Great Smoky Mountain Jeep Invasion 2025 :: Hankook Dynapro MT Mud Terrain Tire

Mud tires, specifically designed for aggressive off-road driving, are a staple for overlanding enthusiasts. During the Jeep Invasion event, Scott Brady from Expedition Portal, alongside Olivia Flatt from the Hankook product training team, recently discussed the attributes and applications of mud tires like the Hankook Dynapro MT2. These tires offer a unique blend of durability and performance across varying terrains, making them a good choice for overlanders traveling in remote or technical terrain.

Presented by Hankook Dynapro Tire

Understanding Mud Tires

Mud tires are characterized by their aggressive tread patterns and large lugs, which provide excellent traction in mud, dirt, and sand. They are particularly effective in rocky terrains, where the lugs grip and climb over obstacles. However, their aggressive design leads to quicker wear and increased noise on highways compared to all-terrain tires.

How to Select a Mud Terrain Tire for Overlanding:

1. A mild mud pattern will serve most travelers, as highway manners are still a consideration.
2. Select a mud tire with siping on the tread face for improved wet rock and road traction.
3. A chamfered lug profile will reduce mud retention and improve lug integrity. Shoulder lugs will increase traction in ruts and also reduce sidewall punctures.
4. Look for mud and store ejectors between the side lugs.
5. Favor a taller, narrower tire for muddy conditions.
6. Mud tires also excel in most rocky conditions, due to the mechanical keying between the large lugs and terrain irregularities.
7. Use a Light Truck tire (LT) with a two- or three-ply sidewall and a load rating appropriate to your curb weight.
8. Due to the lug spacing, mud tires produce more road noise than a typical all-terrain, which can increase driver fatigue.
9. Mud tires will typically have longer stopping distances on the road, particularly in wet conditions.
10. Mud tires also reduce fuel economy (and ultimately range) due to increased rolling resistance and weight over an all-terrain.
11. Mud tires will have a shorter tread wear life than a typical all-terrain.

    

Features of the Hankook Dynapro MT2

The Hankook Dynapro MT2 is notable for its optimized tread design, which reduces road noise while maintaining maximum grip across mud, snow, and rock. Despite its aggressive nature, the MT2 is surprisingly quiet, thanks to features like frequency tuning and a tighter lug spacing at the crown of the tire. These features, combined with a focus on reducing rolling resistance, make the tire efficient for daily driving without sacrificing off-road capabilities.

Technical Insights

The MT2’s crown, or the main part of the tire that contacts the road, is designed to balance noise reduction and fuel efficiency. The tread pattern, with closely spaced center lugs (for a mud tire), minimizes highway noise and vibration. Frequency tuning further reduces sound by shaping the lugs to influence the pitch as they contact the road.

The tire incorporates scalloped lugs to improve mud ejection and additional sipes to enhance wet traction and lateral stability on icy surfaces. The side lugs contribute to the tire’s structural integrity, protecting against punctures and providing tractive performance in ruts and rocks.

Advantages of Mud Tires for Overlanding