Mickey Thompson Baja Boss A/T Tire Review and Ratings
Dry Conditions – 80%
Wet Conditions – 80%
Snow – 70%
Comfort – 60%
Noise Reduction – 60%
Durability – 80%
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One of the many advantages of this modern era are the countless innovations we get to enjoy in our daily lives. It’s noticeable in many niches, including our favorite one – automotive. Vehicles are improving, so the tires need to follow closely.
You probably know that I’m not an overlanding person, but I can understand and support people who are into that kind of activity. For a long time, the industry had two types of tires, all-terrain or mud-terrain, depending on what people needed. Lately, manufacturers began to lean more towards hybrid tires, often referred to as rugged terrain.
More and more tire manufacturers are getting on board with these tires, including companies that aren’t all that big. I’m talking about Mickey Thompson and its Baja Boss A/T. Don’t let the name fool you. Despite having A/T in its name, this is a hybrid tire, which is clear from the more aggressive pattern.
The main question is: How the tire performs and is it worth considering it?
Pros
- Marvelous off-road performance in most situations
- Road performance is pretty good for daily driving
- Deals with snow very well, better than many all-terrain rivals
- Handles well and is decently responsive
Cons
- The refinement isn’t the best in its class
- Doesn’t handle aggressive cornering as well as some of its rivals
The Features of the Mickey Thompson Baja Boss A/T
The Baja Boss A/T is a tire that should offer a balanced blend of performance on and off-road, and it comes with the features that should back up that claim.
All off-road capable tires are all-season models, and this one is no exception. The company used its Silica-Reinforced rubber compound and molded it into an asymmetric tread pattern. This should result in a tire that will deliver performance in colder temperatures and ensure that it won’t get damaged easily when off-roading.
Similar to most rugged terrain tires, this one features a slightly more aggressive tread pattern when compared with all-terrain tires. This should help it in off-roading conditions, as well as improve traction in winter, especially over unpacked snow.
Winter performance can be crucial for some people, and there are situations where M+S rated models don’t do so well. Luckily, this model is 3PMSF rated, meaning that it should handle snowy conditions better.
The pattern is primarily designed for off-road conditions, but it should offer advantages in other conditions as well. Specifically, the deeper grooves and channels are designed to evacuate water efficiently and keep the tire stable in pouring rain. The blocks also feature a network of sipes, designed to help the tire with traction on damp roads or packed snow.
Mickey Thompson Baja Boss A/T in Dry Conditions
Tires like the Baja Boss A/T do a pretty decent job in dry conditions and people are happy with them, as long as they’re aware of their limitations.
The overall performance is pretty good for daily driving, which is more than enough for most scenarios. You’ll have solid levels of grip and traction, meaning that you can rely on it to get you to your destination safely. It’s not a tire you’ll push hard, so you shouldn’t expect miracles. In all fairness, most tires in this category aren’t designed with aggressive driving in mind, but some of its rivals are doing a better job, especially in terms of grip. It’s the same with the braking distances. Despite being relatively short and well within the safe zone, they’re still slightly longer than the best in class.
One thing the tire does well is the handling. Models in this category aren’t the best in terms of handling, which is why the responsiveness of this model was a surprise. It’s not particularly precise, but it’s still pretty good.
Mickey Thompson Baja Boss A/T on Wet or Slippery Roads
The Baja Boss A/T is a tire that delivers solid performance in wet conditions, despite not being perfect.
On damp roads, the grip, and traction levels of this tire are good enough for normal driving scenarios. You won’t experience too much slip, so it seems fine, but that’s not the whole story. The performance is good, but once you start to get a bit carried away, you’ll notice it struggling.
There is a point where you can overwhelm it in some situations. The handling will fool you that it can handle aggressiveness, but it won’t. At a certain point, you’ll end up with some understeer when you ask too much of it. You won’t notice it too much under normal circumstances, so as long as you’re not pushing it, you won’t notice any issues. A slight surprise are the braking distances, putting it ahead of some more popular rivals.
The network of grooves does an impressive job of evacuating water, meaning that the aquaplaning resistance is pretty good for its category.
Mickey Thompson Baja Boss A/T in Snow
As a tire with a 3PMSF rating, the Baja Boss A/T deals with snow surprisingly well.
Even though this isn’t a winter tire, the traction levels are excellent for its category. The aggressive pattern enables it to dig into unpacked snow and offer performance better than many of its rivals. It’s the same situation with packed snow. The sipes and biting edges on the blocks claw their way onto the surface, meaning you won’t experience any issues. Sure, you notice a slip here and there, but only when you get carried away. Getting too aggressive, especially in the corners will result in understeer, which is something you’ll see with most tires in this category. The braking distances are also on the shorter end of the spectrum, making it a safe tire. Keep in mind the tire’s category and drive accordingly. In other words, despite being good in winter conditions, that’s only in the lighter ones.
Most all-season or all-weather tires aren’t too comfortable on ice, so you shouldn’t expect a lot. The same goes for the Baja Boss A/T. It’s a tire that will be usable if you need to, with acceptable traction levels and braking distances.
Mickey Thompson Baja Boss A/T Off-Roading
As a hybrid all-terrain tire, or rugged-terrain one, the Baja Boss A/T does exceptionally well in off-roading situations.
There’s plenty of traction on hard packed surfaces, allowing you to navigate dirt or gravel roads without risking slip. The tire’s braking distances in these conditions are also short, so there are no complaints. Thanks to the tread pattern, the grooves stay clean from rocks, which is good for keeping the performance consistent. You’ll notice a smaller rock here and there, but it’s not too terrible.
