Head to head
Toyo Open Country M/T vs Open Country R/T
Same manufacturer, same three-ply polyester casing, and a clear trade. The R/T gives up tread depth and half a point of Toyo’s own off-road score, and gains a written treadwear warranty the M/T does not have.
By Bill Belcamino · Last verified 17 September 2026
What the published data supports
The Open Country R/T carries a 5-year, 45,000-mile treadwear warranty. The Open Country M/T carries none. That is the largest documented difference between them.
In return the M/T lists 2.1 to 2.5/32″ more tread in every size, and Toyo itself scores the M/T at 5.0 out of 5 for off-road traction against 4.5 for the R/T — the manufacturer conceding half a step. Both use a three-ply polyester casing. Neither carries three-peak mountain snowflake certification.
Side by side
Specification
Toyo Open Country M/T
Toyo Open Country R/T
Category
Mud-terrain
Rugged-terrain
Toyo’s off-road traction score
5.0 / 5
4.5 / 5
Treadwear warranty
None
5 years / 45,000 miles
Casing
Three-ply polyester, high-strength steel belts
Three-ply polyester, steel belts with two nylon cap plies
3PMSF certification
No
No
LT285/70R17
64.0 lb · 18.9/32″ · 121/118P (E)
60.0 lb · 16.4/32″ · 121/118Q (E)
33×12.50R17
70.0 lb · 21/32″ · 3,085 lb at 65 psi (E)
67.0 lb · 18.9/32″ · 2,600 lb at 50 psi (D)
35×12.50R17
78.0 lb · 21/32″ · 3,640 lb at 65 psi (E)
74.0 lb · 18.9/32″ · 3,195 lb at 65 psi (E)
37×12.50R17
84.0 lb · 21/32″ (D)
78.0 lb · 18.9/32″ (D)
Composite retailer rating
9.3 overall (SimpleTire)
Not recorded
Warranty and casing are from Tire Rack’s listings for each tire; the off-road score is Toyo’s own, as recorded in our rugged-terrain guide. Size rows are from the tiresize specification pages. In 33×12.50R17 the source lists the R/T in a lower load range, so that row is not like for like.
Where the published data favours the M/T
Depth, in every size: 18.9/32″ against 16.4/32″ in LT285/70R17, and 21/32″ against 18.9/32″ in the flotation sizes.
Off-road traction by Toyo’s own scoring: 5.0 against 4.5. A manufacturer marking down its own product is worth taking seriously.
Load in the larger sizes. In 33×12.50R17 the M/T is Load Range E at 3,085 lb where the R/T is Load Range D at 2,600 lb; in 35×12.50R17 both are Load Range E and the M/T is listed at 3,640 lb against 3,195 lb.
Where the published data favours the R/T
A 5-year, 45,000-mile treadwear warranty — written coverage the M/T does not offer at any mileage. For a tire that costs less and wears on pavement most of its life, that is the strongest single argument for the R/T, and one almost nobody makes.
Mass: 4 lb lighter in LT285/70R17, 3 lb in 33×12.50R17, 4 lb in 35×12.50R17 and 6 lb in 37×12.50R17. Part of the 33×12.50R17 difference is the lower load range.
An extra reinforcement: Tire Rack describes the R/T’s steel belts as reinforced with two nylon cap plies, a detail it does not list for the M/T.
What the evidence does not establish
Neither has been measured against the other in public. Toyo’s traction scores are Toyo’s own, and the M/T’s composite rating is a retailer’s, not a laboratory test.
Whether the R/T actually outlasts the M/T. The warranty says Toyo will stand behind 45,000 miles; it does not say the M/T would fail to reach it. Nobody publishes treadwear data for mud-terrains.
Neither carries 3PMSF. Toyo states outright that the M/T offers usable grip in light snow without it.
What they cost
Tire
LT285/70R17, per tire
Read
Toyo Open Country M/T
$430.67
11 Sep 2026
Toyo Open Country R/T
Not tracked
—
The M/T is the most expensive of the six tires in the price tracker. The R/T is not tracked.
Which matters for your use case
If you want written wear coverage, only the R/T has it.
If you drive in mud deep enough to stop a vehicle more than a handful of times a year, the M/T’s depth and Toyo’s own higher off-road score are the reasons it exists.
If you run 33×12.50R17 and need Load Range E, the source lists only the M/T in that load range.
If snow matters, neither is certified.
Model pages and data
Toyo Open Country M/T · specification database
Related
rugged-terrain vs mud-terrain · warranties compared · mud tires in snow · Trail Grappler vs Ridge Grappler · KM3 vs Open Country M/T
Sources
Tire Rack, Toyo Open Country M/T and Open Country R/T descriptions and warranty (tirerack.com), read 17 September 2026 · Toyo Tires, Open Country M/T and R/T (toyotires.com) · Tire Size (tiresize.com), model specification pages, read 17 September 2026 · SimpleTire, Open Country M/T (simpletire.com) · Mud Tires rugged-terrain guide.
How these figures are gathered and what we refuse to estimate: our method.