Aggressive AT tire, good on road driving and snow/ice

Hey guys. I’m looking to upgrade the stock tires on my 21 CM to an all terrain 275/70r18. I’m looking for an aggressive AT tire that still does well with highway driving and drive in snow/ice. I know a lot of people recommend Wild peaks, KO2’s, Cooper XLTs, Toyo AT’s. But I’d like something a little more aggressive. A few of the other tires I’ve considered are the yokohama geolandar x-at, Micky T Baja atz p3, Cooper ST Maxx, and Goodyear Duratracs. Anyone have experience with these or recommend something else? Don’t seem to be as much info on here about these tires compared to the most popular ones I first mentioned.

 

The Cooper ST Maxx gets loud, and stay far away from the KO2's. Many of us also run the Nitto Ridge Grapplers. I just put on my 2nd set about a month or so ago.

 

I like the style of the Ridge Grapplers but a lot of people seem to agree they aren’t the best in the snow. I’m in Western NY so I’d like a halfway decent tire that does good in the snow. I dont need a dedicated snow tire or anything. Just don’t want to be sliding all over the place.

 

X2 for the Nitto Ridge Grapplers. The Goodyear Duratrac and the Wrangler MTR are great tires as well.

 

Falken Wildpeak AT3W tires. Good all around tire that has been great in the snow so far. Keep in mind, any AT tire is going to be heavier, so you are likely taking a slight MPG hit. AT tires also pick up and throw rocks, though the Falkens are not as bad about it as the BFGs I had in the past.

If you mean you want better looks when you say "aggressive" then look at the Pitbull tires. You'll go broke putting them on, but they are THE best looking tire out there.

 

I want to like the Wildpeak but for whatever reason I’m just not a fan of the sidewall on those tires. Plus I’d like to go with something a little different from everyone else. Sounds stupid I know lol.

 

I hear you. Took me a while to get used to the Falkens. They do look better in person, but they are not going to be an eye grabber from across a walmart parking lot or anything. Like I said, if you want looks and capability, check out Pitbulls. @mgm16trdpro has them, and they are the most badass looking tire I've ever seen that still looks drivable.

 

Haha, I just looked the up. Do look badass but I don’t think the wife would be happy about spending $2k on tires lol

 

True, but those tires could take you way off the beaten path to hide from her. Just sayin'.

 

The Duratracs are very good in deep snow, and decent on ice when newer. At least for a hybrid/aggresive AT type tire. We have long winters and lots of snow up here, and the Duratrac is one of the more popular truck tires.

I put a studded set on last fall and was really happy with their performance over the winter. Far better deep snow and ice traction than the Toyos or BFGs I’ve owned.

 

I've had KOs for years and now have them on three vehicles. Love them and they have a fairly aggressive look but are a very balanced tire. They do well in snow - switched to them off the Michelin Hydro-Edge tires years ago in Michigan. My tire-eating CRV even does well on them.

I was seriously considering Falken. In my market all the Nitos were same or more expensive than the KO2s. They seem like good enough tires but I have had good luck with BF Goodrich. Not too many miles on them yet but so far so good. The old coopers were plum wore out

 

I'll second the Falken Wildpeaks... We have them on our 03 V8 4Runner and they've done great so far. I plan on putting a set on my Tundra when my current tires need replacing.

 

The Duratracs are a good tire, and they have a nice blocky looking sidewall. We run them on all the trucks at work, and they have handled everything pretty well. Good miles out of them as well. OP, you should check them out.

 

Toyo AT3 with aggressive side out or KO2s. KO2s do throw rocks though and an older tread pattern. Maybe KO3s coming up soon.

 

They are quite popular here in the forestry and oil & gas industries. Lots of off-roading, service roads & well sites.

The only thing I’d mention as a downside- guys who are sensitive to road noise may wish to look elsewhere.

 

I’ve had Duratracs on my 4Runner and my GX470 for several years now. Great tire both on and off road. Very good in snow. Great wet road performance.

 

I’ve had Ridge Grapplers for almost 1 year now. (Montana) They do very well in snow, deep snow, slush, mud, rain, sand, dirt, gravel roads, they throw very few rocks, and are a very quiet tire! However their weakness is Ice, not bad..just ok, but better than any M/T tire. So if your concerned at all about ice go with the Wildpeak AT3W, Duratracs or something similar with smaller lugs and or more siping. FWIW I’d buy them again!

 

I like Duratracs, I’ve used them on my work vehicles as well as my Tundra. They are very good in the winter.

 

I back up Wrongside comment... after about 30K, and you have a sensitivity to the road noise, look elsewhere. Great tread life but they do get loud.

 

Only tire I’ve ever pulled off early. Got so loud. The drive home after replacing them was bittersweet. I had forgotten how much other noise that truck made

 

Duratrac is hard to beat for an all around aggressive tire and the only AT type tire I’ve run year round in CO and felt safe. Falken AT3w was a little quieter but wore much quicker and is no longer the budget option it used to be. Also the Duratrac is decently less weight than the falken in the same size and always great rebates on the Duratrac.

 

Duratrac is a great tire but the reason why i personally did not go for it was couple of reasons 1. I read alot about their side wall issues and to pay a good chuck of money for something i could have issue with down the road is something i did not want and that is the second reason i did not buy them which is price. I can tell you that the yokohama geolandar x-at is an aggressive looking tire i found i brought the LT rated version and only thing i will note about the x-at and they can be loud on the highway but it was something i expected. I have not tested them in ❄ condition but from what i read they handle just fine. The x-at is rated to be a good all around tire. I know i have a aggressive looking tire why my wife of all people tells me she want tires like mines on her 2018 highlander lmao

 

Two different side wall pettern that you can choose from, mesa and summit is what yokohama calls them.

 

That’s a good looking tire! I like the fact they give you 2 completely different sidewall design options. I’m assuming the mesa design is the tire in the back?

 

Thank you everyone for the feedback on the Duratracs, Yokos, and the others. Anybody have any feedback on the Cooper ST Maxx or the Micky T ATZ P3?

 

Pretty sure the Yokohama ATX is not severe snow rated. Neither is the Mickey ATZ P3. I looked hard at those, but if they were as good in the snow as a Duratrac they had the Three Peak Snow Flake symbol. They don’t.


A friend of mine has the ST Maxx on his work truck, Duratracs on his Tundra. He said the ST Maxx is a good tire but a little squirrelly on ice and snow.

 

Yea mesa is the one in the back and its what i went with.

 

Dont get me wrong ive put duratrac to the test, when we have had severe snow here in Jersey i had to run a plow truck with duratrac on them. And its the reason i want to put them on my truck but after talking to a tech at my job he told me do more research on the goodyears told alot of ppl complainted about the weak side wall. Told me to get LT tires in the duratrac and even then

 

I see comments like this about weak sidewalls on the Duratrac, and it makes me wonder a little if it’s not one of those internet rumors that gets rolling. Like I mentioned, they’re a popular tire in industry here in Alberta, over many years. Vehicles, machinery & defective products tend to get weeded out pretty quickly. Maybe GY offers steep fleet discounts?

Another possible factor- E-rated tires are pretty much standard on trucks here. My tire shop doesn’t even ask if you want P-Metric. That could be why I’ve never had problems w/ Duratrac sidewalls. E-Rated even on my Tundra.

I ran them for years on a 2500 CTD, with more mountain & foothills off-roading than most, and they performed great. My first choice wasn’t available when winter tire shopping last fall, so I defaulted to the Duratrac. After not running them for a few years, I have not regretted them at all and will probably put a non-studded set on for summer/fall.