Toyo’s light truck product line-up consists of 3 different names. Open Country, M-Line, and Proxes. While Open Country consists of 7 different products; others only have one each. Today, I will compare Toyo M55 with Open Country CT, MT, and AT. Though, the real competition will be between Open Country CT and Toyo M-55. Let’s see which one is better for your usage!
| Toyo Open Country C/T | Toyo M-55 | |
|---|---|---|
| Better for | Working trucks that mostly spend their time on the highway, hauling and towing, 1/2 ton light trucks | Working trucks that mostly spend their time off- the road, 3/4-ton or 1-ton heavy-duty work trucks |
| Pros | Wet and snow traction, responsiveness, comfortable and quiet ride | Dry and wet traction, loose ground traction, sidewall durability |
| Cons | Not a tire for severe off-road conditions | Can be disturbing on the highway |
As a former Bridgestone engineer, from my standpoint, Toyo Open Country CT and Toyo M-55 are solid commercial tires. The only difference is they work under different circumstances. In this case, if you work under mild conditions (little dirt, mud, or snow), Toyo Open Country C/T is a better option for you. It also offers the most smooth ride among these. If you have a heavy-loaded application, need long tread life, and have huge traction you should definitely go with Toyo M-55.
All-Terrain Tires Cheat Sheet
Finding the ideal all-terrain tire among the plethora of options available can be overwhelming. But don’t worry, my team and I have taken on this challenge head-on. Besides our hands-on experiences with these tires, we also analyze thousands of customer reviews and test reports.
We also analyzed ‘What customer complains more about all-terrain tires?’. Even though some of these complains are coming from the nature of all-terrain tires, there is still way to prevent yourself from these issues. Below, you can see articles about, hydroplaning, tire noise
- How to reduce tire noise?
https://www.discounttire.com/learn/tire-noise - Tire Vibration
https://www.discounttire.com/learn/tire-vibration - Tire Air Pressure – How to Decide?
https://www.discounttire.com/learn/tire-air-pressure-info
Please note that: Light-Duty is 1500 series, Medium-Duty is 2500 series and Heavy-Duty is 3500 series. If you do towing or hauling, I recommend considering at least Medium-Duty tires.
Mobile users can scroll the table to the left to see the whole data.
For those who prefer a more textual representation and dislike sifting through tables of data:
- https://tireterrain.com/best-all-terrain-tires/
- https://tireterrain.com/best-all-terrain-tires-for-snow/
- https://tireterrain.com/best-1-2-ton-truck-tires/
- https://tireterrain.com/best-3-4-ton-truck-tires/
- https://tireterrain.com/best-rt-tires/
- https://tireterrain.com/best-tires-for-snow-plowing/
A couple of popular size analyses:
- https://tireterrain.com/best-35×12-50r20-all-terrain-tires/
- https://tireterrain.com/best-285-70r17-all-terrain-tires/
- https://tireterrain.com/best-275-55r20-all-terrain-tires/
- https://tireterrain.com/best-275-65r18-all-terrain-tires/
Want to learn more about all-terrain tires:
- https://tireterrain.com/highway-tires-vs-all-terrain-vs-mud-terrain/
- https://tireterrain.com/all-season-vs-all-terrain-tires/
- https://tireterrain.com/tire-load-index-and-load-range/
- https://tireterrain.com/lt-tires-vs-passenger-tires/
- https://tireterrain.com/are-all-terrain-tires-good-for-daily-driving/
- https://tireterrain.com/are-all-terrain-tires-good-in-snow/
- https://tireterrain.com/are-all-terrain-tires-loud/
- https://tireterrain.com/how-long-do-all-terrain-tires-last/
- https://tireterrain.com/are-all-terrain-tires-good-in-rain/
- https://tireterrain.com/off-road-tire-pressure-load-range-for-every-rig/
I highly recommend checking the below pages out before making any purchase:
- DiscountTire Deals:
https://www.discounttire.com/promotions - TireRack Deals:
https://www.tirerack.com/specialoffers - SimpleTire Deals:
https://simpletire.com/tire-deals
Table of Contents
Toyo M55 vs Open Country MT vs CT vs AT
Toyo’s Open Country line-up is met with different customer expectations.
