Is there a tire that's tougher than a normal all season, but not quite A/T

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Just got the old lady a 2012 Subaru Outback and I'm having a tough time finding a tire that fits the bill for us. She has a 140 mile commute 4 days a week that's 1/3 interstate and 2/3 hilly and curvy state highways. We have lots of dirt/gravel roads so I'm looking for something that'd have enough beef to it to be able to handle the dirt roads of New Hampshire Mud Season and not get cut apart on dirt/gravel but still have good tread life and cornering/wet road handling. I think an A/T would be a bit too aggressive and wear too quickly for the application but most of the all-seasons I've looked at are a bit lightly built for the mud and ruts we deal with up here. Another important bit is that it has some snow capability, we put our winter tires on the last week of October and they come off in mid march so being able to handle those beginning of/end of winter light snow squalls is certainly an important consideration. We both run studded Nokians for winter so that's a non-issue. Much preference is given to tires made in USA as well, preferably looking for <200 a tire as well.
I can't remember for the life of me which size wheel her car has at the moment but the tires would either be 215/70R16 or 225/60R17

 

[RooflessVW]

Nomad Grappler | Nitto Tire

The Nomad Grappler is a versatile crossover-terrain tire for CUV's for those looking to get the most out of their vehicle to explore new destinations.

www.nittotire.com

 

[BornSlippy]

Just got the old lady a 2012 Subaru Outback and I'm having a tough time finding a tire that fits the bill for us. She has a 140 mile commute 4 days a week that's 1/3 interstate and 2/3 hilly and curvy state highways. We have lots of dirt/gravel roads so I'm looking for something that'd have enough beef to it to be able to handle the dirt roads of New Hampshire Mud Season and not get cut apart on dirt/gravel but still have good tread life and cornering/wet road handling. I think an A/T would be a bit too aggressive and wear too quickly for the application but most of the all-seasons I've looked at are a bit lightly built for the mud and ruts we deal with up here. Another important bit is that it has some snow capability, we put our winter tires on the last week of October and they come off in mid march so being able to handle those beginning of/end of winter light snow squalls is certainly an important consideration. We both run studded Nokians for winter so that's a non-issue. Much preference is given to tires made in USA as well, preferably looking for <200 a tire as well.
I can't remember for the life of me which size wheel her car has at the moment but the tires would either be 215/70R16 or 225/60R17

How about another Nokian?

Nokian Tyres Outpost APT - Extend your adventures / Nokian Tires

Nokian Tyres Outpost™ APT is an all-purpose-terrain tire for crossovers, sport utility vehicles and small light trucks.

www.nokiantires.com

 

[Jmlo96]

I'm not sure they would fit the bill, but the Michelin CrossClimate 2 have a fairly aggressive tread pattern for a non-all terrain tire. Another good choice would be the Yokohama Geolander G015 AT tire. They are a less aggressive all terrain. Subaru puts those Yokos on the Wilderness Foresters and Outbacks from the factory.

 

[UG_Passat]

Nokian Tyres One

Aramid reinforced sidewalls.

 

[CapriRacer]

Unfortunately, tire retailers and manufacturers don't say " almost an A/T", so I think you should be looking at an A/T, but a mild version. Tire Rack has several.

 

[RamFan]

Sounds like the perfect candidate for either the BFGoodrich Advantage TA Sport or Michelin CrossClimate 2.

I currently have the BFGoodrich tires on the CX-5 and love them with the exception of wet traction. Will be trying the Michelin tires after this winter season, if they don't do better in wet weather (not snow - snow grip is great) then I'll likely revert to the BFGs as they're a bit cheaper.

 

[Carburetor1]

Yokohama geolander

 

[Ignatius]

Nokian WR G4

 

[Shel_B]

BFG Trail Terrain would be a serious contender, in my opinion ... check sizes.

 

[JimPghPA]

Sounds like the perfect candidate for either the BFGoodrich Advantage TA Sport or Michelin CrossClimate 2.

I currently have the BFGoodrich tires on the CX-5 and love them with the exception of wet traction. Will be trying the Michelin tires after this winter season, if they don't do better in wet weather (not snow - snow grip is great) then I'll likely revert to the BFGs as they're a bit cheaper.

+ 100 on this post. When I bought my 2016 CV-V EX AWD with 19,877 miles on it in Feb. of 2020 the Honda dealer had just put on 4 new BF Goodrich Advantage TA Sort with the TPMSF symbol rating. Before this we always had 4 Blizzaks on there own rims for our vehicles. These tires are great in all conditions. Hot and dry roads, rain, snow, dirt, and mud, I have driven 11,000 miles on these tires and besides the noise I have no problems with them. My V just goes with no problems at all, regardless or what the ground it travels on is like. They are a little bit noisy, but I almost always drive with all the windows up and play songs on a flash-drive on the vehicles stereo, so the tire noise in not noticed on the low speed roads I drive daily.

On many YouTube videos it is said that the Michelin CC2s are quiet even on highway compared to most tires, and they are rated a little bit better the the BF Goodrich in all categories. But they do cost a bit more. I do not drive highway often, but when I do my V is very noisy and in general Honda CR-Vs are known to be a noisy vehicle at highway speeds, and basically is not quiet enough to be listening to music then. The BF Goodrich tire noise does not help that situation.

