Featuring Premium Parts from
Dick Cepek Extreme Country™ Radial Mud Terrain Tire
Product Review (Part 1 - Intro) Originally posted March 1, 2016:
The good folks over at Dick Cepek just came out with this all new tire design for us off-road enthusiasts and, in a word, it is AWESOME. We recently received a set of 33X12.5R15LT's to mount up and put to the test, and all of us here at Quadratec are very anxious to see how this new design really works.
Just by looking at the tread design, we can tell it will easily become a choice tire in the off-road world. This very well thought out tread pattern really speaks to those who want to run an aggressive mud terrain tire on their daily driver. Crazy, right? Running a mud on a daily driver. But it's true. This tire is that good. And the reason is right in the design. Dick Cepek uses tighter inner voids with larger surface area and lugs that provide better traction and handling on the street. However, it retains outstanding off-road performance thanks to wider void outer lugs with an alternating pattern that will really grab some rock or pull you through deep mud or snow.
In this application, these Extreme Country™ Radials will be mounted to satin black Mickey Thompson Classic III Alloy Wheels in 15X8 size, bolted to a 2000 Jeep Cherokee Sport equipped with a 4.5" suspension lift... and is also a daily driver.
Evaluating for:
- Road Noise
- Dry Street Traction
- Wet Street Traction
- Soil and Mud Traction
- Snow and Slush Traction
- Rock Traction
- Tread Wear
Here's a little more information on this aggressive new mud terrain:
The NEW EXTREME COUNTRY™ mud terrain tire is designed with off-road enthusiasts in mind. The tread compound is excellent for maximum traction and even wear during extreme adventures. The extra tread depth provides excellent traction and long life. Two-Ply Next Generation High Tensile Body Ply Cord enhances sidewall strength without adding weight, rolling resistance, heat build up or ride harshness. Wide outer void and angled shoulder scallops provide ultimate off-road traction and self-cleaning ability. Tighter inner void/large surface area tread elements provide greater contact area for better handling and a quieter ride. The EXTREME COUNTRY is mud and snow rated.
Stay tuned for the full evaluation after putting some miles on these bad boys!... (imagine time warp music here)
Product Review (Part 2 - Road/Trail Testing) Posted March 10, 2017:
Okay, so this is the second half of our Expert Product Review for the all new Dick Cepek EXTREME COUNTRY Radial Mud Terrain Tires. A year has passed since this review introduction was published and I'm still just as excited about having these sweet, stylish and aggressive mud monsters under my Cherokee. This is one hell of a great new tread design, so hats off to the development team down at Dick Cepek. With over 15,000 miles of road, rocks, mud, dirt, debris and tree branches rolled over by these new tires, I'd say I've definitely had the chance to test them out in nearly every type of terrain.
In the past, on my own personal vehicles (all Jeep Cherokee XJs), I've run many different tread designs from a couple manufacturers, for instance: Mickey Thompson Baja Claws, BF Goodrich All-Terrains and Mickey Thompson Baja MTZs. All of these are great tires, however, with the exception of the All-Terrains, they have all been aggressive off-road tires with deep lugs and wide voids. Lets see how these new DC Extreme Country tires compare to previously run ones, and how they perform in each of the categories we were interested in testing ... Our scale is based on a 0-10 point system, with the higher score equaling better performance.
Evaluation Results
Dry Street Traction Rating = 9 out of 10
This is an outstanding tire on dry road even though it was ultimately designed to pull you through deep mud and snow. The tighter inner lugs keep this tire stuck to the ground like glue. It's almost as if these could be rated as a dual purpose tire; a perfect blend of all-terrain-like handling with aggressive mud-terrain functionality. The new design on this tire is made with next generation two-ply high tensile body ply cord, which enhances the sidewall strength without adding unnecessary weight, rolling resistance, heat buildup or a rough ride. With other tires, I've noticed issues when taking sharper turns at speed, especially on tires having slightly off-camber sloping. The front tires would feel as though they wanted to curl in on themselves and slip off the bead, which is not such a good feeling. There's a particular road I travel frequently that has this very turn, but with DC's Extreme Country Radial that turn no longer makes me pucker up in preparation of something terrible happening. Nope, not with this tire. The sidewalls are very stable. So, for dry street traction, these guys handle themselves well and get a 9 even though they are knobby mud-terrain tires. They really are made for mud and snow, which is why they didn't receive a 10, but a 9 is very, very good.
