First I’ll say I reached out to Mickey Thompson and they are going to warranty the tire. This post is mainly a rant on the tire shop and the runaround I’m getting from them.

I got Mickey Thompson Baja Boss AT’s put on 1.5 months ago. I’ve only driven the truck less than 10 times since then, putting on 800 mostly highway miles. The other day I noticed a sizable bubble in the sidewall.






I haven’t touched the tire pressure, off-roaded, hit any curbs, potholes, etc.

I figured this would be an easy replacement from the tire shop - apparently not so.

When I called the tire shop (Mavis Discount Tire) the manager immediately went to “that’s from an impact, you hit a pothole”). Implying that’s the only cause, I’m at fault, and that I am on the hook for the $400 cost of new tire + install.

First of all I didn’t hit anything, second - how ridiculous is it to think that a fully inflated heavy duty load range E tire on a 4runner had a catastrophic event from a pothole? We’re not talking about a low profile tire on a BMW here.

Previous tires I have aired down to 10 PSI and done all sorts of off roading and never had an issue.

Anyway - I called Mickey Thompson and sent them pics, they also said it’s likely from hitting a pothole or curb, but could be from manufacturing, so they’re going to warranty it.

I called the tire shop after getting this response from Mickey (Mavis Discount Tire in Stone Ridge, NY) and again on the phone the manager is telling me there is no warranty, this is road hazard, they don’t warranty off road tires, he’ll have to call corporate, they don’t even know where to order a new tire from, etc etc. It’s like he doesn’t want to even consider helping me here.

I told him I’ve already done half the job of getting a warranty approved, and he finally agreed as long as I bring the warranty auth email with me when they get the new tire.

As for the cause? Here’s the rub. When they tried to remove the old tires and also install the new, they had a REALLY hard time. They said their machine couldn’t handle the tires with the wheels (said the faux beadlock made the lip too wide). They were worried they would tear the bead putting them on. They did tear the beads on the old ones they took off.

They actually told me to take it to a heavy equipment shop that might be able to do it. I ordered the f**king tires directly from Mavis!

I think what happened is when wrestling with the tire they screwed up and messed up the sidewall. Of course they would never own up to this. When I told the manager over the phone he said installer error was “impossible, we have a hands free machine”…I was like “I was there, your guys had all sorts of pry bars and cuss words on those tires.” It took them 3 hours to mount the tires.

Anyway - long story, I’m still in the process here of trying to get them replaced. Wanted to see if anyone else has had similar issues in the past?

I have no experience with the issues your shop/tires are having, but once this brouhaha is over, I'd look for a different shop and possibly tire brand.

There is no tire that compares, all around. I went from ATZ to MTZ but it was a close call, LTE.

Is that an LTE tire?

The one thing is that Cooper have always been known for having an occasional off tire. Has not happened to me and it does not stop me from having the best tire for my uses that I have found.

The KO2 excels at 4 things: production quality, strength, longevity, Baja style offroading. They are poor in rain, mediocre on rock, and hopeless in mud.

The Mickeys excel at traction everywhere from wet pavement to whatever offroad you throw at them. They do not last nearly as long as KO2 and there can be an occasional production issue.

I know which ones I prefer, having had them all (ATZ, MTZ, KO2).