If she is going to be driving highway very often, it probably would be best to shell out the extra for the Michelin CC2s only because they are quiet compared to the BF Goodrich. At least CC2s are a 60,000 mile rated tire. There is one video of someone driving a low ground clearance front wheel drive only vehicle in snow a little deeper than the ground clearance of his vehicle and the CC2s get him through it with no problem at all. He even said in the video that some 4WD vehicles would have problems where he had just went with no problem. You might find that you can leave the CC2 on all year long and forget about having dedicated winter tires.

Do not buy the CC2 SUV version. They are the same tire with less treed depth and will not last as long. Michelin made them for use in European countries and then the European countries did not like them, so now Michelin is unloading them by calling them CC2 SUV.

I am planning on putting CC2s on my V when the BF Goodrich tires wear out.

 

[meep]

I was going to suggest the yoko g015 as well, but I’ll caution that it’s only above-average for wet traction - and on a lighter vehicle could be even less effective on wet.

How thick is the mud? Mud will confound most all seasons and mild all terrains.

The continental TerrainContact is a fabulous mild all terrain that has great wet manners while being near silent. If they sell it in your size I’d give it a look because it has the manners of a hwy tire while leaning towards truck use.

thumbs also for the Michelin CC2, however, where it excels in wet stuff, it gives up a little in lateral traction. If the roads are muddy and curvy, I might hesitate if she is one to take curves with a little tenacity. I could see it being very poor with any mud in a turn.

 

[Blueshound]

Another vote for the CC2. We have them on my wife's CX5. We have some curvy hills here and they don't feel squirmy like hot snow tires do lol. Great on the highway. I didn't want separate snows.

 

[K20FA5]

BFG Trail Terrain would be a serious contender, in my opinion ... check sizes.

I’ve got a set going on my Silverado next week. I’ll report back how I like them. Have the Falken Wildpeak A/T3W on there now. Tread wear has been horrible!

 

[Finklejag]

I vote for the Nokian Outpost APT

 

[Skippy722]

Sounds like the perfect candidate for either the BFGoodrich Advantage TA Sport or Michelin CrossClimate 2.

I currently have the BFGoodrich tires on the CX-5 and love them with the exception of wet traction. Will be trying the Michelin tires after this winter season, if they don't do better in wet weather (not snow - snow grip is great) then I'll likely revert to the BFGs as they're a bit cheaper.

Love the Advantage TA Sport’s on our van. It can actually get out of the driveway in the winter now.

 

[Starman2112]

Michelin Defender LTX M/S. One of the best tires money can buy imo.

 

[slacktide_bitog]

An HT?

General Grabber HTS60, etc

 

[JimPghPA]

So far, the only problem I had in the snow with the BF Goodrich tires is you can't get the vehicle to slide to do decent doughnuts on snow in a vacant asphalt parkinglot.

 

[OptOut]

+ 100 on this post. When I bought my 2016 CV-V EX AWD with 19,877 miles on it in Feb. of 2020 the Honda dealer had just put on 4 new BF Goodrich Advantage TA Sort with the TPMSF symbol rating. Before this we always had 4 Blizzaks on there own rims for our vehicles. These tires are great in all conditions. Hot and dry roads, rain, snow, dirt, and mud, I have driven 11,000 miles on these tires and besides the noise I have no problems with them. My V just goes with no problems at all, regardless or what the ground it travels on is like. They are a little bit noisy, but I almost always drive with all the windows up and play songs on a flash-drive on the vehicles stereo, so the tire noise in not noticed on the low speed roads I drive daily.

On many YouTube videos it is said that the Michelin CC2s are quiet even on highway compared to most tires, and they are rated a little bit better the the BF Goodrich in all categories. But they do cost a bit more. I do not drive highway often, but when I do my V is very noisy and in general Honda CR-Vs are known to be a noisy vehicle at highway speeds, and basically is not quiet enough to be listening to music then. The BF Goodrich tire noise does not help that situation.

If she is going to be driving highway very often, it probably would be best to shell out the extra for the Michelin CC2s only because they are quiet compared to the BF Goodrich. At least CC2s are a 60,000 mile rated tire. There is one video of someone driving a low ground clearance front wheel drive only vehicle in snow a little deeper than the ground clearance of his vehicle and the CC2s get him through it with no problem at all. He even said in the video that some 4WD vehicles would have problems where he had just went with no problem. You might find that you can leave the CC2 on all year long and forget about having dedicated winter tires.

Do not buy the CC2 SUV version. They are the same tire with less treed depth and will not last as long. Michelin made them for use in European countries and then the European countries did not like them, so now Michelin is unloading them by calling them CC2 SUV.

I am planning on putting CC2s on my V when the BF Goodrich tires wear out.

Unfortunately we are right in the middle of the White Mountains here in NH, some of if not the harshest winters around so studded snows are a must, but the Michelin is in contention for sure. The BFG's show as discontinued on a couple sites I've checked so far too.