Wet Street Traction Rating = 7.5 out of 10
Finding a tire that performs admirably on wet roads isn't exactly what Jeep owners prefer. Most of the time, if someone buys a Jeep, it's so they can use the vehicle for its intended purpose - to drive OFF ROAD. However, having traction on wet roads is still very desirable for Jeep owners. And it's a necessity for Dick Cepek. That's why they made the Extreme Country Radial Tire. As stated before, these are almost designed like dual purpose tires. Any Jeep owner rocking an aggressive tread knows when it's wet out, your sense of awareness elevates and your driving focus is very tuned (or at least it should be), especially if you've ever experienced the rear end of your Jeep kick out on around subtle turns. This can happen because there is less weight in the Jeep's rear, and knobby mud-terrain tires generally do not have enough surface area touching the road, helping the vehicle to stick. I've personally experienced this on numerous occasions and if you aren't prepared for it, a little pucker can turn into a full blown sliding disaster. Nobody wants that, unless you have a drifting car. This Extreme Country Radial takes some of that scare factor out of driving a mud-terrain on slippery roads, most likely due to the siped inner and outer lugs. This allows the tread to contour itself to inconsistencies in the road ultimately aiding in wet traction. The Extreme Country Radial is an exceptional wet road handling tire, which is why its rating isn't lower than a 7.5. I'd consider other mud-terrain tires I've used more like a 4.5-5, but for a mud-terrain the Extreme Country handles better
Soil & Mud Traction Rating = 9.5 out of 10
Okay, this is the type of environment where these awesome, knobby mud terrain tires thrive. Its deep tread depth and wide voids between lugs, with staggered, stepped lug design and alternating scalloped shoulder lugs, make this a unique tire in the Dick Cepek line. The deep, wide voids in the lug pattern allow this tire to easily self clean with slight wheel speed, providing more traction in deep, nasty mud or heavy soil. The Extreme Country Radial is a MONSTER of a tire and eats up dirt and debris, then spits it all out like it ain't no thang. When I first tested this tire in deep mud, where an all-terrain would just get clogged, this new tire chewed through everything and kept me moving. The way it performed reminded me of how the Mickey Thomson Baja Claw tire exceled in this type of environment, AWESOME. It's amazing how much confidence you will gain with this tire - it's truly an amazing design. If you like deep mud and throwing big chunks all over the place as you and your Jeep barrel through mud pits, this tire is for YOU. It literally rains mud down like a hail storm, but without all the unwanted dents and dings. I rate this tire a 9.5 out of 10 in soil and mud. The only thing better, in my opinion, would be the Mickey Thompson Baja Claw, however you won't have the same great traction on normal roads as you do with the Extreme Country.
Snow & Slush Traction Rating = 10 out of 10
It's difficult to find a tire that really does well in the snow, but I think I just found one that rules. Last year, if you lived in the northeastern region during January for Winter Storm Jonas, you can probably recall how crippling that storm became. It dumped record-rivaling snow amounts over a two day period that totaled over 30 inches! The whole area was locked down under a state of emergency and roads were pretty much impassable, unless you had Mattracks or a Snowmobile... or in my case, an XJ equipped with the new Dick Cepek Extreme Country Radials with a mud and snow rating. At the time of this storm, I also had access to a 2015 2-door Wrangler JK with a 3.5" lift sitting on 35" Pro Comp Xtreme MT2 tires. To compare, a 2000 Jeep Cherokee XJ on 33" Dick Cepek Extreme Country tires, did better cutting through 3+ feet of snow and drifts. I was really amazed at how well this tire gained traction in such wet, heavy snow. If you live in any northern state and endure plentiful snow, but don't want to get stuck inside, do yourself a favor and get a set of these gnarly snow tires right now. For snow and slush traction, the Extreme Country Radial tire is a true performance tire. It gets a 10 out of 10 rating for snow. Thoroughly impressed.
Rock Traction Rating = 9 out of 10
In lovely Pennsylvania, rocks are certainly abundant and there is definitely no shortage of obstacles on the trails here at PA's Rausch Creek Off-Road park or the newly opened Anthracite Outdoor Adventure Area (AOAA). Having a tire that is capable at handling rocky terrain is a must if you plan on making it through our rocky trails. The tread design on this Extreme Country Radial is very well though out and its performance is proof. When encountering rocks, you want a tire with a staggered, alternating pattern to aid in how well your tread crawls up the ever changing contours of a rocky trail. Those alternating lug patterns provide a great way for the tires to find that next traction point to pull your Jeep up and over without spinning. Non-alternating tread designs leave you standing still, and nobody likes to be stuck. One of the features I really like about this tire is the stepped sides of the outer lug walls. This feature offers staggered ridges to grab on rocky surfaces and is one thing that really helps set these tires apart from all the rest. It's loaded with little subtleties that bring tread design to a whole new level of performance. Rock traction gets a strong 9 out of 10 as these tires may not be specifically made for rock crawling, but it sure does seem like it.
ROAD NOISE Rating = 6 out of 10
Initially, when these tires were first mounted, I noticed right away how quiet they were comparatively to the Baja MTZs I previously drove. Even today, with over 15,000 miles of wear, they are still quite and I partly attribute that to the difference in rubber compound. However, just like any tire whether All-Terrain or Mud-Terrain, all tires can become noisy if they aren't wearing evenly. So ,to help with longevity, make sure all of your steering end links and ball joints aren't bad or you will have uneven wear. Overall for the road noise rating, I'd give these tires a 6 out of 10, because mainly - let's be honest - aggressive wide-void mud terrain tires aren't ever gonna be close to an all-terrain... BUT, when compared to other mud-terrains, these are slightly less noisy.
Tread Wear / Longevity = 8.5 out of 10
Another major concern for Jeep owners who want to run an aggressive style mud-terrain tire, is tread life and longevity. Softer rubber compounds are the normal choice for better gripping and traction control, and are typically found on mud and snow rated tires. The down side to a softer rubber compound is it wears out faster. This is another area where these tires excel. It's not super soft, and it's not a rigid compound, but more like somewhere right in between - offering great traction and stability. Other aggressive mud tires I've had wore down quite a bit quicker than I'd wanted. And if you want to run an aggressive tire on your daily driver, this can turn into a costly choice with these compounds - especially noticeable on the front tires that steer your vehicle. You will find yourself rotating tires a lot more frequently to help them wear evenly. I honestly expected these Extreme Country Radials to wear quickly, but they certainly surprised me. I've religiously rotated these tires, including the fifth spare, every third oil change over the past year. They are holding up very well to daily abuse and are not getting chopped up faster in the front due to steering. So, for longevity in an off-road, aggressive mud-terrain tire, I'd rate these at a surprising 8.5 out of 10. I've been very impressed with their resistance to wear in daily driving conditions. AWESOME NEW TIRE—GET A SET TODAY!
