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Tire reviews & comparisons

Ozmen

Hi Folks. I'm Ozmen, and I work as a tire designer. I understand finding a tire isn't easy, as there are so many variables involved. But with me around, tire selection would never bother you again.

Firestone Destination All Terrain AT2

Firestone Destination AT2 Review

Well when it comes to Firestone Destination AT2, the tire provides a very decent on road performance. But then again they are very less aggressive, especially, on the shoulders and sidewalls. And yes, there are not too protected too, so you are not going to get the confidence with them if you dare to take them on rugged terrains. On snow however, the tire is pretty impressive and it makes sense why it's branded with 3 peak mountain snowflake rating.

Nitto Ridge Grappler

Nitto Ridge Grappler Review

The Nitto Ridge is going to perform much better off road than on highways. But the tire is still good enough for roads. There are not too loud, provide satisfactory ride quality, all is good except their wet handling. It's a little below average. Other than that, the snow traction is a plus for this tire and it comes with 3 peak mountain snowflake rating, which authenticates it. Mud performance is very considerable and it's traction on rocks is simply amazing.

Cooper AT3 XLT

Cooper Discoverer AT3 XLT Review

The Cooper Discoverer AT3 XLT is although an aggressive variant compared to it's other members, the 4S and the LT, it's still better suited for highways compared to off road. But still the added sidewall lugs on the tire provides additional support on mild rocky and muddy terrains, where they provide a very well established traction on sand. The tire is also impressive on snowy terrains and has 3pmsfr. And of course, on road, the tire shines in all sections, may it be traction (on both dry and wet tarmacs), fuel usage, comfort or mileage.

Toyo Open Country AT3

Cooper Discoverer AT3 XLT vs Toyo Open Country AT3

Both tires are 3PMSF and M+S rated, so like seen above, they are both great on snow. On highways, the Toyo Open Country AT3 is superior on dry roads as it's tread provides greater stability values. Whereas the Cooper AT3 XLT is better on wet roads because of it's effective siping design. Both tires are great in hydroplaning. And off road, although they are not tough enough, the Toyo AT3 allows finer effectiveness.

Nitto Recon Grappler

Nitto Recon Grappler Review

Well, I'd say in between. Nitto Recon Grappler is a confusing tire on wet, and it does not provide enough lateral stability there, and I am not talking about just roads, wet rocks, or gravel, on any wet patch, the tire would show slippage due to lack of lateral traction. Moreover, although the tire isn't branded with 3pmsf rating, it still provides good enough snow performance, though lacks on icy terrains. Besides this, the tire is great on the rest, like on rocks, it provides you with confidence crawling abilities, with its 3 ply sides. Even on mud, the tire won't let you face a hard time (if you are experience that it, same goes for sand too). And on highways, the noise can be an issue, but other than that, the traction is above average.

Hankook Dynapro AT2 (RF11)

Hankook Dynapro AT2 Review

So to sum up, the Hankook Dynapro AT2 is an excellent all-rounder, earning it a place on our list of top all-terrain tires, but only when it comes to dry traction, noise and handling capabilities. And yes winter traction too (it comes with 3 peak mountain snowflake rating). But the tire really needs to improve its wet traction, impact comfort, and fuel economy as it render high rolling resistance. Though the good thing is, this rolling resistance isn't impacting its tread life too much, so that's good too.

Kenda Klever R/T

Kenda Klever RT Review

The Kenda Klever R/T comes right in the middle of All Terrain and Mud Terrain tires, so the tire is also called a hybrid besides Rugged Terrain. Other popular tires in the RT category include Duratrac, Nitto Ridge Grappler and Toyo RT, and compared to these all, this tire provide satisfactory dry grip but lacks on wet pavements. Klever RT is also not 3PMSF rated but offers good traction on deeper snow which can be enhanced with its stud-able lugs . Lastly, talking of comfort, it's okay-ish, if you can bear the noise.

BF Goodrich KO2

Cooper Discoverer AT3 XLT vs BF Goodrich KO2

Let's start with KO2, this tire is one of the toughest you can get (staying in A/T tires) so with that combined with it's powerful biting lugs, the tire provides tremendous off road traction. On the other side, the Cooper AT3 has an on road oriented design and with less durable inner construction, it's able to provide better highway stability, as it gets to be lighter in weight.

Cooper Discoverer STT Pro

Cooper Discoverer STT Pro Review

Overall, I am pretty impressed with what Cooper STT pro can do, especially on rocks, where it impresses you the most. The high durability of the tire is also very confidence inspiring, where you take these tires anywhere carefree. On mud these tires act as paddle tires and you are not going to have any complaints there, though can't say the same about sand, though if you are going to run them there, go with smaller load ratings. Lastly for roads, good enough on dry, but just okay at best on wet. Great with tread, but bad with fuel economy. And noise is okay I guess. But comfort requires getting used to.

Mickey Thompson Baja Boss AT

Mickey Thompson Baja Boss A/T vs Nitto Ridge Grappler

Both rugged terrain tires are pretty good overall, but the Mickey Thompson Baja Boss A/T is taking things to the next level as it's on road performance is simply great. And here the most important thing to consider is it's wet traction. There are a very few tires which are as good on wet with such aggressive design. And this also goes for it's snow performance, where it's one of the top ranking ones, even when compared to other less aggressive A/T tires. Nitto Ridge Grappler on the other hand, although does things good enough on dry roads, lacks severely on wet. Though its amazing off road especially on rocks.

Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac

Toyo Open Country AT3 vs Goodyear Duratrac

Toyo Open Country AT3 is an all terrain tire, upgraded from the Toyo AT2, and now has 3pmsfr and improved traction on dry roads. And although the tire's performance on wet asphalts is better compared to Duratrac, it's still not good enough. On the other side, the GY Duratrac is a great off roader which provides ample mud traction and on roads, the tire is not too bad except for the noise, they are very loud. And besides having 3pmsfr like the Toyo AT3, it also offers studable lugs, so you get great icy performance as well.

Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac

Nitto Ridge Grappler vs DuraTrac

Both tires here are although marketed as all terrain, they are both hybrid (rugged terrain tires), so they come right in the middle of AT and MT. Out of these two, the Goodyear Duratrac offers better performance of dry and wet roads, so you can say overall better on highways. But note that the tire is very loud so it's not good in the comfort department. But with less weight it's still better in terms of tread wear and fuel efficiency. The tire is also great on snow and has 3 peak mountain snowflake rating and studable lugs. On the other hand, the Nitto Ridge Grappler although not rated with this, could use some wet and winter traction, but the tire is great off road in all types of terrains except for mud, where Duratrac shows better efficacy.