Toyo Open Country R/T review
When Toyo dubbed the Open Country as R/T, they meant business. R/T stands for Rugged Terrain signifying a cross between an all-season and a muddy-terrain tire.
The Toyo Open Country R/T has both a rugged appearance and performance delivery. It exhibits good on-road and off-road performance, giving drivers good control over the road. In this Toyo Open Country R/T review, we will be highlighting the exceptional qualities of the Toyo Open Country R/T.
Recommended
Toyo Open Country R/T
Toyo makes some of the best affordable all-terrain tires in the game, and the Open Country R/T is no different with superb and pliable grip even in mud and snow.
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Toyo Open Country R/T key technologies/features
The excellent performance ability of the Toyo Open Country R/T is evidence of Toyo’s engineers’ ingenuity. They incorporated simple but efficient technologies in the design of the Toyo Open Country R/T to deliver driver satisfaction. These technologies set the Toyo Open Country R/T apart from other rugged terrain tires. Some of the outstanding technologies/features that make up the tire include:
- High turn-up tough polyester construction.
- Optimized pattern arrangement
- Stone and mud ejectors
- Aggressive sidewall designs with durable sidewall compound
- Open, scalloped shoulder
High Turn-Up, Tough Polyester Construction: The Toyo Open Country R/T’s high turn-up, tough polyester construction imparts excellent durability. It encourages even wear and enhances cut-and-chip resistance. It also provides good impact resistance and handling. These are essential elements that ensure a longer tread life of the tire
Optimized Arrangement Pattern: The optimized pattern arrangement on the Toyo Open Country R/T reduces noise on the tires, increasing driving comfort. As a further efficient add-on to the tire’s design pattern, the stone and mud ejectors force stones and mud out of the grooves, enhancing the tire’s traction.
Aggressive Sidewall Design: Aggressive sidewall designs with durable sidewall compounds enhances the tire’s traction. They also provide side impact protection. Hence, the Toyo Open Country R/T gives nice handling and a firm grip on the road. They also offer drivers a distinct customized look on each side of the tire.
Open, Scalloped Shoulder Blocks: The open scalloped shoulder block improves the Toyo Open Country R/T’s off-road traction and enhances its grip on muddy, sandy, and snowy road conditions. The blocks eject mud and snow through their open channels. Ejecting dirt this way enables it to retain a good grip on the road and keeps the driver going.
Toyo Open Country R/T safety features
The Toyo Open Country R/T includes features geared towards drivers’ safety. Its stone and mud ejector system protect the tire from sharp rock and stones that can puncture it and provides excellent traction to pull the driver out of muddy road conditions.
Furthermore, the tough polyester construction ensures a safer ride as they improve the tire’s cut-and-chip resistance.
Toyo Open Country R/T speed ratings
It is necessary to know the maximum speed at which your tires are meant to go. Speed ratings tell us how fast a tire can go and still deliver perfect handling. The speed ratings are represented by alphabets.
The Toyo Open Country R/T comes in speed ratings of Q, S, and T. The Q-rated tires have a top speed of 99 mph. The S-rated tires can cruise at a max speed of 112 mph and the T-rated tires top a speed of 118 mph.
Toyo Open Country R/T maintenance indicators
Continued usage of worn-out tires often leads to loss of vehicle control in bad weather conditions and on rough terrain. Even on good roads, it can still cause tire failure and mild or serious accidents.
The Toyo Open Country R/T does not have a maintenance indicator but uses the industry-standard Tread Wear Indicator. Maintenance indicators relay information about the state of the tire and signify when they need to be changed. Drivers can check how old their tires are by examining the DOT serial number printed on the side of the tire sidewall. The last 3 or 4 numbers of the DOT serial number tell you the month and year in which the tire was made.
Experts recommend that when a tire is 6 years of age, it should be thoroughly inspected for wear. In cases where the tread has not worn down to the last 2/32 inches, the tire still has sufficient traction and can still be used. When the tread has worn to the final 2/32 inches of tread depth, the tire needs to be replaced as it is a road hazard to use worn-out tires.
