In an earlier article, I sang the praises of the “tradie-spec” Open Country R/T 2-ply - a hybrid tyre built for those who spend most of their time on the blacktop but want a rugged look and enough off-road ability for weekend adventures. This time, we’re stepping things up a notch: more load, more demand, more off-road intent, and the same muscular good looks, courtesy of Toyo’s Open Country R/T 3-ply.
If the 2-ply is the daily-driven all-rounder, the 3-ply is its tougher sibling, built for serious off-roaders and modified 4WDs. Made in the USA, this version features a unique tread design that draws on some of Toyo’s best work, combining aggression, traction, and surprising on-road composure.
A tread that talks tough
At first glance, the 3-ply Open Country R/T’s tread face is bold - a diamond-shaped four-block centre pattern that looks like it belongs on a full-blown mud terrain. That’s no coincidence: the shoulder blocks are borrowed straight from the Open Country M/T, Toyo’s flagship muddie.
But unlike traditional mud terrains, which tend to squirm and shift mid-corner on high-speed bitumen, the Open Country R/T’s interlocking centre blocks bring impressive stability and steering precision. It’s an aggressive tyre that doesn’t feel vague or disconnected on the road.
The circumferential and lateral grooves are designed to clear mud and debris quickly, while stone ejectors embedded in the grooves keep gravel and rocks from lodging deep in the tread. Whether it’s sticky clay or sharp stones, this tyre is ready to shed it and keep moving.
Built like a tank
Underneath that aggressive tread is a heavy-duty 3-ply carcass, using the same high-strength polyester construction as the Open Country M/T. Three ply belts wrap around the bead and extend up the sidewall, providing exceptional sidewall strength and resistance to deflection. Most sizes are 10-ply rated, giving you serious carrying capacity and off-road durability.
Let’s just say, you’d have to be very unlucky to puncture one of these.
80,000kms. Zero punctures.
I was one of the first in Australia to run the 3-ply Open Country R/T when it landed in 2019, and I’ve had them fitted to three of our vehicles; a classic Land Rover Defender, Rose’s Isuzu MU-X, and my personal D-MAX.
In LT265/75R16, they hit the sweet spot: a sensible 32” rolling diameter, a massive 123 load index (1,550kg per tyre), and the kind of lifespan that would make most tyres jealous.
Across four years and 80,000kms of punishment, they performed flawlessly. Not a single puncture, even through the Simpson Desert, Victorian High Country, WA’s Murchison, and more than a few trips through the Flinders Ranges and Eyre Peninsula.
After the MU-X, they went onto the D-MAX and handled countless driver training sessions at our Barossa Valley facility without skipping a beat. Regular rotations and proper alignments kept the wear even and, impressively, no scalloped shoulders or road roar — a common issue with aggressive tread tyres.
The right tyre for the right rig
The Open Country R/T 3-ply is a 4WD-focused specialist tyre built for serious off-roaders and modified vehicles. It’s available in 17”, 18”, 20” and 22” sizes, including fitments for full-size US trucks and lifted Aussie rigs.
Built tough in the USA, it delivers what you’d expect from a tyre with this much presence - rugged looks, serious durability, and outstanding off-road capability. But what might surprise you most is just how well it behaves on-road.
If you’re building a rig for the long haul, and not just for show, the Open Country R/T 3-ply is the real deal. It looks the part, backs it up off-road, and still manages to be civilised on the daily drive.
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