Firestone Destination M/T

Reviews say the Firestone Destination M/T can take your SUV or pickup mud bogging or rock crawling -- and it handles better on pavement than some competitors. Experts and owners say the Destination M/T effectively throws mud from its treads, allowing it to dig through deep muck to grab traction. Its chunky, over-the-sidewall lugs give the Destination M/T good grip in one rock-crawling test, and they make this tire look tough, reviewers say. However, the newer Goodyear Wrangler MT/R with Kevlar (*Est. $195) has supplanted the older Firestone Destination M/T as the favorite on/off-road maximum-traction tire in reviews.

Owners appreciate that this tire can be studded for extra winter grip. Some find the Destination M/T noisy and washboard-like on the highway, but they point out that most drivers who want a great mud tire probably won't care about that. Like most mud tires, however, the Destination M/T carries no treadwear warranty. Unless off-roading is your main priority, reviews say you'll get a smoother, quieter ride on pavement with the all-terrain Pirelli Scorpion ATR (*Est. $175).

Petersen's 4Wheel & Off-Road reviews the Firestone Destination M/T based on lengthy, real-life testing. Other professional reviewers largely ignore the Destination M/T. Website 4x4Review.com reviews the tire, but the write-up reads like a press release, and every tire at that site gets a glowing review. Owner reviews at TireRack.com are much more helpful. More than 400 owners have posted detailed ratings for the Destination M/T, and editors use those reviews to rank the tire against its peers. Offroaders.com and 1010Tires.com have each attracted more than 100 owner ratings for the Destination M/T.