Unleashing the power of all-terrain versatility, the Milestar Patagonia XT and the Kanati Trail Hog step into the limelight. Since these tires are more aggressive then your average A/T tires, I consider them as hybrids. Such tires basically come in between mu-terrain and all-terrain. Let’s see how well they do next to each other.
Table of Contents
Available Sizes
Kanati Trail Hog A/T comes in 16 to 20 inches with following specs.
- Speed ratings: Q only.
- Load ratings: E only.
- Weight range: 45 to 75 lbs.
- Tread depth: 18/32″.
- Ratings: M+S and 3PMSF.
- Warranty: No mileage warranty.
Milestar Patagonia XT on the other side, comes with 15 to 22 inches with following specs.
- Speed ratings: Q, S and T.
- Load ratings: C to F.
- Weight range: 50 to 86 lbs.
- Tread depth: 15 to 19/32″.
- Ratings: M+S and 3PMSF.
- Warranty: 40k mile on all.
Tread Design
The Kanati Trail Hog is a more aggressive tire in comparison. And it’s pretty clear why.
In the middle you get sharp biters lugs, even though they are smaller compared to shoulders.
The sharp offset sides, combined with edges and sipes (not full depth though), provide ample traction on all types of off-road terrains. And at the same time, as these lugs have reinforced foundations, and they are pretty closed up, you get to have directional grip on pavements as well (it’s not great, but compared to mud terrain tire, its pretty good).
Though as this tire carries mud-terrain shoulders with its hybrid design same can’t be said about lateral traction on highways, (as that depends on the sides of the tire, where most of the pressure gets applied during turning of the tire).
These shoulder lugs are surrounded with wild gaps where you can see stone ejectors embedded, and even though they are connected with each other, they still can’t provide as much stability as the Milestar Patagonia XT tire, which has more closed up design.
Speaking of which, this tire also gets divided prominently with zigzag circumferential grooves separating the shoulders and the middle area.
But these grooves are very unique as they are embedded with biters which have multiple functionalities.
The middle part of the tread has sharp triangular shaped lugs placed in a lateral orientation, though slanted a little bit.
These lugs have various biters of unique designs, making stepped edges, providing ample off-road bite.
And at the same time with closed up placement, and reinforced foundations, they ensure a good enough stability on pavements as well.
Moving towards the shoulders, these lugs are smaller, yet they have similar biters, and their outer edges are staggered.
Though the tire could use some sidewall lugs, as in comparison, they are not very biting (when you lower the air pressure down, off road).
Fuel And TreadWear
Out of both tires, the Kanati Trail Hog presents a greater tread depth and a lighter weight on average.
But then why is it, that it generates greater rolling resistance, in comparison?
Well, because of its wider grooves. So even with lighter weight, each of its lugs get to bear more weight pressure on itself, as that weight is divided on a smaller rubber area.
So they burn up more with the road, limiting not only the fuel economy, but also tread life.
In contrast, the Milestar Patagonia XT with its firmer lugs (enhanced with foundational supports), demonstrates superior fuel economy, as it’s lugs aren’t pushed that much to bend against the road (which wastes energy).
And yes, of course, it also contributes to its longer tread life.
That’s why it makes sense why the tire offers 40k miles warranty, where the Kanati doesn’t come with any.
Dry Grip
Dry traction can be described as the tire’s unidirectional grip, often assessed through braking distances on a straight path.
And here, the tread’s central rubber meeting the road is the most crucial component, as it meets up with the surface the most (as it bears the most weight concentration on itself).
That’s why with interlocking triangular lugs, the Milestar Patagonia XT demonstrates superior efficacy here, showing up with 3 feet shorter braking distances, on tests, (on average).
On the other side, although the lacking Kanati Trail Hog offers closed up lugs in its middle, especially compared to its shoulders, they still can’t offer similar rubber contact patch, comparatively.
Dry Handling
Just as the central lugs yield directional grip, the shoulders are responsible for lateral traction, well, for the most part.
As the tire turns, these shoulder lugs bear the most weight on them, and so how well these blocks contact the road defines handling.
Having said that the Milestar Patagonia XT, having considerably closed lateral tread voids, records faster lap times in handling tests.
Whereas on the Kanati Trail Hog, it makes sense why the tire lacks, as it features very wide lateral voids between its shoulders lugs.
Moreover, these blocks are also more susceptible to lug bending, which limits the tire’s overall steering responsiveness.
Wet Traction
Wet traction is governed by two pivotal factors: wet grip and hydroplaning resistance.