- Toyo Open Country M/T: MT is a maximum traction tire. Hence, its limited tread life will not cover commercial intent.
- Toyo Open Country C/T: CT is a commercial-grade tire. Yet, it has limited traction ability compared to MT.
- Toyo Open Country AT: AT is on-road tires that have off-road manners. Comfort is one of its priorities.
Now, I would like to talk about M55 a bit. M55 is a combination of MT and CT. While it can provide maximum traction, it also has a satisfying tread life. It is gold for individuals, small, even massive businesses. I will not put AT to the rest of the comparison. These have completely different intents. If you want to see where AT places between Open Country’s, you can check this article!
Tread Appearance
Let’s start with the tread depth.
Toyo Open Country MT has the deepest tread depth between these three. Tread depths for the size of LT255/85R16,
- Toyo Open Country MT: 18.9mm
- Toyo M-Line M55: 18.1mm
- Toyo Open Country CT: Not available but tread depths are the same with M55
Tread depth can help to traction. Though, it is also strongly related to compound and tread design.
MT has the most aggressive tread design among them. It has wider shoulders and bigger lugs that are going to help it a lot on severe off-road surfaces. Yet, inadequate sipes are kinda prof of poor wet traction.
CT and M-55 have similar patterns. The sharpest difference is the sidewall. M-55 has flat and stiff sidewalls. It is designed to work under heavy loads. So, stiff sidewalls are a must. These are not the tire for air-down driving. Pay attention to this.
If you need low inflation pressure driving, you should go with MT or CT. In that case, your intent will be the decider. CT for commercials, MT for off-road cats.
Lastly, M-55 and CT are studdable tires of this comparison. They will perform better than others on the ice.
Tread Life
As we all expected, commercial-grade tires tend to last more than mud or all-terrains.
While CT and M-55 are getting 5-stars due to tread life, MT is getting 4 at maximum. If you will use them on the road too much, the star rating most probably will decrease to 3.
Getting maximum wear life from a tire is related to you as well as your tire,
If you’d like to learn how to get maximum tread life:
Durabilty
Normally, I evaluate durability with to resistance of the sidewall impacts. In that case, we are comparing commercial tires. So, sidewall impact is not your main concern.
M-55 has flat sidewalls. That might seem a bit weak at first sight. Wrong! These tires have the strongest sidewalls I have ever seen. Exceptional, definitely exceptional. May be as strong as 14-ply.
On the other hand, MT and CT have trustworthy sidewalls. These two also have sidewall protectors that M-55 does not even need.
Comfort and Noise
If you are looking for comfort and less road noise, you are at the wrong place. Let me guide you to the proper one!
If I have to choose one of them, I would definitely go with Toyo Open Country CT.
Surprisingly, M-55 is the loudest one. Even, MT has less road noise no matter how wide its void area is.
About comfort, I have talked about how stiff is M-55. It’s placed at the bottom again.
Toyo Open County CT is the true ruler in this section.
A side note here: Even though some tires tend to make noise because of their tread patterns, it’s still possible to keep your tire noise down.
I’m leaving a perfect explanation below from DiscountTire for those who need it;
How to Keep Tire Noise Down? –>
https://www.discounttire.com/learn/tire-noise
Off-Road Performance
The off-road performance of these tires depends on different variables. In that case, I would like to evaluate them with two different approaches. Commercial and air-down.
While commercial off-road contains gravel and dirt performance; mud, rock, and sand will be regular off-road performance indicators.
- 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/
Commercial
If you have are a commercial intended user, you are mostly facing gravel and dirt. These are the surfaces you need traction most.
All of our tires are very successful on these surfaces.
Nevertheless, well-placed sipes increase dirt traction a lot for CT and M-55. MT is not bad but not good as others.
Gravel is a bit cheeky. In that case, you should put groove width under the consideration. MT with the extensive grooves sometimes struggling on gravel depending on stone diameter. If the stones are too small, creating a biting age becomes a huge challenge. Well, you lose traction.
CT and M-55 do not have this problem. Stone holding is where these two separated. CT is holding a bit much more stone. These stones might cause damage in further time.
