Both the Kanati Trail Hog and the Mud Hog being powerful off-road tires offer a satisfactory traction when it comes to mixed surfaces such gravel, rocks, sand and mud. Though on-road there are some mixed results. Let’s see which of these tires is a better fir for you.
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.
On the other side, the Kanati Mud Hog comes in 16 to 22 inches with following.
- Speed ratings: Q only.
- Load ratings: C to F.
- Weight range: 55 to 95 lbs.
- Tread depth: 18 to 20/32″.
- Ratings: M+S only.
- Warranty: No mileage warranty.
Tread Design
The Kanati Trail Hog features a very aggressive hybrid design with mud-terrain shoulders and compact central lugs.
These lugs in the middle are worm shaped and so they wrap up each other creating an interlocking design.
They have full depth interlocking sipes and sharp edges along with off-set sides, and where these features provide off-road traction, the on-road stability is given by reinforced foundations found underneath these lugs.
Though the directional grip is still somewhat compromised as these lugs are surrounded by larger tread voids (making wide/prominent circumferential rings, dividing the sides).
The shoulder lugs of the tire are even more aggressive, they are joined up with each other so they run in pairs, and although this accounts for a little bit of stability, the wild gaps having stone ejectors in them, don’t allow the tire to offer a great comfort on pavements (though things are still better compared to MT).
Moreover, it’s surprising so to see that with such aggressive design you get severe winter ratings, and to improve that there are stud-able lugs so yo can expect a little bit of ice traction as well with them.
Moving towards it’s mud variant, the Kanati Mud Hog, the tire is naturally more aggressive.
Its tread provides you with a 4 rib design. Let me start off here form the middle.
So here 2 ribs are seen which are very closed up together. So although they contain smaller lugs, their packed up design allow for good enough directional grip (for a mud tire).
And as these lugs are equipped with sharp edges and notches, there’s no doubt you are going to get amazing off-road performance with them.
Moving towards the shoulders…
The tread makes elongated lugs here, of 2 unique designs.
They carry rectailinear sipes and notches, and their edges are staggered with thick mud scoops.
They lugs also join in to the sidewall lugs as well, where thick pattern is seen capable of providing ample biter with lowered air pressure.
Dry Performance
Needless to say, that the mud tires are not typically renowned for their exceptional road/tar performance, and let me tell you, the Kanati Mud Hog doesn’t deviate from this characteristic.
With such wider tread voids, the tire offers very (relatively) limited are to contact the surface, so naturally grip gets compromised.
Though the tire’s directional grip is still good enough. And it’s actually the handling which brings down the overall traction performance.
It’s shoulder lugs are pretty voided, and that combined with the tire’s softer tread compound, and huge tread depth, you get a lot more over and under steering on corners.
Basically, these features cause the lugs to bend a lot as the tire turns, and this results in a larger steering feedback times.
Conversely, the Kanati Trail Hog has a more closely spaced rib placement, which allows for increased road surface interaction.
Additionally, the wide gaps on the shoulders do not significantly impact handling performance, as the shoulder lugs are paired and interconnected, creating a more stable lateral traction, comparatively.
Wet Traction
The Kanati Trail Hog considerably outperforms the Mud Hog on wet roads, where siping and tread composition are of paramount importance.
This tire features interlocking full-depth sipes across the tread surface, which effectively disperse water. And with that, the mixture of tread voids running around everywhere, you get a decent resistance to hydroplaning.
Now the Mud Hog, also features decent hydroplaning resistance, but its’ relatively balder design, and missing full depth siping aren’t able to easily evacuate ample water in time.
Noise
Noise generated by tires is largely due to airflow that strikes the tread walls.
This air comes in (mostly through tread edges/shoulders), and creates noise as it hits around, and then that noise is amplified as it bounces off the walls (causing echoing, you can say).
Now the Kanati Mud Hog produces more of these both kinds of unwanted sound-waves. It’s balder structure allow more air to come in and hit around with full force, and it’s central lugs further add to that, through echoing, leading to larger in-groove resonance values.
In comparison, the Kanati Trail Hog, while still producing considerable noise relative to less aggressive tires, with its wide shoulder voids, it still manages to dampen it down, thanks to its pitch sequencing technology.