Both these elements focus on efficient water expulsion from the tread, facilitating water-free tire-road contact and preventing slippage. Let’s delve into each component.
Wet Grip
Wet grip is basically a micro-scale removal of water particles (the other aspect will be addressed in the hydroplaning section).
And this grip heavily relies on the sipes and tread flexibility, as “sipes” need to “flex” in order to absorb water particles into their slits. In other words, they act as water vacuum cleaners.
Having said that, it makes sense why the Kanati Trail Hog, lacking these both these key features, underperforms in comparison to its counterpart.
Its sipes, are very less to begin with, and even those aren’t that effective.
Whereas on Milestart XT, you see numerous sipes along with biting edges, which offer better gripping efficacy.
Hydroplaning
Hydroplaning is another word for tire floating on the water. And its very dangerous, as it means, a thin layer of water would form in between the tread and the road, and any kind of biters won’t be able to grip in.
Now being aggressive enough off-road tires, this issue is hardly noticed in either of these tires here.
I mean, they offer multiple pathways for water expulsion.
Winter Traction
Winter traction is a very broad term, as it includes all types of environments, including deep and light snow, fluffy snow, and icy terrains.
Though generally, looking at them all, it’s safe to say that the Milestar Patagonia XT provides superior traction, as its design effectively lodges snow particles within the tread voids, promoting more contact between the tire and snow-covered ground.
This creates higher frictional forces, as snow adheres better to other snow particles compared to rubber, hence the concept of the “snowball effect.”
The Kanati A/T on the other side, can’t offer similar grip, especially on icy tracks, though the tire does pretty great on fluffier snow, as it gives you a scooping ability with its lugs.
Both tires are branded with 3 peak mountain snowflake ratings, by the way.
Off-Road Traction
I performed a comprehensive examination of each tire’s performance across all rough terrain variations. These include mud, rocks (both climbing rocks, and gravel), and sandy terrains.
Let’s start with mud.
Mud-Filled Tracks
Mud traction heavily relies on a tire’s tread evacuation capabilities, combined with paddling efficacy of the lugs.
And here, we have a clear winner, the Kanati Trail Hog A/T.
This tire no only offer a more voided-up structure, which provide a more rapid mud expulsion, its thicker lugs also provide superior mud paddling abilities. So it throws back mud more effectively, resulting in a superior forward momentum force.
In contrast, the Milestar Patagonia XT with its densely packed up lugs and voids, can’t offer either of those things.
So the tire gets packed up with mud more quickly, and it’s sidewall lugs, and voids aren’t that aggressive to offer paddling either.
On Rocks
On rocks, you need a lot of durability and biters in all directions.
Now although both tire offer that, you still see a superior traction on Kanati Trail Hog, mainly because of it’s bigger groove mouth, biting the rocky surface with a much more force.
Moreover, the tires softer composition of the tread further add to that biting efficacy, as the lugs easily mold over any kind of rocky surface.
And yes, the tire’s sidewalls further add to the overall grip, especially when you lower the air pressure.
Sandy Dunes
In sandy terrains, tires with a lower overall density are preferable, hence the significance of weight and tread composition.
Basically the main thing for a tire to do here, is to float, as sinking on sand, basically means getting stuck.
That’s why the Kanati Trial Hog gets to be a clear winner here.
The tire is lighter, on average, (measure across all sizes), so there would be less sinking.
Moreover, its softer compound, combined with sidewall lugs further add to that. The softer composition of the tread basically molds better, and the sidewall lugs spread out with lowered air pressure, distributing the weight, and floating the tire.
To Sum Up
The Milestar Patagonia XT proves superior in areas such as:
- Dry grip, thanks to its interlocking triangular lugs resulting in shorter braking distances.
- Dry handling, with its closed lateral tread voids enabling quicker lap times.
- Wet grip, due to numerous sipes and biting edges for improved efficacy.
- Fuel efficiency and tread life, attributed to the firmness of its lugs reducing bending and energy waste.
- Winter traction, as its design promotes a better “snowball effect.”
In contrast, the Kanati Trail Hog stands out in:
- Mud-filled tracks, with its voided structure and thicker lugs providing superior mud expulsion and paddling.
- Rock traversing, its softer tread composition and wider groove mouth offering increased biting efficacy.
- Sandy terrains, with its lighter weight, softer compound, and sidewall lugs aiding in flotation.
- Fluffier snow traction, as its lug design offers effective scooping abilities.
However, despite these strengths, the Kanati’s wider grooves lead to more rolling resistance, negatively impacting fuel economy and tread life.
