Thank you all for the input. I appreciate the perspectives. I was offered a very attractive price on the Kumhos, which is why I wanted to get some educated opinions, but my original thought was going to be another set of Bridgestone Duelers or the Continentals. As I mentioned I know Michelin has a good reputation but I have not had luck with them so those are not in the proverbial running. Thank you again.
New tires for 2016 4Runner SR5
- Thread starter RBT
- Start date
Cooper Road and Trail
Nitto Nomad Grappler
Yokohama Geolander A/T G015
Nitto Nomad Grappler
Yokohama Geolander A/T G015
Since you can wait, see what's on sale on Black Friday and go from there 
I have a second set of Cooper AT3s on my 4R. Like them a lot. I guess the new version is the Road and Trail. Don't let the off road "Trail" make you shy away. I was worried about noise, too, with the AT3 but it was unfounded. I don't even notice anything. 65k warranty to boot! The "rugged" sidewall gives a look a 4R deserves.
falken wildpeak, excellent, not noisy
sumitomo encounter at, likely my next truck tire, due to cost savings
the snow legend, Blizzak, everyone who drives in snow and ice has heard of this tire, enough said
old school Goodyear AT, a classic look, good overall traction without much comprise
Mich LTX AT2
A bunch to choose from. I have many miles on LTX AT2, with heavy trucks, and they have great traction and last a long time, very smooth. You have a 4Runner, act like it.
I have a set of Bridgestone 684II on my truck and I agree w you, they are great for mostly pavement driving. Since you like them, I would just get a new set. They can be had for about $150ea (265 70 17)
edyvw
$50 site donor 2026
They might be better moving forward. AT tires won’t be as good where it really matters: braking and handling.
Where? That is a great price I am not seeing. Thank you.
I appreciate that clarification - didn’t know there was an actual test involved in the 3PMSF rating.
Still, we both agree that it is a proxy. I’ve seen (and driven) AT tires with a 3PMSF that do well in snow, and those with a 3PMSF the do poorly in snow. So, again, agree that the are marked differences in non-winter tires.
I don’t trust the 3PMSF as a reliable predictor of snow performance because actual snow performance varies so much in those tires with a 3PMSF.
In general, actual winter tires are significantly better in snow than AT tires. There are some all season tires, like the LTX, that are better than AT tires in snow. When I lived in Vermont, I had BFG AT KO on one truck, and Blizzaks (DM-V) on the other. Absolutely no comparison. The BFGs, lauded for their snow performance, were nowhere near as capable in snow, as the Bridgestones, and on ice, they were laughably poor by comparison.
I don’t understand the hate for the LTX. Mine were actually quite good in snow. Again, not as good as the Blizzaks, but surprisingly capable. My Tundra sees snow often. It’s my vehicle of choice for winter, not because it’s a truck, but because of the tires. The tires that I have put on the truck have all been selected with snow performance in mind.
The best winter performance I have had in non-winter tires, were the Nokian WR-G3, but they wore quickly. Latest set of tires on the truck are Nokian Outpost nAT, which promise good snow performance from a Finnish company known for snow performance. Yeah, they are AT tires, but I don’t off-road much anymore, and I was looking for decent manners on road with good snow performance.
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Thanks! Super helpful . . . .
With respect to snows, I don’t really need anything other than very basic snow traction. I keep an extra set of wheels with mounted Blizzaks for all the vehicles. I have used them for 30 years in heavy snow when I used to take my BMW (open diff, no traction control, did absolutely fine - to go skiing. (The ride up the mountain was more fun than the skiing itself.). It is rare to get heavy snow here, but if the forecast calls for it, I will get them out of the loft and mount them. Three season is fine.
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- Jul 15, 2023
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I test a lot of tires. I have direct experience with nearly all the tires mentioned so far, including the Defender and Outpost (good tire, but a little wander-prone on the highway though). I’d point to the BFG Trail Terrains if you want great winter grip and good behavior on road.
