I’ve been using the Accelera MT01 tires for three years now on my 2006 Subaru Forester, and I’m really impressed with their performance. They’ve held up well to a lot of abuse, including driving on sharp rocks, gravel, mud, sand, and snow.
I’ve driven them for roughly 13,000 miles, mostly on trails, and they still have a good amount of tread left.
Why I Bought The MT01
My Forester is almost exclusively driven for offroad adventures on 4×4 trails and camping trips. So I wanted something that could handle rugged terrain easily without costing a lot of money. I didn’t want to feel bad about chunking them out on sharp rocks.
The main reasons I purchased the MT01 were:
- Affordable price
- Lightweight compared to other mud tires
- Aggressive tread and sidewall
- Good siping across all tread blocks
- Similar appearance and tread pattern to the Yokohama mud terrains with a lower price tag
- Wide range of size availability
Off-Road Performance: Better Than I Could've Expected
When I saw I was blown away by the performance of the MT01’s, I mean I was absolutely shocked by how well they gripped even at full tire pressure. The sipes and aggressive sidewall seem to actually provide a lot of capability.
I was driving this car in an area located in SW Washington where they had cut some logging roads that were rutted out and made of a clay/mud mixture. This tire ripped right up the steep incline despite the road being wet and slippery.
These tires have also held up very well against sharp rocks and loose shale that has a tendency to cut sidewalls. Yet somehow the MT01 does great in the snow as well. I have used them to plow through fresh snow up to my headlights at full air pressure somehow. The sidewall seems to grip and assist with pushing through snow and mud.
To give you an idea of some of the type of offroad abuse these tires have taken, check out this short video of one of my trail days:
Road Noise: How Loud Are They?
The Accelera MT01 is surprisingly quiet for a mud-terrain tire, but they’re not silent either. They have gotten louder as they’ve aged and they create a slight humming at highway speeds. I noticed a larger increase in road noise after I damaged the treads while on the trails.
Road noise is a trade-off to consider with any mud terrain tire. Even the most mild mud terrain tire you can find will be louder than an all-terrain tire. But for the off-road capability they offer, the noise is an acceptable compromise for me any day.
I do have one word of advice here though. Be vigilant about keeping them inflated correctly on the pavement and doing tire rotations. I have neglected them pretty badly and that has contributed to some uneven wear and cupping. And yet, they still do great on the road and have held up extremely well to everything I’ve done with them.
On-Road Handling: Not Bad For A Mud Terrain
The MT01 does very well for daily driving considering that it’s a mud terrain tire. Does it handle “good?” No. No mud terrain tire will ever handle as well as a dedicated street tire. Does it handle well enough to drive across the country with no issues? Absolutely.
I have no sway bars on my Subaru and routinely drive it long distances for camping trips and trail runs with zero problems. I will say that the bigger, heavier nature of these tires paired with the wide tread voids does reduce the braking capability. I have learned to be more mindful of braking early and often. I keep a lot of distance between myself and other vehicles.
Durability: Do They Hold Up To Sustained Trail Use?
Considering I have subjected these tires to sharp rocks, sharp broken branches, gravel, rocks, and even metal culverts, they have held up very well. I have taken a few chunks out of the tires but that’s to be expected when using them almost exclusively for offroad trails. When I say that I’ve intentionally abused these tires, I’m not exaggerating. No effort has been made to baby them or save them at all.
I also like that the siping on the tires goes deep and hasn’t worn off like some other tires that have superficial siping. I own a set of Milestar Patagonias that lost their siping once the tire wore down a bit.
Tread Depth Reading
I checked the tread depth on the Accelera tires at around 13,000 miles and they came out at 10/32″. They originally had 16/32″ of tread depth when brand new.
This means that despite hard trail abuse mixed with freeway driving for the last three years, I’ve only lost 6/32″ of tread. When I purchased these I expected them to be a cheap tire that I would have to replace within a couple of years. For a tire that has been beat on and had its rotations neglected, I don’t think that’s half bad at all.
Snow Performance:
The MT01 absolutely blew me away the first time I had them in deep snow. I couldn’t believe how well they did at ripping through even old heavy snow. I suspect that the aggressive sidewalls and siping allow it to grip and pull the car through.
They also do okay around town in snowy conditions if you drive slowly. But I would not use these as a substitute for a dedicated snow tire on the roads. They don’t have the same stopping capability in slick icy conditions as a studded or studless snow tire.
Mud, Sand, And Gravel Performance:
Similar to the snow performance, the Acceleras do a good job of gripping onto the terrain and clearing mud from the treads to retain traction. The scalloped side lugs are pretty aggressive and have a really wide void between them that helps a lot in the mud as well.
In sand, they aggressive tread and sturdy sidewall that allow for a substantial amount of airing down make these great in the sand. I have dropped them down all the way to 6-7psi with no problems. When aired down this far, I have no issue driving through dry, loose sand.
The MT01 has stone ejectors between the tread lugs and they do pretty well at evacuating debris. Occasionally I’ll find a rock wedged into the treads after a lot of gravel road driving. But they usually work themselves out quickly.
My Overall Thoughts: One Of The Best Bang For The Buck Mud Terrain Tires
I absolutely love this tire. Out of all the offroad tires I’ve used on my Subarus, this one has been my favorite.
If you daily drive your Subaru, you may not want to go with a mud terrain tire. But if you’re planning to hit trails regularly, the Accelera MT01 has been a versatile offroad tire that can handle anything I throw at it. I highly recommend this tire.
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