For the commercial off-road my ranking is,
M-55>CT>MT
Air-Down
Air-down situations are mud, rock, and sand. I will put M-55 out of this section. M-55’s sidewall is not usable for air-down conditions. It will crack if you will decrease your inflation pressure.
On rock, I like CT very much. It is not as good as MT. Yet, lugs are capable to move in different ways. That increases gripping ability significantly. On the other hand, MT’s rock performance is not questionable.
On the sand, softer designs always work better on the sand. So, CT is my pick.
On mud, no surprise. MT is a winner as a mud-terrain tire. Evacuation capability is exceptional.
Wet Performance
Wet performance is where these tires place very closely. Either of them has its own advantages.
- Toyo Open Country MT: Soft compound
- Toyo Open Country CT: Normal compound, average siping
- Toyo M-55: Perfect siping
MT has a perfect compound for wet grounds. Yet, siping is not providing enough biting.
CT has the optimal design. Average siping and middling compound
M-55: Perfect siping, stiff compound
The battle is close. Yet,
CT>MT=M-55
Note: Hydroplaning is vital for a safe ride under the pouring rain. However, it might occur even with the best tire. Maybe you can’t prevent it but if you know what it is and how to deal with it, you can easily stay on the safe side.
Here is an extremely efficient guide about ‘How to Deal with Hydroplaning?‘ –> https://www.discounttire.com/learn/hydroplaning
Winter Performance
It’s time to put MT aside. Winter is not MT’s priority. It has an average winter performance. But not rated with 3-peak mountain snowflake marking. It can not compete with M-55 and CT.
M-55 and CT both have 3-peak mountain snowflake marking. That means we are safe in harsh winters. Moreover, both are studdable. Frozen grounds will not be a problem anymore.
The only advantage CT has is compound toughness. A softer compound always works better on snow or ice.
Specs
| Toyo M-55 | Toyo Open Country C/T | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Commercial All-Terrain Tire | Commercial All-Terrain Tire |
| Vehicle | Light Truck, SUV | Light Truck, SUV |
| Available Sizes (Rim) | 15’’, 16’’, 17’’, 18’’ | 16”, 17”, 18”, 20” |
| Weight | 30 – 60 lbs | 45 – 79 lbs |
| Made In | White, GA, USA | White, GA, USA |
| Severe Snow Rated (3PMSF) | Yes | Yes |
| Warranty (P-metric) | N/A | N/A |
| Warranty (LT Sizes) | N/A | N/A |
| Prices | Check price section to see best possible prices | Check price section to see best possible prices |
Price
The tire market has a dynamic price policy. Hence, in my point of view, sharing tire price is pointless.
Though, I’ve analyzed the top 10 brands of most popular tire brands.
Here are the dealers with a reasonable price range,
SimpleTire
- Free shipping
- Delivered in 2 days
- Verified shops near you(for mount and balance)
- Mobile installation option
- 7 million customers since 2021
- 4.7/5 points on Google rate
- Top-notch customer service, you may even request a price match
Toyo M55: https://simpletire.com/brands/toyo-tires/m-55
Toyo Open Country CT: https://simpletire.com/brands/toyo-tires/open-country-c-t
Toyo Open Country MT: https://simpletire.com/brands/toyo-tires/open-country-m-t
DiscountTire
- Biggest dealer in the US. Founded in 1960
- 1000 stores in 35 states. You most probably find one on your parallel street
- Free rotation and balancing
- 5% off for DiscountTire cardholders on online purchase
- Highest rated online tire dealer in Consumer Affairs
- Almost all brands are available
- Delivery takes 2-4 days (30% shorter average waiting time when you book online)
- Frequent discounts and promotions
Toyo M55: https://www.discounttire.com/buy-tires/toyo-tire-m-55
Toyo Open Country CT: https://www.discounttire.com/buy-tires/toyo-tire-open-country-c-t
Toyo Open Country MT: https://www.discounttire.com/buy-tires/toyo-tire-open-country-m-t
TireRack
- Fast and Free shipping
- Usually delivered in 1 day
- Joint venture with DiscountTire(their installers and dealers are on your service)
- Tons of installer options, they also help you to choose the best one
- Mobile installers in many areas, your tires will be replaced while you’re working in the office
- Tire test results and comparisons can be found on the most product page
- 4.6/5 points on Google rate
Toyo M55: Not available
Toyo Open Country CT: Not available
Toyo Open Country MT: https://www.tirerack.com/tires/toyo-open-country-m-t
While choosing dealers, I especially pay attention to reliability. All of the dealers on this list have 15-20 years of experience in the online tire business. Therefore, I can guarantee a smooth and fast tire buying process.