Here’s my truck wearing the Outposts in winter testing:
Here it is with KO2:
At the point the original BFG KO is a pretty old tire and the KO2 and KO3 are fairly competent in the snow. They’re not quite as good as leaders like the Outposts, Firestone AT2, BFG Trail Terrain, or General Grabber ATX, though. Still easily superior to Defender.
In my testing, the Defender leaves a lot to be desired in true winter conditions. It is not as competent as true 4-season road tires. It’s a great tire in most other respects, especially if you prioritize tire life over absolute grip, so if I lived somewhere where I didn’t have to worry about a severe winter, it could be a good choice.
Off-topic - Unless you didn't have them on, it looks like you might benefit from some different foglights, not factory LED versions. If bulbs are replaceable on that, possibly the Morimoto 2stroke 4.0 that they show circulates warm air in housing. I think IH8MUD had some test that they showed regular Diode Dynamic Sport SS3 did not get warm enough in testing in CO. The SS3 pro did not either. SS3 max did.
My son has SS3 Sport and in the slush we had it melted. My Hella DE with HID conversion work well and melt snow/ice.
The Morimoto XB in daughters CRV do not. The factory LED fogs and headlights in Pilot do not.
My son has SS3 Sport and in the slush we had it melted. My Hella DE with HID conversion work well and melt snow/ice.
The Morimoto XB in daughters CRV do not. The factory LED fogs and headlights in Pilot do not.
edyvw
$50 site donor 2026
Let’s remind people about abysmal wet performance of BFG Trail Terrain. Just to be clear.
I’ve been quite particular about tires - as you have to live with them for several years and I hate wasting money. So many tires lose their wet and wet braking performance as early as half way through their life, and I find myself, especially as a pickup driver, replacing them well before the tread is to the wear bars. Driving RWD when the bed is empty is a thang, and I care.
My best wet traction experience over the life of a truck-sized tire has been with a particular continental tire, and sometimes Michelin. I know @edyvw has had marked good performance for the full tread cycle with Michelin, but I’ve only experienced that with some Michelin tires but not all. Having had a few sets of LTX M&S, if they age before the tread wears, they get loud and slick. I think you have to use them up before the calendar runs out on them. If they are still halfway down at 5 years, they are done. This may be true for all makes in general, but I’ve experienced it with the Michelins.
The Michelin CC2 has been without a doubt, the best wet weather tire we have owned. We’ve had 2 sets, and I’ve put two sets on friends cars this year.
I’ve had two sets of the continental ATs. I’m not sold on them as the best - they seem to have occassional runout issues - but they have been a good “do everything” tire with exceptional wet road holding. I’ve never had a set past 30k miles - as both vehicles were sold about then, and they still had half their tread left, but I’ll say that there’s something in their compound that just excels. I compared them to the Yokohama G015, which in my experience is more precisely built, but they (yoko) are a little jeckyl&hyde with the first rain in a while and have surprised me several times with super-slick braking when others haven’t.
Michelin primacy LTX, which probably won’t get the tread mileage, is so far also a great rain tire. This may be the sleeper in the group. I’ll bet the rubber is soft enough to keep a pliable grip to the end - which for me I’ll estimate is 40% through the tread at 9k miles. They will be done by 30. The soft rubber peels off on any kind of hard off road hill climb. You know, my friend told me.
I’ve had a consistently good history with upper level Bridgestone tires. They have several that review well. The dueler ascent also scores well on tirerack, and it is a 3pmsf mile AT as well. Similar to my Michelin experience, many of the older Bridgestones I had lost rain grip well before tread, though we had two sets of … I think they were “integrity” models, in the early teens that lasted forever AND kept their wet performance, so they may be improving there. The dueler ascent is in my top 3 for my own vehicle later next year, if it still rates.
