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Which tire?

Best Light Duty All Terrain Tire

26K views 79 replies 25 participants last post by  CherokeeFred 
#1 · (Edited)
If you lived in Maryland, had family in Pennsylvania and wanted an all-terrain tire for all season use and occasional off-roading, which of the following tires would you choose? You'll use it in snow but not very much or very often. You commute 75 highway miles daily so it can't be too aggressive, loud or heavy. (LT tires are out of the question). Thanks in advance.
 
#2 ·
Well, I live near Maryland and have family in Pennsylvania, and I have a Trailhawk, so when I replace them it will have to be with an A/T tire, for resale purposes and also just in case I want to do some wheeling. However, I would have to research them on tirerack.com, and then choose the one with the best combination of quiet, wet/snow traction, durability, and price. Maybe others have a preference right off the bat, but that is my only recommendation.
 
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#6 · (Edited)
That's good advice but according to Tire Rack the best is the Geolander followed by the Kumho with the un-listed Firestone in third. Problem is that the Hankook is unrated and Tire Rack doesn't carry Cooper or Falken. I'd prefer to buy the Coopers because they're made in the USA but only if they're good enough.

Why not the factory Firestone A/T? I've run two sets on my '08 Ford Escape, and will probably put them on my Trailhawk again when the time comes (unless it is actually mine by then, and not my wife's).
I should have included it but I was disappointed to learn that it's made in Canada instead of the USA. Of course only the Coopers are actually made in the USA.

I have only had the Geolanders, out of that group of choices.
Not a bad tire at all. Not very aggressive though.
It does seem that the Geolander is the least off-road capable of the bunch but better that than something too off-road capable and lousy on pavement. Thanks.

Ive been scoping out the Kumho Road Venture AT51 and the Falken Wildpeak AT3W myself. Both have great reviews so its going to be a tough choice. It might come down to price and convenience as tirerack is 10 miles from me.
That's what makes my decision so tough. All these tires have great reviews and cost pretty much the same too. Must be nice to be so close to Tire Rack.
 
#17 ·
Yeah, those Falkens do look good. I was worried they would be noisy but their reviews usually comment about how quiet they are. Many reasons they're on my short list.

I just got a set of Cooper Discoverer A/T3 put on a couple weeks ago. I'll finally get to hit the dirt this weekend, so as of yet I can't attest to their off-road performance. But from their reviews they seem to do very well off road. I've put several hundred miles on them on the highway and city streets, and so far I'm very happy with them. I can't tell any difference in noise vs. my previous tires (touring tires), and their road manners are pretty good. On one highway in my area, the road is concrete with little grooves in it, and when I drive on this stretch of road, the road kinda carries me a bit. But on normal asphalt roads they drive great. We've only had light rain since I've gotten them, and they've been great on the damp road, but I haven't driven through puddles and standing water yet. Time will tell, but so far they are promising

[sent via tapatalk] 2014 KL Latitude V6 AD1
I read that they are excellent on wet pavement. Glad to hear that they perform well on dry pavement too. I also like that they're made in the USA, like the Cherokee.

I live in Maryland and travel to PA frequently. I get the snow requirements and occasional light off-road use.

Why are LT tires out of the question if you don't mind my asking? I was wondering what you didn't like about the OEM Firestones until I got to that part.

-Rob
As others have already stated, weight and sidewall stiffness. P245/65/17 weighs about 34lbs whereas LT245/65/17 weighs about 45lbs. Since I only plan on light off-road use and 95% street driving I think a P rated tire is a better fit for me. I've got Firestone all-seasons on my Latitude and have no experience with the Destination A/Ts.
 
#8 · (Edited)
I just got a set of Cooper Discoverer A/T3 put on a couple weeks ago. I'll finally get to hit the dirt this weekend, so as of yet I can't attest to their off-road performance. But from their reviews they seem to do very well off road. I've put several hundred miles on them on the highway and city streets, and so far I'm very happy with them. I can't tell any difference in noise vs. my previous tires (touring tires), and their road manners are pretty good. On one highway in my area, the road is concrete with little grooves in it, and when I drive on this stretch of road, the road kinda carries me a bit. But on normal asphalt roads they drive great. We've only had light rain since I've gotten them, and they've been great on the damp road, but I haven't driven through puddles and standing water yet. Time will tell, but so far they are promising

[sent via tapatalk] 2014 KL Latitude V6 AD1
 
#10 · (Edited)
I just put AT51's on my TH and the Quiet is back after suffering for months wondering what it was in my drive train that's coming unraveled. The Firestone's were nice up to about 25K and unbearable at 40K, but I have to admit they were abused. At around $100 per tire I won't mind if the AT51's need replacing more frequently, time will tell.
Going off-roading for three days soon so will have a bit of experience with them to share.
 
