School me on AT tires.

[graciedad04]

How many of you have ran the Yokohama geolander ats on your 4runners. I have ran 4 or 5 sets on my tundra's I usually get about 40-50k miles out of them with 10ply but I use it for hauling heavy loads and off road. Just curious to see how they compare. I have ran the bfg k/o on my old dodge never had any problems getting around except for throttle related I spun it one time in the snow.

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

 

[FrontRange4Runner]

Here is the lowdown - compiled because you live in Chicago and will be doing mild offloading:
Safest option - AT tires of your choosing with a set of winter tires. No AT will come close to the performance of a winter tire in slippery conditions. End of story. People who say things like "my (inset AT tire here) are awesome in the snow!" have never driven on winter tires or are simply oblivious. Winter tires are specifically engineered to be the best in winter conditions....and they are. Compare the tread design from any winter tire to an AT tire and you will see major differences.
2nd best all around option - Cooper ATW: Hybrid winter/AT tire. This is for people who want to go off road occasionally and still get the best winter performance. Also worth noting is Canadian Tire stated that this tire had the highest hydroplaning resistance of any tire they had tested. It is NOT an aggressive AT tire. Look at the tread design (all them sipes!) and you will see that it is winter biased. It will preform better than a dedicated AT tire in the winter because it is made to do that. It will not preform as well on the trail because its winter biased. You plan on doing mild offloading so this is an excellent option that can cover your need without serous compromise to one area.
3rd option - Compromise with a dedicated AT tire - This is the worst all around option. You will be purchasing a tire that is literally a compromise in every area and that is why they call them "All Terrain" tires. This is a tire designed to do everything and it can - kinda... Going to the mall? yep - going to the cabin? yep - canyon carving? pfff don't be dumb, you drive a 4Runner - harsh winter conditions in the rocky mountains? yep - expedition to the ends of the earth in the worst possible conditions? yep..... They are made to do it all and with that comes serous compromise. They are not the best at anything (which is why you should have 2 sets of tires). Read a bunch of reviews and pick one that you like. Just make sure you leave plenty of stopping distance in the winter.
IMHO on AT tires - I have had a few different sets, and I spent 4 years driving test vehicles with other sets. It should be noted that I am not a hardcore trail guy and my current tires see only moderate trail use. Considering you intent, I would go Cooper AT3 or if you wanted to save some money, the ATP (my current tire - 55k and still 50% tread depth) in load range P. I ran BFG's in the past and my snow experience with them was terrible. My ATP's surprised the hell out of me and were much better. I chalk this up to the fact that the Coopers are siped. The funny part is that I still purchased winter tires (General Altimax Artic - $500 installed on sale) and they crush every AT tire I have ever driven on. I guess you can see where I am going with this. Get 2 sets of tires - you live in snow country and have a kid on the way. Safety is number 1.
Load Range - considering your intended use, get P (passenger) rated tires. They will hold up fine for light off road use and won't rattle your wife apart in the process. C, D and E rated tires are stiffer and require more air pressure to keep them properly inflated. This leads to a very jarring and bumpy ride which most women - and babies - do not enjoy. You know how it goes - happy wife = happy life which leads to happy baby = happy wife = happy life and the possibility of trying to make more babies.
Anyways, I hope this was helpful in some way. My apologies for rambling on, but I am a tire nerd and my GF will not let me talk about tires so its gotta come out somewhere.

 

[Simpleman74]

In reading the countless reviews of the KO2 on Tirerack you would think that there are 2 types of people. Those who drive in the rain and those who do not. The tire has a very good rating for having troubles in wet conditions (not from personal experience mind you, at least not with the V2 of that tire).

My A/T KO's on my Scout are terrible in the rain. Just a little too much brake and they slide, just a little too much gas and they slip. The tires have 150 miles on them so it's not a wear thing.

I've heard that the KO2 is better in this aspect but how much better is the question?

I live in Florida... it rains all the time, we have a tropical storm rolling through... tires perform flawlessly. It is usually the driver that doesn't perform well in the rain

 

[salong53]

Well I'll throw my opinion out here too. I currently run the KO2 in the 275 E load size. I love the appearance of the tire and the size is perfect, and that's the primary reason I bought them. But to be realistic, the E load is overkill for the 4runner and causes the ride to be a little harsh for my taste. The tires are a fairly hard compound, so the dry road grip isn't all that great either. This isn't to say I'm unhappy with the tires, I expected these issues going into the purchase. For my next set of tires, I will definitely go C load instead of E though.

