Mickey Thompson Baja Boss AT

i just got a set of 4 put on the truck today. initial impresson is good. ill try to get some pics and a limited (conditions) review in a few days. for now, looks are killer, just a tiny bit of noise that the wife probably wont notice. they are pretty smooth too

so, im a bit over a week in and here are my thoughts so far. as a reminder, 33x12.5r18, E range, stock wheels. my scores below are for the category of aggressive AT (this truck has had duratracs, KO2s, and now the Baja Boss)

Visual
this tire is visually much more aggressive than i expected. there was a co-worker that had them on his truck and from what i remember, his were less aggressive (closer tread spacing). i wonder if its due to his being a smaller LT sized tire (on a stock height nissan frontier) and mine being larger and a flotation sized tire. the shoulder treads are deep and wide enough that i can fit a finger in the tread spacing. the sidewalls are crazy aggressive. they are very deep and should be a huge help when aired down on the beach or other soft surfaces. pics do NOT do them justice. overall, i personally love the look and while that is subjective, i give them a 10/10 for looks

Profile
this could almost be part of looks, but there is a functional aspect to this so i will break it out. these are the same size as the KO2s that came off my truck. the KO2 definitely has a more square profile and transition from the tread to side wall. the Baja Boss has a more rounded transition. i personally like the widest ground contact possible but the rounder profile should provide more even ground pressure when aired down and flex out better. that could be an advantage for me on the beach. i will give it an 9.5/10 for profile.

Contact Patch
i am noticing the same non "issue" with these as i did with my KO2s. the outer bit of tread doesnt seem to make contact with the ground. im talking about maybe 1/2 inch or so per side of the tire. my assumption is that its due to running a 12.5"' wide tire on a 8.5" wheel. being on the low end of the acceptable wheel with window, this is a bit expected. i assume the front edges will contact while turning. this caused no problems with my last set, and i am not too worried about this set.

Noise
There is no noise below about 40mph. above that, noticeable noise begins however it is NOT that wah wah wah wah sound of a mud tire. it is a more steady sound like wind noise but at a different frequency. the noise doesnt come close to interfering with conversation at all. i suspect some of the older guys might not even notice. compartively, the KO2s were damn near silent, even after 35k miles. i did rotate them every 5k. ill give a 6.5/10 for noise

MPG
Coming to work is about 30 miles. pulling into the parking lot the DIC will typically read 19.x to 20.x mpg depending on ambient temperature (mpg is typically a little better above 50F and more improvement is seen around 60F). I have been in the same ball bark (over 19 each day) with the Baja Boss. I did have a 200 mile round trip drive into NJ and back and mpg was around 20. i think i would have dont a bit better with the KO2s, but it has been very windy most of march so i will have to see how i do when it settles down. 6.5/10 for MPG

Handling
I have not had to do any emergency maneuvers or panic stops so no real value to provide here. in general driving there are no quirks or oddities. For now, i dont think i can give a score, but i will just say no complaints.

Comfort.
These are heavy and E rated, and that it is what i am used to. they have not made the ride jaring or uncomfortable in any way. infact, i think they do a good job of absorbing the small road chatter associated with rough pavement or a gravel road. that beign said, they also have not made the truck ride like a 80s cadilac (not expected though). i will give them an 8.5/10

Stones
I was very concerned that these would throw stones any chance they got. i have a 1/2 mile gravel road that leads up to the building i work in. the KO2s threw a lot of stones when new, but threw less as they wore. i have to say i am incredibly impressed with the lack of stone throws from the Baja Boss. maybe ill hear one a day (i make 4 passes down the gravel road a day). also, there are not stones stuck in the tire that havent come out. the treads are clear of rocks. obviously this will depend greatly on the size and consistency of the gravel you drive on, but for what i drive on, i couldnt be happier (note, the gravel in the pic is the most fine gravel i drive on. my drive in has as course as 3/4 with an occasional 1"). (note 2, the first pic shows a mud flap, i have since removed them with no noticeable increase in stone "pings") 10/10. UPDATE - i dont know if the treads loosened up with a few miles on them or if they regraded my access road with a different stone (dont think so), but they do pick up and throw some stones now. dropping to 7/10

Wet
Now a couple weeks in, we have finally had some rain. The big observation is the ability of these tires to evacuate water. between deep treads and wide spacing (especially on the outer treads), these things really do a good job of staying in contact with the ground when you hit standing water on the road. this is what i was really looking for an improvement over the KO2 as the tread pattern doesnt provide great evacuation paths. i never noticed any traction issues (not that i would expect to as i was driving normally). i will add a bit to this if i happen to tow my boat in the rain since i routinely broke my old tires loose when starting from a red light with the boat behind the truck.

Sand
probably no beach driving till July

Snow
i got thes put on in march, its gonna be a while...

Mud/Offroad
i dont typically seek this out, but every now and then i find myself in a situation. will update after that

Towing
i tow a 8-9k boat & trailer combo. i will update once i pull it out of storage. should be within 2 months or so.