Light trucks, Jeeps, crossovers, and SUVs are everywhere on the roads these days, and of course, many, many of them are equipped with 4WD for off-road performance and dependable traction in rough weather conditions. You're better off with a set of all-terrain tires to get the most out of the performance of vehicles like that. All-terrain tires have come a long way from the rough-riding, noisy, clumsy all-terrain tires of a generation ago; today’s all-terrain tires are designed around the weight, center of gravity, handling properties, braking, torque, horsepower, and ride quality of today’s light trucks and SUVs. They’re more sophisticated, with a better balance of traction and control off the pavement in rough terrain, ride quality, low noise, road manners, long wear, and predictable handling on the highway.

Today, we will look at the Badlands AT from Mastertrack, an all-terrain tire that checks all those boxes at a surprisingly affordable price point. Mastertrack tires come from Unicorn, a distributor who also handles brands like Finalist and Ovation, all of which are tires that deliver value far above their price point and punch far above their weight class. But there’s no need to just take us at our word on that assertion – let’s go in for a closer look with this product line review:

Features and Benefits

Here are some of the features and innovations that make the Badlands AT from Mastertrack a great value and a great performer in an all-terrain tire for light trucks, Jeeps, crossovers, and SUVs:

• Damage-resistant tread formulation stands up to cuts, punctures, and abrasions for off-road durability
• Reinforced radial construction
• Aggressive all-terrain lug tread with interlocking tread blocks for consistent grip and control in mud, sand, loose dirt, gravel, snow
• The pattern of sipes helps to multiply the tread’s surface area and traction with hundreds of hair-thin slits that act as biting edges to slice through snow and slush
• Covered from the factory with a 50,000 mile limited manufacturer’s tread life warranty
• 28 sizes for rims 15” to 20”
• Tread pitch is randomized and computer-tuned to help keep road noise to a minimum and cancel certain frequencies and overtones
• Wide grooves are designed to easily shed mud, snow, and debris from the tread, so there’s always a clear section of the tread to dig in as the wheel turns
• Deep 12.8/32” tread depth for long wear, dependable traction

Pros and Cons

When it comes to the Badlands AT from Mastertrack, this is a tire where the pros outweigh the cons:

PROS:

• Generous limited manufacturer’s tread life warranty coverage
• Dependable traction, control, and braking in rough terrain and all kinds of surfaces
• Durable enough to stand up to rough treatment
• Driving dynamics on the pavement are civilized and consistent

CONS:

• Not Three Peak Mountain Snowflake rated for severe winter service
• Can be noisy on some pavement surfaces
• Not advised for aired-down rock crawling

SimpleTire’s view on Mastertrack Badlands AT tires

There are so many choices on the market when it comes to all-terrain tires for light trucks, Jeeps, crossovers, and SUVs, and in most cases, their performance and value are tied directly to price (in other words, they’re usually a “you get what you pay for” proposition). It’s our take that the Mastertrack Badlands AT is a tire that far exceeds expectations and performs at a level you’d expect from tires that cost far more.

Are you familiar with SimpleTire’s SimpleScore system? SimpleScore is the method the SimpleTire team developed to give customers a quick, at-a-glance idea of a tire’s strengths and weaknesses. We consider the tire’s specs, the manufacturer info, customer reviews, and other data points, then process that to a 1-10 rating for the categories of traction, handling, and longevity, as well as an overall average SimpleScore for the tire. For the Badlands AT from Mastertrack, it shakes out like this:

• Traction: 7.6
• Handling: 7.8
• Longevity: 8.1
• Overall average SimpleScore: 7.8

Those would all be pretty strong 1-10 ratings for any tire, let alone one that starts at $98.99 per tire.

In some of the roughest conditions, the Badlands AT delivers grip, control, and braking performance that is admirable and confident. Sand, gravel, mud, and loose dirt aren’t a challenge for this tire at all, and while it doesn’t have the Three Peak Mountain Snowflake rating for severe winter service, we’re pretty positive that its aggressive lug tread and wide void ratio (grooves vs lugs) will give it everything it needs to perform well in several inches of snow.

The Badlands AT is composed and civilized on the pavement, with a controlled, balanced ride that doesn’t get too jittery even on irregular pavement. Handling is predictable and accurate without being overly sensitive or touchy, if not as nimble as a performance tire. The steering response is fairly light and direct, making it maneuverable for quick swerves or cornering ability. The ride of the Badlands AT is a little firm but fairly forgiving, and it’s tuned for low noise, although it can drone a bit on some pavement surfaces. A 50,000 mile limited manufacturer’s tread life warranty is the icing on the cake with this tire – that’s the kind of warranty coverage that was once only found on tires that cost far more than the Badlands AT.

Our take is that the Badlands AT from Mastertrack is a tough and capable all-terrain tire. It’s a great choice if you need to negotiate rural roads on oilfield leases, ranches, or job sites or if you just need an affordable tire that will deliver dependable performance for off-road fun or winter driving.

Vehicles The Mastertrack Badlands AT is a good replacement tire for

• Chevrolet Tahoe
• Dodge Durango
• Ford Excursion
• GMC Sierra
• Honda Ridgeline
• Jeep Gladiator
• Nissan Titan
• RAM 2500
• Toyota Tundra
• Toyota 4Runner
• Toyota Land Cruiser FJ
• Chevrolet Silverado 1500
• Chevrolet Silverado 2500
• Ford Explorer
• Ford Expedition