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Last updated 4/24/2025 - Originally published 4/24/2025
Written by SimpleTire, Expertly reviewed by Brett Antosh
Whether it’s the South Korean Kumho Tire or the American Mickey Thompson Tire, both companies have a large portfolio of off-road tires falling under all-terrain, mud-terrain, and rugged terrain types. Both tire makers are a preferred option for budget-conscious buyers wanting uncompromised off-road performance.
In the same league, the Kumho Road Venture MT71 and Mickey Thompson Baja Legend MTZ are both mud-terrain tires designed for off-road enthusiasts who demand aggressive traction in challenging conditions. The Kumho Road Venture MT71 is engineered to provide robust off-road performance, particularly in muddy and rocky terrain, while maintaining decent on-road manners. Kumho emphasizes durability and a strong, capable design.
The Mickey Thompson Baja Legend MTZ, on the other hand, comes from a brand with a strong heritage in off-road racing. It's designed to deliver extreme off-road traction with a focus on durability and a bold, aggressive appearance. While maximum off-road performance is a priority, Mickey Thompson focuses on minimizing on-road noise.
Both tires feature aggressive tread patterns and reinforced construction to handle the stresses of off-road driving. So, which is the one that really does it better? Let’s compare Kumho Road Venture MT71 vs Mickey Thompson Baja Legend MTZ tires based on our SimpleScore tire rating mechanism to know the best option.
Kumho Road Venture MT71 tires
Launched in 2019, the Kumho Road Venture MT71 is a mud-terrain tire built for trucks, Jeeps, and SUVs and is great at tackling challenging off-road terrains. Designed with an aggressive tread pattern featuring large, high-void blocks and zig-zag grooves, the Kumho mud-terrain tire returns maximized grip in mud, rocks, and loose terrain conditions. With robust construction and cut and chip-resistant rubber compound, the Road Venture MT71 withstands the rigors of off-road by providing extra durability. The tire also incorporates features like stone ejectors to help prevent damage from debris. While primarily geared towards off-road performance, the Kumho tire offers reasonable on-road manners, though it is slightly noisier than a less aggressive tire.
With an 8.8 overall SimpleScore, the Kumho Road Venture MT71 promises adequate traction, durability, and tread life on and off the road.
Get Kumho Road Venture MT71 tires at the best deals for your vehicle here
Mickey Thompson Baja Legend MTZ tires
Prioritizing reliable off-road performance, the Mickey Thompson Baja Legend MTZ is a mud-terrain tire engineered for pickup trucks, SUVs, and 4x4s. Its unique silica-reinforced rubber compound enhances wearability while improving cut and chip resistance and wet performance. Aggressive sidebiters and mud scoops of the Baja Legend MTZ are integrated to maximize grip and traction, ensuring confident movement through dirt, mud, sand, and rocks.
The PowerPly 3-ply sidewall construction of the Mickey Thompson tire not only provides increased puncture resistance but also boosts handling response, adding to its overall strength and durability. The Baja Legend MTZ incorporates stone ejectors and variable draft angles. These features are designed to minimize stone retention and protect the tire from potential damage caused by debris. With its aggressive design and focus on durability, the Baja Legend MTZ delivers dependable off-road performance.
The overall SimpleScore of 8.4 is a testament to the fact that the Baja Legend MTZ is a reliable off-road companion.
Get Mickey Thompson Baja Legend MTZ tires at the best deals for your vehicle here
Kumho Road Venture MT71 vs Mickey Thompson Baja Legend MTZ tires on traction
The ability of a tire to grip the surface without skidding is known as traction. The Kumho and the Mickey Thompson tires return great grip and traction on and off the road. Let’s check their traction scores to know which is a better performer.
Boasting an 8.5 traction score, the Kumho Road Venture MT71 assures a fantastic, sure-footed drive on rough roads filled with mud, dirt, slush, rocks, and gravel. While the high void ratio returns maximum off-road grip, the zigzag tread and dual-pitch design of the Kumho tire not only improve its climbing ability on rocks but also boost traction in challenging conditions.
On the other hand, the Mickey Thompson Baja Legend MTZ is also not far behind and scores a fine 8.3 in traction, indicating reliable grip and control in off-road conditions. While the Sidebiters with variable length and depth four-pitch return improved control, grip, and off-road stability, the zigzag tread blocks offer great grip on uneven surfaces, including snow, dirt, rocks, and mud.
With a better score, the Kumho Road Venture MT71 has an edge over the Mickey Thompson tire.
ADVANTAGE: Kumho Road Venture MT71
Kumho Road Venture MT71 vs Mickey Thompson Baja Legend MTZ tires on durability
Mud-terrain tires are all about durability, considering the level of punishment they have to go through, be it crushing rocks, sharp debris, and stones to mud, sand, and snow. The Road Venture MT71 and Baja Legend MTZ offer decent durability, however, one of the tires is way better than the other. Let’s check out who that one is.
