Venom Power Terra Hunter R/T vs X/T: Venom Power being the newer company, may not have developed the reputation like the other popular ones but their tires make a lot of sense. Especially when their price is considered. So both of its Terra Hunter variants are worth looking.
The XT variant is an All Terrain, where some call it an “Extra Traction” tire. These tires are quite suitable for highways and also perform great on rocks.
Examine the treads on these tires closely. They hold the key to knowing which to choose. In fact if you visit my "tread design" page, picking the right tire would never bother you.
On the other side, we have Venom Terra R/T which is marketed as “Rugged Terrain”, meaning its made for tougher terrains, but the tire looks less aggressive than the average RTs, we’ve reviewed so far.
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Let’s check out their Design closely
Venom Terra XT
Venom Terra RT
Right off the bat, you can’t help but notice that these tires look very similar to other popular tires. The X/T looks like the BFG KO2, while the R/T variant reminds of the Toyo RT.
Both the contenders have symmetrical tread design with Venom RT having comparatively larger tread blocks and overall softer silica compound made rubber.
The central tread block column is basically a combination of 4 tread blocks of variant shapes. And they are separated with wide lateral grooves.
They have sharp edges everywhere and the one facing the shoulders have incisions/notches in them (giving the tire extra biting power).
S shaped siping with varying width can be seen on the central blocks which continue out on surrounding blocks.
If we look at its shoulders, the two blocks vary in shapes a little and form serrated edges.
Prominent stone ejectors are also embedded on the outer edges of these blocks to prevent stone drilling and help in the evacuation of dirt/mud.
On the other side, if we look at the Venom X/T, we see a very complicated shoulder design, with sharp edged blocks having 3d wave like siping.
This tire also features a staggered shoulder edges but here only half of its shoulder block is designed to have a “scooper” on it.
But like the Venom R/T similar kind of stone ejectors are visible & they are more in number here, presenting after every block, where in R/T they are after every two blocks.
If we look at the middle, the tire offers 3 unique blocks with an interlocking hook shaped design again with sharp edges and 3D siping.
And like the stone ejectors the siping density is also more here. These sipes go all the way deep, dividing these blocks further, allowing them to squirm under high pressure.
Deeper sipes also mean that this tire would not loose its traction values with wear.
their On-Road Traction?
Both tires offer almost similar dry traction performance but the wet traction is overall better on the Terra Hunter X/T.
The Terra hunter X/T with its blocky shoulders and uniform central design is able to grip better, as the tire makes more contact with the road.
The high density of siping also provide this tire with a more efficient biting edges for paved roads, so this tire shows less slippage overall.
This tire is also quieter of the two as well. The angular blocks that come right after the shoulders reduce noise, by breaking the path of air particles, so they don’t collide head on with the tread (which makes noise).
On the other side, the Hunter R/T also showed good traction on dry because of its softer material, but this would also make this tire more prone to wear (if you are going to spend most of the time on road).
In wet, the R/T often lost traction especially during cornering. But still with wider grooves and more average tread depth the tire showed better float speeds, as more water can channel out, making this tire more resistant to aquaplaning.
Also looking at the tread pattern we expected very little noise out of them, but these tires were surprisingly loud.
Off-Road Traction
Being right in the middle of AT and MT, the Terra Hunter R/T shows better off road performance especially on muddy terrains compared to Hunter X/T. The tire offers wider grooves in comparison so more mud can be evacuated out of its channels.
The tire also shows greater snow traction too and is branded with 3 Peak Mountain Snowflake Rating.
Other than this both tires show equal performance on rocks/rocky terrain. And the Terra Hunter X/T is surprisingly good here.
The multiple biting edges of the tire combined with its interlocking design allows this tire to hug the surface of the rocks firmly. Meanwhile the tire’s deep siping divide the tread blocks further and they squirm accordingly to maintain traction.
Both tires are also great on small rocks/stones filled paths. Here the tires material and stone ejectors come in handy. Both tires offer you with the same cut resistant rubber so they are less prone to tread wear even with high speeds on gravel.
And although smaller in number, the stone ejectors are bolder on R/T and they would better expel debris which would otherwise lodge in between the tread blocks.
Durability and Tread Wear:
Both tires are equally durable.
They provide you with same sidewall protection with their 2 ply polyester construction, (protecting the most vulnerable part of the tire). Other than this they also have 2 steel belts covered with 2 layers of nylon, in their construction composition.
But with dual sidewall design the Terra Hunter R/T offers bulkier sidewall lugs enhancing tires safety and providing traction (especially when aired down deep in mud).
In terms of tread wear, the Hunter R/T although have a 50k miles warranty, the tire would still wear quickly compared to its other variant. This is because this tire has comparatively softer material (designed for better snow traction).
But still to its advantage, this tire does offer more tread depth, so these tire can last a while
Other than this, both the contenders also meet a similar load range so they can bear an equal amount of load.
So, are these tires worth it?
Having better traction off road justifies the cost of Hunter R/T (which is a little higher than X/T). But these tires are still cheaper than the other options in the market.
And given their performance, these are definitely not bad at all.
Out of these two, the X/T should be considered if you are planing to mostly stay on roads. And the R/Ts on the other hand, would give you better off road experience.
