New Tires AT3 v General Grabber AT2

[Frdmskr]

All,

Just got a new 2001 4Runner SR5. It has 170K on the Odo. We knew it needed tires, however, after letting the mechanic look at it our list of fixes is extremely short and focused on routine maintenance ( arty: ) However, the tire issue is worse than we thought and thus the timeline is more urgent than thought.

Side note: It came with 4 brands of tires on it. (Yeah I know we got $1500 off the price so I cannot complain.)

The wife and I are debating Cooper AT3s and General Grabber AT2s. I've had three sets of General HTS on my old Escape. They wore well and I loved the heck out of them. I really would not need much convincing to get the AT2s on board. However, reading reviews of the AT3s on Tacomas and 4Runners there seems to be a consensus that the AT3s are better, however, there is a quality control issue perhaps in that folks get bad ones. Either that or they are really sensitive to proper inflation.

The truck is a daily driver that will be eventually used for light to moderate trails, camping, fishing, skiing, and long haul. We are in an area with lots of hills, snow and ice still coming up over the next few weeks. Probably taking to other places with the same. It is never going to be a rock crawler or anything overly ambitious. Mods will be minimal to ensure good reliability off the beaten track. Any feedback on which tire might work best is appreciated.

Size: 165/70R16

Thanks in advance for the advice. I will create a build thread (though it will be extremely slow) soon. I'll have the repair list on there and thoughts on where we are going.

W/r

 

[Justin727]

Voting for the AT2s. Ran them on previous rigs and LOVED them and currently have them on my Wife's GX470. Pretty quiet and offer amazing off road capability for an A/T and reasonable cost.

 

[white_n_slow]

General Grabbers get the nod from me because of the winter/snow designation and the price.

Cooper AT3's are fine in the snow, but I would expect the generals to do significantly better. The Generals are also stud-able. If you're into the Cooper brand, the ST or ST Max would be more comperable to the Grabbers (AT tire with winter/snow rating).

 

[sawguy]

Go to Discount Tire Direct and look at the Cooper ATP's.

 

[djskorch]

All,

Size: 165/70R16


W/r

Please please please do not get 165/70/16 tires (if you even can). Your 4runner will look hilarious and I would be surprised if you could get over a curb with those.

Just had to jab at ya. I know you probably just mistyped that.

 

[white_n_slow]

Go to Discount Tire Direct and look at the Cooper ATP's.

Personal experience: ATP's are not great in the snow. Worse than the at3. Otherwise a great tire.

 

[BrianSD_42]

I'm very happy with the General Grabber AT2s

I believe they have good marks on the surveys for Snow use.

I have only used mine in the snow once. No major issues; seemed fine.

 

[98OzarksRunner]

I'm on my 2nd set of AT3s. I ran the first set about 48K miles, still had probably 10K left (about 3/16" tread) but I wanted new ones. I beat them to death on hundreds of miles of rocky trails and never had a flat (rarely aired down either). I got 265/75-16 load range C and they're great, especially on wet pavement - I've run in heavy rain at 70MPH with no hydroplaning.

OJ did an AT tire review last year and chose them best overall - 'the overwhelming winner' (their words, not mine). They did a scientific test, professional test driver, instruments, etc.

Here's a link to the article: Where the Rubber Meets the Road | Expedition Portal

On the wet corner (90 deg at max speed) the AT2 did it at 36 MPH. The Cooper AT3 did it at 55 MPH (these things are awesome in rain and snow). On the granite incline test the AT2 made up 71% of the way; the Coopers 100%. Scott Brady (publisher of OJ) has run them and says they are the best AT tire he's run in the snow (lots of snow and ice).

 

[NHRunner]

I have AT2s. They're outstanding.

Expedition Portal did this awesome review on tire performance. The AT3 was hands down the best. However, they didn't test snow and ice performance, and I'm pretty sure the AT2 is superior in winter. I chose the AT2 because of the mountain/snowflake designation. Being in Pennsylvania, the AT3 will probably still suffice.
Where the Rubber Meets the Road | Expedition Portal

Edit: OzarksRunner beat me to that link by 2 minutes haha

 

[Kyogie]

At3

I haven't used the generals, however I do currently have the cooper AT3s on my runner. Not a fan in the snow what so ever. Maybe I was just expecting too much from this tire, but severely disappointed in them. My old BF Goodrich ATs did much better.

However, out of the snow and ice (which it does get around on, just once again not as well as I anticipated) I love the AT3s more than the Goodrichs and some other tires i've had on other 4 runners or F150s. They're great in the rain, on the highway and on the trails. Which is what I was looking for (nice all around tire).

 

[Kryptoroxx]

I run the at2 as well. Great riding tire with good performance in most categories. I do have no experience with them in the snow but they were rated very well for that.

Better riding than bfg at imo

 

[Monkeybutt2000]

I vote ATPs,i've had them for over 20k on my 01' and they've been great. Also AMAZING in the snow.

 

[Frdmskr]

I saw the OJ review which is what drove me to consider the AT3. I did more research and I got a lot more mixed results.

Yes the 165 was a typo. I have cut that fat finger off and fed the dogs with it lol