For most drivers of 4WD-equipped light trucks, Jeeps, and SUVs, all-terrain tires present a good, versatile, all-round tire solution. Newer generations of them are designed to offer an ideal balance of off-road durability and traction, along with road manners, handling, ride quality, and wear properties that are composed and civilized on the pavement. All-terrain tires are designed with aggressive tread patterns, damage-resistant tread formulations, and durable construction for most difficult off-road conditions, but for deep and sloppy mud or aired-down rock crawling over steep boulders, obstacles, and other challenges, these are simply going to fall short of getting the job done. Mud-terrain tires are designed to pick up where all-terrain tires leave off.

Mud-terrain tires are designed for the rugged performance and unstoppable traction you need in those conditions, and the Petlas Peaklander M/T is a great example of what mud-terrain tires can deliver and what they are supposed to be about. It’s a tire that’s packed with design features and top-quality materials to give you the confidence you need to get out there and back without ever getting yourself into trouble, even in the sloppiest, soupiest mud or the roughest terrain. But don’t just take us at our word on that; go in for a closer look at this Petlas Peaklander M/T review:

Features and Benefits

Here are some of the features and innovations that make the Petlas Peaklander M/T such a valuable performer in the world of mud-terrain tires:

• Aggressive lug tread with void ratio optimized to fling mud, stones, and debris from the grooves, ensuring a clear section of the tread to dig in for traction as the wheel turns
• Extra-tough and damage-resistant tread formulation resists punctures, cuts, and abrasions even for aired-down rock crawling over steep boulders and obstacles
• Durable casing with 2+1 ply design, wrapped ply ends, and reinforced bead wire for strength and a secure fit on the rim
• Reinforced sidewall protects against cuts, punctures, and impacts
• Staggered shoulder block sizes are designed to deliver lateral traction and a better level of control and handling on irregular surfaces or muddy terrain
• Angled lateral, angled, and longitudinal grooves help to evacuate water or slush from the tire’s contact patch, helping resist hydroplaning on wet pavement and enhancing grip, braking, and control on wet, soggy ground
• Reinforced shoulder blocks that are designed for improved handling and control on pavement, mud, or loose dirt
• 18 sizes, for from 15” to 20” rims

Pros and Cons

PROS:

• Dependable traction and control in some of the most punishing terrain and conditions
• Reinforced sidewalls and tread formulation for high strength and durability
• Good control and traction when used aired-down over steep grades, irregular surfaces, boulders, logs, and other obstacles
• Low noise due to different types of tread blocks
• Comfortable ride

CONS:

• Not Three Peak Mountain Snowflake rated for severe winter service
• Not covered by limited manufacturer’s tread life warranty
• Can be noisy on some pavement surfaces

SimpleTire’s view on Petlas Peaklander M/T tires

When it comes to mud-terrain tires, there are many options on the market at a lot of different price points, but it’s our opinion here at the SimpleTire team that the Petlas Peaklander M/T delivers a lot of performance and value for the money.

Are you familiar with SimpleScore? SimpleScore is the system that the SimpleTire team has developed to give you a quick, at-a-glance idea of a tire’s strengths and weaknesses. We consider the tire’s spec sheet, manufacturer’s info, customer reviews, and other data points, then distill that information into a 1-10 numerical value for the categories of traction, handling, and longevity, as well as an overall average SimpleScore. In the case of the Petlas Peaklander M/T, the SimpleScore numbers look like this:

• Traction: 7.5
• Handling: 7.6
• Longevity: 7.2
• Overall average SimpleScore: 7.4

Those are all pretty respectable numbers on a scale of 1-10, and it looks even more impressive when you consider that this tire starts at $185.99 per unit.

For starters, the Peaklander M/T is tough, with its damage-resistant tread formulation and reinforced casing, as well as its steel belt package, 2+1 ply construction with wrapped ply ends, and heavy-duty single-strand bead wire. The reinforced sidewall and shoulder mean that this tire is more than durable enough when it comes to aired-down rock crawling. Then, down in the depths of the deepest, soupiest, most gravy-like mud, the aggressive tread blocks and extra-deep grooves of the Peaklander M/T deliver a confident grip while easily shedding mud, rocks, and debris from the tread grooves, so there’s always more traction on hand.

Yes, the Peaklander M/T can be fairly loud on the pavement (many mud tires are), and it doesn’t have a limited manufacturer’s tread life warranty (many mud tires don’t). It’s also true that this tire doesn’t have the 3 Peak Mountain Snowflake certification for severe winter service, a rating where the tire industry sets the bar pretty high for performance. Reviews on winter performance for the Petlas Peaklander M/T are a little skimpy and inconclusive. Still, its extra-deep and aggressive lug tread and durable tread compound are designed for winter grip that’s capable and dependable.

Ride quality and overall handling on the highway are pretty composed, without excessive wander and constant need for correction.. Some mud-terrain tires are fairly squirrelly at highway speed, and a Handling SimpleScore of 7.6 is a lot better than what many mud-terrain tires can show for themselves in that category. Overall, it’s our take here at the SimpleTire team that the Peaklander M/T from Petlas is a very capable tire and can be a great option for a mud-terrain tire for light trucks, Jeeps, and SUVs.

Vehicles the Petlas Peaklander M/T is a good replacement tire for

While the Petlas Peaklander M/T isn’t featured as OEM from the factory on any vehicles, we think it would be a great replacement mud-terrain tire for trucks and SUVs such as these:

• Ford Explorer
• Chevrolet Tahoe
• Nissan Titan
• Toyota Tundra
• Jeep Grand Cherokee
• Dodge Durango
• RAM 1500/2500