Toyo Open Country R/T treadwear and durability
The tread is the part of the tire that is in constant contact with the road and is made of rubber. The friction that exists between the rubber and the road causes the rubber to thin down, bringing about treadwear.
Treadwear is unavoidable but can be extended by adequate usage and also the nature of the tire. Toyo uses a tough polyester construction on the Toyo Open Country R/T that improves its tread life. The construction makes the tire resistant to cut-and-chip.
Also, the Toyo Open Country R/T comes with a 45,000-mile treadwear warranty.
Toyo Open Country R/T traction performance
A tire’s traction is its grip on the road surface. The Toyo Open Country R/T is engineered to deliver impressive traction performance on different roads all year round. Here is how it performs in dry, off-road, and wet conditions.
Dry traction
The Toyo Open Country R/T has excellent traction performance on dry roads. Its tread pattern gives it a firm grip on the road, improving handling and cornering.
Off-road traction
The Open Country R/T has superb off-road traction. Its open, scalloped shoulder blocks provide an enhanced grip when off-road. It performs exceptionally on muddy and rocky terrains due to its stone and mud ejectors, which expel mud and stones accumulating on the tires that can hinder off-road traction performance
Wet traction
Although the Toyo Open Country R/T is not designed to deliver much traction in wet conditions, its tread design support ample grip in light wet conditions.
Snow/ice traction
Rugged terrain tires are not winter tires but the Toyo Open Country R/T delivers a fair amount of traction in light snow conditions. Its open, scalloped shoulder blocks aid it in plowing through light snow while maintaining a firm grip on the road. The Toyo Open Country R/T is not equipped for severe snow/winter conditions as winter tires are and may freeze if put in extreme snow.
Toyo Open Country R/T noise and comfort
Rugged terrain tires seem to extend their aggressive nature down to the sound they emit. Some drivers appreciate the crunch of the aggressive tire on rugged terrain, though some do not.
To reduce the amount of noise on the Open Country R/T, Toyo uses their specially optimized tread pattern arrangement which has narrow section gaps in its center, expelling air from the pattern as quietly as possible. It further improves comfort on the Open Country R/T as less noise gets to the driver hence, delivering impressive comfort.
Toyo Open Country R/T price range
Depending on the size, the Toyo Open Country R/T price ranges from $274 to $580. Its price range can be considered fair when compared with the prices of its class tires.
Toyo Open Country R/T competitors and alternatives
The Toyo Open Country R/T is an exceptional all-terrain tire with seasoned off-road capabilities. There are a number of rugged terrain tires that compete with the Toyo Open Country R/T but only a few come close to delivering equally exceptional performance. Worthy alternatives and close competitors of the Toyo Open Country R/T include the Nitto Ridge Grappler and the Falken WildPeak
Nitto Ridge Grappler
The Nitto Ridge Grappler boasts of being a better hybrid tire. It is quieter, has superior gas mileage, and has better-wet traction. However, it does not have a treadwear warranty like the Toyo Open Country R/T.
Falken Wildpeak
Aside from being a bit less costly than the Toyo Open Country R/T, the Falken Wildpeak gives almost the same service with little and sometimes negligible differences. It is a good option when you consider the price. However, drivers rate the Toyo Open Country R/T higher than Falken Wildpeak because of its rugged performance delivery.
Toyo Open Country R/T warranty
In addition to the 45,000-mile tread wear warranty, The Toyo Open Country R/T also comes with;
500 miles or 45-day trial total confidence warranty: Here, drivers are eligible to purchase the Toyo Open Country MT and try them out for a period of 45 days or 500 miles and if they are not satisfied, they can return them for a replacement or a refund of their money.
Workmanship And Materials Warranty: Here, Toyo offers a 5-year free replacement for the first 25% of wear on the Toyo Open Country R/T and then it gets prorated to the final 2/32 inches of remaining depth.
Toyo also offers a uniformity warranty for the first 1/32 inch of wear.
Our take
Although the Toyo Open Country R/T is not suitable for heavy snow and wet roads, it is sufficient for a fine aggressive look in the summer. It is a good choice for an all-season and muddy-terrain tire.