It’s basically variations in the lugs’ geometry, which makes different tones, and those later cancel out each other.
Fuel Economy And Tread Life
Both of these performance factors are tied together by the tire’s rolling resistance, well, at least in case of these two tires here.
With larger weight, (thicker internal plies, and outer rubber), the Kanati Mud Hog pushes it’s lugs to rub against the road/surface with greater pressure.
This not only generates larger rolling resistance values, negatively impacting the fuel economy, but also the heat, which reduces the tread life efficacy.
On the flip side, the Trail Hog, although lacking compared to average A/T tires, still performs better compared to all kinds of mud terrain tires, including the Mud Hog.
Winter Performance
Given its Three-Peak Mountain Snowflake (3PMSF) rating, the Kanati Trail Hog unsurprisingly provides superior acceleration on hard-packed snow compared to the non-3PMSF-rated Kanati Mud Hog.
The 3PMSF rating specifically indicates the tire’s enhanced forward momentum capabilities in snow – approximately 10% better than an average all-season tire, according to my communication with Kanati. It’s important to clarify that this rating does not suggest improved braking or handling in snow.
Moreover, Trail Hog also has the advantage of having studable lugs, so it’s ice traction can be improved further.
On the other side, the Mud Hog only features M+S rating, so it’s a disaster on ice and hard packed snow.
Though you can still take these boys out on deeper snowy terrains, (talking about fluffy snow here).
This is because the thick lugs on this tire offer paddling abilities, throwing snow backwards (where staggered shoulders/sidewalls help too), and so you get forward moving inertia as a result.
But overall, none of these tires can offer as much traction as any winter tire, just putting it out there.
Off Road Performance
Considering the diversity of off-road terrains, it’s crucial to examine these tires’ performance across different landscapes.
So I divided this section up in to 3 below.
Rocks
When considering rocky terrains, the Kanati Mud Hog excels with its remarkable durability, thanks to its thicker three-ply sidewalls and Kevlar reinforcements.
Moreover, you also get more powerful rim locks with this tire as well, so you can reduce the air pressure like a pro and navigate through all types of rocky terrains like a champ.
Besides this, the tire’s larger tread depth, softer lugs, and broader groove notches allow it to engage with rocks more forcefully. Basically these features allow for an epic grip in all directions.
Now Trail Hog is also not too far off here too, its primary advantage
is its lightweight nature, which promotes forward momentum. In contrast, heavier tires like the Mud Hog may tend to dig in if conditions become slippery.
Mud
It’s a no brainier, that this section goes with Kanati Mud Hog, where the tire offers superior self cleaning capabilities, with its larger shoulder tread voids and notches, both nearly twice the size of the Trail Hog’s.
These attributes, along with the Mud Hog’s substantial thicker sidewall lugs and staggered shoulders, make the Trail Hog’s lugs appear insignificant by comparison.
Though in Trail Hog’s defense, the tire offers one of the best mud traction, when compared to other aggressive all-terrain tires.
Sand
Sandy terrains pose significant challenges for heavier tires with harder compounds, as they make uphill navigation difficult amidst ubiquitous sand dunes.
So, consequently, the Kanati Trail Hog performs great in such environments. Its sidewall lugs are well-optimized for loose sand, and its new gen rubber provides an excellent footprint, which is of course, a critical factor for sand navigation.
The Mud Hog on the other hand, may be heavier, it’s powerful rim locks allow you to lower the pressure down much more, and that combined with it’s thicker sidewall lugs, you get an impressive sand traction here too.
Though all in all, I would rate both these tires as equals here.
To Conclude
In essence, while many consider the Kanati Trail Hog to be a mud tire, it’s not designed for that specific purpose, despite its commendable performance in the category.
On the other hand, the Kanati Mud Hog, a truly aggressive mud terrain tire, unsurprisingly surpasses its counterpart in almost all off-road scenarios, especially on mud and rocks. Though on sand, I have both tires similar ratings.
All in all, Trail Hog does better on wet, snow, and dry roads, and offers a quieter ride, superior fuel economy, and tread longevity.
How does the mug hogs in driving wet rainy roads and dry roads
Very good dry braking. Okay dry handling, and poor wet traction.