 

[rainmn]

If you're mostly on the road I would just get an H/T tire. Michelin LTX M/S(or maybe Defender LTX M/S? it's been through a bunch of names) is the best around.

It is the Defender LTX M/S now....just bought a set last week. They definitely don't look as cool as something like a KO2, but for my usage, it's a way better choice.

(I suspect the same would go for at least 75% of the people here running some type of A/T tire, but they won't admit it)

 

[Jayhawk5G]

Here is the lowdown - compiled because you live in Chicago and will be doing mild offloading:
Safest option - AT tires of your choosing with a set of winter tires. No AT will come close to the performance of a winter tire in slippery conditions. End of story. People who say things like "my (inset AT tire here) are awesome in the snow!" have never driven on winter tires or are simply oblivious. Winter tires are specifically engineered to be the best in winter conditions....and they are. Compare the tread design from any winter tire to an AT tire and you will see major differences.
2nd best all around option - Cooper ATW: Hybrid winter/AT tire. This is for people who want to go off road occasionally and still get the best winter performance. Also worth noting is Canadian Tire stated that this tire had the highest hydroplaning resistance of any tire they had tested. It is NOT an aggressive AT tire. Look at the tread design (all them sipes!) and you will see that it is winter biased. It will preform better than a dedicated AT tire in the winter because it is made to do that. It will not preform as well on the trail because its winter biased. You plan on doing mild offloading so this is an excellent option that can cover your need without serous compromise to one area.
3rd option - Compromise with a dedicated AT tire - This is the worst all around option. You will be purchasing a tire that is literally a compromise in every area and that is why they call them "All Terrain" tires. This is a tire designed to do everything and it can - kinda... Going to the mall? yep - going to the cabin? yep - canyon carving? pfff don't be dumb, you drive a 4Runner - harsh winter conditions in the rocky mountains? yep - expedition to the ends of the earth in the worst possible conditions? yep..... They are made to do it all and with that comes serous compromise. They are not the best at anything (which is why you should have 2 sets of tires). Read a bunch of reviews and pick one that you like. Just make sure you leave plenty of stopping distance in the winter.
IMHO on AT tires - I have had a few different sets, and I spent 4 years driving test vehicles with other sets. It should be noted that I am not a hardcore trail guy and my current tires see only moderate trail use. Considering you intent, I would go Cooper AT3 or if you wanted to save some money, the ATP (my current tire - 55k and still 50% tread depth) in load range P. I ran BFG's in the past and my snow experience with them was terrible. My ATP's surprised the hell out of me and were much better. I chalk this up to the fact that the Coopers are siped. The funny part is that I still purchased winter tires (General Altimax Artic - $500 installed on sale) and they crush every AT tire I have ever driven on. I guess you can see where I am going with this. Get 2 sets of tires - you live in snow country and have a kid on the way. Safety is number 1.
Load Range - considering your intended use, get P (passenger) rated tires. They will hold up fine for light off road use and won't rattle your wife apart in the process. C, D and E rated tires are stiffer and require more air pressure to keep them properly inflated. This leads to a very jarring and bumpy ride which most women - and babies - do not enjoy. You know how it goes - happy wife = happy life which leads to happy baby = happy wife = happy life and the possibility of trying to make more babies.
Anyways, I hope this was helpful in some way. My apologies for rambling on, but I am a tire nerd and my GF will not let me talk about tires so its gotta come out somewhere.

Yeah while AT tires are never the best option for any specific terrain, their versatility is what appeals to me. Coming from the stock Dueler pretty much any AT tire will be a large improvement, and while we get snow and rain, I have made it through on the Duelers up to this point.

It's hard to know when tires will be on sale with any consistency, so I think I'm going to look for the Cooper AT3 in P load rating, and then depending on what deals maybe consider the ATP if it's not going to be significantly more.

