AT tires that are good on the highway and snow

[markal49]

I'm going to upgrade the Goodyear Wranglers that came stock on my XLT FX4 in the next month or two. I'd like an AT tire that will perfrom reasonably well on moderate off raod (figure no more than "typical" 4-5 rating on OnX) but is also good for highway (grip, noise) and does decently well in snow.

For comparison, I had a set of Yokohama Geolander G015s on a previous Subaru and they were OK - good in snow and on highway, reasonably grippy for mild off-road, but not quite tough enough (I got a couple punctures in their first year).

My shortlist includes: 1) BF Goodrich Trail Terrain 2) the Geolanders, 3) Toyo Open Country ATIII, 4) Falken Wildpeak A/T4W, 5) Michelin Defender LTX M/S2.

I think KO2s and KO3s are too aggressive and noisy for me.

I'm open to other suggestions. So, two questions:

What tires would you recomend?

Sugesrtions for reviews/videos where I can learn more about your suggestion?

Thanks.

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[scubajosh77]

I’ve loved and hated every BFG KO2 set I’ve had. Excellent tread, traction, and wear. Easily got 70K out of a set rotating and balancing every 5K. They’ve just all been loud. Haven’t tried the trail terrain. Went to a Cooper AT3 and they are quieter with great tread and traction, but I can tell they won’t last as long.

 

[NASSTY]

I’ve loved and hated every BFG KO2 set I’ve had. Excellent tread, traction, and wear. Easily got 70K out of a set rotating and balancing every 5K. They’ve just all been loud. Haven’t tried the trail terrain. Went to a Cooper AT3 and they are quieter with great tread and traction, but I can tell they won’t last as long.

My 2017 and 2020 F150 Raptors came with KO2's and on the 2020 I replaced them with another set of KO2's. The main reason I went with KO2's again was there were very few tires that size at the time that were load range C and I didn't want to give up my nice cushy ride. I find them to be pretty quiet for a fairly aggressive A/T.... until they start cupping or wearing funny then they get louder.

 

[John E Davies]

Where do you live in Colorado? No AT will be any good on really slick roads (packed snow and ice) - the compound is too hard below 40 degrees F - but can be OK in deeper fresh snow. Especially if you carry good truck style chains. I have had Geolander 015s on a couple of vehicles, they are indeed prone to sidewall cuts and they are junk in any kind of snow. In your shoes, I would have a set of mounted snow tires and resign myself to swapping them as needed.

I bought a set of five pristine Bronco takeoff wheels, including OEM sensors and pony center caps, for $650. I am going to put Hakkapellitta LT3 non studded tires on my stock beadlocks, and use the takeoffs for the warmer times.

I really like the KO3s, they are quiet, great on and off pavement, I won’t trust them for a Spokane winter (black ice) and our crazy mountain passes.

John Davies
Spokane WA USA

 

[markal49]

Where do you live in Colorado? No AT will be any good on really slick roads (packed snow and ice) - the compound is too hard below 40 degrees F - but can be OK in deeper fresh snow. Especially if you carry good truck style chains. I have had Geolander 015s on a couple of vehicles, they are indeed prone to sidewall cuts and they are junk in any kind of snow. In your shoes, I would have a set of mounted snow tires and resign myself to swapping them as needed.

I bought a set of five pristine Bronco takeoff wheels, including OEM sensors and pony center caps, for $650. I am going to put Hakkapellitta LT3 non studded tires on my stock beadlocks, and use the takeoffs for the warmer times.

I really like the KO3s, they are quiet, great on and off pavement, I won’t trust them for a Spokane winter (black ice) and our crazy mountain passes.

John Davies
Spokane WA USA

Your snow is probably very wet. Colorado's snow is generally dry and powdery, so it deosn't take much to get a good grip. The Geolanders were actually fantastic for our snow - better than a typical all season.

I'm not interested in having snow tires. I live near Denver and travel to the mountains a lot, but way too much long highway driving for snow tires.

 

[Catalyst]

Spokane is eastern Washington similar to where I live in Central Oregon with a high desert climate, and we often get light fluffy snow similar to Colorado, but there are days of melt off and single digit evening temps when it refreezes often. I’ve also been looking at those Hakkapeliitta LT3s myself. I had Hakkas on my SRT Jeep Grand Cherokee and they really worked well during winters.

I’m of the mind set no tire can do everything well between warm dry days, rain, snow and ice as well as off-roading. I’ve accepted two sets of wheels/tires and self changing seasonally is the best solution for me to get better performance for the conditions I encounter.

 

[Velociraptor]

I'm going to upgrade the Goodyear Wranglers that came stock on my XLT FX4 in the next month or two. I'd like an AT tire that will perfrom reasonably well on moderate off raod (figure no more than "typical" 4-5 rating on OnX) but is also good for highway (grip, noise) and does decently well in snow.

