Mickey Thompson Baja Boss A/T: 5000K-Mile First Look & Impressions Overview

Meet The Baja Boss A/T Hybrid Tire – 5000-Mile First Look at the New All-Terrain Tire Offering from Mickey Thompson

The Mickey Thompson Baja Boss A/T Hybrid Tires have been great so far. From the Rocky Mountains of South West Colorado to the extreme heat in Moab, and back to the granite rocks in Northern California, we’ve put about 5000K miles on these in the first couple of months – and we’re beyond impressed.

If you’ve been following me for any amount of time, you know how much I love tires.

Tires are arguably the most important mod you will add to an off-road rig. I’ve run well over 10 different tires ranging from Highway Tires and All Terrains to Hybrids and Mud Terrains, and today I’m super stoked to show you guys why the Mickey Thompson Baja Boss A/T hybrid is arguably one of the most versatile tires on the market.

We’ve traveled through a ton of terrain types and there wasn’t a single time I was disappointed.

Find it Online: 

• Mickey Thompson: Check Price
• 4 Wheel Parts: Check Price
• SimpleTire.com: Check Price
• Amazon.com: Check Price

Standout features: 

• All-Terrain & Mud-Terrain Characteristics: Great on-road manners and next-level strength off-road
• Road Noise: Very little road noise for how aggressive the tire looks
• Asymmetrical Tread Pattern: Reduced road-noise, increased off-road traction, and increased on-road handling
• Extreme Sidebiters®: 150% deeper than the Baja ATZP3™
• Powerply™ XD: Better puncture resistance, quicker steering response, and greater stability
• Silica-Reinforced Compound: Longer life expectancy, cut and chip tolerant, improved wet handling, improved braking
• 50K-mile tread-wear warranty: The Baja Boss® A/T is built to last
• 3PMS Symbol: Severe Snow Service Rated

At First Glance

They’re very quiet despite their incredibly aggressive tread pattern. On top of being whisper quiet on-road, they’re beyond impressive in wet conditions, and that includes the snow/ice. If you’re looking to crawl, lucky for you, they feature a massive contact patch that grips like a mother on rocks. In straight mud, they did okay. Don’t buy these if you’re planning on wheeling through mud bogs in Louisiana.

All in all, this is an impressive hybrid tire offering from Mickey Thompson that excels in wet or dry off-road conditions and will be a great daily driver – let’s jump in!

Quick Overview

Pictured: Wheeler Lake in Colorado

Off-Roading: Impressive

On the muddy/rocky/wet trail sections through Wheeler Lake in Colorado, I thought maybe the lugs weren’t spaced out enough to dig and grip but the asymmetrical tread tore through loose rock and climbed up wet granite faces with ease. When aired down, the shoulder lugs spanned out to provide an even larger contact patch and they got to work crawling through just about everything. For the wet, slick rock, the ample siping really helped to keep us STUCK to the rocks.

On-Road Manners: True All-Terrain Tire

Yes, it’s a hybrid, but this tire feels just like an A/T on-road. It’s quiet.

On the long stretches of road in between trailheads from Central Colorado to Southwest Colorado, it was nice having an A/T for a change. I’ve been running MTs for the last 3 tires, so it could have been me coming from the TOYO M/T to these Baja Boss A/Ts, but these Mickey Thompson A/T’s are so incredibly mellow on-road, you can barely hear them. Seriously, whisper-quiet.

They track incredibly well, however, they did take a bit of weight to get balanced. The dry traction was quick and responsive through gnarly switchbacks on the Million Dollar Highway in Ouray, Colorado. I was consistently impressed by the sound and responsiveness while on-road heading up the Black Bear Pass 4×4 road.

I put my head out of the window a number of times to listen to them and each time was stunned at the lack of noise.

Compared to What?

My favorite “all-around” tire to date has been the Cooper EVO M/T, but that might change. These might just be better than the Cooper Evolution M/T (performance-wise) as an “all-around” tire. That said, looks do come into play when buying tires and the EVO M/T has a more aggressive pattern than these A/Ts; rightfully so, they are M/Ts. While we’re on the topic of tread pattern, I am a huge fan of the STT Pros, TOYO M/T, and the new Yokohama M/T Geolander.

These tires feature shoulder lug characteristics of an M/T with an asymmetrical tread pattern that makes the contact patch look very “A/T”. From the straight-on view, you get A/T vibes and from the sidewall and/or corner view, you get M/T vibes.

Initial Thoughts

Pictured: Hells Revenge Trail in Moab

The tires look great after 5,000K miles. No cupping, no feathering, and no gashes or deep cuts in the sidewall (how could there be, this sidewall is insane).

When it comes to rubber compounds, these feel softer than the TOYO A/T Xtremes but much firmer than the TOYO M/T’s, Cooper EVO M/T’s, and Cooper the STT Pros (to give you some perspective). These Baja Boss A/T’s feel incredibly firm compared to most compounds but aren’t noisy like the Toyo A/T’s, for example. I have a lot of confidence that the Baja Boss A/T will push well past 40K and won’t scream at you while daily driving.

If you’re looking for true A/T manners on road with tons of siping (great for ice/snow as they’re a 3PMS rated tire), all with a gnarly sidewall, consistent aggressive shoulder scoops, and slight M/T characteristics off-road, this is shaping up to be a really nice tire.

All-Terrain Hybrid

The new Baja Boss A/T clearly delivers undisputed on-road handling, performance, and very little signs of tread wear after our first 5,000K miles.

Adding to its impressive lineup of features, this asymmetrical tread pattern was poised to dominate when playing in the street and the mud. However, when tested in the mud, portions of the lugs stayed caked and portions were truly self-cleaning. Don’t let this get you down though, these tires played in the mud all day with a few friends and kept up with some gnarly M/T’s. Whatever the true M/T’s were up to, I was right behind them.

