Product Spotlight – RC4WD 2.2 Mud Basher Tires

As a few of you longtime readers may be aware of, I’m a big fan of mud trucks. So when I saw the new RC4WD 2.2 Mud Basher announcement a couple months ago, you know I was clicking the “ADD TO CART” button on their site before I even finished reading the description.

So here’s the funny thing. Mud tires (much like paddles) are always one trick ponies. Knowing that, I planned on mainly running these tires on my Axial Wraith Spawn only when it was time to go muddin’. Since mounting them up and giving them a working over the last 2 months, my plans have changed. Cold, dead hands, people!

The tires (part #Z-T0129, 29.99 a pair) are inspired by large tractor tires that have become prevalent in mega truck racing, and bolt right up to a standard 2.2 rim. Chances are these tires are either the coolest thing you’ve seen or they look stupid. In talking to our staffers that’s pretty much what I found. You either love or hate them. Being a hardcore mud and monster truck guy, I happen to think they are the coolest looking tire on the market.

The included foams are relatively stiff and provide a good amount of support with minimal sidewall sag. The tires mounted up very easily to my standard Axial 2.2 Beadlock wheels. The rubber is RC4WD’s famous X2-SS super soft & sticky compound. All of the mud tires I’ve used before have been hand cut out of Traxxas or Tamiya monster truck tires, so it was shocking to feel how soft these were in comparison. I mean, yeah, I’ve enjoyed RC4WD tires made out of this stuff before but I guess the standard scaler tire market is so well represented with quality product that these really stick out considering how barren the mud tire niche is.

I figured these would ultimately be a “gimmick” tire that looks cool but is only good for sand or mud, much like paddles. I could not have been more wrong. These things are freaking ANIMALS out on the trail. As you may surmise, the Mud Bashers have excellent forward bite due to the tread pattern. The surprise is with the side grip. The big tractor lugs are so soft and pliable that they conform to whatever surface you are on. The superb rubber compound does the job. I tested in mud, sand, snow, rock, and grass and kept trucking with no problem.

I want to specifically talk about crawling since that is what the majority of my scaling buddies asked about. These things aren’t going to be replacing RC4WD Baja Claws, Pro-Line TSLs or Pit Bull Rock Beasts as one of the “big dogs” on the 2.2 crawling scene but they still make a great showing for themselves. The biggest thing they lack on the rocks compared to other popular aftermarket tires is an aggressive sidewall. This would destroy the tractor look though, so I get it. Even with a smooth side, the compound makes them plenty grippy and I had no problems navigating a technical crawling course.

I’m a big fan of the Mud Bashers. They are an awesome all-terrain scaling tire and their mega truck inspired looks are different than anything else currently available on the market. If you are looking to bash your truck hard on a variety of surfaces while also looking different than most of the rigs out on the trail I think you’ll dig them. I know they are staying on my truck!

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