Do all-terrain tires last longer?

[Jimmy9190]

I washed my truck this afternoon and as I was scrubbing my tires, I started thinking about tires. I have always used highway all-season type tires. I have about 42K on my tires now and will be needing new tires in probably 10K miles. I was wondering do the all terrain/off road type of tires last longer?

I currently have Firestone Destination LE Highway tires on my truck. After a LOT of internet searching and reading reviews, and just based on the good value and service I have gotten from my current Firestones I will very likely buy another set. I am just waiting for the right sale prices and/or rebates to come along.

I know Firestone sells a Destination AT with a more agressive tread and was just wondering whether they last longer or if you can get more (or less) mileage out of an All-Terrain tire. I see AT tires all the time on vehicles that I know good and well are never driven off road, unless you count someone in their giant SUV driving over the grass parking area to pick up the kids at soccer practice. I see SUV's and big 4-door trucks that you can just tell, they are never, ever used for 4-wheel drive or going through the woods to get to your favorite camping/hunting/fishing spot, or even driving around on construction sites. Yet they have the big old All Terrain tires with the chunky grippy tread.

I know AT tires get rid of snow and mud better. But do they last longer, and are there any trade-offs in noise and ride quality?

Thanks for any info and helping satisfy my curiousity. I am headed back out now to wax my truck before it gets dark.

 

[suspiciousmind]

You'll think they can't wear out fast enough. typically, after five or ten thousand miles, they become noisy and highway traction goes away.

Stick to a nice highway all-season unless you really need off-road traction.

 

[Scienceman]

Well, I have them on my Ford. It does not get many miles on it year to year...(maybe 1,000?)
But they have been on for about 6-7 years, and I will say there is not much wear, and not much dryrot.

 

[Bryanccfshr]

A hiway AS tire will ride better on a highway= est wear
Then you have the MS rate tires. These do well too but provide additional mud and sno traction (2nd best wear)
THen you have all Terrains. These have some offroad rugedness, often have severe weather rating(mountainsnowflake) and are a little more quiete than a mud terrain.
A mud terrain is built with the bias toward off pavement but they can handle the highway with more noise and more wear and more rolling resistance.

I like All terrains I offroad, drive highway miles and have to deal with snow and ice. The proven BF goodrich allterrain is known to wear very well. Lasting 50-60k when properly matched to a vehicle and maintained.
I runn 265/75 16 e rated BFG all terrains on my FJ and will but them (the 17" version)on my wifes 4 runner when her dunlap eraser tires wear out.

 

[bdcardinal]

Everyone I know that has the BFG All Terrains says they last forever. They usually have to replace them for dry rot or cracking before they replace them for wear.

 

[daman]

The key is rotation, every other oil change or so and they'll last a long time.

 

[HWEaton]

If you want to get serious about an AT from Firestone, take a look at the TransForce AT.

 

[RISUPERCREWMAN]

I have a set of BFG All terrain KO's 285x70x17's on my 2007 F-150 SuperCrew 4x4 & O love them on road & off!

 

[Bryanccfshr]

Originally Posted By: daman
The key is rotation, every other oil change or so and they'll last a long time.

Yes, plus a 5 tire rotation helps with a full sized spare too.

 

[Boomer]

http://www.nittotire.com/assets/safety/Replacing Tires on Light Trucks.pdf

Read this before you put an LT tire on a vehicle that currently has P rated tires if you go to All Terrains. BF Goodrich AT tires are usually LT. LT tires REQUIRE higher air pressure to carry the same load. The Nitto tire link shows thermal images of an LT tire run at P rated pressures. If you run your LT tires at the correct higher pressure, your vehicle will ride like a buckboard in many cases.

 

[Jimmy9190]

Thanks for the info. I will just go with highway All Season tires and keep rotating every 6K like I do now. I was just curious about the AT tires, even though I have never had a need for them.

Thanks again.

 

[mrsilv04]

Didn't we discuss tires for your truck right before Christmas?

 

[suspiciousmind]

Imho, good call. Agressive tires are nice if ya need 'em but, i spend over 99% of my miles on paved roads...a tire designed for that situation works out best.

 

[Jimmy9190]

Originally Posted By: mrsilv04
Didn't we discuss tires for your truck right before Christmas?



Yep, we did. This was just a question that came to me this afternoon.

 

[Ramblin Fever]

Originally Posted By: suspiciousmind
You'll think they can't wear out fast enough. typically, after five or ten thousand miles, they become noisy and highway traction goes away.

Stick to a nice highway all-season unless you really need off-road traction.


Can't agree with this at all.

Living in Colorado, towing boats, going camping we've never had a use for a highway tire, all 3 of our trucks have ran A/T tires and always will.

I regularly get 50-70k miles out of a good set of a/t tires on my lightweight trucks; on my cummins diesel 30k is about all I get....but it's a heavy truck and even the factory highway tires that came on it were shot at 30k miles.

