E Rated AT Tires

Co-opski

Expedition Leader
Looking at what is in the field for reviews on e-rated AT tires for 2020 from the Expo hive. I run BFG AT now but they are on backorder here in Anchorage. I use on more pavement now than back when I used to run Cooper STT when I lived and worked more backroad dirt roads outside of the city.
Cooper ST
BFG AT/KO
Bridgestone Revo AT 3
Nokian Rotiva AT Plus
Yokohama Geolander AT
Firestone Destination AT
Toyo Open Country AT
 

86scotty

Cynic
I stand by KO2's but I have also had great luck with Toyos. I don't live in nearly your kind of winter though so I feel underqualified to speak.
 

UHAULER

Explorer
I really liked the Yokahama Geolander GO15 on my van. It's probably what I'll put on my f250. They have a 18/32" tread depth and and good siping.
 

Todd n Natalie

OverCamper
I've had great luck with the goodyear duratracs. Had them for 3 years now. They have the 3 peak Snow peak rating. Not sure if they would suit your purpose. They do hum at highway speed.
 

alanymarce

Well-known member
I need to be educated on what you mean by "e-rated" please - are you referring to rolling resistance or wet grip or ???

In terms of AT tyres, our experience (with your list) is:

BFG AT/KO - good tyres, excellent on unsurfaced roads, good offroad, a bit noisy on surfaced roads. We had these on our LC80 and liked them.
Yokohama Geolander AT - excellent all round tyre, good balance between unsurfaced roads, offroad, and surfaced roads. We ended up with these after trying GO15s (the equivalent at the time), Dunlop Grand Trek AT3s, and Pirelli Scorpions, and they were the best of these. USed these on our X Trail i and then on our Montero.
Toyo Open Country AT - when we replaced a blown Geolandar last year (on the Montero) the only AT options where we were were BFG and Toyo - the shop recommended the Toyos as being as good as the BFGs but more economical. We bought one at that time, and when we replaced two more Geolandars we bought two more Toyos - good all round.

NOTE: we haven't seen much snow or ice anywhere we've travelled in our own 4x4 vehicles in the last decade (did see some in Argentina/Chile with the Grand Treks but not enough to form an opinion really).
 

GoinBoardin

Observer
I put the new Toyo AT3 that came out in March on my truck recently. Slightly more road noise than the Falken AT3W (which were very quiet) I removed but they run down the road nicely. With 3 ply sidewall and 3 peak mountain snowflake (severe snow service) rating I anticipate them being a solid AT choice. I don't have much time on them yet so can't say much in terms of off road performance.
 

IdaSHO

IDACAMPER
The toyo AT2 is the only tire Ill run anymore on a heavy full-size.
Sturdy, predicable, no BS tire with zero squirm from day one.
 

Todd n Natalie

OverCamper
I put the new Toyo AT3 that came out in March on my truck recently. Slightly more road noise than the Falken AT3W (which were very quiet) I removed but they run down the road nicely. With 3 ply sidewall and 3 peak mountain snowflake (severe snow service) rating I anticipate them being a solid AT choice. I don't have much time on them yet so can't say much in terms of off road performance.
Curious as to why you didn't go with the Falkens again. I've heard good things about them.
 

Co-opski

Expedition Leader
Thanks for all the replies everyone. I ended up with the Bridgstone Revo AT3.

The BFG AT, Cooper AT3 and ST maxx, and Toyo AT3 were all out of stock and on back order up here in my size 285/70/17.
I had to choose from Firestone, Nokian, Bridgestone, Yokohama. I'll get a review soon. I run a dedicated winter tire (Cooper) with studs so winter traction is not needed as much. I did notice the BFG, Bridgestone and Nokian all had the mountain snowflake winter rating.
These are on a full size Tundra with a hardside camper in the back.
 

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GoinBoardin

Observer
I need to be educated on what you mean by "e-rated" please - are you referring to rolling resistance or wet grip or ???

In terms of AT tyres, our experience (with your list) is:

BFG AT/KO - good tyres, excellent on unsurfaced roads, good offroad, a bit noisy on surfaced roads. We had these on our LC80 and liked them.
Yokohama Geolander AT - excellent all round tyre, good balance between unsurfaced roads, offroad, and surfaced roads. We ended up with these after trying GO15s (the equivalent at the time), Dunlop Grand Trek AT3s, and Pirelli Scorpions, and they were the best of these. USed these on our X Trail i and then on our Montero.
Toyo Open Country AT - when we replaced a blown Geolandar last year (on the Montero) the only AT options where we were were BFG and Toyo - the shop recommended the Toyos as being as good as the BFGs but more economical. We bought one at that time, and when we replaced two more Geolandars we bought two more Toyos - good all round.

NOTE: we haven't seen much snow or ice anywhere we've travelled in our own 4x4 vehicles in the last decade (did see some in Argentina/Chile with the Grand Treks but not enough to form an opinion really).
E-rated is referring to being a tire constructed for 80 PSI maximum pressure; which is considered 10-ply rated. Being that we're talking radials and not bias ply tires, the archaic ply lingo is a bit strange, but that's what the tire industry has held on to.

