TRAIL-WORTHY RUBBER FROM FIRESTONE
from Firestone
This household name in the tire world compounded its efforts to deliver its Destination M/T2 that tackled all the conditions we threw in its path.
A s we lumbered our pickup into the shipping yard, we were on high alert as forklifts and transport trucks whizzed by. All of our rubber-necking came to a stop when we noticed a sweet-looking set of tires with big tread blocks without the flash of superfluous sidewall garnishes – they were just a nice set of clean-looking M/T’s.
Granted, we were at a tire depot to pick up some fresh 37’s. After filling out the paperwork, a forklift proceeded to grab the pallet of mystery tires. Apparently, the mystery tires were the exact 37 x 12.5 R17LT Firestone Destination M/T2's that we had ordered.
These D load range tires were subsequently loaded into the back of our truck and we made our way to a local shop to get them mounted and balanced on a set of 17x9 ‘Soft 8’ generic steel wheels. When we asked the tech how much of a pain it was to get the 80-pound tires to balance, he explained he was a little shocked at how little weight it took. That was good news for us! But this is what we were hoping to expect out of a USA-made tire. A quick toss of the tape measure over the doughnut revealed that the tire measured just a hair under 37” in diameter – impressive.
A few hundred kilometres of parts-store runs and school activity porting broke in the M/ T2’s very nicely. For our middle-weight CJ-7,
we found that 25 PSI on the street provided a smooth ride and even wear across the carcass. The varied tread block sizes kept any droning noise at bay, but it’s still apparent that there’s a dedicated mud tire underfoot. We have very few complaints about on-road usage with these M/ T2’s. We didn’t experience any hydroplaning in wet conditions and they haven’t burned off under the hot Okanagan sun. While testing these during the winter months we found that ice was
its only nemesis, but all M/T2 are studdable if this is a concern.
We didn’t put these Firestones on for street duty, and the first time we got to play in the dirt was during The BC Jeep Club’s 2020 Vintage Jeep Rallye. With valve cores pulled, we started just north of single digits in air pressure and went down from there. We ended up with 12 PSI left in the tires, which grappled over rock and bit into the hard clay of the area with ease. There were no punctures or any chunking of the tire after running them hard all day.
The next adventure for the new rubber was a wet trail and mud run. The thick nasty stuff needed a little tire spin once in a while to clear out, but the tires performed well overall. We were expecting to pick out gravel from the treads at the end of our run, but only a few stubborn trail relics made it home with us. Additionally, there wasn’t any sidewall damage while pushing into tree stumps or jagged rocks on the trail.
Winter Trials
For the last little while here in BC, it has been a snowy wheeling season, which really put these tires to the traction test. Loose gravel, wet roads, ice, compact snow, and the deep fluffy stuff were all encountered in a single day. If you’re looking for a winter highway tire with “high mountain pass” cred, there are better choices out there, and getting them studded would be a good option for these types of winter conditions.
We had to drive smart with these M/T2’s when we slipped on the ice, but once the biting edges of the tread got a grip, we were cruisin’ nicely. With an onboard air system, we weren’t afraid of starting out at 8 PSI once we encountered deep snow. The narrow wheels were not ideal for getting the footprint to lay flat on the trail, but the tires worked very well and showed a good bulge. By the end of a successful day of plowing through the white stuff, we ended up at 5 PSI and were pleased with the M/T2’s performance for being only a 12.5” wide tire.
With the profile these M/T2’s gave the Jeep, it could pass for a military rig with the rugged tread design and wide openings in the tread blocks. We really have to give Firestone credit for keeping the M/T2 at a reasonable price point while still delivering reliability.
While this dedicated mud tire isn’t going to turn our off-road jalopy into a canyon carver nor will it defy the laws of physics on ice, we are pleased with the basic nature of the M/T2. Our only gripe is sizing. We scooped the tire in the largest size currently available. A 37” diameter tire used to be deemed as large, but now some trucks come with 35” from the factory. We really hope a 40” is in the future. The 12.5” width was sufficient and never left us in a bad situation. However, a wider carcass would be on our ‘please, Please, PLEASE!’ list.
What’s interesting is once we ran these a few times on the trails, we began noticing the same M/T2’s on a few other rigs a little while later. It’s nice to know that many feel the same way about Firestone’s M/T2’s, and we would gladly have a second set once we manage to wear these out.