AT Tires

[FrontRange4Runner]

I called Cooper and the guy on the phone said that they are very similar but he did not know for sure if the tread compound, etc. was the same. I had my Toyota dealer locate some AT3s for piece of mind. My dealer is getting them from some supply house for $165 per tire and they will be here Monday. I wanted the stock size P version for the same reasons 1E wanted it so that is another reason I wanted the AT3.

Thanks for letting me know what Cooper said! Good luck with the AT3's. They are a great tire. P Rated should help with the ride quality. My E rates tires make the ride significantly more harsh, and it can be annoying at times.

 

[Okki]

I've been running the ATP's for a while with 2 long road trips. Been very happy with them and will likely get them again once they are worn. They have gotten a little noisier over time (all AT tires will), but still nothing that I notice a lot or am bothered by. I run my tires at 40PSI.

Don't know the miles I have on them off the top of my head, but I can check that when I get home if desired.

Sounds like the OP already selected a P load tire for his ride though.

Okki

 

[HwyChile]

Thanks for letting me know what Cooper said! Good luck with the AT3's. They are a great tire. P Rated should help with the ride quality. My E rates tires make the ride significantly more harsh, and it can be annoying at times.

Your E rated is better for rocks and punctures than P rated, so there are trade offs. You cannot have your cake and eat it too. I value road smoothness and MPG more than offroad ability so I wanted P rated, but I did not want the 100% street tires that came on it because I do some very light 4 wheel stuff transporting my dirt bike, camping, etc.

Many years ago I went through the 4 wheeling phase and did some extreme stuff, so I have been there and done all of that. I loved it but if I was going to do that again I would have an older Jeep or something--not a $35,000 vehicle that I depend on for daily transportation. In fact, I would love to get an old jeep and do some 4 wheeling. On second thought, I have too many toys and hobbies already. LOL.

 

[Katahdin]

I have the ATP's. Its been about 18k miles and so far I think they are great. Stock size only comes in load range E.

It looks like they do make a P-rated version of the ATP in stock size but it may be online only. discounttiredirect.com lists both 265/70R17 and LT265/70R17E but only the LT size shows up for physical Discount Tire locations.

 

[FrontRange4Runner]

It looks like they do make a P-rated version of the ATP in stock size but it may be online only. discounttiredirect.com lists both 265/70R17 and LT265/70R17E but only the LT size shows up for physical Discount Tire locations.

Interesting! I got mine about a year ago and I don't think they made P at all in stock size. I looked both online and in store. I wonder if people were requesting them? Its a fairly popular size of tire so it seems weird that P rated would not be there first choice to manufacture. I wanted E for the durability, but I currently have very little time to actually go off road so its not really helping me all that much at the moment.

 

[genec]

Very informative thread. I drive a lot of highway miles to get to the snow (every weekend in winter). I just got my '14 SR5 and am looking for a replacement for the stocks before the winter. When i got my 98 SR5, they had LT265/70/16 GY Wranglers and wobbled at 55ish. The dealer let me pick a replacement and i went with LT265/75/16 Michelin LTX/AT. I liked them. they served me well. I could be mistaken but i'm pretty sure i got like 80K out of those tires. I was going to go with the LTX/AT's again, but all i see is the AT2's and the tread looks different. The tread looks tighter than the AT and i'm concerned about it not clearing and getting packed in with snow. I really liked how long the Michelin's lasted but all the info provided here has me rethinking the purchase. damn....

 

[FrontRange4Runner]

Very informative thread. I drive a lot of highway miles to get to the snow (every weekend in winter). I just got my '14 SR5 and am looking for a replacement for the stocks before the winter. When i got my 98 SR5, they had LT265/70/16 GY Wranglers and wobbled at 55ish. The dealer let me pick a replacement and i went with LT265/75/16 Michelin LTX/AT. I liked them. they served me well. I could be mistaken but i'm pretty sure i got like 80K out of those tires. I was going to go with the LTX/AT's again, but all i see is the AT2's and the tread looks different. The tread looks tighter than the AT and i'm concerned about it not clearing and getting packed in with snow. I really liked how long the Michelin's lasted but all the info provided here has me rethinking the purchase. damn....

What conditions will you be driving in? If its on road all the time, then I would get the LTX M/S2. Awesome tire. The A/T2 is also a good tire, but if you are looking for snow performance or wet road performance then the M/S2 will be your best bet. Although the voids are smaller, it has a ton of siping which = winter and wet road traction. In very deep snow, an AT tire will out preform the above tires due to larger voids, allowing the tire lugs to almost act like paddles (especially true for Duratracs or a MT tire). However in packed snow or icy conditions, the M/S2 will be much better than an AT tire. This has everything to do with the amount of siping on the tread blocks. Any winter tire will look very similar with tons of siping, the difference is the rubber compounds are specifically designed to preform at lower temps (and maby some studs).

LOL sorry I was rambling, I like talking about tires for some reason. What I'm trying to say is that if you are looking for snow every weekend, then you should really get a set of dedicated snow tires. The first time you hit the breaks in slippery conditions, you will realize how well that money was spent. If you cant do that then get the M/S2. It will be an awesome highway/bad weather tire. If you go off road then consider an A/T tire.

