X/T Tires vs All-Terrain Tires
Culture | 07/26/2024
You may have noticed a new type of tire being mentioned alongside familiar Light Truck and SUV/CUV tires such as Mud-Terrain, Rough-Terrain, and All-Terrain — the X/T Tire, which is also known as a Crossover tire, a Hybrid tire, or Extreme-Terrain tire. So what is an Extreme-Terrain, Crossover, or Hybrid tire? An X/T tire is best described as a cross between a Mud-Terrain tire and an All-Terrain tire. If you’re wondering whether Mud-Terrain or All-Terrain tires are best for your vehicle, then a quality X/T tire may actually be your best choice.
What are All-Terrain Tires Good For?
While Mud-Terrain tires are great for regularly driving in wet, muddy, or sandy terrain, they can often be noisy and bumpy while driving on-road, lacking in stability, and their tread can wear down faster. All-Terrain tires provide solutions to those problems, but while an All-Terrain tire provides a smoother ride, improved handling, and has longer wear, an A/T is not as equipped to drive on muddy, sandy, or unstable terrain. Vehicle owners may be torn between A/T and M/T tires if they drive mostly on paved roads, but want the flexibility of going off-road to more extreme terrains. That’s where the Hybrid, or X/T tire comes in.
What are the Benefits of X/T Tires?
For drivers who want more off-road versatility than an All-Terrain can offer, an Extreme-Terrain tire has larger tread voids and softer rubber than an A/T, giving it better traction in mud, sand, unstable terrain, and even slush or snow. X/T tires also typically have the aggressive look that off-road enthusiasts prefer, and usually have sidewall tread designs that give the tires extra traction. X/T tires offer a smoother ride, better handling, and longer tread life than Mud-Terrain tires.
How To Choose the Best Crossover Tire for SUV and CUV Driving
Groundspeed Tires introduces the Voyager X/T, a Hybrid tire that was specifically created for CUV and SUV drivers, available in over 70 sizes. The Voyager X/T embodies the best that a Crossover tire has to offer, with an aggressive, OHV and Trail-Ready tread that includes block-edge steps, an open shoulder, and stone ejectors to optimize traction while protecting against trapped stones. The three-step tread block design works together with serrated shoulder blocks to enhance traction on off-road surfaces and in snow, and All-Weather engineering features such as zig-zag shoulder grooves and center x-shaped grooves improve the evacuation of rain, mud and snow, giving better handling in all weather conditions.
For extra protection from sharp rocks and better off-camber traction, the Voyager X/T offers dual aggressive sidewall shoulder block designs, which also allows drivers to choose the look that best suits their vehicle. The tread is reinforced with Groundspeed’s proprietary GX Silica compound, a Nano-Grade silica which balances wear and traction, and improves traction in snow. Ultra high-strength steel cord belts reinforce the tire, resisting sidewall punctures and tread wear, improving steering response, and providing a smoother ride.
The Voyager X/T is M+S Rated for good traction in mud and snow conditions, and is even F-Rated for towing and hauling, in select sizes. Groundspeed backs this tire up with their GroundUp 55K Mileage Warranty and Road Hazard Coverage.