Predator New Mutant XATs Review: 5000km Performance Test

The Predator New Mutant XAT is a versatile all-terrain tyre that successfully bridges the gap between aggressive off-road traction and civilised on-road manners, making it a high-value option for 4WDers who refuse to compromise on either. After copping a set of ROH Assault rims and five fresh Predators for our workhorse Triton, we’ve spent the last few months putting them through their paces to see if they could actually cut the mustard.

Fast forward through a bunch of beach runs, multiple muddy missions and even a run up a rocky track or two, not to mention thousands of kays on the blacktop and high-speed dirt and we can safely say that these things not only cut that mustard, they slice it, dice it and throw it in the Nutri-Bullet for good measure. Suck it to the lads in the workshop who bet against them and now owe me several six-packs.

Predator New Mutant XATs: All-terrain tyres fitted to ROH Assault wheels on a white Mitsubishi Triton driving on a dirt track — The Predator New Mutant XATs proved their worth across thousands of kilometres of dirt and bitumen.

Predator New Mutant XATs – On-road performance

Pretty much the second weekend they were fitted up, the Predators had to contend with a wet Sydney weekend’s driving. Now, at the end of the day, the Mitsi is still RWD, was unladen in the back with some stiff old leaf springs and is basically easier to step out than a dedicated drift machine in the wet. Unsurprisingly, the Predator New Mutant XATs didn’t exactly prevent that from happening. However, it would take a miracle for that to occur, and they were certainly no worse performing in the wet than the stock HTs that they replaced, so you can’t really deduct points there.

Beyond that, there’s nothing much to complain about. The road noise, or lack thereof, is excellent and the dry weather grip is predictable and much better than I expected from the aggressive tread pattern. Wear also seems pretty good thus far, with our bar napkin calculations reckoning we’ll get around 50,000km out of these, which for the price is nothing short of fantastic.

Hot Tip: If you are coming from a standard Highway Terrain (HT) tyre, the extra sidewall on these XATs in a 265/75R17 size actually helps soak up the bumps in leaf-sprung rigs, taking the edge off that “agricultural” ride quality.

As with any rig that’s leaf-sprung, especially when empty, the ride could euphemistically be described as “agricultural” or “spine realigning.” With the extra sidewall over the stock tyres though, the ride actually got a little better, especially during longer stints on the highway. So yeah, nothing to whinge about on-road.

Predator New Mutant XATs: Close-up of the aggressive all-terrain tread pattern and sidewall design — The aggressive tread pattern of the Predator New Mutant XATs provides surprising dry-weather grip and low road noise.

Predator New Mutant XATs – Off-road capability

And not much to whine about off-road either. Again, for under $300 a corner the Predators represent some pretty phenomenal bang for buck. Sure, they don’t perform quite as well as a muddy in the slop, nor do they hook up as well as a sticky-compound tyre on the rocks, but in terms of sand, dirt and general touring duties they absolutely slap. And you can definitely still drive mud and rocks on them, you just have to realise what you’re rolling on and adjust your driving style accordingly.

Would I put them on my competition rig? Probs not (although Predator have more aggressive rubber available which would fit the bill). Would I run them on my dedicated touring bus or daily driver slash weekend wheeler? Without a second’s hesitation.

Predator New Mutant XATs: White Triton driving through a muddy water crossing showing tyre self-cleaning — Even in the slop, the tread on the Predator New Mutant XATs clears itself effectively to maintain traction.

Even at 16psi cornering at speed they felt secure on the ROH Assault rims’ bead, and they bag out super-nicely at that pressure too. The tread self-cleans incredibly well, even though the Triton ain’t exactly pumping out numbers that’d make a dyno nervous, but no matter what I put in front of the XATs they found a way through. Even if it was on the second or third go.

They’re a 2-ply sidewall, which had me a little concerned at first, but to date I haven’t had a single puncture and the ease with which the tyres bag and the lighter overall weight can only make me see it as a good thing now. And combined with the modern rubber compound, which seems to provide a decent amount of grip no matter what surface you’re on, I really can’t fault either the tread design or the carcass.

Predator New Mutant XATs: Macro shot of the tyre tread and carcass construction — Up close, the modern rubber compound and 2-ply sidewall construction of the Predator New Mutant XATs show their quality.

The verdict

Look, the AT market is as crowded as the open bar at Unsealed 4X4’s Christmas party, with a bunch of newcomers looking to gain market share from the more established brands. And to be fair, there’s a lot of crap among those gunning for the title. But I can’t say Predator are among them.

Yeah, they’re new, but they’re about as far from crap as it gets. These are legit an excellent option for those who want solid performance but don’t want to fork out a kidney and a first-born for their next set of rubber. And just quietly, paired with the ROH Assault rims, I reckon they look effin’ tough too.

So if you’re chasing an all-rounder that can handle a bit of everything for your next set of tyres, the Predator XATs are well worth checking out.

Here is where to buy – Tell ‘em we sent ya.