Best AT tire ever made? I found it.

I am a tire junkie. If I won the lottery, I would open up a tire shop and sell only the wheels/tires that I know are good and experiment all day, every day with different treads and combinations in all conditions.

But, since I am not a rich man, I limit myself to buying a new set of tires for my SUV or pickup every Fall to try out for the next year.

This year, for the first time in a decade or longer, I am keeping the same tires that I bought last year.

I have found the Holy Grail of AT tires for ME.

I need a tire for 90% daily commuting, then the rest spent in the woods on gravel, loose dirt, sand, rocks, mud, and water.

I need those tires to not be rough-riding, not be loud, not destroy my gas mileage, wear like iron, and not break the bank.

I have never found a tire that would satisfy all requirements in decades of searching. Until now.

It is my Holy Grail tire.

Now mind you, I have ran nearly all of the popular AT and mud tires. All of them have some great features. But none of them have done well in every environment until now...




Meet the Goodyear Wrangler Ultra Terrain AT tire.






I bought a set over a year ago in LT285/70R 17 off of Discount Tire online for $260 each. Delivered to my door with free shipping.

They are a 10-ply heavy duty tire available exclusively through Discount Tire, which is a fairly large tire chain in the Western US.

The tire is what is known as a "hybrid" tire in that it combines elements of a mud terrain with an all-terrain to create a more capable tire. I call them "aggressive ATs". The BFG All-Terrain KO2, General Grabber AT, Toyo RT, Cooper ST Maxx, and Falken Wildpeak AT, etc, all fall into this category.

They are the jack of all trades and masters of none when it comes to pickup/SUV tires.

They all feature lots of siping (the little lines in the tread blocks that help with ice and snow grip) on center blocks, larger voids on outside lugs (to help with mud performance), and lots of tight center lugs to help deliver a quiet ride and longer life...













Since I live in a unique area in which for half the year; I am commuting to work on a rural highway that can have either dry pavement, standing water, pure ice, or 3 foot snow drifts, I needed a tire that was very capable.

On weekends, I try to go into the nearby mountains and there encounter greasy mud, rocks, loose dirt, gravel, and deep dust.

Once a year, I make a 4000-mile road trip down to the Mexico border in Arizona and explore the desert in search of gold and ghost towns.

Basically, I encounter every single type of driving condition you can think of.

I have had mine on for over a year and about 11,000 miles. They are the best AT tire I have ever ran in packed snow, deep snow, and ice.

I did a YT review of them soon after putting them on and was amazed at how well they did...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kaw7YjByNok

So, in snow, they are phenomenal.

In the sand, rocks, and mud, they are awesome.

Shot another video down in the Arizona desert to show sand performance...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7ipZ6uBamo

As far as wear, they are excellent. I checked wear at 5k miles and lost 1 mm of tread. At 11,000 miles, they are at about 2mm of wear and still look new...




My gas mileage increased about 1 mpg over the previous tread design, and the noise is still barely noticeable.

So, this is my new tire. As long as they are available in the size I need, I will buy them. No matter the cost. The performance and wear is so good, that I will have no issue paying $300 per tire for these.

But, I have a cousin who is the VP of HR for Goodyear/Cooper and she said I can have a 50% off coupon next time I buy tires, so that will be nice.

 

Nice review, thank you for sharing your experience with us. I may have a look at these as I believe my friend is running these. I just don't need a E rated tire.

 

I didn't think I needed one either, but these run smooth and quiet and are a bit less harsh than my previous E rated tires. I like going into the woods and not worrying about punctures. But most folks just don't need the extra protection or ability, which is understandable.

 

there is a wheels and tire section..

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/goodyear-ultraterrain-at.563036/

 

Too bad they don't come in a 255/85R16.....

 

I agree, I have these and they are amazing.

BFG has been sleeping on their K02 design for too long (so many better options than the BFGs), plus they are heavier than the UltraTerrains.

 

Hey its me, your long lost brother. Can I get that 50% off coupon?

 

On my second set of these. I agree they are great tires but I find them slick as eel shart on wet roads.

 

Opinions on a AT mostly Highway tire
Might be an oxymoron but I’m more pavement than not and looking to get better mileage also . Right now my summer wheels are 285/70 17 so I might also down size a bit . Winter wheels are 265/75 16s . Maybe a size in between . I’ve been running Falken Wildpeaks for both and have no complaints. Just curious as to others opinions !

 

Thanks for the review. These were on my list for replacements next year. Now the question is do I stick with stock size or move to a 265/75-16....

 

I believe a new option from BFG is in the works. They recently released the Trail Terrain but will be coming out with something between the KO2 and the KM3 perhaps next spring.

 

It’s possible because he drives a 4Runner with more weight on the rear, that’s why he hooks up better in the wet than you.

 

I loved the looks of the Goodyear Authority AT and they did great off-road, but the rubber compound was super hard and they were downright scary on packed snow and wet roads...

 

Right on! Thank you for your business and review of our exclusive Wrangler UltraTerrain A/T, @LUV2explorethePNW

On a side note, you mentioned gold and ghost towns. If you haven't already, check out Jerome, AZ when you can. Not much in the way of gold (copper), but the town has a Ghoulish past.

 

I've been to Jerome several times, as I used to live in Prescott Valley. The glass-blowing exhibitions were very cool, and the free museum video presentation is worth sitting through.

When I lived in the area, I began gold prospecting on the weekends and found a bit of color at Lynx Creek. I miss living there.

 

My grandparents and father (when he was a wee child) lived in Cottonwood near there, Grandpa worked in copper mining in the area... Not sure exactly where the mine was. Always wanted to go to Jerome, as well as the general area, for nostalgia sake...

 

I'm glad you like them, I'm always confused with the GoodYear lineup, I mean there is the Duratrac, and then there are 30 other wrangler models.. add in the exclusive models like these ones and it seems like they are just flooding the market with mediocre tires.

I would also hold tires exclusive to one shop as a drawback. Great if you are sitting in the US and there are three shops in town, not so great when you are a country away and have a flat.

 

Very poor on wet roads.