Maxtrax Vs Budget Traction Boards
Do traction boards work for off-road recoveries?
Traction boards are a very handy piece of gear for low traction surfaces. They are particularly helpful when driving off-road in deep snow or sand. Traction boards make recoveries easy when you are mildly stuck and simply lacking traction. For more difficult scenarios (typically when your frame is high centered) they may not be able to get you out on their own, but can be used in conjunction with a winch or snatch strap to reduce the force required for the recovery. For more information on the other recovery equipment that you should keep in your rig checkout our post on the 10 Essentials For Off-Roading in the Snow.
Which Traction boards should I buy?
When shopping for traction boards you will quickly notice that there is a big difference in price points. Maxtrax really set the bar for the category, but $329 a pair can feel like a lot of money for two pieces of plastic. Meanwhile knockoff versions can be found for as low as $80. So are Maxtrax really worth the price premium? We own both and have some thoughts on why you should or should not spend the extra money for the real deal. Specifically we are going to talk about the Maxsa Escaper buddy Traction Mats, but these pros and cons apply to most of the budget boards on the market
Why are Maxtrax better than budget boards?
Superior tread pattern — Maxtrax utilize large “teeth” to fit into the tread voids on all terrain and mud tires. Most budget boards use smaller teeth that may be better suited for less aggressive street tire treads.
Stackable — Maxtrax is one of the few brands on the market that offers true stackability for convenient mounting on a vehicle.
They flex better — Budget boards tend to be more rigid than the Maxtrax, causing them to break under extreme loads. In contrast Maxtrax bend, but ultimately return to their shape.
They do not take rubber off of your tires — Maxtrax use a special plastic formulation that is designed to melt when tires spin too quickly. While this may sound like a design flaw it is actually very intentional. Budget boards that are not designed to do this will take chunks out of tires when they spin too quickly, decreasing the life of the tire. With quality truck and SUV tires costing over $300 each it makes way more sense to replace damaged Maxtrax than to buy new tires.
Should I spend the money on Maxtrax Recovery Boards?
So with all of that said are the benefits to Maxtrax worth the price? It really comes down to your use case. If you mostly drive on maintained forest roads and want a set of traction boards just in case you get stuck then a budget set will be just fine. If you are like us and routinely drive in conditions where recoveries are likely to happen then it is totally worth it to spring for the real deal.
How many traction boards do I need?
One thing that we will say is that having two boards is nice… but having one for each tire is a game changer. We keep the maxtrax on our truck at all times, but often throw the Maxsa boards in the bed to make a set of 4. Our recovery success rate with just two boards was roughly 50-75%, with 4 we have yet to find a situation that we could not get ourselves out of.
We’d love to hear about your experience with traction boards in the comments, or answer any questions about our boards.