Mastercraft Courser AXT Review

Mastercraft Courser AXT is the all-terrain light truck tire to offer traction on regular street roads, highway, and as well on off-road. These tires are made by the Cooper Tire Company, one of the biggest tire companies in the United States. Mastercraft tires are cheaper than Cooper’s flagship brand but they are still produced to a high standard of quality. Courser AXT is a great choice for trucks that are regularly used around town for shopping, chores, and other tasks. Read our detailed Mastercraft Courser AXT review to know the pros and cons of this tire.

Courser AXT Tire Featuresmastercraft courser axt features

  • 5-Rib tread blocks complete with extra lateral grooves. AXT tread pattern is designed for light off-road usage with more focus on the performance and handling on the road.
  • The intermediate tread blocks of the tire are paired with a ramp-lock design. This feature reduces stone retention in the tire by pushing gravel out towards the circumferential grooves where they are easily ejected.
  • The wide, zig-zag circumferential grooves provide biting edges for traction on soft surfaces and snow
  • The buttress design features alternating shoulder scallops to give the tires an aggressive look and increased traction when off-road.

Courser AXT Road Test

Highway and Street Performance Review

Handling and Traction in Dry and Wet Conditions

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The Courser AXT offers a great level of dry and wet traction. Drivers won’t feel any slippage from the tires. It’ll be as if the truck in planted on the road. They have a firm grip in wet conditions thanks to the void in tread blocks that helps in water evacuation and resist hydroplaning. If you live in a place that gets a lot of bad weather and heavy rain, then you can rely on the AXT tires for straight line traction and cornering stability on the wet roads.

In terms of handling, the AXT takes a little longer to respond to turning. This level of non-responsiveness to steering is common for A/T tires, particularly for big tires. The road feedback is still fine though, and you’ll always know how much you need to steer into a corner or when performing an emergency maneuver. You have to keep in mind the tires are not built for performance and high-speed cornering. The truck can slip sideways if you corner at a very high speed on AXT tires.

Snow Performance Review

The Mastercraft AXT tire does a surprisingly good job with snow and ice, for an all-season tire. We always recommend investing in designated ice and snow tires for heavy winters, the AXT was able to perform well in cold and slick conditions. The sipes and tread design that make the tires effective for rain also give it the traction necessary for slush and light snowfall. The tires are able to grip snow without any slippage or skidding. Starting and stopping the tires with light snow on road is also instant and without any slips. The ice performance of the tire was just as impressive.

There’s no way you’ll be braking and cornering like you would with studded or dedicated winter tires. But you shouldn’t have much of a problem if you are caught out in a snowy day or live in an area that gets light winters. You can rely on these tires to get you home safely.

Tire Noise and Comfort

While the AXT is quite aggressively-treaded and an all-terrain tire, the ride is still relatively smooth and quiet for pavement. The faster you go the more you’ll hear the tires, but they stay quiet until around 50 MPH. They will be quiet enough for everyday driving, and they are still quieter than their competition when driving on the highway. Not only do these tires produce little in the way of noise, but they also provide a comfortable, smooth driving experience.

We found there were almost no vibrations, even when going at high speeds. As long as you keep your tires balanced, they will perform as expected; which is better than other brands. These tires are impressively smooth in regular conditions given how well they handle rough conditions.

Off-Road Performance Review

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The AXT tire tread comes with a tough four-lug pattern similar to mud tires. These large lugs come with a relatively big void ratio. A smaller void ratio (the gaps between tread blocks) found with standard tires means that dirt and snow build up in the treads, which reduces grip. The AXT tires have a groove design that helps them keep themselves clean and boosts traction when driving on mud and snow.

The tires have good traction on dirt roads and muddy trails. You can drive your truck on regular gravel roads as well as forest and beach trails without getting stuck. The sidewalls are also strong enough to resist any puncture on these trails.

Although they are good enough for light off-road usage they aren’t built for aggressive terrains. AXT cannot offer traction for deep mud and loose sand. That kind of terrain requires a specialized M/T or more aggressive A/T tire. The sidewalls of the tires also don’t have aggressive tread blocks, and they may get punctured when driving along rocks.

Can Mastercraft AXT fit my Truck

Mastercraft designed AXT for trucks and SUVs, and so it is available in a wide range of sizes for different makes, models, and trims of vehicles. Given the wide choice of measurements and ratings that must be considered when purchasing tires, sites such as TireBuyer have tools that let you input some details about your vehicle to see if a tire will fit your car or not. TireBuyer also offers free delivery for a number of tires; sending them to you or an installer near you. These tires are available for rims between 17 and 22 inches, as well as a range of aspect ratios and max loads.

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