Conclusion
On tire selection, defining your operation is a factor. It is even more crucial if you are commercial intended.
| Toyo Open Country C/T | Toyo M-55 | |
|---|---|---|
| Better for | Working trucks that mostly spend their time on the highway, hauling and towing, 1/2 ton light trucks | Working trucks that mostly spend their time off- the road, 3/4-ton or 1-ton heavy-duty work trucks |
| Pros | Wet and snow traction, responsiveness, comfortable and quiet ride | Dry and wet traction, loose ground traction, sidewall durability |
| Cons | Not a tire for severe off-road conditions | Can be disturbing on the highway |
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 index & 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
Hope I can help you with your selection. If you need any further support, contact me via the comment section below!
Great review. I’m just wondering, what is it about the m55 that makes it prone to sidewall cracking when aired down? I’ve been running E-Load rated Duratracs on my tacomas for years, they have very stiff sidewalls and perform fantastic when aired down
Hello,
Thanks for your comment. Toyo M-55 and Wrangler Duratrac have different product ranges. While the Toyo is a work truck tire, the Duratrac can also be used for weekend adventures.
I’m not saying Toyo M-55 has weak sidewalls, I’m saying its sidewall is way stiff that might cause the sidewall to crack if you use them when aired down.
Plus, Toyo M-55 is a narrow tire. That means this tire is suitable for hauling and towing but not extreme loose ground conditions.
What I’m basically trying to say is this tire is extremely durable for sharp rocks. Yet, if you’ll try to do a rock crawl with it, you’ll definitely observe sidewall cracks.
It performs best on recommended pressure, though, it can handle 30% air down for a short time. This is just not a tire for an off-road adventure.
Well, I found a great deal on them and I couldn’t resist… I have them on my Taco now, running 45psi for road use. I don’t do extreme rock crawling, I usually air down to 20 psi or so, and not nearly as often as I’d like! Hopefully they hold up. Definitely a great tire, and I absolutely love the 255/85/16 size because it gives me the 33″ height without having to do cut the frame’s cab mount. It is a skinny tire, but take a look at Expedition Portal’s Scott Brady’s White Paper on tire width and traction – for many purposes, a tall skinny tire offers great advantages over wide tires!
Here’s a photo : https://ibb.co/FqfzPdQ
Hey there,
Thanks for the comment. Keep me up to date.
I don’t think you will have a problem unless you use the tires at low pressure for a long time.
The narrow and tall tire has a couple of advantages.
Better fuel consumption and winter performance are two of them. Well, of course, there will be a slight decrease in loose ground performance.
I personally prefer narrow tires on work trucks that mostly use highways.
Let me know if you have any other questions
I currently run all m55 on a dually ambulance body. What would you recommend for a steer tire over the m55?
Hello Miles,
I don’t recommend using a different pattern on the steer tires.
If you want better steering, you can try highway all-season tires like Michelin Defender LTX MS2.
I can also say that Wrangler Duratrac or Falken Wildpeak AT3W could be better options for a steering. You can try to combine M55 with these two but I don’t think that they will work good together.
Hello
I have run the Toyo M55 for the last 85,ooo km on my Tacoma 255/85-16. This tire has never let me down. On road I run 36psi. Toyo Tech. recommend pressure based on the OEM Spec tire size and pressure. He did some sort of calculation. Offroad I run ~20psi to ~15psi. 5 tire rotations every oil change.
I do wish the centre “rib” was not there. Or at least I could groove it out. If you split the tire tread face in three. The Middle Rib tread depth is currently 3mm while the outside is 6mm. The Rim is 3mm deep.
Sadly 80% of this tire’s life is on the pavement.
I will be buying another set for this coming winter.
Thanks for great information Shawn.
I still recommend to keeping center for your safety hahaha.