In the last decade or so, off-roading has seen exponential growth. SUV and truck sales have gone way up. You can see a lot more heavy-weight vehicles battle it out on rocky terrain and sand dunes. To become a part of the off-road world, the first thing you need is a worthy truck or SUV. But even when you have a suitable vehicle under your name, that’s just half the job done. You also need some relentless off-roading MT tires — such as the Federal Xplore MTS.
MT stands for muddy terrain. Tires of this category are rated to perform well in the toughest off-road patches, whether it’s deep mud, clay, dirt, or soft sand. The Federal Xplora MTS also belongs to this category. In this review, we’ll discuss its features and see how well it performs in different on— and off-road scenarios. Let’s begin!
Federal Xplora MTS — Features
The Federal Xplora MTS has an intimidating bulky appearance, and that becomes apparent at first glance. It consists of high-intensity tread compounds and uniquely aggressive tread patterns. Those patterns aren’t just there for the aesthetics — they help improve the tire’s control and traction on and off the road.
The tire also has unidirectional grooves that help with water evacuation and hydroplaning resistance. They also play a roll in muffling the road noise for a quieter ride on the highway.
Moreover, the tire has large V-shaped grooves all around it along with sleek sidewalls. They offer just the right blend of looks and off-road toughness — exactly how a genuine muddy-terrain tire should be.
The Federal Xplora MTS doesn’t just look tough. Thanks to its reinforced tread compounds and sturdy construction, it’s genuinely durable.
Dry Road Performance
Even the biggest off-road maniacs typically spend most of their driving hours on-road. Hence, having promising on-road performance is highly important for any truck tire — even if it’s primarily made for optimal off-roading performance on muddy terrain. Thankfully, Federal Xplora MTS doesn’t fall short on the road.
It offers decent levels of traction and cornering grip on dry roads. You’ll have decent directional stability at highway speeds as well, though occasional corrections from the driver might be required. Premium truck highway tires obviously handle and drive better on the road, but they wouldn’t come anywhere close to this tire’s off-road capabilities. Hence, mud-terrain tires try to strike a balance between performance on both fronts, so keep that in mind if you’re going to use the Xplora MTS as a daily driver.
Wet Performance
The tread block sipes are pretty effective at keeping the water out in rainy weather. You won’t have any significant issues with hydroplaning even as your truck cruises through deep puddles of water. Though the Federal Xplora MTS remains usable and safe in wet conditions, its outclassed by all premium alternatives within its category.
However, the Xplora MTS comes at a much lower price than off-road offerings from big brands like Michelin and Continental. Keeping that in mind, it’s much easier to be pleased with the sufficient levels of wet traction, braking performance, and stability of the Xplora MTS.
Snow Performance
Snow is certainly not the comfort zone of the Federal Xplora MTS. However, the tire is no stranger to those conditions. After all, it has an M & S (mud & snow) rating listed as a key feature on the product’s official web page.
On light snow, the Xplora MTS provides desirable amounts of grip and control. Braking distances aren’t bad either. But its no winter tire, so as the weather gets harsher, the performance quickly declines.
Off-road Capabilities
Now we’re talking! Off-roading is the main reason why you’d buy this tire, right? Well, we can tell you one thing — it won’t disappoint. Everything from its reinforced tread compound to its rugged tread design for off-road conditions — it just works. You get impressive traction on most surfaces including rocky terrain, dirt, gravel, mud, and even clay. There’s not much to complain about when it comes to the tire’s off-road potential. Though only time will tell if it continues to be as effective in the mud as the tread pattern slowly wears off.
Ride Quality
Comfort and silence aren’t the words that come to mind when you think of a rugged off-roading truck tire. However, the Federal Xplora MTS pleasantly surprised us with its minimal road noise. They’re some of the quietest mud-terrain tires you can find at their price point, and that’s a huge achievement.
Not many brands pay attention to this quality of mud-terrain tires, but it has a huge impact on the overall experience of the driver. No matter how much you love off-roading, you’ll spend a lot of your time traveling on the highways with your family, and reduced cabin noise is a blessing!
With that said, the tire’s sidewalls are stiff (like that of any other MT tire) so it’s still going to be a bumpy ride. But hey, you can’t win em’ all.
Conclusion
All things considered, the Federal Xplora MTS turns out to be quite impressive in every important department. You get undeniable practicality on dry and wet roads, along with formidable off-road capabilities. Keeping the tire’s relatively low price tag in mind, the Xplora MTS definitely deserves to get shortlisted for your next upgrade.