I confess to running Yokohama Geolandar X-MT G005‘s at the time of writing, and although a little noisy have proven pretty decent off-road and on-road performance is really good too.

Let’s take a look at what I consider the best mud terrain tyres for Australian conditions, whatever your budget.

Stuff to consider when buying mud terrain tyres

If you’re struggling to choose a set of muddies there are five key factors to help you decide:

• Dry performance
• Wet performance
• Durability
• Noise and comfort
• And the old chestnut – Price.

Noise is probably your least concern, but if you spend most of your time on-road you’ll find some muddies are much quieter than others.

Wet or dry performance will depend on how much wet sticky mud you want to get yourself into. If you use your 4X4 a lot on the road then dry performance muddies will give you better practicality, fuel economy, and less road noise. Wet muddies will get you anywhere you want to go.

Durability is much better on wet performance muddies. They’re built to be seriously rugged with reinforced sidewalls, and this makes them much more resistant to punctures or damage from hard terrain.

When it comes to budget you’ll find a huge difference in price. In Australia we have the big brands like BFGoodrich and General Tire, more affordable yet still decent Japanese brands like Toyo and Yokohama, and also true blue Aussie brands like Monsta.

Where to get the best prices on mud terrain tyres in Australia?

If you’ve read my other articles you’ll know I’m a big fan of Tyroola, and I recently wrote how I saved $352 for a set of tyres for my Civic daily.

Tyroola are an online Aussie tyre retailer, and buying a set of tyres is as easy as picking what you want and having them sent to a tyre fitter near you. You even get to choose the tyre fitter based on location, price, service, and reviews from other consumers. You can even have them hooked up on your own driveway.

In 2024 it’s a great way of buying tyres for the best possible price.

Best Mud Terrain Tyres in Australia, 2024

Below you will find our best rated muddies of 2024, categorised by Best Aussie, Best Premium, Best All-Rounder, Best for Comfort, and Best Budget.

Keep in mind the tyres listed below are the latest models in 2024. Want to save some money, opt for a previous model.

Best Aussie MT: Monsta Mud Warrior MT

Being an Australian brand has to be a plus. Who knows Aussie off-road conditions better than Australians?

Combine that with a badass name – Monsta Mud Warrior MT – and a really decent price, these have to be the best Aussie muddy on offer?

Reviews have been great for the Monsta brand in general, and when it comes to the Mud Warrior’s a quote which sums them up in true Aussie style is “They stick like shit to a blanket”. With 4.8/5 on ProductReview and shed loads of positive feedback amongst 4X4 communities, why would you not?

Our mate Danny did a lap of Australia on a set of Mud Warriors, and despite being “a tad noisy” got him through endless dirt, corrugation, sand, a few rivers, remote salt lake, and of course a tonne of mud. He got stuck once, but deflating the tyres a little more got him unstuck, and I’m sure down to his terrible skills rather than the muddies.

Aesthetically speaking, the Monsta Mud Warriors look really serious on a Defender or Land Cruiser, particularly wagons and troopys.

Best Premium MT: BFGoodrich Mud Terrain T/A KM3

For serious off-roaders it comes as no surprise a BFGoodrich muddy gets “Best Premium MT”.

Yes, they’re expensive, but BFGoodrich are known across the world to be absolutely best of the best for off-road. In 2024 the BFGoodrich muddy of choice is the Mud Terrain T/A KM3 which already comes with a stack of great consumer reviews.

Not only are these tyres durable and quieter than most brands of muddy, they will get you absolutely anywhere in Australia (other than across the Torres Strait).

If you have the money and want the best, hook up your rig with KM3s and be the envy of your mates. It’s as simple as that, and you won’t be disappointed.

Yes, I did consider General Tire Grabbers. Despite being a very notable muddy, my personal preference (and experience) has to be BFGoodrich.

Best All-Rounder: Yokohama Geolander X-MT Mud Terrain G005

My guess is you didn’t expect to see a Yokohama on a list of the best mud terrain tyres for Australian off-road conditions, but credit where credit is due the Japanese know their stuff when it comes to tyres.

