Hankook Dynapro MT2 RT05 vs Cooper Evolution MT tires

As you have no doubt noticed, there are really a lot of trucks, SUVs, and crossovers on the roads. Trucks and SUVs have taken over family-car and daily-driver duties, the kind of things that used to be handled by big sedans or minivans (and big V8 station wagons a generation before that). With every model year that passes, trucks and SUVs get a little more sophisticated, refined, and comfortable, so it just stands to reason that light truck tires have evolved right along with them. To really get the most out of their performance potential, many of those trucks and SUVs are equipped with 4WD and 4WD performance calls for a premium-quality set of all-terrain tires. The best all-terrain tires are designed for the best of both worlds, with a balance of off-road traction in mud, snow, loose dirt, and gravel, while being equally at home on the road with their ride quality, handling, durability, and road manners. And then for drivers who have fun taking their trucks through heavier mud or deep snow, or maybe rock-crawling with aired-down tires over difficult terrain and obstacles, there’s the toughness of mud-terrain tires. Today’s all-terrain and mud-terrain tires are designed to be a good fit with the weight, power, torque, center of gravity, load capacity, braking, and handling of modern trucks and SUVs, and that brings us to this head-to-head comparison of the Hankook Dynapro MT2 RT05 and Cooper Evolution MT.

In the course of this comparison, you’ll see us make frequent reference to SimpleScore rankings for these tires. If you’re not familiar with SimpleScore, it’s the system the SimpleTire team developed to give you a quick and easy idea of a tire’s performance and value. We look at things like specs, reviews, and other data points, then take that information and distill it down to a numerical value from 1 to 10 for the categories of handling, traction, and longevity as well as an overall average SimpleScore for any given tire. For the Hankook Dynapro MT2 RT05 and Cooper Evolution MT, the SimpleScore numbers are as follows:

Hankook Dynapro MT2 RT05

• Traction: 8.2
• Durability: 8.1
• Longevity: 7.6
• Overall average SimpleScore: 7.9

Cooper Evolution MT

• Traction: 7.9
• Durability: 8.1
• Longevity: 7.4
• Overall average SimpleScore: 7.8

As you can see, the Hankook Dynapro MT2 RT05 and Cooper Evolution MT are both pretty closely matched when it comes to SimpleScore rankings. As handy as SimpleScore is, though, it’s still the 30,000 foot view that doesn’t give you the full depth analysis of a tire’s strengths and weaknesses. Let’s break that information down a little more with a head-to-head comparison of these two premium mud-terrain tires.

Hankook Dynapro MT2 RT05 tires

The Hankook Dynapro MT2 RT05 is a rugged mud-terrain tire that’s designed for the wildest terrain and the roughest use that you can put it through. It’s built for durability, with an advanced damage-resistant tread compound and reinforced carcass with nylon-reinforced belts, a high-tensile steel belt package, and a reinforced under-tread gauge for extra strength and improved steering performance. A reinforced jointless bead wire helps prevent bead separation, which is of crucial importance while operating with reduced air pressure off-road.

For off-road traction, there’s an aggressive mud-terrain tread that’s a full 17/32” deep for long wear and unbeatable grip in mud, loose dirt, sand, or snow. The generous void ratio and wide grooves of the Dynapro MT2 RT05 mean that it easily ejects mud, gravel, and debris from the tread so there’s always a clear section of tire to dig in as the wheel turns. A pattern of staggered lugs toward the center helps to deliver good roadability and traction on pavement, while wraparound lugs at the shoulder extend down onto the sidewall for the lateral traction you need to claw out of ruts or deep snow.

While the Dynapro MT2 RT05 isn’t covered by a factory treadwear warranty (many mud-terrain tires aren’t), Hankook does offer a 30-day free trial and coverage for the first 2/32” of tread wear, with adjusted/pro rata coverage after that. SImpleTire’s price on the Hankook Dynapro MT2 starts at $190.99 per tire.

Cooper Evolution MT tires

You’d think that the MT in the branding of the Cooper Evolution MT would stand for Mud Terrain, but actually it’s Maximum Traction - and you’d be right either way. The Cooper Evolution is designed with a symmetric mud-terrain tread with beefy, oversized lugs and shoulder blocks with alternating scoops to dig into soft surfaces and resist damage. Trail Grip Sidewall construction guards against impacts, scrapes, punctures, and abrasions, while giving the Evolution MT the durability it needs for aired-down operation over rocks and obstacles.

