Both Atturo Trail Blade MT and the Federal Couragia MT feature a dynamic symmetric tread pattern and cutting-edge tread compounds that provide excellent on-road handling and off-road traction, making them a top choice for light and heavy trucks. Though there are some difference that you should know about them.
In my view as a tire engineer, the Atturo Trail Blade MT relatively does a better job when it comes to overall comfort, and pavement traction. Moreover, you’d also get superior fuel economy with this tire as well. In comparison, the Federal Couragia does great on muddy tracks. And it’s winter and rocky terrain performance is on par to its counterpart.
Table of Contents
Available Sizes
The Atturo Trail Blade MT comes in a total of 17 limited sizes in 16 to 22 inches, having following specs:
- Speed ratings: R and Q.
- Load ratings: XL, D and E.
- Weight range: 40 to 80 lbs.
- Tread depth range: 17 to 20/32 inches.
On the other side, Federal Couragia MT comes in 15 to 24 inches rim sizes, with following specs.
- Speed Ratings: Q only (similar).
- Load Ratings: C, D and E only.
- Weight Range: 37 lbs to 77 lbs.
- Tread Depth Range: 19 to 21/32″.
Tread Pattern
Starting form the Atturo Trail Blade MT, although, the tire features a tread just like any average mud-terrain, there are a few things to consider.
Let me start from the middle.
Here there are two main ribs, which are pretty closed up together, meaning they make slanted tread voids which are narrower compared to outer wider circumferential channels.
So you don’t have to compromise on-road when it comes to directional grip and comfort. Which means better performance on highways, where you have to run straight most of your time.
Moreover, as these lugs have a curving design wrapping around the shoulder lugs, they render decent lateral stability as well.
Moving towards the shoulders…
These blocks basically give you most of the off-road traction. They have an elongated design with widest (lateral) grooves, and bold stone ejectors in between, and their outer margins are engraved with prominent mud scoops (staggered edges).
Furthermore, you also get a more biting sidewalls, having thick biters/lugs placed, providing traction and footprint with lowered air pressure.
Moving to the other tire, the Federal Couragia M/T…
You get a pretty aggressive symmetric tread here as well, designed to tackle some of the toughest terrains, with its more open spacious lugs.
The central C shaped blocks make an interconnected map of grooves joining up lateral and longitudinal channels, clearly with the ones they make in the very middle. And these although provide you with superior self cleaning capabilities, the overall stability gets to be limited.
That’s because these lugs have a lot of tread depth and they bend very easily, even though they have reinforced foundations underneath connecting all these central blocks together longitudinally.
Though still compared to shoulder lugs, they are better, as those lugs are left unsupported completely.
They have the widest space around them, and the lugs are even smaller.
And although they form staggered outer edges, I really miss the sidewall lugs on this tire, they are not good enough at all.
Street Performance
When evaluating the dry performance of mud terrain tires, there are 2 main things to consider. Let me talk about them one by one in their sub-section.
Dry Grip
Dry grip is actually directional, that’s why it’s measured with stopping capabilities (while moving straight). Moreover, it also depends on the middle section of the tire, where the whole weight is constituted.
And considering that part in both tires, it can be seen that the Federal Couragia is lacking here, with it’s much wider tread voids.
The 2 ribs in the middle, forming U shaped lugs basically come with much bigger lateral and longitudinal grooves, whereas on Atturo, lugs are more packed up, comparatively, and so they naturally yield superior grip.
Handling and Steering
Although handling also gets affected by the tire’s footprint, it’s mostly dependent on overall responsiveness of the steering.
That’s why the Atturo Trail Blade M/T takes the lead with its more stable lugs formation.
On the other side, the Federal Couragia M/T basically comes with much wider gaps between the blocks, and upon steering, they tend to under steer at first, followed by a sharper over steering.
This has to do with lugs bending (generally in the opposite direction of the turn), as the tire corners. With unsupported lugs, the tire takes longer in providing the feedback to the steering inputs.
Wet Traction
Mud tires grip on watery roads with the help of two main tread features, sipes, and the grooves.
The grooves or tread voids, clear out the bulk of water through them, and provides prevention to hydroplaning (which is a phenomena, when a tire floats on water).