For comparison, I had a set of Yokohama Geolander G015s on a previous Subaru and they were OK - good in snow and on highway, reasonably grippy for mild off-road, but not quite tough enough (I got a couple punctures in their first year).

My shortlist includes: 1) BF Goodrich Trail Terrain 2) the Geolanders, 3) Toyo Open Country ATIII, 4) Falken Wildpeak A/T4W, 5) Michelin Defender LTX M/S2.

I think KO2s and KO3s are too aggressive and noisy for me.

I'm open to other suggestions. So, two questions:

What tires would you recomend?

Sugesrtions for reviews/videos where I can learn more about your suggestion?

Thanks.

I really like the Wildpeaks.

 

[dard6555]

On my 2006 Silverado, I ran KO2s and they were great on road, quiet and handled well. In the Montana winters, they were great in deep snow and sucked in compact snow and ice. I moved to a Nokian Hakkapeliitta LT 3 for winter and it was a game changer. Not studded and I rarely had to shift into 4x4 around town.

For my Ranger, I am going to use the stock 18" wheels with Nokian R5s for a winter tire and use the Ford Performance 17 inch wheels for summer with Mickey Thompson Baja Boss AT for the summer. My truck will be showing up in about two weeks, so I will be posting photos of the truck with the new wheels and tires.

 

[Catalyst]

On my 2006 Silverado, I ran KO2s and they were great on road, quiet and handled well. In the Montana winters, they were great in deep snow and sucked in compact snow and ice. I moved to a Nokian Hakkapeliitta LT 3 for winter and it was a game changer. Not studded and I rarely had to shift into 4x4 around town.

For my Ranger, I am going to use the stock 18" wheels with Nokian R5s for a winter tire and use the Ford Performance 17 inch wheels for summer with Mickey Thompson Baja Boss AT for the summer. My truck will be showing up in about two weeks, so I will be posting photos of the truck with the new wheels and tires.

I like your taste in tires - I’ve been shopping the Baja Boss ATs from Mickey Thompson too.

 

[dard6555]

I like your taste in tires - I’ve been shopping the Baja Boss ATs from Mickey Thompson too.

I'm not planning to do a lot in the rocks so I will be going with the XL load range instead of the LT with 3ply sidewall. I think the 3ply at 54 pounds each is a little much for the Ranger.

 

[Scoobie]

I’ve loved and hated every BFG KO2 set I’ve had. Excellent tread, traction, and wear. Easily got 70K out of a set rotating and balancing every 5K. They’ve just all been loud. Haven’t tried the trail terrain. Went to a Cooper AT3 and they are quieter with great tread and traction, but I can tell they won’t last as long.

Have the Coopers to awsome tires.

 

[John E Davies]

Just a datapoint, I have had a number of fender benders over the years, typically it is $2000-$2500 to get the bumper replaced and repainted, depending on how much other stuff underneath was affected. My wife’s 2022 RDX got clipped on the rear corner in a parking lot hit and run, the damage appeared very minor, but it was a $2200 job in the end. Minus my $500 deductible. Dedicated snow tires that save your car just one time will have pretty much paid for themselves, not to mention not having the extended repair down time, aggravation and vehicle loss of value, and the possible increase in your insurance premium if your accident is your fault..

Admittedly, Snow Season tires can be a true PITA when you sell your car and need to offload them at a loss, but they are sooooo much safer than No Season AT tires.

John Davies
Spokane WA USA

 

[Dry0atmeal]

When I had my 4Runner i ran a set of Toyo Open Country AT3... all in all they were a excellent tire, quiet on the road, great on wet roads, good in snow ( they are triple peak rated ) also with some airing down did great at the silver lake sand dunes... on the trails they were second to none...

 

[markal49]

Just a datapoint, I have had a number of fender benders over the years, typically it is $2000-$2500 to get the bumper replaced and repainted, depending on how much other stuff underneath was affected. My wife’s 2022 RDX got clipped on the rear corner in a parking lot hit and run, the damage appeared very minor, but it was a $2200 job in the end. Minus my $500 deductible. Dedicated snow tires that save your car just one time will have pretty much paid for themselves, not to mention not having the extended repair down time, aggravation and vehicle loss of value, and the possible increase in your insurance premium if your accident is your fault..

Admittedly, Snow Season tires can be a true PITA when you sell your car and need to offload them at a loss, but they are sooooo much safer than No Season AT tires.

John Davies
Spokane WA USA

I grew up in New England (quite a bit of snow), lived for 10+ years in the Mid-Atlantic (some snow) and now 11+ years in Colorado and I've never had a major issue. Where we live (Denver area) snow is intermittent - it snows, then melts, then snows again. Roads are clear most of the time, and so snow tires are a waste (IMO). The Geolanders were quite good in the snow so I'm very comfortable with one set of tires. YMMV>

 

[markal49]

Have the Coopers to awsome tires.

I'll check 'em out.

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