 

[-dustin]

Here is the lowdown - compiled because you live in Chicago and will be doing mild offloading:
Safest option - AT tires of your choosing with a set of winter tires. No AT will come close to the performance of a winter tire in slippery conditions. End of story. People who say things like "my (inset AT tire here) are awesome in the snow!" have never driven on winter tires or are simply oblivious. Winter tires are specifically engineered to be the best in winter conditions....and they are. Compare the tread design from any winter tire to an AT tire and you will see major differences.
2nd best all around option - Cooper ATW: Hybrid winter/AT tire. This is for people who want to go off road occasionally and still get the best winter performance. Also worth noting is Canadian Tire stated that this tire had the highest hydroplaning resistance of any tire they had tested. It is NOT an aggressive AT tire. Look at the tread design (all them sipes!) and you will see that it is winter biased. It will preform better than a dedicated AT tire in the winter because it is made to do that. It will not preform as well on the trail because its winter biased. You plan on doing mild offloading so this is an excellent option that can cover your need without serous compromise to one area.
3rd option - Compromise with a dedicated AT tire - This is the worst all around option. You will be purchasing a tire that is literally a compromise in every area and that is why they call them "All Terrain" tires. This is a tire designed to do everything and it can - kinda... Going to the mall? yep - going to the cabin? yep - canyon carving? pfff don't be dumb, you drive a 4Runner - harsh winter conditions in the rocky mountains? yep - expedition to the ends of the earth in the worst possible conditions? yep..... They are made to do it all and with that comes serous compromise. They are not the best at anything (which is why you should have 2 sets of tires). Read a bunch of reviews and pick one that you like. Just make sure you leave plenty of stopping distance in the winter.
IMHO on AT tires - I have had a few different sets, and I spent 4 years driving test vehicles with other sets. It should be noted that I am not a hardcore trail guy and my current tires see only moderate trail use. Considering you intent, I would go Cooper AT3 or if you wanted to save some money, the ATP (my current tire - 55k and still 50% tread depth) in load range P. I ran BFG's in the past and my snow experience with them was terrible. My ATP's surprised the hell out of me and were much better. I chalk this up to the fact that the Coopers are siped. The funny part is that I still purchased winter tires (General Altimax Artic - $500 installed on sale) and they crush every AT tire I have ever driven on. I guess you can see where I am going with this. Get 2 sets of tires - you live in snow country and have a kid on the way. Safety is number 1.
Load Range - considering your intended use, get P (passenger) rated tires. They will hold up fine for light off road use and won't rattle your wife apart in the process. C, D and E rated tires are stiffer and require more air pressure to keep them properly inflated. This leads to a very jarring and bumpy ride which most women - and babies - do not enjoy. You know how it goes - happy wife = happy life which leads to happy baby = happy wife = happy life and the possibility of trying to make more babies.
Anyways, I hope this was helpful in some way. My apologies for rambling on, but I am a tire nerd and my GF will not let me talk about tires so its gotta come out somewhere.

you in sales? that was a pretty concise and convincing.

it seems a lot of folks on here are either P-rated, or E...i don't see many folks mentioning C rated tires. the AT3 is pretty much the only tire that i'm interested in that comes in a 275, but it's C rated. At what point does one go from P to LT rated tires?

 

[j0sh_]

I have been running the at3w for a few months now and am extremely happy.

 

[T4R2014]

It is the Defender LTX M/S now....just bought a set last week. They definitely don't look as cool as something like a KO2, but for my usage, it's a way better choice.

(I suspect the same would go for at least 75% of the people here running some type of A/T tire, but they won't admit it)

Can't say enough great things about that tire. If you can get over the fact that forum members won't think you're cool like them, it's a solid choice of you're mostly on the road. If you have 4WD you're already better off than a lot of people.

 

[The Waco Kid]

Yeah while AT tires are never the best option for any specific terrain, their versatility is what appeals to me. Coming from the stock Dueler pretty much any AT tire will be a large improvement, and while we get snow and rain, I have made it through on the Duelers up to this point.

It's hard to know when tires will be on sale with any consistency, so I think I'm going to look for the Cooper AT3 in P load rating, and then depending on what deals maybe consider the ATP if it's not going to be significantly more.

The ATP is cheaper in almost every size I've seen. But the size options are limited. Discount Tire is the only carrier of this one (ATP). Pepboys has a version of the AT3 as well that runs around the same price as the AT3/P.

 

[Jayhawk5G]

you in sales? that was a pretty concise and convincing.

it seems a lot of folks on here are either P-rated, or E...i don't see many folks mentioning C rated tires. the AT3 is pretty much the only tire that i'm interested in that comes in a 275, but it's C rated. At what point does one go from P to LT rated tires?

