Comparing a few AT tires

Resurrecting this thread due to my wife and I thinking about a set of aftermarket wheels for her 4Runner.

She likes the aggressive looks of the All Terrain-type tires, even though we’ll be doing little to no off-roading.

Considering the BFG K02, Falken Wildpeak AT3W, General Grabber, Toyo Open Country, Nitto Terra Grappler, etc.

What will make our decision is which tire is the quietest, since we do a lot of road trips, along with great rain performance (we tend to encounter a lot of standing water here on the highways), and good, aggressive looks.

Also, if a certain brand were on sale, that would be great. But, at the same time, if there’s a certain model that stands head and shoulders above the rest for the parameters that are important to us, we don’t mind spending a bit more.

Good thread, guys. Lots of good info to think about here.

Well, I have experience with all the tires you mentioned.

I've had every version of the BFG A/T since the 80's. The latest KO2 is the best, and is my choice for an A/T that will see lots of dry desert trails. But it's wet traction is the worst of the tires mentioned.

The Falken Wildpeak are heavier than other tires of the same size and load range, because Falken uses lower tensile strength steel, so they need to use more to get the necessary strength. Lots of uniformity (inability to balance) issues, as a buddy who is a GM of a National tire chain has noticed. They are talking of dropping the tire from the lineup, due to too many come-backs.

General Grabber are ok. Not a stand-out in any area. Kind of high rolling resistance.

Toyo Open Country A/T 2 I had on my 3rd gen 4Runner when I sold it. Decent in snow, fairly quiet. Seemed to be pretty durable. Wet traction wasn't much better than the KO2. The new Toyo A/T 3 was high on my list of consideration for the 5th gen. But unless it proves to be a big improvement over the A/T 2, and Toyo claims it is, I likely won't buy a set.

Nitto Terra Grappler. Just an ok tire from the Toyo subsidiary.
 
So far my Load E LT285/70r17 Wild Peak AT3W are pretty quiet. About 30k on them.
That’s great feedback, thanks.

And we’d just be looking for the regular “P”, not any kind of “LT” or higher load rating. So the regular P version might even be quieter.
 
Well, I have experience with all the tires you mentioned.

I've had every version of the BFG A/T since the 80's. The latest KO2 is the best, and is my choice for an A/T that will see lots of dry desert trails. But it's wet traction is the worst of the tires mentioned.

The Falken Wildpeak are heavier than other tires of the same size and load range, because Falken uses lower tensile strength steel, so they need to use more to get the necessary strength. Lots of uniformity (inability to balance) issues, as a buddy who is a GM of a National tire chain has noticed. They are talking of dropping the tire from the lineup, due to too many come-backs.

General Grabber are ok. Not a stand-out in any area. Kind of high rolling resistance.

Toyo Open Country A/T 2 I had on my 3rd gen 4Runner when I sold it. Decent in snow, fairly quiet. Seemed to be pretty durable. Wet traction wasn't much better than the KO2. The new Toyo A/T 3 was high on my list of consideration for the 5th gen. But unless it proves to be a big improvement over the A/T 2, and Toyo claims it is, I likely won't buy a set.

Nitto Terra Grappler. Just an ok tire from the Toyo subsidiary.
Wow, tons of great information here!

Weight is definitely a consideration, since this is a 2WD, and weight savings was among the reasons we eschewed 4WD for this truck.

Also don’t want balance/uneven wear.

From what I’m hearing, the K02 is considered the standard in its class, and we may just have to try a set. But you’re not the only source from which I’ve heard that its wet performance isn’t the greatest.

Fact is, these tires will likely never see a trail. Broken up pavement on a poorly-maintained mountain road somewhere in Appalachia while camping? Yes, probably. Fire roads? Likely. Muddy, hilly driveway leading to a friend’s farm? Again, almost certainly.

But...maximum off-road trail prowess isn’t a top priority.

Very good to excellent rain performance in its class is a priority (we seem to get a lot of standing water on our highways), good quality construction is a priority, good wear is a priority, decent handling, and good looks is what we’re after.
 
We’ve decided on the Toyo Open Country AT3 for the wife’s 4Runner.

One of the main things that made our decision was the fact that the “P” rated version, which is what we’ll be going with, in the stock, 265/70-17 size, is the lightest All-Terrain tire in its class.

At 39 lbs in our size, for the “P” rated variant, it‘s only a pound (or less) over the stock Bridgestone Dueler H/T‘s.

Also has the 3PMSF designation (The old version, the AT2, didn’t), and a new compound, so, it should do pretty well in rain and snow.

We’ll see how they do when we eventually get them!
 
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