Hankook Dynapro AT2 is an all-terrain tire that is developed for 3/4 ton or 1-ton light trucks, jeeps and SUVs. This US made tire is pretty reliable as it provides you with satisfying all season traction for a long time.
Being a tire engineer, from my perspective, the Dynapro AT2 features a great dry grip, and steering response on roads, a superb noise reduction efficacy, and a great tread life. Moreover its also not disappointing in most of the off-road terrains. Though the tire could use some help in the wet and impact comfort area.
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Tire Specs
The tire has following specs.
- Sizes: 15 to 22 inches
- Speed rating: S and T.
- Load Rating: SL, XL, C, D, E, and F.
- Weight: 29 to 80 lbs
- Tread depth: 12 to 16.4/32″
- Warranty: 60k miles for all
For Your Info: Hankook Dynapro AT2 take things to the next level by providing 3 ply polyester casing, providing 3 ply sidewalls.
Tread Features
The Dynapro AT2 gives you a 5 rib design containing 4 longitudinal channels.
The central most rib has lugs which are wider in comparison, and have flaunting sideways-facing notches. This wideness of the lugs allows for a better meet-up with the road, resulting in improved directional grip.
And to improve that further, these lugs are backed by a secondary continuous layer, with all the lugs attached, creating lateral grooves that are not full depth. So although this may not be the best for self-cleaning, it does provide extra traction on pavements, that’s for sure.
The surrounding blocks may not be as closed, but they still run in pairs (having reinforced foundations), and full depth sipes splitting the blocks so they can flex to create bite (depending on the surface).
Moving towards the shoulder lugs, they mimic similar features like seen on the rest of the blocks, having offset edges and a ton of biters.
All other tires vs Hankook Dynapro AT2.
Dry Traction
Although the aggressive design of the tire may seem to be negatively impacting its on-road response, its not really the case.
In fact, the tire outperforms some major players in the market, in various aspects of performance, including dry grip, steering response, and cornering stability.
Let’s take a look at all of these metrics.
Dry Grip
Dry grip is a characteristic which is predominantly influenced by the contact between the rubber and the road surface. In simpler terms, increased contact leads to increased grip.
Having said that, the Hankook Dynapro AT2, although might not provide as much rubber contact compared to on-road tires, it demonstrates commendable performance within its category. The tire is designed with 3 central ribs that, despite being spaced apart, consist of block pairs supported by reinforced foundations.
This accounts for braking and accelerating stability.
Moreover, all its ribs are longitudinally oriented, enabling the tire to maintain improved straight-line movement and hence increasing highway maneuvering efficacy.
Dry Handling
Out of all A/T tires, I’ve reviewed, the Hankook Dynapro AT2 demonstrates respectable handling performance, including a notably effective steering response.
The tire’s blocky shoulder lug design, coupled with minimal tread features, allows for enhanced road connection during cornering. And additionally, its relatively stiffer compound reduces lug movement (as they rub against the road), improving steering response.
Let me explain what’s going on here.
When the tire turns, the weight shifts towards the sides. And since the Hankook AT2’s tread composition is comparatively harder/denser than other tires in its category, its blocks experience less bending against the road, mitigating a large amount of under and oversteering.
And needless to say, this consequently allows for greater level of stability in handling compared to many others in its class, even though the tire weighs a lot (up to 80 lbs).
Wet Traction
Wet performance can be divided into two primary components: wet grip and hydroplaning resistance. I’ve discussed both aspects in detail below.
Wet Traction
The wet grip of a tire is dependent on the tread’s construction and overall siping. And let me tell you the Dynapro AT2 does not impress at all here, if not disappoint.
It does not provide you with an all-weather rubber compound, which usually includes a mixture of silica and advanced tread technology. This lack of components limits the tire’s tread flexibility, which is very essential for optimal wet grip.
Sipes basically do most of the water cleaning, by absorbing water particles in their slits, and without the “flexibility”, they aren’t able to render a good enough suction power.
So although the tire offers good enough water clearing at a bigger scale (supplying decent hydroplaning resistance), its micro level water cleaning properties could use some help.
Hydroplaning
Hydroplaning occurs when a tire loses contact with the road and floats on water, significantly impacting overall wet traction. To prevent this phenomenon, grooves are incorporated into the tire tread, creating channels for water evacuation.
Having said that, the Hankook Dynapro AT2 is equipped with sufficiently wide, interconnected grooves, which allow water to pass through effortlessly. And so, the tire exhibits satisfactory hydroplaning resistance, providing adequate float speeds.
For those unfamiliar with the term “float speeds,” it refers to the maximum speed at which a tire can travel over water without losing contact with the road, or “floating.”
Fuel Efficiency
The Hankook Dynapro AT2 although comes in the category of on-road oriented A/T tires, it does not give out too good of a fuel economy overall (relatively).
And the major culprit here is the tire’s weight.
It’s 3 ply polyester casing, steel belts, nylon cap plies and stiffer rubber composition all contribute to greater weight. This weight puts pressure on the lugs, increasing overall rolling resistance values, and limiting the overall MPGs.