I've never had an a/t tire start to have traction issues at 10k miles, most of them retained their traction all the way to the end or darn close...which is NOT what I can say for all season/highway tires that the company I work for uses on their trucks....I usually lose all good traction capability with their choice of tire within 15k miles, the highway tires are generally shot within 35-40k on the lightweight ford ranger I drive.

My 2 lighter trucks run LT tires and yes run slightly higher air pressures, but I don't feel any difference and have maintained same mpg with no differences.

I once lived in the Vegas desert of Nevada, where an a/t tire is not really needed, but still found that we never experienced flats/heat related tire issues that so many are plagued with out there.

 

[GenSan]

I can tell you from my experience that yes they do.

5 years ago I put a set of 265/70/16 BFGoodrich AT KO's on a Sequoia and the tread depth was 16/32".

5 years later with 60,000+ miles and rotated/balanced every 10,000 miles I can tell you there is zero dry rot and the tread depth is at 11/32".

I'm already getting sick of them being so ultra wearing.

They are quiet and soft too on the highway, zero punctures even when the wife grinds the sidewalls on curbs when parallel parking. Those rim protectors work!

 

[Jimmy9190]

I read about 10 pages of reviews on the Firestone Destination AT last night on Tirerack.com. A lot of people really like that tire and it has much better reviews than the Destination LE. Just about everyone said the AT runs great in heavy rain and sticks to the road and provides great traction in any conditions. Plus they mostly said the AT is very quiet and smooth riding too. I may just get a set of AT's because of all the rain we get here in Florida. It's a great looking tire too, it just looks like it belongs on a truck.

 

[Ken2]

I'm very satisfied with the Firestone Destination AT tires on my Tundra. They are a rather mild AT tread design. I don't know the mileage so far...I use real winter tires all winter...but the Destination ATs are showing very little wear. The Destination AT snow grip is nowhere near as secure as the Blizzak DM-V1 snow grip (really, really good), nor should anyone expect it to be. I work at a ski area in the winter. In the summer the ATs get highway & gravel road travel.

Other things remaining equal, the tire with more rubber on the pavement should live longer, i. e. the all season tread pattern. Other things are almost never equal. Rotation doesn't extend tire life, it just evens it out. If repairs and alignment doesn't equalize tire wear, then rotate. When I remove my snows, I put the tires with the most tread depth (maybe a 32nd difference) on the fronts and don't pay attention to left/right on non-directional tread.

They do seem to be getting a bit harsh as they age. So am I. I guess we're battling each other.

 

[JDD]

IME, AT tires do not wear nearly as long as an HT tire on a truck. Also, if you buy an LT tire vs a P rated truck tire, the large majority of Light Truck (LT) tires do not carry a treadwear warranty like a Passenger (P) tire does. Shows you that the tire mfgrs know which tire will last longer. A lot of your AT tires are light truck tires due to the necessary extra plys needed for their intended use.

 

[NHHEMI]

Originally Posted By: Jimmy9190
I read about 10 pages of reviews on the Firestone Destination AT last night on Tirerack.com. A lot of people really like that tire and it has much better reviews than the Destination LE. Just about everyone said the AT runs great in heavy rain and sticks to the road and provides great traction in any conditions. Plus they mostly said the AT is very quiet and smooth riding too. I may just get a set of AT's because of all the rain we get here in Florida. It's a great looking tire too, it just looks like it belongs on a truck.


The Destination AT is a very good tire. So is the LE however. Living in FL with just rain to contend with though you do not need an AT. The LE will give you every bit as good traction in the rain as the AT's will.

I seem to recall you complaining about your MPG taking a hit going to the LE's from your OE tires on your Dakota? Was that you? If so prepare for another big MPG hit going from an AS to an AT. At least 1 MPG if not 2+ is the norm. The tires are heavier and they have a much more aggressive tread pattern so MPG is going to be effected negatively when replacing an AS with an AT of ANY brand and combo.

The AT's will cost a LOT more than an AS as well. Plan on at least $75-$100 extra p/set if not more. Actually just to give you an example I just checked my tire place and comapred the cost of LE's and AT's( Destinations )in one of the most popular truck tire sizes( 265/70-17 - didn't know yours ). 4 LE's = $500( $125 each ) vs 4 AT's = $628( $157 each ).

I have run a lot of different AS and AT tires over the years and with proper maintenance and inflation you can get excellent tread wear out of AT tires. It all depends on how much tread depth they come with, how they are made, how you use them, and how well you maintain them though as with any tire. Some will barely see 25K( OE Goodyears )while others can give you 60K+( BFG AT KO's and Bridgestone Revos ). The Destination AT is a 50K rated tire and the LE is a 60K rated tire. FWIW.

My opinion based on your needs, location, and past comments is to stay with an AS tire. You do not need an AT and I don't believe you will be happy with them. Worse MPG, they will be noisier, and they will give a rougher ride to some extent. I don't believe the Destination AT's will last longer than the LE's either(JMHO).