Mud and sand are tricky, but are not a problem for this tire. As long as you’re not driving over too deep patches, you’ll be fine. You can air the tire down a bit for sand to get more contact and have solid performance. It handles mud like a champ, as long as it’s not too deep. Maybe the STT Pro is a bit better, but the differences aren’t massive.
Hard-core off-roading conditions is something this tire can tackle well. Most all-terrain tires usually do well in lighter rock crawling situations, but this one does a bit better than most. The internal construction allows it to be aired down and can even go over larger rocks. It’s not on the same level as mud-terrain tires, but it’s pretty close.
Mickey Thompson Baja Boss A/T for Sporty Driving
Off-road tires are as far from sporty tires as they can be, so you shouldn’t expect that from the Baja Boss A/T. The grip and traction levels are good enough for daily driving, and not a lot more. There is some sportiness to the handling, considering that it’s an off-road tire and is responsive. With that said, it’s not on the same level as UHP or even grand touring tires.
Does the Mickey Thompson Baja Boss A/T Ride Comfortably?
Refinement isn’t the strongest suite of most off-road capable tires, so the Baja Boss A/T won’t be as comfortable or as quiet as road-going tires.
Due to the internal construction, the tire’s comfort levels were satisfactory. It’s comfortable enough if you’re prepared to live with a slightly firmer ride when compared to some of its rivals such as the Geolandar X-AT. Driving on good roads isn’t terrible, and the tire will do a solid job, but the problem becomes a bit noticeable on bad roads with repetitive bumps.
The noise levels also aren’t impressive, even in this category. There isn’t a massive difference between the tones and the intensity over different surfaces, so it will be noticeable in most situations. I wouldn’t say it’s too loud, but I feel like it does a slightly better job than the Ridge Grappler. To be fair, tires with aggressive patterns aren’t known for being quiet, so it’s something owners will need to live with.
Mickey Thompson Baja Boss A/T Warranty
As an all-terrain tire, the Baja Boss A/T deserves to be praised for its 50,000 or 60,000-mile treadwear warranty, for Euro and LT-metric models, respectively. This is better than the Open Country R/T and the Open Country R/T Trail.
Mickey Thompson Baja Boss A/T Pricing: Is It Worth the Price?
The company is advertised as premium manufacturer, so you can expect to pay a premium price. A 16-inch model is roughly the same price as the Wrangler DuraTrac RT, which is another excellent tire from this category.
Should I Buy the Mickey Thompson Baja Boss A/T?
When you look at everything that the Baja Boss A/T has to offer, you can understand why it’s such a popular hybrid tire.
The on-road performance is pretty good and enough for daily driving. Winter performance is surprisingly pretty good making this much more usable than most all-season tires. For off-road performance, there are hardly any compromises. It can handle most conditions and as long as you’re not after the most extreme ones, you won’t experience any issues.
Refinement isn’t something this tire does well, which is somewhat expected. A slightly firmer ride accompanied by some slightly noticeable tones is something you’ll need to learn to live with. Considering that it’s priced close to its premium competitors, seeing a long treadwear warranty is a nice thing to have.
Overall, the Baja Boss A/T is an excellent tire. If you’re looking for a strong off-road contender with decent on-road performance, this is one of the several tires you can get. You will need to accept some slight compromises in terms of refinement, which is the case with most tires in this segment.
What Vehicles Will the Mickey Thompson Baja Boss A/T Fit?
Here’s a sample list of cars that the Mickey Thompson Baja Boss A/T will fit:
- Chevrolet Suburban
- Dodge Dakota
- Ford Ranger
- GMC Sierra
- Jeep Wrangler
- Lexus GX460
- Mercedes-Benz GLK350
- Nissan Titan
- RAM 1500
- Toyota Tacoma
- Volkswagen Touareg
Tire Sizes of the Mickey Thompson Baja Boss A/T
15″
- 235/75R15 109T
16″
- 265/70R16 112T
- 265/75R16 116T
- LT265/75R16 123/120Q
- LT285/75T16 126/123Q
17″
- 245/65R17 111T
- LT255/85R17 121/118Q
- LT265/65R17 120/117Q
- LT265/70R17 121/118Q
- 265/70R17 116T
- 285/70R17 116T
- LT285/70R17 121/118Q
- LT295/70R17 121/118Q
- LT305/65R17 121/118Q
- 33X12.5R17LT 114Q
- 35X12.5R17LT 119Q
- 37X12.5R17LT 124Q
18″
- 265/60R18 114T
- LT265/60R18 119/116Q
- 265/65R18 116T
- 275/65R18 116T
- LT275/70R18 125/122Q
- LT285/65R18 125/122Q
- LT295/70R18 129/126Q
- LT305/60R18 126/123Q
- LT305/70R18 126/123Q
- 33X12.5R18LT 118Q
- 35X12.5R18LT 118Q
20″
- 265/50R20 111T
- 275/55R20 117T
- LT275/55R20 120/117Q
- 275/60R20 115T
- LT275/60R20 123/120Q
- LT275/65R20 126/123Q
- LT285/60R20 125/122Q
- LT285/65R20 127/124Q
- LT295/60R20 126/123Q
- 305/50R20 120T
- LT305/55R20 125/122Q
- 33X12.5R20LT 114Q
- 33X13.5R20LT 120Q
- 35X12.5R20LT 125Q
- 35X13.5R20LT 126Q
- 35X15.5R20LT 127Q
- 37X12.5R20LT 126Q
- 37X13.5R20LT 127Q
22″
- 285/45R22 114T
- LT285/55R22 124/121Q
- 305/45R22 118T
- LT325/50R22 127Q
- 35X12.5R22LT 121Q
- 35X15.5R22LT 123Q
- 37X13.5R22LT 128Q
24″
- 37X13.5R24LT 124Q
