The
Pit Bull Rocker XOR-LT radial is an extreme tire in every sense of the word. It's the exact opposite of a drag racing slick, but it's just as purpose built. While there's no reason you couldn't run these on your daily driven pickup, that's not really the point of a tire like this. The Rockers were built to thrive in the nasty mud, rocks, and dirt.
| The Pit Bull Rocker XOR-LT tire is a mottled mix of huge lugs, wide voids, and large sipes that all indicate this tire's been designed for places far away from paved roads. Yes, these animals can be driven on the street if you need to, but if you're looking for street manners from a tire like this, you're missing the point.
The first thing we noticed about the 35-inch-tall E-load-range-rated Pit Bulls we tested was that they were larger than the 35-inch Nitto Trail Grapplers we reviewed on page 108. The Rocker's asymmetrical tread blocks bulge from the radial carcass and look like claws and fangs. The Pit Bull's sidewalls were covered in sayings like carpe diem (seize the day) and deo et patriae (for god and country), but for those of us who didn't take Latin in high school, the Honor, Guts & Glory phrase below the American flag logo got the point across.
Street
Due to the weight of the Hutchinson wheel and Pit Bull Rocker tire combo (138 pounds combined), we weren't able to convince our local tire shop to balance them. But after more than 300 miles of highway driving, we're content to run these radial tires as delivered. While the Rockers aren't quiet by any means-we joked that it sounded like a helicopter was following us everywhere we went-they rode smoother than we expected. They did produce a constant rumble on the highway, but we heard the lugs more than we felt them. We also predicted the tires would work poorly on wet pavement but were surprised to find the large tread blocks actually provided a stable grip in the rain up to highway speeds. As you can imagine, tires like this aren't made for high-performance cornering, and as such, they did give up grip on twisty roads. Again, you don't buy a tire like this if you only drive on pavement, but it's fair to say they are perfectly capable of using on the highway en route to your favorite off-road trail.
Mud
The Rocker is far more than just a mud tire, but that's the type of extreme off-roading diesel owners are most likely to do. So we spent two days slopping through the nastiest spring runoff we could find in Los Angeles to see what the Rockers are made of. We were rewarded with tires that were highly resistant to packing up with mud and gave excellent grip, thanks to their huge, battle-ax-like biting edges. At 35 psi, the tires flexed well off-road and the 2-ply sidewall had a much smoother ride than the E-load-range rating would suggest. Of all the tires we tested in this issue-the Pit Bull Rockers are the ones we'd head into the deepest mud holes with.
Snow
Tires this aggressive work better when there is more than 6 inches of snow on the ground. The Rocker's large tread blocks just aren't as effective until they can get a solid bite into deep snow. Though the Rockers are rated for mud and snow use, extreme-terrain tires like these are not the best option for driving on icy or snow-covered roads.
PIT BULL ROCKER XOR-LT TIRES
Tire Type: Radial
Tire Size: 35x12.50R17
Overall Diameter: 35 1/2 inches
Tread: 2-ply polyester + 2-ply steel + 1-ply nylon
Sidewall: 2-ply
Tread Depth: 22/32 inch
Overall Width: 12 1/2 inches
Approved Rim Width: 8 1/2 inches
Weight: 98 pounds (approximately)
Maximum Load: 3,640 pounds
Maximum PSI: 65 psi
Load Range Rating: E
HUTCHINSON ROCK MONSTER WHEELS
Wheel Size: 17x8 1/2 inches
Weight (Per Wheel): 40 pounds (approximately)
Bolt Pattern: 8 on 6 1/2 inches
Load Capacity: 3,850 pounds