Yokohama is replacing the darling and well-loved G015 with the G018. 18 has the looks but the early reviews suggest it isnt as good for ride, handling, wet, or noise. If you can find a set of G015s, they are good tires, and on a 4R could be a really good match if the brand interests you. I do suspect they are better made than the continentals.
My best wet traction experience over the life of a truck-sized tire has been with a particular continental tire, and sometimes Michelin. I know @edyvw has had marked good performance for the full tread cycle with Michelin, but I’ve only experienced that with some Michelin tires but not all. Having had a few sets of LTX M&S, if they age before the tread wears, they get loud and slick. I think you have to use them up before the calendar runs out on them. If they are still halfway down at 5 years, they are done. This may be true for all makes in general, but I’ve experienced it with the Michelins.
The Michelin CC2 has been without a doubt, the best wet weather tire we have owned. We’ve had 2 sets, and I’ve put two sets on friends cars this year.
I’ve had two sets of the continental ATs. I’m not sold on them as the best - they seem to have occassional runout issues - but they have been a good “do everything” tire with exceptional wet road holding. I’ve never had a set past 30k miles - as both vehicles were sold about then, and they still had half their tread left, but I’ll say that there’s something in their compound that just excels. I compared them to the Yokohama G015, which in my experience is more precisely built, but they (yoko) are a little jeckyl&hyde with the first rain in a while and have surprised me several times with super-slick braking when others haven’t.
Michelin primacy LTX, which probably won’t get the tread mileage, is so far also a great rain tire. This may be the sleeper in the group. I’ll bet the rubber is soft enough to keep a pliable grip to the end - which for me I’ll estimate is 40% through the tread at 9k miles. They will be done by 30. The soft rubber peels off on any kind of hard off road hill climb. You know, my friend told me.
I’ve had a consistently good history with upper level Bridgestone tires. They have several that review well. The dueler ascent also scores well on tirerack, and it is a 3pmsf mile AT as well. Similar to my Michelin experience, many of the older Bridgestones I had lost rain grip well before tread, though we had two sets of … I think they were “integrity” models, in the early teens that lasted forever AND kept their wet performance, so they may be improving there. The dueler ascent is in my top 3 for my own vehicle later next year, if it still rates.
Yokohama is replacing the darling and well-loved G015 with the G018. 18 has the looks but the early reviews suggest it isnt as good for ride, handling, wet, or noise. If you can find a set of G015s, they are good tires, and on a 4R could be a really good match if the brand interests you. I do suspect they are better made than the continentals.
I appreciate the replies.
I am not interested in anything with an aggressive or semi aggressive all terrain style tread. Too much noise, unpredictable limit handling and generally questionable wet traction. Not necessary given the intended use at present (my son - new driver - to go school, work, and practice) and for the foreseeable future.
I have had universally good experience with Bridgestones. Michelin has been hit or miss - good on Mercedes and BMW sedans, hit or miss for light truck.
Continental I have had less experience with, but the experience I had was positive. The terrain contact looks like a good choice.
Remaining question I would have is whether anyone has experience with Kumho Crugens in a light truck / SUV application. The price I was quoted was attractive so that is why I asked. Otherwise my likely defaults would be another set of Bridgestones or try something new with the Continentals.
Thank you again for the help.
I am not interested in anything with an aggressive or semi aggressive all terrain style tread. Too much noise, unpredictable limit handling and generally questionable wet traction. Not necessary given the intended use at present (my son - new driver - to go school, work, and practice) and for the foreseeable future.
I have had universally good experience with Bridgestones. Michelin has been hit or miss - good on Mercedes and BMW sedans, hit or miss for light truck.
Continental I have had less experience with, but the experience I had was positive. The terrain contact looks like a good choice.
Remaining question I would have is whether anyone has experience with Kumho Crugens in a light truck / SUV application. The price I was quoted was attractive so that is why I asked. Otherwise my likely defaults would be another set of Bridgestones or try something new with the Continentals.
Thank you again for the help.