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#18 ·
Good to know about the Firestones getting noisy as they wear. Apparently that is not uncommon for some AT tires. Like you said, at least with the AT51s costing so little it won't hurt too much to replace them a little earlier. I really like how aggressive the AT51s look and the low cost.
 
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#12 ·
And their side walls are thick enough to have survived me bumbling over rocks in Moab
 

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#14 ·
With the max rating of the Cherokee, I can't see that the LT rating would do you any good for loading.
But for the extra thick sidewall, for offroading, it's critical.

So if you don't go offroading a lot, the Geolanders or even the TH stock Firestones would work great.

I drove with the Geolanders on m old Patriot for years and they held up great... even when i pushed the Patriot past it's limits offroad.
 
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#22 ·
I can't testify much to their off-road performance, but I have the Geolandars on my limited, and have been very happy with them. They might be louder than the Continentals it came with, but I still don't know if that's my imagination or not, and they've performed great in the snow (both what little we got in Baltimore this year, and also in Illinois where I go camping every winter in rural areas with unplowed dirt roads).


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
#25 ·
Thanks. It's good to hear more firsthand experience. So far the Geolanders have the most recommendations although I'm surprised at how few people have actually voted in the poll. At the previous car forums I've belonged to polls were more popular. I feel very confident that I'd be happy with the Yokohamas or Firestones. Pretty sure that the Coopers or Kumhos would also do the trick and for various reasons I'm not as interested in the Falkens and Hankooks anymore.
 
#26 ·
Just took my Cooper A/T3s off road for the first time today. Mudddddy muddy muddy! These tires performed fantastically!! Lots of puddles of standing water, and some very slushy mud several inches deep. My Coopers on the AD1 Latitude in Sand/Mud mode trekked right through it all. Lots of dirt and gravel in the dry parts, and it may as well have been asphalt. I don't know how it measures against other tires, but I am very pleased with my decision to go with the Discoverers. BTW, I'm on Tapatalk, I had no idea there was a poll.

[sent via tapatalk] 2014 KL Latitude V6 AD1
 
#28 ·
Great feedback on the Coopers. Sounds like you had a great time. I've never used tapatalk so I didn't know you didn't see the poll. I'll just assume your vote is for the Coopers. Thanks.
 
#30 ·
Thanks. Most of the negative Hankook reviews that I've read complain of excessive noise as they wear. Have you or your friends put 25k miles or more on them and experienced this? It's so hard to judge by online reviews since one persons idea of obnoxiously loud is another's idea of quiet.

Interestingly the Yokohamas and Falkens are winning the poll. Good thing I don't need tires because I'm no closer to picking a winner than when I started looking. At least I am learning a lot about A/T tires.
 
#34 ·
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#41 · (Edited)
That is a great review. Too bad its somewhat dated, testing the old BFG ATs and Falken AT's rather than KO2s and AT3Ws. Still, it has swayed me back to the Cooper AT3s. I can get them for about $125 each and I like buying American when I can. Thanks!

I'm in the same boat as you, your thought process is pretty much exactly what im doing...lol. I'm looking mainly for good snow, light off road, and decent mpg.
My top 2 are the Kumho AT51 which are 441.80 with free road hazard protection from tirerack. And the Falken Wildpeak a/t3w which are 656.16 with road hazard, and 583.16 without from discounttire direct(tirerack doesnt carry them). The Kumho's are about $210 cheaper which is a pretty decent chunk of cash.
That is for 245/65/17 size. I kinda wanted to go 245/70/17 but im not sure if they would rub on a AD1 with the budget lift.
It sounds like we do have the same priorities in mind. I like the Kumho AT51s a lot but also like the Cooper AT3s. My concern with the Falkens are all the reviews I read complaining about the half-depth siping and loss of traction when they're gone. I don't know how true that is, if at all. After reading the review that mb1k linked to I'm pretty much sold on the Cooper AT3s.

If I were you I'd stick with 245/65/17 which are pretty tall already. The 70 series will add weight, reduce braking and handling for a 1/4" more ground clearance and probably rub too.

If you're interested, Jet.com has the Falkens for $125 each with free shipping.

https://jet.com/product/detail/3be9...375167_pla-291170379813:na:na:na:2&code=PLA15

Those geolandars are new last year and improved in winter conditions, MPG, and wet traction.

So anyone saying they used them on an old car is probably thinking of different geolandars.. of which there are many models.. including the super crappy OEM versions that come on some subarus
Good to know. Almost all of the Geolander reviews I've seen so far were very positive so the newer tires should be even better. Of course there are always some negative reviews but nothing consistent like with the Hankooks and Falkens.
 
