Desert Dawg
Well-Known Member
Tire Selection
As my shortlist suggests, there is quite a selection available of high quality, great performing tires to choose from. Setting costs aside, I was able to narrow down my shortlist to a Top 3 based my main criteria for good looks, very good grip in most on- and off-road conditions, and on-road noise/comfort. Secondary to those were the preferences for being made in America, balanced proportions once mounted, and tire weight. As it turns out, all of tires shortlisted were made in America but only one by an American-owned company.
First, the tires that I did not carry forward included:
The Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac got dropped despite the fact that I love the available sizing options with the proportions that I prefer and the lighter weight was a real plus over all of the others on my shortlist. In the end, I just did not want to worry about the thinner sidewall when trailing and the fact that these tires do get loud with wear.
The Toyo Open Country R/T also got dropped as I really didn’t like the overall look as much as the others and performance in wet conditions was a concern. Other than that, they seem to be a great option given they are lighter than most of the others and seem to provide really good ride comfort and are quiet even with wear.
The General Grabber X3 was a strong contender for me because I just really wanted to try out this tire. Performance wise, the tire is probably one of the strongest performers in my shortlist but the on-road noise/comfort reviews were mixed (quite a bit) which gave me some pause and it was also the heaviest tire on my list. Finally, hard packed snow is its Achilles heel which threw it down some more since I encounter plenty of that on mountain roads/trails (5000-12,000 ft.) during the winter through early spring. Still, it was close!
Therefore, my remaining Top 3 were (in no particular order):
1. Cooper SST PRO
2. Nitto Ridge Grappler
3. Yokohama Geolander MT G003
The Cooper SST PRO was definitely high on my list as it is the only tire shortlisted that is made in America and owned by an American company. I also have past experience with them and can attest to their excellent grip in dry and wet conditions both on- and off-road with plenty of reviews that reinforce that. And, they are great looking as well (one of my favorites). But in the end, they were just over my preferred limit on weight (69 lbs.) and my first-hand knowledge of how loud they eventually became ruled them out (and that they didn’t meet my build mantra to try something new). However, I have to say that I really kept looking for reviews that maybe contradicted my previous experience with the tire; if I could find enough reviews about how much quieter they are from what I remember, I would tolerate another couple of pounds to run them again.
The Nitto Ridge Grappler just kept coming up as the perfect tire to select (again) as it pretty much does almost everything really well, looks good, and I have had prior experience using them on long road trips as well as on some desert and mountain off-road adventures for a couple of different builds; the ride quality and low noise on long trips, even with wear, is excellent despite the more aggressive looks. But eventually it got dropped as it did not meet my desire to “try something new” and was the smallest tire on the list (although not by much) without selecting an even heavier size. Still, using my build mantra and slightly smaller sizing (to maintain the weight) seem like weak excuses given it is that good of a tire!
So that leaves the Yokohama Geolander MT G003 as my final selection!
This tire meets all of my criteria. The tire’s styling presents aggressive good looks (although just a tad busy compared to some of the others IMHO but still very good looking) and has exceptional grip in both dry and wet conditions for on- and off-road driving. Interesting enough, it purportedly has the best stopping distance under wet conditions (for improved safety performance). The tire carcass has the strength and sidewall protection needed for overcoming tougher trail challenges such as sharp rocks and fallen trees while still handling loose sand, packed/loose snow, and mud yet reviewers mark it as one of the “quieter” MTs out there on pavement. Despite its robust construction, the tire is also one the lighter tires on my shortlist as well. Finally, it meets my build mantra to “try something new”!
And even though price was not a factor, it turns out to be a bonus as these tires are also the lowest priced. So in the end, the Yokohama Geolander MT G003 seems to be the best value overall in terms of style, features, performance, and price!
Since I have had no previous experience with these or any other Yokohama tire, I really had to base my decision on reviews by others. Fortunately, these tires were tested and reviewed by a number of reputable reviewers such as:
OffRoad Extreme: https://www.offroadxtreme.com/engine-tech/wheels-tires/yokohama-geolandar-mt-g003-tire-review/
IH8MUD.com: https://www.ih8mud.com/product-review/review-yokohama-geolandar-mt-g003/
Motor Trend: https://www.motortrend.com/news/yokohama-geolandar-mt-g003-off-road-tire-review/
Expedition Portal: https://expeditionportal.com/field-tested-yokohama-geolander-mt-g003/
Per above, there were one or two reviews where they stated that the Yokohama MTs are loud but qualified the statement since “they are a MT tire”; I took this as being somewhat subjective as the tires would be loud compared to a street or AT/hybrid tire but relatively speaking would be quieter than other MTs as also stated in most of the reviews.
There are quite a few other reviews as well if you’re so inclined to search for them. In short, all were consistent with their general evaluations that the Yokohama Geolander MT G003 provides very good to excellent performance in terms of:
So I decided the Yokohama Geolander MT G003 is worth a try and will be reporting back on their performance as I take them out under varying conditions.
Now I need to order them and have the tires mounted on the Black Rhino Dugger wheels!
As my shortlist suggests, there is quite a selection available of high quality, great performing tires to choose from. Setting costs aside, I was able to narrow down my shortlist to a Top 3 based my main criteria for good looks, very good grip in most on- and off-road conditions, and on-road noise/comfort. Secondary to those were the preferences for being made in America, balanced proportions once mounted, and tire weight. As it turns out, all of tires shortlisted were made in America but only one by an American-owned company.
