If you’ve got a truck, Jeep, or SUV equipped with four-wheel-drive and plenty of horsepower and torque, you need a set of tires that will fit that truck’s potential if you ever leave the pavement. Rugged-terrain tires are a great choice for those needs; you can think of rugged-terrain tires as splitting the difference between all-terrain and mud-terrain designs. Rugged-terrain tires are designed for durability and performance in conditions where all-terrain tires might fall short. Yet, they’re more versatile and offer better driving qualities than mud-terrain tires, which can be clumsy, noisy, and rough on the pavement. The Mastertrack Badlands RT is a tire that checks all those boxes at a lower price than you might expect, considering its features and performance.

So why are drivers so enthused about this tire? We’re going to dive in for a closer look at this great do-all tire in this Mastertrack Badlands RT review:

Features and Benefits

Here are a few of the features and innovations that make the Mastertrack Badlands RT an outstanding value and a tough performer when it comes to a premium-quality rugged-terrain tire for light trucks, Jeeps, crossovers, and SUVs:

• Damage-resistant tread compound guards against cuts, punctures, scuffs, and abrasions for durable performance of the pavement
• Tread blocks and grooves are designed for good self-cleaning of mud and debris, so there’s always a clear section of the tread to dig in as the wheel turns
• 12 ply rated
• Tread pitch randomized and computer-tuned to negate certain frequencies and overtones, keeping road noise to a minimum on the highway
• 28 sizes for wheels ranging from 15” to 20”, making it a great fit for a wide variety of vehicle fitments
• Covered from the factory with 45,000 mile limited manufacturer’s tread life warranty
• Heavy-duty construction for enhanced load rating and durability
• Initial tread depth 16.5/32” for traction and long wear
• Shoulders, sidewall, and tread reinforced for durability and aired-down operation over steep grades, rocks, obstacles

Pros and Cons

When it comes to the Mastertrack Badlands RT is a rugged terrain tire that offers far more Pros than Cons:

PROS:

• Durable construction for rough conditions
• Aggressive rugged-terrain tread is versatile for mud, rocks, loose dirt, gravel, sand, snow, slush
• Ride quality is composed and comfortable
• Generous manufacturer’s tread life warranty from the factory

CONS:

• Can be noisy on some pavement surfaces
• Not designed for deep mud
• Not 3 Peak Mountain Snowflake rated for severe winter service

SimpleTire’s view on Mastertrack Badlands RT tires

Sometimes, all-terrain tires just fall short of getting the job done in difficult terrain and sloppy soil conditions, but mud-terrain tires are fairly specialized and designed for the worst conditions. The downside of mud-terrain tires is that their heavy, aggressive lug tread tends to generate a lot of noise on the highway, and they also can be sluggish and clumsy regarding maneuverability, making them a less-than-great choice for daily drivers. Rugged-terrain tires like the Mastertrack Badlands RT split the difference between the designs regarding off-road traction and civilized on-road performance.

Are you familiar with SimpleTire’s SimpleScore system? SimpleScore is the method the SimpleTire team developed to give you a quick, at-a-glance idea of a tire’s capabilities, strengths, and weaknesses. We look at manufacturer’s info, tire spec sheets, customer reviews, and other data points, then distill that information to a 1-10 score for the categories of traction, handling, longevity, and an overall average SimpleScore number. For the Mastertrack Badlands RT, the SimpleScore shakes out like this:

Traction: 7.5 Handling: 8.2 Longevity: 8.1 Overall average SimpleScore: 7.8

Those would all be some pretty respectable SimpleScore ratings for any tire, let alone a tire that starts at $161.99 per tire. On the pavement, the Mastertrack Badlands RT is reasonably quiet (although it does get a little noisier on some surfaces), and its handling is predictable and capable if not exactly up to the type of cornering and steering response you’d expect from a premium performance tire. Straight-line road manners are composed and confident, even on irregular pavement, with no wander and squirrelly behavior that sometimes goes with mud-terrain tires. Off the pavement, the Mastertrack is equally confident in gravel, loose dirt, thick, sticky mud, and sand, with its lug tread and aggressive tread blocks digging in eagerly. Wraparound lugs extend from the tire’s shoulder down onto the sidewall for great lateral traction, helping to enhance cornering ability and making it a breeze to claw out of ruts. Indeed, the Badlands RT does not have the 3 Peak Mountain Snowflake certification for severe winter service, but its lug tread and extra tread depth should make it a good performer in heavier snow and slush.

The damage-resistant tread compound of the Badlands RT is durable enough for aired-down rock crawling over steep grades, boulders, and obstacles such as rocks. It’s durable enough to be covered with a 45,000 mile limited manufacturer’s tread wear warranty – the kind of warranty coverage that was once only found on tires that cost far more. Overall, the SimpleTire team thinks that the Badlands RT from Mastertrack is an exceptionally capable rugged-terrain tire for 4WD-equipped light trucks, Jeeps, crossovers, and SUVs. With its tread compound, tread design, and limited manufacturer’s tread life warranty coverage, this tire punches far above its weight class. It consistently beats expectations for a tire at this price point.

Vehicles The Mastertrack Badlands RT is a good replacement tire for

Rugged terrain tires are designed to split the difference between mud and all-terrain tires, meaning they’re often paired with vehicles used on any terrain. Consider the Mastertrack Badlands RT if you drive a vehicle like the:

• Chevrolet Silverado 2500
• Dodge Durango
• Ford Maverick
• GMC Yukon
• Honda Ridgeline
• Jeep Wrangler
• Nissan Titan
• RAM 1500
• Subaru Outback
• Toyota 4Runner
• Ford Bronco Sport
• Ford Explorer
• Ford Escape
• Ford F150
• Subaru Forester