The Geolandar X-MT G005 may leave your mates wondering how serious you are about mud. That is, until you rock up and tow them out a sticky situation.

I’ve been running these muddies on my Ute for several months, and they’re a very capable mud terrain tyre. You compromise on the brand name and street appeal, but you’ll save some bucks in the process.

If you want a really good mud terrain tyre but aren’t bothered and don’t want to pay the premium of BFGoodrich Mud Terrain T/A KM3s, then check out the price of these Yoko’s:

Best for Comfort: Toyo Open Country MT

Toyo, another Japanese brand, make some excellent tyres. Not only are they excellent, but they’re also affordable.

The Toyo Open Country MT will be a good choice for you if you spend most of the time on the road, but still want a capable weekend warrior. Open Country MTs aren’t as serious as the other brands above, but you’ll be thankful for having a car which still performs politely and relatively quietly on the road.

It’s not as if you’ll be compromising that much either. The thick sidewalls on these Toyo’s are super tough and sturdy, even at low pressure.

You may be surprised to learn Toyo tyres have the most loyal consumers, with around 90% saying they would buy the same brand again. It’s possible these tyres will clock over 100,000km on Aussie roads, so factor that in when you’re considering how reasonably they’re priced.

Best Budget MT: Lanvigator Catchfors MT

When your mates ask you what tyres you have, and you say “Lanvigator’s”, you’ll probably get some blank looks.

You’ll also have a fatter wallet, because the Lanvigator Catchfors MT are much cheaper than all other muddies above. They’re made in China, a country known more for cheap exports than quality exports, but don’t worry too much – the Catchfor MTs come with stacks of positive reviews from budget-mongers like yourself.

The Lanvigators aren’t the quietest by some margin, and they cope with dry mud better than wet mud, but it has to be said they’re priced brilliantly.

If you don’t want a set of tyres which cost more than your car, yet let you have fun in the mud without too much stress, then check out the Lanvigator Catchfors MT.

A great muddy on a budget.

Wet mud performance vs dry mud performance

You may wonder why some MT tyres are better in wet mud and others in dry mud. Not all muddies are designed for the same purpose – other than mud, right?

There are design considerations which affect how the muddies perform in various situations, including tarmac.

Generally speaking, a wet performance mud terrain tyre will be tougher and able to disperse mud more easily. In wet mud, these tyres will effectively channel water and mud away from the tread, therefore maintaining better grip.

Dry performance mud terrain tyres (and all terrain ATs) compromise some of the wet grip for better all-round use. This includes better driving on-road, and usually less road noise. Some dry performance mud terrains will perform better in dry mud than those designed for wet mud.

It’s rare for a mud terrain tyre which trumps all aspect of mud use, but premium tyres like BFGoodrich and General Tire do a far better job in all situations, even offering you a pleasurable drive along the freeway home.

If you’re still uncertain whether you want a muddy for wet performance or dry performance, here are some thought provoking pros and cons of both:

Wet performance MT pros and cons

Dry performance MT pros and cons

Are narrow or wide tyres better in mud?

There’s a belief that narrow tyres can perform better in the mud, but this is incorrect.

Simply put, traction is all about surface area, and that means the larger the surface the better the traction. That means the seemingly ridiculous size of muddies you see on Australian 4X4s is all for purpose, not *just* to show off.

There are other factors of consideration, such as the ability of a mud terrain tyre to withstand pressure at low psi, and tread design to effectively disperse mud, but larger surface area is the reason muddies look so much more aggressive than all terrains.

But are mud terrain tyres our best choice?

Not always, and in many cases MT tyres won’t give you the best performance off road either.

So without further ado, this guide will help you choose between AT and MT tyres for your Aussie 4X4:

Why it’s crucial to choose the right 4X4 tyre for your needs

Most of us use our 4X4s for work and play, which means a lot of road driving and off-roading whenever we get the chance. Usually we want the best performance off-road, but at what cost to our daily drives? Choosing the wrong type of tyre can be a painful and costly mistake.

Take a pen and paper and write down what percentage of time you use your car on-road, and how much you use it off-road. If in doubt, give it a few weeks consideration.

