MARLIN--- Good point. Basically, you get what you pay for these days. When considering a tire purchase, one must truly analyze their own lifestyle and determine if they're more street, more off-road, or a combination of both.

Initially when I first recommended the lightweight AT2's; your lifestyle was more a combination of street/off-road. However; over time, you gotten bitten by the off-road bug and your VX lifestyle changed to more of a dedicated off-road'er. As such, the need for a more beefier trail tire that can withstand the rigors and abuse of such an off-road lifestyle was required.

Thus, my follow-up recommendation was the Good/Year M/T-R with Kevlar which is about as bullet-proof as you can get for serious off-roading. The M/T-R with Kevlar is unique in that it is a multi-role tire with half A/T and half M/T tread patterns built into one. With the added protective strength of Kevlar, it is highly unlikely you will ever experience a flat again while off-roading. Then again, if anybody can test the breaking point of something-- MARLIN is up to the task.