Cooper’s innovative Mud Slinger design helps clear tread grooves of mud, stones, and debris. The Evolution MT has the M+S rating for mud/snow traction and is pre-drilled for easy installation of studs in case of severe winter weather. Depending on tire size, the Evolution MT is available with an outlined white letter (OWL) or black sidewall. SimpleTire’s price on the Cooper Evolution MT starts at $155.99 per tire.

Hankook Dynapro MT2 RT05 vs Cooper Evolution MT tires on traction

How does the Hankook stack up against the Cooper when it comes to the traction category? Looks like the Hankook Dynapro MT2 RT05 weighs in with a SimpleScore of 8.2 vs 7.9 for the Cooper. It’s worth noting that the Cooper has an M+S rating and is studdable in case of deep snow and ice. Both tires are designed for off-road traction and good self-cleaning of mud and gravel, but the scooped shoulder blocks, oversize tread blocks and wraparound lugs at the shoulder give the Hankook the edge when it comes to traction. Our decision:

ADVANTAGE: Hankook Dynapro MT2 RT05

Hankook Dynapro MT2 RT05 vs Cooper Evolution MT tires on durability

This one’s a lot tougher, since both tires come in with SimpleScore ratings of 8.1 for durability. Both the Hankook and the Cooper are built for rough conditions and difficult terrain, with reinforced internal construction, tough sidewalls and tread compounds engineered to resist cuts, chips, and punctures. High-tensile steel belt layers, reinforced cord plies and extra tread depth all help both tires when it comes to toughness for off-road conditions, so our decision here is:

ADVANTAGE: TIE

Hankook Dynapro MT2 RT05 vs Cooper Evolution MT tires on longevity

When we’re talking about longevity, we should mention right up front that neither the Cooper Evolution MT or Hankook Dynapro MT2 RT05 come with a factory treadwear/mileage warranty. That’s not at all uncommon for mud-terrain tires, since they can be subjected to some unusually punishing use. The Hankook registers a SimpleScore of 7.6 for longevity, vs 7.4 for the Cooper. All the design elements and materials that make these such durable tires also contribute to their longevity, although it’s probably not fair to expect either tire to have the kind of service life you’d expect from an all-terrain or mud-terrain tire. Still, the Hankook comes out with a SimpleScore that’s a notch or two higher, so our call is:

ADVANTAGE: Hankook Dynapro MT2 RT05

When to use each

The question to get to here is, what do you really need in a tire for a 4WD equipped truck or SUV? If you want a set of mud-terrain tires just because you love the way they look on your truck, that might not be a sound line of reasoning. While mud-terrain tires have definitely evolved quite a bit when it comes to noise levels, handling, and ride quality on the street, they’re still notably different from all-terrain tires that are designed for a balance between civilized performance on the street and offroad traction and durability, and unless you do a lot of serious offroading mud-terrain tires like the Hankook Dynapro MT2 RT05 and Cooper Evolution MT might not be right for you. If, on the other hand, you do go way off into the backwoods on logging trails, ranch roads or oilfield lease roads or regularly negotiate deep mud, rocks, rough terrain, sand or snow, then all-terrain tires might fall short of being able to get the job done for you. If that sounds like your situation, then by all means consider a set of mud-terrain tires like the Hankook or Cooper.

Which one should you choose?

Both the Hankook Dynapro MT2 RT05 and the Cooper Evolution MT are advanced designs and top-quality, premium tires for mud-terrain applications. Both tires deliver outstanding traction and durability in some of the roughest use you can put any tire through, but the Hankook does come out just a bit ahead when it comes to the overall average SimpleScore numbers, with the Cooper losing a couple of tenths of a point in the traction category. Either tire would be a great fit for a wide variety of trucks, Jeeps and SUVs but our call for this comparison would have to go to the Hankook Dynapro MT2 RT05.

Still not sure which tire to buy? Fortunately, SimpleTire is here to help as our helpful agents are more than happy to assist you in selecting the right tire for your ride and budget.