90% on-road, 10% off-road?

The choice between all-terrain and mud-terrain tyres is one of the biggest decisions we make for our 4WD cars in Australia, and no tyre can meet all our needs.

We wrote at length about 4X4 tyres in general, but for the sake of quick decisions, lets take a look at pros and cons for AT vs MT:

All-Terrain Tyres (AT)

Pros

• Versatility – All-terrain tyres, as the name suggests, are designed to work in a variety of environments on-road and off-road. A jack of all trades if you will. ATs offer a balance of performance both on bitumen and most off-road trails. This makes ATs suitable for most conditions you’ll want to put your car through, which is really useful when it comes to diverse Aussie lifestyles.
• Tread Life – AT tyres usually have a longer tread life compared to mud-terrain tyres, which makes them more cost-effective in the long run.
• Quieter Ride – All-terrain tyres produce less noise on the road. Usually much less noise. You may not care about a quiet ride, but your girlfriend might. ATs compared to MTs provide a much quieter and more comfortable driving experience in pretty much every case.
• Fuel Efficiency – Because of the smoother tread of ATs vs MTs, they will be more fuel-efficient on highways and most urban roads.

Cons

• Limited Traction – While all-terrain tyres perform well in most situations, they may struggle in extremely muddy or rocky terrains due to their less aggressive tread patterns.
• Less Aggressive Appearance – If you’re looking for a rugged, aggressive look for your vehicle, all-terrain tyres may not provide the same manly look as mud-terrain tyres. If you want to look cool (or like to think you look cool), then muddies will be for you.

Mud-Terrain Tyres (MT or Muddies)

Pros

• Much Better Traction on Mud – MT tyres are specifically designed for challenging off-road conditions, providing exceptional traction in mud and rocky terrains. You may assume they’re better on sand as well, but this isn’t always the case. Better traction in mud is a significant off-road advantage, especially if you’re more serious about your off-road driving than the usability of your car on Melbourne streets.
• Aggressive Appearance – If you want your 4×4 to have a bold and rugged appearance, mud-terrain tyres are definitely the way to go. Their bad-ass aggressive tread patterns and sidewall design give any 4WD a look that means business.
• Self-Cleaning – Mud-terrain tyres are designed to self-clean, which means they shed mud and debris easily. This is a practical benefit to make sure you have continuous traction in muddy conditions.

Cons

• Road Noise – You probably know the sound already – what Aussie doesn’t? Whenever a 4X4 with muddies drive past there’s a definitive drone. MTs tend to be much noisier on paved roads due to their aggressive tread patterns, and this can lead to a less comfortable and louder ride during regular driving.
• Reduced Tread Life – Mud-terrain tyres wear out much faster on regular roads compared to ATs. That means you’ll pay more for tyres over the long run, and have to replace your MTs more frequently.
• Lower Fuel Efficiency – The aggressive tread design and increased rolling resistance make mud-terrain tyres less fuel-efficient on highways and urban roads. Especially if you don’t inflate them back up.

Still undecided? Final thoughts about AT vs MT tyres

Choosing between AT and MT tyres for your 4×4 is a dilemma we all face as Aussie off-road nuts.

If you do most of your driving on-road then ATs will be your best bet. A set of MTs may make your 4WD look bitchin’, but may make it a PITA to drive (especially with your girlfriend in tow).

AT vs MT tyres depend mostly on your intended use and personal preferences. All-terrain tyres offer versatility and a quieter ride for everyday driving, making them suitable for those who occasionally venture off-road. On the other hand, mud-terrain tyres are ideal for serious off-roaders who need superior traction in challenging terrains – assuming you don’t care about the trade-offs in road noise and tread life.

Before making a decision, consider your typical driving conditions and the level of off-roading you plan to do in the Australian outback.

Consider your priorities, whether it’s a comfortable daily drive or conquering the toughest terrains.

Whichever option you choose, make sure to invest in high-quality, well-maintained tyres to ensure safety and performance during your off-road adventures in this beautiful and rugged region. Enjoy!