I'm guessing few if any manufacturers offer 275/70-17 as a stock size. The choices are extremely limited, whereas 265/70-17 has a large selection as does the popular 285/70-17.

Since its not a big market, they likely don't offer the same options and figure it's more cost effective to assume if you are moving to a 275 you likely want a higher load rating as well...

 

[Jayhawk5G]

The ATP is cheaper in almost every size I've seen. But the size options are limited. Discount Tire is the only carrier of this one (ATP). Pepboys has a version of the AT3 as well that runs around the same price as the AT3/P.

Discount Tire Direct has the 265/70-17 Cooper Discoverer A/T3 for $138 per tire in the SL rating. Free shipping and a $70 VISA card on a set of 4.

The ATP in same size and load rating is listed for $160 per tire.

 

[Brandonium]

It would appear that you are quite limited when you jump over that 265/70R17 size. Once you get over that it's LT and then the game is finding a lower (or higher) load rating depending on your need.

Seems like higher load ratings are more popular than lower which is why I can get an E all day long but C's are few and far between.

 

[sn_85]

It would appear that you are quite limited when you jump over that 265/70R17 size. Once you get over that it's LT and then the game is finding a lower (or higher) load rating depending on your need.

Seems like higher load ratings are more popular than lower which is why I can get an E all day long but C's are few and far between.

Nitto Ridge Grappler should be coming out with a 285/70/17 in C range.

 

[FJ Cary]

Discount Tire Direct has the 265/70-17 Cooper Discoverer A/T3 for $138 per tire in the SL rating. Free shipping and a $70 VISA card on a set of 4.

The ATP in same size and load rating is listed for $160 per tire.

A/T3

Additional $25 off to the $70 right now ($95 total) at DT Direct. Suspect the local stores will have a similar sale this weekend.

ATP

The ATP is made exclusively for DT by Cooper. Similar technology as the A/T3 with a more aggressive looking tread design.

Looks like the ATP has a dual $70 + $75 rebate on it ($145 total). For the conditions you described and your priority of safety, traction, and stopping distance, either of these would be fine for you. (Assuming you don't want the ideal solution of dedicated winter tires).

 

[Jayhawk5G]

A/T3

Additional $25 off in addition to the $70 right now at DT Direct. Suspect the local stores will have a similar sale this weekend.

ATP

The ATP is made exclusively for DT by Cooper. Same technology as the A/T3 with a more aggressive looking tread design.

Looks like the ATP has a dual $70 + $75 rebate on it ($145 total). For the conditions you described and your priority of safety, traction, and stopping distance, either of these would be fine for you. (Assuming you don't want the ideal solution of dedicated winter tires).

Looks like I'll be going to Discount Tire this weekend. My understanding is that Discount Tire Direct operates as a separate entity from Discount Tire... and that the difference in price is normally that the store locations include mount and balance. However the store will price match the online price.

If they can do the $160 price per tire installed, and I can get $145 in mail in rebates then I'm sold.

 

[The Waco Kid]

Discount Tire Direct has the 265/70-17 Cooper Discoverer A/T3 for $138 per tire in the SL rating. Free shipping and a $70 VISA card on a set of 4.

The ATP in same size and load rating is listed for $160 per tire.

Looks like I'll be going to Discount Tire this weekend. My understanding is that Discount Tire Direct operates as a separate entity from Discount Tire... and that the difference in price is normally that the store locations include mount and balance. However the store will price match the online price.

If they can do the $160 price per tire installed, and I can get $145 in mail in rebates then I'm sold.

*Historically

$138 is the cheapest I've seen the AT/3. Around here it's consistently $180+ without sales or rebates. The ATP has always maintained the $160 price point.

 

[1engineer]

*Historically

$138 is the cheapest I've seen the AT/3. Around here it's consistently $180+ without sales or rebates. The ATP has always maintained the $160 price point.

Around here you can get a full set of AT3's mounted and balanced installed and old tires disposed of for under $600.

 

[The Waco Kid]

Around here you can get a full set of AT3's mounted and balanced installed and old tires disposed of for under $600.

Must be location dependent then. Makes me wonder what other prices we're getting gouged on around here. It's not gas at least.

 

[Brandonium]

ATP's are running about $800 (285) for a set for this weekend with $145 of mail in rebates.

So $164 a tire + whatever your shop charges to do the work.

Looks like about $155 a tire if you go with the AT3 in 275