Looking for an A/T Tire

[panthermike]

My recently purchased '08 Titan will need tires soon here. I would prefer an A/T due to us moving to the mountains, we'll now camp/off road quite a bit more.

There's plenty of options but I'm hoping for one that isn't overly loud on the highway. I know a/t's inherently have more noise, but I've read some aren't bad.

I was looking at discounttire.com and they have their own Pathfinder's for $880 installed and also have the Michelin ATX2 for $1,045. Are the Michelin Defender LTX decent off-road? They are a similar price to the A/T. I also checked walmart and they have quite a few options as well. A couple i've read were I believe chinese brands; "Milestar Patagonia" and "Travelstar Ecopath A/T". The reviews are surprisingly good but again, don't want the truck to sound like it has mud tires on it.

It currently has Cooper Discoverer ATP's on and I would consider those again as the price is decent however; at 4 years old these tires are loud, low or high speed.

I'm open to any suggestions and holy moses truck tires are expensive! Thank you

 

[cpayne5]

I've been very happy with Nitto Terra Grapplers, and recently Terra Grappler G2s. I believe I've had five sets of them now. My usage is snow, light off-roading, backroads, and highways. They've never let me down. Like all ATs, they get louder as they age, but nothing I can't deal with. I rotate with every oil change to try and keep wear even across the set.

A few changes ago, I tried a set of Discoverer ATPs because they were a little cheaper, but I wasn't a fan. I ended up selling them with only 10k miles and replacing with TGs.

Very happy with them. Just my experience and opinion, though!

 

[Silver]

The noise level is a subjective thing. I always thought BFG AT's were quiet for their level of traction. The Rugged Terrain quieter but with far less grip. Honestly if your truck is 4wd I would stick with street tires for comfort and quiet.

 

[redhat]

I have been very happy with the BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2 on our 19 F150. Have about 10k miles on them and I would expect to get 35-40k out of them. Little wear.

They were miles ahead of the Michelin Primacy XC for winter traction.

I have found some people do not like the KO2 and I am not sure why. Quiet, smooth ride, balanced well... very happy after 10k miles.

 

[Creekside]

I really like the Ironman All Country MT. I have older pickups though so I don’t really want to comment on noise as it’s apples to oranges

 

[Rand]

michelin AT tires are not great.. average at best.

Do you want mountain snowflake for winter traction?
I do see phoenix so I doubt it.

Cooper Discover AT/3, falken wildpeak at3w, general grabber at2
toyo open country at3
and a bunch more good options available.

 

[Zaedock]

I upsized to 275/70R18 (33") E rated on my '12 F150. They are good in the snow, quiet, and handle anything I tow with ease (even when we picked up 8,000 lbs of dirt - long story my wifes fault...). They are also priced mid ranged between China and BFG AT's.

 

[The Critic]

Do you need real A/T tires or a "lighter" A/T tire? Supposedly the Continental Terrain Contact A/T is a great "light" A/T tire.

 

[cb_13]

If you want a more aggressive AT I recommend the General ATx and the Falken Wildpeak at3w. The General is an American made tire in most sizes, the Falken I believe is Thailand.

Michelin Defender will do well for you in light off road conditions as will the less aggressive Goodyear Adventure AT and Pirelli Scorpion AT.

I would recommend staying away from the Cooper AT3 they tend to cup out and get noisy on most every truck I see them on.

 

[cb_13]

Do you need real A/T tires or a "lighter" A/T tire? Supposedly the Continental Terrain Contact A/T is a great "light" A/T tire.

It is. I've sold a few sets of those and they were a big hit. Forgot about them until you mentioned them though.

 

[Buzzinhalfdozen]

I'll put a vote in for the Nokian Rotiiva AT. Great winter traction and ride nice on the highway.

 

[JHZR2]

I’m a fan of the BFG A/T tire, but they do have a distinctive hum...

 

[mrsilv04]

Yes, truck tires are expensive. That's why I do three things:

1) Seek new "take off" tires. Guys are always wanting bigger tires on trucks, and will sell tires with less than 100 miles on them at a bargain price.
2) Seek "Buy 3, get 1 free" sales... especially so when a manufacturer's rebate can be used as well.
3) Stay away from Michelin. Overpriced and underperforms.... unless #1 applies.

 

[dippschtick]

I have been very happy with the BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2 on our 19 F150. Have about 10k miles on them and I would expect to get 35-40k out of them. Little wear.

They were miles ahead of the Michelin Primacy XC for winter traction.

I have found some people do not like the KO2 and I am not sure why. Quiet, smooth ride, balanced well... very happy after 10k miles.

I'm on my second set of KO2s. Replaced the first set at 55k miles only because they were getting loud around 45-50k. Still had 5-7/32nds
and now regret changing them so soon. I'll hold on to this set a little longer (just turn up the radio). Agree they are a great all around tire
and never had any issues. Sure you could get a more "highway" AT but I admit I'm a sucker for their looks.

 

[ollie]

Do you need real A/T tires or a "lighter" A/T tire? Supposedly the Continental Terrain Contact A/T is a great "light" A/T tire.

That's good info to know.

I've noticed a big difference in mileage, ride quality, and handling when I switched to a much lighter tire on my truck. I took off my 53 lb E rated Falken Wild Peak AT's and replaced them with a 40 lb SL Michelin Defender. 15 lb's pounds actually made a big difference.

 

[02SE]

That's good info to know.

I've noticed a big difference in mileage, ride quality, and handling when I switched to a much lighter tire on my truck. I took off my 53 lb E rated Falken Wild Peak AT's and replaced them with a 40 lb SL Michelin Defender. 15 lb's pounds actually made a big difference.

I think he's actually referring to a milder tread pattern A/T tire as opposed to a tire that actually weighs less.

 

[DriveHard]

I have had both the Pathfinders and the Patagonia M/T. PM me if you want details on either...and I can take pics as I currently have them both mounted and being used.

 

[panthermike]

Thanks guys. Just to clarify Critic(great question), I don't need an aggressive tire in my opinion.

Rand, we actually will be dealing with snow as we are moving to Northern Arizona...far from Phoenix!! I've heard others mention the Defenders, which may work fine for me, I just wish they were a little cheaper, even just a little. I know they're good though.

 

[Dave9]

Yeah, a quiet tire has a less aggressive tread pattern and less off-road capability.

How far north, how much snow would guide my choice. Here when I got my last AT to be used for winter duty, it was Cooper Discoverer AT3 4S. Not looking to start a debate about all-season vs winter tires because I have never needed winter tires. If someone does then they can go that route instead, blah blah blah.

For an AT tire they have very favorable snow performance, reviews. I mean youtube, etc, the text reviews on tire sites for various popular AT's seem wildly inaccurate to me. For example nothing without a lot of sipes is going to be good in winter, and nothing without circumferential grooves is going to be good in rain, yet something like a KO2 gets good reviews in these categories telling me the reviewer can only be comparing against their last set of hard, worn out tires, BUT for offroading you can't do much better than a KO2 and still have a tolerable (dry) street ride.

Michelin Defender LTX are worse off-road but better on-road, like splitting the difference between most AT and highway tires. They have superior wet, and hard pack snow/ice performance compared to the average AT tire. Firestone Destination would be going even one step further towards a street tire that can almost off-road.

 

[Zaedock]

I would recommend staying away from the Cooper AT3 they tend to cup out and get noisy on most every truck I see them on.

I have the E rated Coop AT3's and they have been fine. Taken everything I've thrown at them.

I sold these and never had a return for cupping.