First, the tires that I did not carry forward included:
The Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac got dropped despite the fact that I love the available sizing options with the proportions that I prefer and the lighter weight was a real plus over all of the others on my shortlist. In the end, I just did not want to worry about the thinner sidewall when trailing and the fact that these tires do get loud with wear.
The Toyo Open Country R/T also got dropped as I really didn’t like the overall look as much as the others and performance in wet conditions was a concern. Other than that, they seem to be a great option given they are lighter than most of the others and seem to provide really good ride comfort and are quiet even with wear.
The General Grabber X3 was a strong contender for me because I just really wanted to try out this tire. Performance wise, the tire is probably one of the strongest performers in my shortlist but the on-road noise/comfort reviews were mixed (quite a bit) which gave me some pause and it was also the heaviest tire on my list. Finally, hard packed snow is its Achilles heel which threw it down some more since I encounter plenty of that on mountain roads/trails (5000-12,000 ft.) during the winter through early spring. Still, it was close!
Therefore, my remaining Top 3 were (in no particular order):
1. Cooper SST PRO
2. Nitto Ridge Grappler
3. Yokohama Geolander MT G003
The Cooper SST PRO was definitely high on my list as it is the only tire shortlisted that is made in America and owned by an American company. I also have past experience with them and can attest to their excellent grip in dry and wet conditions both on- and off-road with plenty of reviews that reinforce that. And, they are great looking as well (one of my favorites). But in the end, they were just over my preferred limit on weight (69 lbs.) and my first-hand knowledge of how loud they eventually became ruled them out (and that they didn’t meet my build mantra to try something new). However, I have to say that I really kept looking for reviews that maybe contradicted my previous experience with the tire; if I could find enough reviews about how much quieter they are from what I remember, I would tolerate another couple of pounds to run them again.
The Nitto Ridge Grappler just kept coming up as the perfect tire to select (again) as it pretty much does almost everything really well, looks good, and I have had prior experience using them on long road trips as well as on some desert and mountain off-road adventures for a couple of different builds; the ride quality and low noise on long trips, even with wear, is excellent despite the more aggressive looks. But eventually it got dropped as it did not meet my desire to “try something new” and was the smallest tire on the list (although not by much) without selecting an even heavier size. Still, using my build mantra and slightly smaller sizing (to maintain the weight) seem like weak excuses given it is that good of a tire!
So that leaves the Yokohama Geolander MT G003 as my final selection!
This tire meets all of my criteria. The tire’s styling presents aggressive good looks (although just a tad busy compared to some of the others IMHO but still very good looking) and has exceptional grip in both dry and wet conditions for on- and off-road driving. Interesting enough, it purportedly has the best stopping distance under wet conditions (for improved safety performance). The tire carcass has the strength and sidewall protection needed for overcoming tougher trail challenges such as sharp rocks and fallen trees while still handling loose sand, packed/loose snow, and mud yet reviewers mark it as one of the “quieter” MTs out there on pavement. Despite its robust construction, the tire is also one the lighter tires on my shortlist as well. Finally, it meets my build mantra to “try something new”!
And even though price was not a factor, it turns out to be a bonus as these tires are also the lowest priced. So in the end, the Yokohama Geolander MT G003 seems to be the best value overall in terms of style, features, performance, and price!
Since I have had no previous experience with these or any other Yokohama tire, I really had to base my decision on reviews by others. Fortunately, these tires were tested and reviewed by a number of reputable reviewers such as:
OffRoad Extreme: https://www.offroadxtreme.com/engine-tech/wheels-tires/yokohama-geolandar-mt-g003-tire-review/
IH8MUD.com: https://www.ih8mud.com/product-review/review-yokohama-geolandar-mt-g003/
Motor Trend: https://www.motortrend.com/news/yokohama-geolandar-mt-g003-off-road-tire-review/
Expedition Portal: https://expeditionportal.com/field-tested-yokohama-geolander-mt-g003/
Per above, there were one or two reviews where they stated that the Yokohama MTs are loud but qualified the statement since “they are a MT tire”; I took this as being somewhat subjective as the tires would be loud compared to a street or AT/hybrid tire but relatively speaking would be quieter than other MTs as also stated in most of the reviews.
There are quite a few other reviews as well if you’re so inclined to search for them. In short, all were consistent with their general evaluations that the Yokohama Geolander MT G003 provides very good to excellent performance in terms of:
- Good looks
- Good mix of on-road and off-road driving dynamics
- Well-built carcass; 3-poly body plies, 2-steel belts, full nylon cap, rim protector, hexagonal bead
- New triple-polymer tread compound for 8% longer tread life over competitors
- Aggressive sidewall armor
- Improved block-to-void ratio
- Variable pitch tread for reduced road noise
- Siping depth @ 80% of the tire tread thickness
- Excellent grip in wet conditions (on-road and wet rock); includes claim of providing 51-feet shorter stopping distance in wet conditions compared to other MTs (did not find the report)
- Very good performance in silt, soft sand, and hard packed dirt
- Great performance as well for rock crawling
So I decided the Yokohama Geolander MT G003 is worth a try and will be reporting back on their performance as I take them out under varying conditions.
Now I need to order them and have the tires mounted on the Black Rhino Dugger wheels!
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