Hercules Terra Trac A/T, The Ranger's Review

After having phenomenal luck with the Hercules Trail Digger M/T (review here), and with a change in staffing requiring me to spend more time on the highway and less time patrolling the back country, I decided on the Hercules Terra Trac A/T as the replacement tires for my patrol vehicle.



As a disclaimer, these tires are being used on a Chevy Colorado . However, the Hercules Terra Trac is available in many of the popular sizes for the Toyota Tacoma including 265/70R17 in both P and LT ratings. $640 out the door for an American made 30X9.5R15LT all-terrain is a great deal. The tire comes with a 50,000 mile manufacturer warranty. Advertised tread depth for this particular size 16.5/32nds. Actual measured depth is the same. They balanced perfectly without any issues.









Street:

The first thing I can say about the Terra Trac A/T is that it is remarkably quiet. And not just quiet for an all-terrain, I mean quiet for any tire. I could not hear the tires at all over the sound of the wind rushing underneath the code 3 light bar on my truck. Street handling is neither phenomenal nor lack-luster, being just about average for an a/t. I only have the 30 mile drive back from the tire shop as experience, so only time will tell how well they will hold up in the different conditions and extreme abuse I put them through.





Off-Road:

Confident. If tires could have a personality, the Hercules Terra Trac A/T would certainly be confident off-road. Moving to an all-terrain from a mud-terrain I was expecting to lose a little bit of grip in the soft stuff. This is not the case. Wandering in deep soft sand is non-existent. They dig in, grip, and hold their own line even in heavily traveled and channeled sandy washes. Cornering is excellent due to the amount of tread and siping low on the sidewall. I'm still experimenting with the proper tire pressure. So far, even on the higher side of PSI they are quite smooth over washboards and rocks. My lieutenant's truck, identically equipped except for brand new BFG A/T's, is temporarily up here. I had a chance to drive it as a comparison and there is a clear winner: the Hercules Terra Tracs are worlds better than the BFGs in all categories.

Stay tuned for my mileage updates. As per usual, tires for me only last about half as long as they would for the normal person so if I can get 20,000 miles out of them, that would equal 40 - 50,000 for the average driver.

 

Who carries this tire? Does it come in a P235/75R15? Tough looking tire and great that it's quiet.

 

Most tire shops carry this brand, or at least can order it in with only a few days delay. For specific information on sizes and specifications, you can check the manufacturer's website here: http://herculestire.com/tire-gallery/passenger-and-light-truck/suvlight-truck/terra-trac-at/

 

OP updated with initial off-road experience.

 

nice review,.. have you tried the general ats ?

 

Interesting. As always, looking forward to your review on this tire.

 

Any updates?

 

So far I like these tires. I don't have an official update yet (mostly because I lost the maintenance log showing what mileage I had them installed). They may not be the absolute best tire for everyone, but at the price and performance, they are certainly the best tire for me. As long as I don't have any crazy issues with them, they will be the next tire on my personal vehicle.

 

Following the lead of many other tire manufacturers, Hercules have released an updated version of the Terra Tracs, appropriately named the A/T II. They claim it is even quieter than the original which would be an impressive feat, considering how quiet the originals are.

http://www.herculestire.com/terra-trac-at-ii

 

Well, the vehicle that these tires were mounted on ended up dying before the tires reached their full end of life. I have to say that they were wearing down a little faster than I had hoped, and I was beginning to feel a touch disappointed with their off-road handling.

That being said, I would still consider them as a bargain all-terrain that only sees mild to moderate off-road use.

 

I'm having a set of P265/75-16 installed on my 01 4Runner this Wednesday. I'll post a couple reviews as I put them through their paces if anyone is interested. Previously used General Grabber AT2. I chose Terra Tracs over Hankook DynaPro ATM and Cooper Discoverer ATP at the recommendation of the shop owner that uses them on all of his vehicles including a dually used for towing.

 

i've had 3 sets of these and will go on my new taco as soon as i need tires and/or find the new wheels that i want. i've only had good experiences. very little off road but i've had them in a lot of snow and they did very well.

 

Bump. Stopped by one of my local indy tire shops and the sales dude was trying to push this tire over the dynapro atm I had him quote. The price was good, but I don't know anything about this tire. Do any of you guys have a long term update?

 

I havent owned that particular series but I have had the Hercules "Terra Trac R/S"They are alot more agressive looking mounted then they look in the photo and have a decent amount of hum at cruising speeds. They were outstanding in the snow and dirt and gravel. Dry pavement handling was very respectable. Wet pavement I would have to give a marginal rating. But my truck overall doesnt like to go crazy on wet roads anyway. They are also on the soft side so alot of highway miles will wear them down fairly quick.They are priced very affordable so if your on a tight budget and want something that looks good and performs decent they are worth checking out.
As far as the Hankook Dynapros I would think you would get much more life out of the Hankooks. They wear like stone. I just never really liked their look but they are a great tire.

 

Good reading. I love these tires as I have them on my Tacoma now. The a/t 2 it's a wonderful tire. Highly suggest getting them

 

Thanks for the write up! edit: 2013, tires don't change much so still valid.

 

I have the at2's and they've performed great for me. Ive driven in mud, slush, ice, dirt and socal's granite. Ive enjoyed them so far