed review of Kenda Klever R/T –> https://tireterrain.com/kenda-klever-r-t-tire-review/

Patriot RT

Patriot RT with a stiffer compound offer better tread life than RT+

Patriot RT tires have huge traction ability on loose grounds. They have decent handling and a wet grip. Furthermore, they are quiet and smooth for a rugged-terrain tire. Patriot RT Plus is a good choice for winter conditions and proves it with 3PMFS. However, their tread life is limited and similar to mud-terrain tires. Yet, their dirt-cheap price covers this deficiency.

Correction: Turns out that Patriot decides to merge these two tires at once. Right now, Patriot RT is the only one available and it’s branded with 3PMSF.

Here is the detailed review of Patriot RT tires –> https://tireterrain.com/patriot-rt-tires-review/

Conclusion

These are my ‘Top 4 Rugged-Terrain Tire’ picks. Since Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac and Cooper ST Maxx are highly popular in the market, I didn’t put them on this list. Still, they are pretty acceptable options.

Take-Home Points,

  • LT sizes have stronger sidewalls. That feature makes them more durable. Yet, these tires offer a rougher ride. (LT vs P-Metric tires)
  • XL sizes tend to carry more load and offer better handling. Hence, if you’ll go with p-metric sizes, they might be a better pick for hauling and towing( XL vs SL tires)
  • Please pay attention to the load range and speed index. These metrics are essential if you expect decent tread life
  • There isn’t a bad tire in the market right now, you should just know what to expect from tires

A side note here: If you’d like to get local advice and find the best fit for your driving habits, location, and road conditions DiscountTire – Treadwell Tire Guide can give you masterpiece recommendations.

I hope this article was helpful. If you fellows need any other suggestions for your operation or any comments, please leave them below. Have a safe ride!

Guide Me Bruh!

This section contains my research and top picks. Depending on your need, you may choose a category and easily find the best fit for yourself. Remember, nobody knows your driving conditions and requirements better than yourself. You’re in the charge out here.

Start Here:

Top-Notch All-Terrain Tires

  • Toyo Open Country AT3 Review
  • BF Goodrich KO2 Review
  • Falken Wildpeak AT3W Review
  • Firestone Destination XT Review
  • Firestone Destination AT2 Review

Real Bargain All-Terrain Tires

  • Kenda Klever AT2 Review
  • Patriot RT Tires Review
  • Kenda Klever R/T Review
  • Atturo Trail Blade ATS Review

High-End Tires by Category

  • Best All-Terrain Tires
  • Best Rugged-Terrain Tires
  • Best Mud-Terrain Tires
  • Best All-Season Tires for Snow
  • Best Tires for Snow Plowing
  • Best Semi-Truck Tires

Blue-Ribbon Tires by Vehicles

  • Best Tires for SUV
  • Best Tires for 3/4-ton Trucks
  • Best Tires for Range Rover Sport
  • Best Tires for Tesla Model 3
  • Best Tires for Chevy Suburban
  • Best Tires for Mercedes ML350

Be a Professional

  • Get the Longest Life from Your Tires
  • Can I Replace Just One Tire?
  • How to Read Tire Size?
  • How Long Can You Drive on a Spare Tire?
  • Tire Wear Patterns
  • How to Check Tire Tread Depth with Penny?

Filed Under: High-End Tires by Category, Hybrid Tires Tagged With: best rugged terrain tires, Cooper STT Pro, falken wildpeak at3w, firestone destination xt, hankook dynapro mt2, nitto ridge grappler

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jack Pearce says

    March 5, 2023 at 8:34 AM

    Bought 35×12.50×17 kenda RT haven’t got them mtd yet on my lifted 2001 xj cherokee in Southern Az

    Reply
    • Emrecan Gurkan says

      March 6, 2023 at 5:39 AM

      Great pick for your region

      Reply

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