Fred Williams
Brand Manager, Petersen’s 4Wheel & Off Road
Do people really drive on 40-inch tires every day? Yes, as a matter of fact they do. Plenty of four-wheelers have the power, drivetrain, brakes, and wallet to afford such a luxury as running big tires on their daily driver. The problem is there’s not a lot of tires we would recommend for such a job. There are great mud tires, rock tires, and even combination tires, but often as a tire gets larger and more aggressive the requirement for it to be a good street tire diminishes. We recently tested the new 40x13.50R17 Toyo Open Country M/T tire and found that these just might be the perfect daily driving 40s.
A lot of people daily drive the same 4x4s they take off-road. And why not? It’s cheaper to daily drive it versus buying a tow rig and trailer. Of course it’s hard to justify running down $2,000 in tires on the asphalt, but it’s not unheard of. This past summer we spent every nice day cruising our M37, and most of the time we were on these new 40-inch Toyos.
So what makes a mud tire a good daily driver? Sound, ride, longevity, and not least of all road performance. We were able to test three of these qualities in our short time with this new tire. In the end, it’s a big deal to make a $500 40-inch tire work on your daily driver, but if you are looking for a tire that is big enough to justify your 1-ton axles and big underhood engine, yet calm enough to make driving your trail rig to work every now and then a joy, then here it is.
Specifications
Make & Model: Toyo Open Country M/T
Size tested: 40x13.50R17
Type: Radial
Load Range: C
Maximum load (lb): 3,195 @ 35 psi
Tread: 3 polyester, 3 steel, 2 nylon
Sidewall: 3 polyester
Tread depth (in): 21⁄32
Tread width (in): 101⁄2
Section width (in): 131⁄2
Overall diameter (in): 393⁄4
Weight (lb): 105
Sizes available (in): 31-40