Whereas sipes are tiny slit, which soak up the remaining water particles, left behind, and provides the necessary grip, and this is where mud terrain tires really lack.
Though out of both tires, you’d still see better results on Atturo Trail Blade M/T, as it still offer some sort of siping on its tread, whereas you don’t see any, at all, on its counterpart.
Fuel Consumption
Both tires although come with similar weighing sizes (on average), the Federal Couragia still give out poorer gas mileage on average.
With such voided structure, each of its lugs basically has to carry more of the distributed weight on themselves.
The Atturo on the other hand, is more packed up, has relatively shallower tread depth, and have a stiffer rubber composition.
All of them yield relatively smaller rolling resistance values (as they all restrict too much lug bending).
Tread Life
Just like fuel economy, how many miles a tire can cover in it’s life-time is also dependent on the rolling resistance. And with larger values, more rubber gets burned.
That’s why the Atturo Trial Blade MT again is more appreciable in this section as well.
Not only it rubs off the road with smaller frictional forces, it’s tread compound is also stiffer, comparatively. Both of these allow it to have greater tread life.
Performance on Rocks
Let me start here by saying, Cooper Discoverer STT Pro is my go to tire when it comes to rocky terrains, (in the mud terrain category) that’s because this tire yields a best combination of lateral and longitudinal traction, and provides superior durability.
And these are the two main factors here.
That’s why I have to rate both of these tires under discussion here, the same.
The Federal Couragia MT although offer a decent traction with its lateral and circumferential grooves formed with hook shaped blocks and elongated shoulders lugs, its only from the middle.
Meaning it’s sidewall lugs aren’t as aggressive as they should be, I believe.
That’s why with lowered air pressure, you see slightly superior traction on Atturo Trial Blade MT.
Mud Traction
Mud tires are named that way, because mud is the most challenging terrains of all. With less aggressive tires although you can still expect a satisfactory performance on rocks, sand gravel, etc, as you’ll see in the upcoming topics, when it comes to deep mud, no other tire does it better than mud-terrains.
And when it comes to these two boys, you can never go wrong with Federal Couragia MT.
This tire basically does evacuation better, with its wider lateral + longitudinal tread voids allowing mud to leave out through multiple pathways.
Moreover, comparatively, it also does paddling better , with it’s thicker lugs scooping the mud with its staggered shoulder blocks.
Though in knee deep mud, surprisingly, the Atturo M/T shows better “getting-out” capabilities with it’s better sidewall lugs.
Sand Performance
For sand traction, you need two things in mud tires. They have to be paddling, which yields forward momentum, and they should float.
And so considering them both, I would have to go with Atturo Trail Blade.
This tire basically offers larger section width on average, and its sidewall lugs are pasted on a larger bead area, and they spread out enhancing overall footprint with the sand.
On-Road Noise
Noise is produced when air particles coming in (mostly through shoulder voids), hit the tread walls.
That’s why with a less voided structure, the Atturo Trail Blade MT offers a quieter ride.
Moreover, the tire also features better pitch sequencing as well, where it offers slight (geometrical) variations in the blocks, so air particles hitting them could generate different tones.
Those tones/frequencies then (try to) cancel out each other, dampening the overall noise levels.
Federal Couragia MT in comparison, gets to be one of the loudest tires you can get in the mud-terrain category. And it’s highly voided structure tells the story itself.
Snow Traction
Both tires are not 3PMSF rated, which figures, since they are MTs.
This rating stands for 3 peak mountain snowflake. And it’s just an acceleration test on snow, it does not tell handling and braking abilities of the tire, as most people think.
Both of our tires, although aren’t so great on pavement snow, and do terrible with ice, they are okay with deeper terrains, with their ability to scoop the snow backwards, creating forward momentum.
Though I did miss the option of adding studs on them both, that could have really improved their traction.
Summary
Don’t miss out on any of the above info, it took me some time to compile it all up. Though for folks in a hurry, let me break it down.
Atturo Trail Blade MT is a superior mud-terrain tires when you consider the on/off road comfort, fuel economy and on-road steering response/handling.
Whereas, the Federal M/T is only outperforming its competitor in one area, and that is mud.