Lame video that shows the value of tire siping - posting cause I'm a nerd:

What is SIPING and how does it help your tires grip the road - YouTube

 

[Yotta]

 

[genec]

What conditions will you be driving in? If its on road all the time, then I would get the LTX M/S2. Awesome tire. The A/T2 is also a good tire, but if you are looking for snow performance or wet road performance then the M/S2 will be your best bet. Although the voids are smaller, it has a ton of siping which = winter and wet road traction. In very deep snow, an AT tire will out preform the above tires due to larger voids, allowing the tire lugs to almost act like paddles (especially true for Duratracs or a MT tire). However in packed snow or icy conditions, the M/S2 will be much better than an AT tire. This has everything to do with the amount of siping on the tread blocks. Any winter tire will look very similar with tons of siping, the difference is the rubber compounds are specifically designed to preform at lower temps (and maby some studs).

LOL sorry I was rambling, I like talking about tires for some reason. What I'm trying to say is that if you are looking for snow every weekend, then you should really get a set of dedicated snow tires. The first time you hit the breaks in slippery conditions, you will realize how well that money was spent. If you cant do that then get the M/S2. It will be an awesome highway/bad weather tire. If you go off road then consider an A/T tire.

Lame video that shows the value of tire siping - posting cause I'm a nerd:

What is SIPING and how does it help your tires grip the road - YouTube

thanks. i will check out the M/S models. i wonder if there is a M/S thread. Looks like some siping in Yotta's AT3 pic. I'll use that as a comparison to M/S models.

 

[Crawlerdog]

Can you add some more pics of your 4runner with these tires please. What rating tire is that?

 

[Yotta]

Can you add some more pics of your 4runner with these tires please. What rating tire is that?

Will do on the weekend...

This is a P tire, specifically a 265/70R17 115T, rated 560 A B.

 

[Espresso]

Will do on the weekend...

This is a P tire, specifically a 265/70R17 115T, rated 560 A B.

What's your impression of road noise and ride comfort having now switched out to AT3s? Both sets of tires were brand new so you can probably give a pretty good comparison.

 

[Yotta]

What's your impression of road noise and ride comfort having now switched out to AT3s?

No significant difference. Ride comfort is the same (it's mostly a function of tire pressure, anyway, and I switched from a P tire to a P tire) and the road noise is a bit different in the way it sounds but is essentially the same in loudness.

 

[1000MPH]

Nice pic. I have tire envy.
I shoulda listened to 1E

 

[HwyChile]

I just put new Cooper Discoverer AT3 P265/70/17 tires on my 2014 Trail today. I had Discount Tire order them directly from Cooper Tires.

I was initially concerned with them when they mounted them because they said it took more weight than normal to balance them (3-6 oz). However, they feel very smooth and quiet thus far. I hope I don't have any trouble keeping them balanced. They look a lot wider than the original Bridgestone tires that came on it. I put the white letters out.

Some of the front end dive is gone and they feel more stable. The sidewalls on the Bridgestone tires are very thin, probably to make it ride as well as possible.

 

[1engineer]

The sidewalls on the Bridgestone tires are very thin, probably to make it ride as well as possible.

Weight savings for efficiency accelerating the unsprung mass around town. Need Pics!

 

[Yotta]

Weight savings for efficiency accelerating the unsprung mass around town.

The OEM Duelers weight 40 lbs, the Cooper AT3s weight 41 lbs. Not enough of a difference to notice...

 

[1engineer]

The OEM Duelers weight 40 lbs, the Cooper AT3s weight 41 lbs. Not enough of a difference to notice...

When picking a OEM tire I'm sure they went by weight. Why else put those crappy tires on there? While it might not seem like much, 4 lbs of unsprung weight savings combined with other things (rear wheel spats and front lower valance for example) could give them an extra bit of efficiency.
The Cooper is a light aftermarket tire comparatively speaking.

 

[1000MPH]

I just put new Cooper Discoverer AT3 P265/70/17 tires on my 2014 Trail today. I had Discount Tire order them directly from Cooper Tires.

I was initially concerned with them when they mounted them because they said it took more weight than normal to balance them (3-6 oz). However, they feel very smooth and quiet thus far. I hope I don't have any trouble keeping them balanced. They look a lot wider than the original Bridgestone tires that came on it. I put the white letters out.

Some of the front end dive is gone and they feel more stable. The sidewalls on the Bridgestone tires are very thin, probably to make it ride as well as possible.

The AT3's aren't availble on DT's website but they ordered them for you no problem?

FWIW, I've taken a big hit on MPG since switching to the Revos. I don't have a lot of data but it's looking like 1.5 to 2.5mpg between hwy and city. Hopefully it's just the early arrival of Winter gas compounding the issue.

 

[Yotta]

When picking a OEM tire I'm sure they went by weight.

Yeah, by the weight of the dollar bills needed to buy one... :-D

I am sure weight played a role and had to be within spec, but price is usually a major factor for OEM parts selection.