Last time, we covered the internal construction of Mickey Thompson Truck Tires. Now, we are going to dive into the specific tread and sidewall features that make these tires so capable on and off the road. Nick Roberto, assistant product manager of Mickey Thompson Tires, pulled back the curtain on the engineering that goes into their light-truck tire lineup and broke down the features that provide on-road stability and off-road dominance.

The Asymmetric Advantage

One of the first features Nick highlights is the asymmetric tread design. Unlike a traditional tire with a uniform pattern, an asymmetric tire has a dedicated outside and inside tread. The larger outer blocks provide stability during hard cornering on pavement, while the company’s engineers design the smaller inner blocks for weather performance and a quieter ride. This design offers the best of both worlds, an area where the company has led the way.

Off-Road Tech in the Tread of Mickey Thompson Truck Tires

Diving deeper into the tread, Nick explains several features that Mickey Thompson designed to handle punishing off-road conditions. The company builds stone ejector ribs into all their radial truck tires to prevent rocks from drilling into the casing. For muddy terrain, the tires feature angled shoulder scallops to channel muck away, and they work in tandem with a clever feature called mud scoops. Nick explains how these scoops keep the tread clear. “As mud is hitting the mud scoop, there’s actually going to be an air pocket that creates a void or an open space between the mud and the rubber of the tire,” he explained.

Sidewall Science: Sidebiters and Grooves

Some of Mickey Thompson’s most famous innovations live on the sidewall. Nick details the history of their Sidebiters — large, aggressive tread blocks on the sidewall that provide traction and protection. “Mickey Thompson was actually one of the first companies to actually pioneer the sidebiter technology all the way back in 1977,” Nick stated. The depth of these Sidebiters varies by tire, from standard on an all-terrain to 350% deeper on extreme off-road tires.

More Than Just Rubber

Looking at the collection of features, it’s clear that Mickey Thompson designs these tires as a complete system. Every element, from the shape of the tread blocks to the depth of the sidewall lugs, is a direct response to a real-world problem drivers encounter on the trail or the highway. The company’s engineers mold decades of research and competition experience directly into the rubber of every Mickey Thompson tire.