As mentioned in the beginning, this tire is pretty aggressive looking for an A/T,  has an incredibly gnarly sidewall, great manners on-road, VERY low road-noise, TONS of siping, it 3PMS severe weather rated, and with its all-new asymmetrical tread pattern – it’s an animal on wet slick rocks.

Asymmetrical Tread Pattern

The asymmetrical tread pattern is optimized for reduced noise, all-weather performance, off-road traction, and on-road handling. I was skeptical at first as I’ve never run an asymmetrical tread pattern but I’m impressed. They really do provide an unbelievable low level of noise on road. I can hear everything else on my truck – not the tires.

Extreme Sidebiters®

Extreme Sidebiters are 150% deeper than the Baja ATZP3 (Mickey Thompson’s previous A/T). This new sidewall offers some seriously extreme off-road traction and protection. If you’re looking for a deep sidewall, this new Extreme Sidebiter is by far the deepest sidewall I have ever seen on a tire, much less an A/T. Usually, A/T tires have a minimal sidewall design; not the Baja Boss A/T. This is a really big standout feature on this tire.

Powerply™ XD

The new Powerply™ XD adds 50% heavier denier cord to the angled third ply providing better puncture resistance, quicker steering response, and greater stability. The Mickey Thompson Baja Boss A/T is offered in a load range D (35X12.5R17) and load range E (315X70R17). The load range D has a capacity of 3000 lbs at 50 psi, whereas load range E has a capacity of 3195 lbs at 65 psi. Load range E is more for towing and features a higher ply rating than D.

The downsides of going with higher load ranges may include loss in MPGs, stiffer more rigid ride, and sometimes less flotation off-road depending on the brand. I typically stay with load range D tires as they offer the best of both worlds between C (fairly soft) and E (fairly firm). Load range D offers comfort on-road without sacrificing MPGs, all while providing nice floatation off-road.

The Powerply™ XD on the load range D (the tire we are running) makes it feel like an E. I first noticed how stiff these tires were off-road. When aired down to 18-psi, the tires didn’t look aired down at all. Because of this, I ended up dropping them down to 15psi for our first run and although you don’t see much tire bulge, you can feel the flotation over the rocks. The flotation though was nothing like a Cooper STT Pro or Cooper EVO M/T (which is weird because those are both load range E tires). The Baja Boss A/Ts just felt like they still had more pressure to give.

These tires did great off-road. No complaints yet. Still feeling them out.

If the load range D felt like an E, I can’t imagine how firm those E-rated tires are. Those must be VERY FIRM.

Silica-Reinforced Compound

The Baja Boss A/T features a silica-reinforced compound for on-road tread wear, cut and chip resistance, and improved wet handling and braking performance. This also might have something to do with how firm these tires felt. They really remind me of a Toyo A/T II but without the road noise. After 5,000+ miles, these tires look amazing. With how firm and reinforced these load range D tires are, it makes sense.

Severe Snow Rated

Everything in the Baja Boss A/T lineup at 12.5″ (315) and lower is 3PMS (3-Peak Mountain Snowflake) stamped. If you’re in a climate where ice, snow, and wet roads are common, you want the 3PMS stamp. Not many tires feature this stamp of approval so when you see it, know it’s a huge selling point.

These tires are animals in the snow!! Wow man, impressive stuff. We headed up to the snow for the day, aired down to 18psi, and started in on a couple of feet of fresh powder in the High Sierras. From sheets of ice on the road coming into the couple feet of packed snow we were driving on, the tires didn’t break loose once. I was really pushing them too. They didn’t budge. Once we hit pockets of slushy snow on top of the snowpack the tires started to break loose when I hit the gas and started going in on them. They aren’t bulletproof but they sure do hold their own in the snow and on the ice. I was able to hook a U-turn on a tight narrow trail in the snow and didn’t get stuck.

Eventually, I hit the send button a little too hard and landed in a snowdrift of fresh powder which left me stuck high centered. Here is a shot of Jade high-centered just before we winched out. These tires are amazing in the snow, I was pretty confident in them – almost too confident. If you’re looking for an awesome snow tire, this is a real candidate. I had a blast ripping around in the snow and through the ice with these.

50K Mile Treadwear Warranty

Pictured: The Summit of Black Bear Pass

50,000-mile treadwear warranty instills confidence that the Baja Boss® A/T is built to last. But what does this really mean?

Car tire warranties work in the delta. Let’s say you run this tire for 40K-miles and for some reason the tire tread is just destroyed. Well in that case, then Mickey Thompson would credit you a 10K-mile difference or credit towards a new tire. It’s nice when tire companies back their offerings with a warranty. And as you can see here, Mickey Thompson is saying that this tire will last you 50K-miles.

What do I think? After 5,000K miles of some really rough abuse, they look great. I’ll let you decide.

Weight (35X12.5R17)

For an A/T Tire, they’re on the heavy side. But then again, they’re not an A/T – it’s a Hybrid. So with that being said, when compared to some other hybrid tires, it’s not all that different.

• Mickey Thompson Baja Boss A/T (Hybrid): 73lbs
• Nitto Ridge Grappler (Hybrid): 73lbs
• Toyo R/T (Hybrid): 74lbs

Final Thoughts

Pictured: The Great Salt Lake Desert

They are almost shockingly quiet considering it’s such an aggressive pattern. I still keep coming back to the fact that they are as quiet as they are on road.

I think these are going to be great for someone with a daily driver in the mountains who wheels occasionally and who doesn’t see very much mud. If you are a weekend warrior who also commutes up through the mountains and you need a dependable tire through ice and snow – this is a really solid option. This is a tire that belongs in Northern California, the Pacific Northwest, and throughout the mountains of Utah and Colorado.