WHAT:
FIRESTONE DESTINATION M/T WITH UNI-T, FIRESTONE'S OFF-ROAD LIGHT TRUCK TIRE.
HOW MUCH:
CONTACT YOUR LOCAL BRIDGESTONE/FIRESTONE DEALER.
WWW.BRIDGESTONE-FIRESTONE.COM
WHAT IT DOES:
THE FIRESTONE DESTINATION M/T TIRE IS FIRESTONE'S ONLY OFF-ROAD, MUD TERRAIN LIGHT TRUCK TIRE IN ITS LINEUP. THE M/T FEATURES EXCLUSIVE UNI-T TECHNOLOGY, WHICH IS DESIGNED TO IMPROVE THE TREAD'S GRIP ON WET SURFACES AND UNDER BRAKING CONDITIONS. THE DESTINATION M/T HAS ALL OF THE FEATURES YOU'D EXPECT FROM A TRUE OFF-ROAD MUD TIRE: RAISED SHOULDER LUGS, LARGE, ALTERNATE-SIZED TREAD LUGS AND A RAISED RIM GUARD, FIRESTONE'S RIM GUARD OFF-ROAD PROTECTOR RIB.
WHAT STANDS OUT:
SURPRISINGLY, WE REALLY LIKE THIS TIRE. WHY ARE WE SURPRISED? THE LARGE TREAD BLOCKS MADE US NERVOUS THAT THE TIRE WOULD NOT HANDLE AS WELL AS OTHER MUD TERRAINS ON WET OR ICY ROADS. BUT THE UNI-T TREAD TECHNOLOGY ACTUALLY HELPS, AND THE BEEFY DESTINATION M/T HANDLES THOSE CONDITIONS BETTER THAN EXPECTED.
OFF-ROAD, THE M/T IS RIGHT AT HOME. THE 3-BODY PLY CONSTRUCTION GIVES THE TIRE THE DURABILITY TO HANDLE ROCKS AND NASTY OBSTACLES. IN MUD, THE TIRES DO AN EXCELLENT JOB AT STAYING CLEAN AND DIGGING THROUGH TO SOLID GROUND.
IN SNOW AND ON ICY ROADS, THE DESTINATION M/T WAS SURPRISINGLY CAPABLE FOR AN M/T. WE INITIALLY PLANNED ON SIPING THE CENTER LUGS, BUT NEVER DID. THE TIRES TAKE A LITTLE BIT OF CAREFUL THROTTLE CONTROL TO STAY CONNECTED ON ICE, BUT WHAT M/T DOESN'T? IN DEEPER SNOW, THE M/T IS VIRTUALLY UNSTOPPABLE. CLEARANCE BECOMES THE ISSUE WELL BEFORE THE TIRES DO.
ON DRY ROADS AND HIGHWAYS, THE M/TS MAKE A LITTLE NOISE. THEY ARE LOUDER THAN A TOYO M/T, BUT QUIETER THAN A NITTO MUD GRAPPLER.
AS FOR TREAD WEAR, IF YOU'RE BUYING AN M/T FOR A 7,300-POUND DIESEL PICKUP, YOU CAN'T BE EXPECTING MUCH FOR LONGEVITY. BUT THE DESTINATION M/T WEARS AS WELL AS ANY OTHER MUD TERRAIN TIRE ON ASPHALT.
THE DOWNSIDE:
WE WISH FIRESTONE WOULD INCREASE THE SIZE OPTIONS FOR THE E-RATED DESTINATION M/TS. WHEN WE FIRST RECEIVED OUR TEST SET OF TIRES, FIRESTONE ONLY OFFERED FIVE SIZES WITH AN E-RANGE LOAD RATING, AND ONLY ONE OF THOSE SIZES WAS CONSIDERED OVERSIZE (THE 305/70R16S THAT WE TESTED). NOW, FIRESTONE OFFERS 12 OPTIONS FOR E-LOAD RANGE M/TS (EIGHT IN 16-INCH RIM SIZES, TWO IN 17S AND TWO IN 18S), BUT WE ONLY CONSIDER FOUR "OVERSIZED," WITH THE LARGEST BEING A 325/65R18 (ROUGHLY A 35-INCH TIRE).
SIZES:
THE FIRESTONE DESTINATION M/T IS AVAILABLE IN THESE E-LOAD RANGE RATED SIZES (OTHER SIZES AVAILABLE IN OTHER LOAD RANGE RATINGS):
LT265/75R16
LT215/85R16
LT235/85R16
LT225/75R16
LT245/75R16
LT265/75R16
LT285/75R16
LT305/70R16
LT245/70R17
LT265/70R17
LT285/65R18
LT325/65R18