Choosing the right tyre is one of the most important decisions a four-wheel driver makes. It affects how a vehicle handles on the road, how confidently it performs off it, and how well it copes with the long distances and varied terrain of New Zealand’s four-wheel driving. This year, 4XJournal is taking a closer look at that choice through a dedicated tyre testing series, produced in partnership with Hankook.
Across the series, we’ll be running Hankook tyres in real-world conditions, on real trips, and over extended periods of use. These reviews are commercially supported, and we’re transparent about that from the outset. What remains central to the project is experience-based testing that reflects how tyres are actually used, from daily driving and commuting to touring and off-road travel.
To ensure meaningful comparisons, every tyre in this series will be tested on the same project vehicle: 4XJournal’s Mitsubishi Pajero. By keeping the vehicle, suspension setup, wheel size, and driving conditions consistent, we’re able to isolate tyre performance more accurately without variables skewing the results. Changes in noise, handling, traction, wear, and durability can be attributed to the tyre itself, not the platform it’s fitted to.
Rather than short-term impressions or controlled comparisons, this series focuses on long-term performance. We’ll assess on-road manners, comfort, wet-weather grip, off-road traction, durability, and wear over time, with clear context around tyre pressures, terrain, and intended use. Each tyre will be evaluated in the environments it’s designed for, allowing its strengths and compromises to be properly understood.
We’re starting the series with the 265/70R17 Hankook Dynapro MT2 — a light-truck construction mud-terrain featuring widely spaced tread blocks, stepped shoulder lugs for added side bite, and a reinforced sidewall designed to resist punctures in rocky terrain. The open tread pattern and high void ratio are engineered to clear mud efficiently as the tyre rotates, helping it re-bite rather than pack up. It’s a size and specification commonly chosen by New Zealand four-wheel drivers running wagons and dual cabs.
This first test sets the baseline for how the series will operate: consistent, practical, and grounded in real-world use rather than marketing claims.
Highway time
After buzzing the Pajero down to Coast 4x4 in Auckland’s Silverdale, the team had the Hankook MT2s fitted and balanced quickly. Before long we were back on the road.
It’s worth stating early that this is a mud-terrain tyre. With its large tread blocks and open voids, road noise is inevitably higher than what you’d experience with a highway-terrain or all-terrain pattern. That trade-off is part of the category. If most of your driving is sealed-road commuting, there are quieter options better suited to that role.
At highway speeds, the MT2 produces a consistent hum rather than an erratic drone. Steering feel remains stable, and there’s no wandering or vague response through the wheel. For a tyre built primarily for off-road traction, its on-road behaviour is composed and predictable.
Off-road testing
Tyre pressure: 38psi
We have a family farm nearby offering mixed conditions, which will provide a consistent proving ground for future testing. Gravel, mud, slippery grass, marshland, and clay are all within reach, allowing us to repeat the same obstacles as the series progresses.
For this first session, we deliberately left pressures at 38psi to remove the advantage of footprint expansion. If a mud terrain can maintain traction at road pressures on clay and marshland, that says something about tread design and carcass stability.
With Super Select 4WD, the Pajero can switch from 2WD to 4WD on the fly. In 2WD, traction was adequate on loose gravel, but engaging 4WD noticeably improved stability and drive. Compared to the outgoing all-terrains previously fitted to the vehicle, straight-line traction on the same stretch of gravel felt more secure and less prone to surface skate.
At the clay mound, an incline of approximately 30 to 40 degrees provided the first real test. In low-range, maintaining steady throttle and without relying on momentum, the Pajero climbed with minimal wheelspin. The MT2’s staggered tread blocks were able to bite into the clay surface rather than glaze over it.
From there, we tried out the wetlands. The property features a permanently damp section where water channels through marshy ground layer with tussocks and uneven base. It’s slick, off-camber, and constantly shifting under load. Crawling in low-range first gear and second gear, traction remained consistent without the need to build speed. The tyre cleared mud effectively as it rotated, maintaining forward drive rather than packing solid.
The final obstacle was a steep, rutted bank where grass overlays soft earth and wheel hop can quickly rob momentum. With low-range and rear diff-lock engaged, the Pajero climbed steadily, the MT2 maintaining grip despite the mixed surface of mud and grass.
The natural question now is how the tyre will respond at 25psi, 20psi, or even 15psi, where footprint and sidewall flex come further into play. That phase of testing is still to come.
Short-term conclusion
At full road pressure, the Hankook Dynapro MT2 delivers predictable and consistent traction across clay, gravel, and marshland. Road noise is pronounced, as expected from a mud-terrain with an aggressive void pattern, but on-road stability remains composed and manageable.
Early impressions suggest this is a tyre designed first and foremost for traction and durability off-road, with on-road manners that sit squarely within the expectations of its category.
The next stage of the series will assess reduced pressures, extended highway kilometres, and wear characteristics over time. That’s where a mud-terrain truly proves its worth. And then, we’re onto an all-terrain!
If you want a set of Hankooks for yourself, you can visit their Hankook dealer locations (HERE).
0 comments