MuddyOval.com Product Review

Firestone Destination MT reviewed by Steve

Over the years I've tried all kinds of mud tyres on Jeeps and Land Rovers and none really stood out as any better as I tried the cheap ones, expensive ones, the ones that everyone else had...

My usual choice was a Dunlop and I found myself thinking I would go more aggressive since my newly lifted Freelander was not my daily driver.  Searching the internet revealed a new tyre from Firestone that was getting rave reviews.  I had a problem with Firestone a decade or so ago where they screwed me on a warranty, so it pained me deeply to consider giving them my hard earned money.  Well, my long standing grudge aside, I ordered a set of these new Destination MT's for my Freelander.

When they arrived, I couldn't help grinning ear to ear- these things were beefy.  HUGE lugs- widely spaced, drilled for studs too. The shoulder of the tyre was lugged and the side wall protected the bead very well.  I figured that the road manners would make my weekend toy especially useless for on-road driving, but it turns out I was wrong.  On-road performance was exceptional- as good, if not better, than the Dunlop All-Terrain tyres they replaced.  I quickly found a construction area owned by a friend of mine and dunked the Freelander in- deep.  The traction was amazing, the traction control on the Freelander barely came on as the little Rover tackled mud that I'd never consider in my Disco with generic MT's.

The tread life over the many miles held up better than expected.  More off-road runs revealed that there is only one weakness in these tyres- the lugs tend to cut if you run on sharp rocks.  Of course, if you run mostly on rock- MT's are not the right choice. 

Based on performance alone, I'd choose these over the old technology BFG MT any day- but when you add the long life, it's a no-brainer.  Since proving themselves on my Freelander, all my Rovers since that were fitted with mud tyres have received the Destination MT.  On my Series III, it literally bounced through obstacles that stopped my Defender 90 on BFG's dead in its tracks.

The 'old school' BFG needs to learn some new tricks- Firestone has raised the bar...  Two thumbs up!  I just bought another set (that makes four sets now!) for my latest Rover purchase.

HITS:

• Great traction in the deep stuff
• Surprisingly good in snow- where MT's usually fall flat
• Wet weather traction is as good as any non-MT I've owned
• Wear like iron

MISSES:

• Lugs can tear off on rocks- I only lost a small part of a few lugs overall though
• Font used for the sidewall lettering is kinda stupid

Manufacturer:       Firestone

Available from:     Tire Rack online or your local dealer

Cost (at time of review):   Varies with size

RATING:  I give these tyres 4.5 out of 5 Muddy Ovals.  I considered a 5, but maybe they'll sipe the newer version and make the lugs more cut resistant.

Note:  MuddyOval® has no financial interest related to the product manufacturers listed.  For informational use only.  This product was NOT provided to MuddyOval® for evaluation purposes.