#38 ·
Those geolandars are new last year and improved in winter conditions, MPG, and wet traction.

So anyone saying they used them on an old car is probably thinking of different geolandars.. of which there are many models.. including the super crappy OEM versions that come on some subarus
 
#45 ·
I got the Falken Wildpeak and on the way to Riverside ,Ca I hit what look like a peace of tire on the freeway and end up putting a slit on the side of the tire right by the rim and was loosing air witch surprise me ,thought it take more then that but it is nice to have full size tire sense I had to order a new tire and I had to drive back to Vegas
 
#47 ·
Bad luck. I had a Falken A/T tire sidewall blow out a few years back while driving in snow. I assume that I hit something but I didn't see or feel anything. Must have been hidden in the snow. Light truck tires might have fared better but not worth all the negative trade-offs for my daily driver.

Only one of the tires listed that I've used were the Cooper AT3's. I had some that came on my 2010 Dodge Dakota. They were the noisiest tire I've ever had, once you got over 30 mph or so they would just howl. Weird, because my Aunt has the same tire on her two ranch trucks, and her's aren't near as noisy.
Good grip, though, did fine through the winter here.
Ugh... I can't have noisy tires, 90% of my driving is highway. How worn were the noisy Coopers? Could it be that your aunt's ranch trucks had newer tires? All tires get noisier as they wear. I hope the AT3's are quiet down to the wear bars.
 
#46 ·
Only one of the tires listed that I've used were the Cooper AT3's. I had some that came on my 2010 Dodge Dakota. They were the noisiest tire I've ever had, once you got over 30 mph or so they would just howl. Weird, because my Aunt has the same tire on her two ranch trucks, and her's aren't near as noisy.
Good grip, though, did fine through the winter here.
 
#49 ·
This is puzzling and a more than a bit of a surprise to hear someone have this experience with the Discoverer AT/3s. They are by and far the quietest ATs I have ever owned over the BF Goodrichs, Wranglers, and Firestones. I don't know what could have been the situation with your Coopers?!?
 
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#56 ·
I've used my Cooper AT/3 Discoverers everywhere here in the Southwest; Mojave, Death Valley, Utah, etc. They've impressed me more than my BF Goodrich KO1s and Wranglers. That's not a light statement.
 
#57 ·
I've got about 1K on my Kumho's and so far the ride quality and comfort have improved dramatically over the Firestones. I live off Ortega Highway in SoCal which is considered one of the most technical and dangerous roads in this area and these tires are the best I've experienced on my past and present off-road vehicles. The gas mileage has not changes from the Firestones averaging 23+ with mixed driving and a wife with a lead foot.
Next week I'll be off-roading for three days and will see what happens, but from the reviews can go in confidence.
 
#59 ·
Thanks. I'm learning that all of these tires appear to be very good choices with just small differences between them. When I started this thread I was hoping to find out if any of my potential tire choices had any serious issues or if any of them really stood out from the rest or even if there was a better choice I hadn't considered. I've learned that the Firestone Destination AT's should have been on my list, that the Yokohamas have a narrower tread than the rest, that the Falkens are quite heavy for a P-rated AT and the Hankooks are a little noisier than the rest.

It's certainly not making my decision any easier but at least it appears that none of them would be a bad choice so I might just go with the best deal I find.


so then it seems odd this thread was created without the inclusion of the BFG All Terrains and Goodyear Wranglers.

honestly never tried the Coopers but I've had BFG A/T and Wranglers on loads of different vehicles here in the Southeast and never had an issue.
There are a lot of good tires missing from this thread but that's because I only included the passenger rated all terrain tires that I was considering buying for my intended use of 95% highway/city commuting and 5% light off roading. The more off road oriented BFG AT's and Wranglers would be poor choices for all that highway use.
 
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#64 ·
I just ordered four Hankook Dynapro ATM RF10s in 245/65/17. In the end I couldn't find any really compelling reason to pay a lot more for any of these tires versus the others so I went with the best deal. I couldn't pass these up at only $426 shipped.
 
#72 ·
We just got back from a four day off-roading trip to Joshua Tree National Park with a buddy with a Wrangler. We traveled all of the Old Dale Road from Cottonwood to Twentynine Palms with a side expedition on the Brooklyn Mine Road. He has new KO2's and I had my new AT51's. We went through some very steep, rocky, and sandy terrain with confidence and I would say both tire brands did well. I got mired in some very deep sand until I engaged 4WL, Lock, and Rock and the TH just emerged from the sand pit to everyone's amazement including me. The CJ owner was disappointed he didn't have a chance to pull me out.
The trip ended last night with dinner and stay at Pioneer Town and a nice quiet, smooth ride back home.
 
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