General tire info: If you take a given tire size (lets say, LT265/75R16 and compare a C rated (max press. 50 psi, 2470 lb max) to a D rated (max press. 65 psi, 3000 lb max) to an E rated version of that tire, the E rated tire will be rated for more weight (3415 lb max) at its maximum pressure. Keep in mind, at a given pressure (e.g., 50 psi), they all are rated for the same weight. In this case that's 2470 pounds. The higher load capacity of the E-rated tire is because an E-rated tire is capable of handling the higher inflation pressure required to bare that higher weight. In order to be able to handle those higher pressures, E-rated tires tend to have more rugged construction, which incidentally enhances off road durability at some sacrifice to tire flexibility and total weight. How much more durable, I don't know? I find the load inflation tables useful, here is Toyo's: https://www.toyotires.com/media/2125/application_of_load_inflation_tables_20170203.pdf
Curious as to why you didn't go with the Falkens again. I've heard good things about them.
They're great tires, but not perfect. They sucked in mud and they're not so cheap these days. I got the new Toyo's for less, as there was a sale. Falken's were a bargain when I bought them, but with a Toyo being cheaper, looking to be better in mud (greater void space), and having a 3 ply sidewall (Falken was only 2 ply sidewall) it was an easy choice. Plus, I'm always looking for the next best tire.
The toyo AT2 is the only tire Ill run anymore on a heavy full-size.
Sturdy, predicable, no BS tire with zero squirm from day one.
From what I can tell, the AT3 is an improvement on the AT2. May be one to watch going ahead.
 

Regcabguy

Oil eater.
I really liked the Yokahama Geolander GO15 on my van. It's probably what I'll put on my f250. They have a 18/32" tread depth and and good siping.
Yokohama XA-T for the diesels. It's their much tougher tire over the GO-15. Tougher carcass.
 

billiebob

Well-known member
Yokohama Geolanders are a a great buy. Not as tough as the others but a great winter tire.

And a great warranty. While BFGs might never need a warranty claim, the process with Yokohama is painless. My issues were always tread delamination. Not something that ever stranded me but irritating until I discovered how good the warranty was.

ps I now have Yokohama 742S tires, 7.50R16s and love them. Great ride and fabulous MPG.

DSC_0013.jpeg
 
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jadmt

ignore button user
E-rated is referring to being a tire constructed for 80 PSI maximum pressure; which is considered 10-ply rated. Being that we're talking radials and not bias ply tires, the archaic ply lingo is a bit strange, but that's what the tire industry has held on to.

General tire info: If you take a given tire size (lets say, LT265/75R16 and compare a C rated (max press. 50 psi, 2470 lb max) to a D rated (max press. 65 psi, 3000 lb max) to an E rated version of that tire, the E rated tire will be rated for more weight (3415 lb max) at its maximum pressure. Keep in mind, at a given pressure (e.g., 50 psi), they all are rated for the same weight. In this case that's 2470 pounds. The higher load capacity of the E-rated tire is because an E-rated tire is capable of handling the higher inflation pressure required to bare that higher weight. In order to be able to handle those higher pressures, E-rated tires tend to have more rugged construction, which incidentally enhances off road durability at some sacrifice to tire flexibility and total weight. How much more durable, I don't know? I find the load inflation tables useful, here is Toyo's: https://www.toyotires.com/media/2125/application_of_load_inflation_tables_20170203.pdf

They're great tires, but not perfect. They sucked in mud and they're not so cheap these days. I got the new Toyo's for less, as there was a sale. Falken's were a bargain when I bought them, but with a Toyo being cheaper, looking to be better in mud (greater void space), and having a 3 ply sidewall (Falken was only 2 ply sidewall) it was an easy choice. Plus, I'm always looking for the next best tire.

From what I can tell, the AT3 is an improvement on the AT2. May be one to watch going ahead.

I have had several sets of Toyo AT2 in 265/70-17, 285/70-17, 285/75-17 and 35/12.5-17 in E load and just put on a set of AT3 in C load ie 35/11.5-17 and being I only put them on Tuesday I have only put about 150 miles on them my first impression is they are loud. they replaced a set of ST Maxx in 315/70-17 D and they are louder than those and I also run a set of Falken at3w in 255/80-17 E and they are louder than those as well. I am hoping with a few more miles they quiet down but that has not been my experience in the past.
 

jadmt

ignore button user
Yokohama Geolanders are a a great buy. Not as tough as the others but a great winter tire.

And a great warranty. While BFGs might never need a warranty claim, the process with Yokohama is painless. My issues were always tread delamination. Not something that ever stranded me but irritating until I discovered how good the warranty was.

ps I now have Yokohama 742S tires, 7.50R16s and love them. Great ride and fabulous MPG.

View attachment 602188
going to Yoko's site they only make those in two sizes and doing a quick qoogle search seem pretty hard to even get them. what is your build date code on those? as that is not a size they show currently available. probably a pretty tough tire to get replaced on the road if needed.
 

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