It’s the Kumho mud-terrain tire that scores a superb 8.9 out of 10 in durability, assuring enhanced resistance to impacts and damage. Thanks to the innovative rubber compound, the Road Venture MT71 resists cuts, chips, and snags for consistent performance even when carrying heavy loads or making sharp turns. The reinforced sidewall design ensures it absorbs most of the off-road shocks to keep the tire going.
Contrarily, the Mickey Thompson tire achieves the same score as traction, an 8.3. Backed by a Powerply 3-ply construction and T4 silica-reinforced rubber compound, the Baja Legend MTZ not only resists cuts, abrasions, punctures, and snags for extra durability but also maintains tire shape under heavy-duty usage. The high-strength carcass allows consistent crushing of rocks, debris, and sharp objects for optimum durability in off-road conditions.
Despite putting on a better show, the Mickey Thompson Baja Legend MTZ fails to turn the tables against the Kumho Road Venture MT71. It’s the Kumho that proves to be more durable here.
ADVANTAGE: Kumho Road Venture MT71
Kumho Road Venture MT71 vs Mickey Thompson Baja Legend MTZ tires on longevity
Longevity is mostly the deciding factor when one goes for tire shopping. In cases of mud-terrain tires, the tread wears faster due to the difficult terrains they have to encounter. The Kumho and Mickey Thompson tires are great at tread life but here too, one tire goes above and beyond to be termed as an excellent mud-terrain tire as far as longevity is concerned.
With a phenomenal 9.1 longevity score, the Kumho Road Venture MT71 continues its impressive run here by displaying consistent improvement in its scores section by section. Thanks to the stone ejector bars that remove stones, mud, dirt, and debris from the tread, the carcass is safeguarded, prolonging the life of the tire. Meanwhile, the advanced rubber compound promotes uniform tread wear while resisting uneven tread wear.
The Baja Legend MTZ is catching up with the Kumho fast with its impressive 8.6 longevity score. The Mickey Thompson tire features a T4 silica-reinforced rubber compound and aggressive tread design that not only improves wearability on different surfaces but also boosts wet performance. The sturdy construction and wider profile of the mud-terrain tire limit irregular wear while promoting even wear.
Here, too, the Kumho Road Venture MT71 ups its game as soon as the Mickey Thompson shows signs of returning to the game. It’s 3-0 for Kumho.
ADVANTAGE: Kumho Road Venture MT71
When to use each
Mud-terrain tires are designed for extreme off-road performance and feature aggressive tread patterns with large blocks and deep voids to maximize traction in mud, rocks, and loose surfaces. While excellent off-road, they are noisy and less comfortable on paved roads. However, the trade-off for noise is their durability and puncture resistance.
The Kumho and the Mickey Thompson tires are reliable mud-terrain tires, with the Road Venture MT71 being a more value-for-money option given its spectacular scores in traction, durability, and longevity. They do not come with any mileage warranty, and neither do most mud-terrain tires. However, the absence of the Three Peak Mountain Snowflake certification indicates they are not fit to be driven in thick snow and ice or when the temperature is below 45 degrees Fahrenheit.
Which one should you choose?
To sum up, the Kumho Road Venture MT71 has a clear advantage as it turns out to be better than the Mickey Thompson Baja Legend MTZ in all three parameters – traction, durability, and longevity. However, each tire’s individual traits should be taken into account before you finalize a particular tire. Let’s check the decisive factor of every buying process - the prices.
Comparing the prices for the LT265/75R16 123/120Q E tire size, the Kumho Road Venture MT71 costs around $263 per tire, while four such tires cost $1052. Similarly, the Mickey Thompson Baja Legend MTZ costs about $284 per tire, with four costing $1136 (a difference of $84).
Based on SimpleScore, you can choose the Kumho Road Venture MT71 if you:
- Drive vehicles like the GMC Sierra 2500, Dodge Ram 1500, and Toyota Tacoma
- Want a highly durable tire (8.9 vs. 8.3)
- Prefer a high-traction mud-terrain tire (8.5 vs 8.3)
- Want a long-lasting tire (8.9 vs 8.6)
- Want a capable mud-terrain tire that’s slightly affordable
You can go for the Mickey Thompson Baja Legend MTZ if you:
- Drive vehicles like the Toyota RAV4, Jeep Wrangler, and Ford F-250
- Prefer a more aggressive-looking tire
- Are ready to pay slightly more for a decent mud-terrain tire
Still not sure which tire to buy? Fortunately, SimpleTire is here to help as our helpful agents are more than happy to assist you in selecting the right tire for your ride and budget.