For your info: The Firestone Destination AT2 proves to be the best in terms of fuel efficiency compared to others, if you are wondering BTW.
Comfort and Noise
Although the Hankook AT2’s stiffer compound may not be great at absorbing bumps as other hybrid tires, its on-road stability and noise reduction capabilities still classify it as a comfortable option, at least in my opinion (as I also think of on-road maneuvering stability as a part of overall “comfort”).
The Dynapro’s closed lug arrangement and stiffer compound contribute to a stable ride with excellent steering responsiveness, and its pitch sequencing technology keep the noise at a minimum.
The pitch sequencing is basically achieved through positioning of the lugs at a slightly varying angle, this creates different tones as air particles hit. And those tones cancel out each other.
The tire also incorporates Whisper Groove Technology (a term which Cooper uses). This tech basically is nothing more than placing connectors between the shoulder blocks, through where most of the air comes in. The less air coming in, means less of it would generate noise in the first place, hitting the tread walls.
Off Road Performance
Off-road performance is a crucial aspect for any all-terrain tire, and after all, the Hankook Dynapro AT2 manages to deliver satisfactory performance with some minor limitations, primarily in muddy terrains.
Let’s check out all of these terrain types.
Muddy Terrain Performance
Muddy terrain can be a daunting challenge for all-terrain tires, and the Hankook Dynapro AT2 is no exception here.
So why is that?
Well the tire’s gaps or tread voids, are not “wide enough” to allow thick mud to move out/escape freely. It only features two outer channels (from the 3 ribs in the middle), from where mud can move around a bit, but other than that, lugs are pretty packed up, elsewhere.
So its not a surprise to see how easily mud tends to accumulate there, and difficult to get dislodged.
Moreover, the tire’s tread depth is not particularly noteworthy also, and this further impacts its performance in muddy terrains, as its not able to take on deeper terrains.
However, in the tire’s defense, its staggered shoulders, which act as mud scoops to some extent, enable it to persevere its traction from being what one would call, disappointing.
So having said that, if you intend to take the Hankook Dynapro AT2 through mud, it is advisable to have a contingency plan in place.
Rocky Areas Traction
The Hankook Dynapro AT2 features decent biters all over the tread, especially in the middle. So its directional grip is pretty great on all types of rocky surfaces.
Though the tire could use some of these “biters” on shoulders/sidewalls as it’s lateral traction is not that impressive.
The shoulder lugs aren’t staggered, and although they do form/mold in to what you’d call sidewall lugs, they are not thick enough to provide a decent traction values, with lowered air pressure.
Moreover, with missing stone ejectors, the tire also does not perform so great on gravely and dirt filled roads either.
But the good thing about this tire is its durability, I mean, with 3 ply sidewalls, it really gives you a confidence inspiring ride, nonetheless, in all types of rocky terrains.
Sand Performance
It can be challenging to comprehend how a tire would behave on sand, particularly when navigating deeper terrains, that require considerable skills to maneuver, along with some tread features.
These features basically tell you about the tire’s ability to “float” on sand, and the Hankook Dynapro AT2 is at a slight disadvantage in this context.
It’s construction is not, what one would call “light” (going up to 80 lbs), and it’s stiffer compound, combined with shorter section width, renders it more prone to sinking/digging.
Moreover, the tire also lacks staggered shoulders with scoops, so there isn’t any paddling going on either.
Mileage
The previous generations of Dynapro did not perform great in case of tread life, however, Hankook has taken several steps to address this concern in its latest version, the AT2.
The Dynapro AT2 now exhibits notable resistance to wear, featuring a UTQG rating of 660, which is even greater then some major key players in the market, like the Falken Wildpeak and Toyo AT3 tires.
The tire keeps it’s wear at minimum by reducing tread rubbing with the road. The tire’s section width is smaller than usually seen on average, and its compound has been enhanced with various polymers, including silica, to achieve a desirable balance between wear and traction,(its neither too stiff nor too soft).
Overall, Hankook Dynapro AT2 performs impressively, with our last set of tires enduring roughly 40,000 miles of use.
Note that these tires were subjected to both highway driving and off-road incline “tests”, and I will provide a more detailed analysis of the tests’ results in upcoming articles.
Snow Traction Performance
To perform well in snowy conditions, an all-terrain tire must meet specific criteria, including:
- Having sufficient snow-to-snow contact
- Being well-rounded and narrow
- Utilizing a softer compound
- And providing multiple biters
And the Hankook Dynapro AT2 meets all of these requirements, as it features numerous biters and notches on all blocks, ensuring that snow does not easily escape from its grooves. This results in a greater amount of snow connecting with the ground, which improves its friction.
Here’s the tire’s narrower width (compared to other A/Ts) and 3D interlocking sipes also assist in retaining snow particles, further contributing to its snow traction.
And yes, besides having a stiffer rubber, it still get to have thermal adaptive properties, so it does not freeze with lower winter temperatures, keeping its biters flexible.
All in all, it really makes sense why the tire has 3 peak mountain snowflake rating, apart from M+S. Though keep in mind that the tire’s icy traction can be improved a little bit.
Take Home Point
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.
