What Are Your Favorite AT Tires for Working & Funning in the Southeast?

It's about time to get some new tires for my 2014 TRD Off-Road Tacoma and I'm suffering from choice overload. There are lot of tires out there choose from. But, I've only had two sets of AT tires on my truck (not a lot of experience). The first were the worst tires I've ever driven on in my life and the second have performed really well. I'm nervous about landing on another dud.

Tire History:

BFGoodrich Rugged Trail A/T (Size: 265/70/15)

• These tires came on my truck and were absolute garbage from day 1
• Extremely noisy
• A death sentence in the rain
• If you hit a puddle only on your right tires you would find yourself fighting to stay out of the ditch and wishing you had wore your brown pants
• Terrible ware life
  
• I couldn't get these off my truck fast enough

Michelin LTX A/T 2 (Size: 265/70/15)

• Much quieter
  
• Much safer on the road and in the rain
• Even though they are not very aggressive looking, they have performed surprisingly well off-road (much to the surprise of friends with funner looking tires)

Driving Habbits:

• 80/20 on/off road (this is my only vehicle)
  
• During the week I commute daily pavement and interstates
  
  • This is the bulk of my driving and I'd like to not to be miserable/unsafe
• On the weekends I get off road at the family farm, beach, or the mountains
  • I live in the Southeast, so we are talking piedmont, pasture, and the Appalachian mountains

Why don't I just by another set of LTX A/T 2's? They are more expensive now than when I got them and they dropped my current size. I can only get a new pair in 245/75/16. I'm not sure if the change in size will mean much, but that and the cost have me looking for my next favorite tire.

 

The Michelins are a much better tire, especially with your majority being highway miles. My go to tire is BFG all terrains. Been running them for the last 30 years.

From what you describe, the Michelins would be my suggestion

 

I have had a very good experience driving in the same places with a set of Toyo Open Country AT III tires. Mine are 245/75/16 which is stock for my SR5. These tires are quiet on the interstate at 70 to 80 mph. Most of my daily driving is around metro Atlanta on I-285 or surface streets. They perform very well in the rain during an El Niño winter that brought heavy rain this year. This truck is my daily driver and is used for trips to the Appalachians hauling paddling and camping gear on the highway and forest service roads. These tires work well in 4WD on muddy dirt roads.

The Michelins are very good tires. While they are more expensive I believe you will get more miles out of them than a set of Toyo ATIIIs. I've only driven my Toyos about 11,000 miles so not sure how long they will last. I have gotten 70,000 miles out of a set of LTX A/Ts on a Honda Pilot.

 

I have had a fantastic experience with my General Grabber ATXs. I don’t see many people running them, I’m not sure why. Maybe because they aren’t part of the cool tires club?

I don’t have experience with any other tires on this Tacoma (other than the crappy OEM Toyo’s). I ran the g003’s for about a week but didn’t put enough miles on them to offer any feedback so I consider the Grabbers as the only aftermarket tire I’ve really used.

I’m not saying they’re the best tire out there because I haven’t run anything else to compare them too but I highly recommend them. I do a similar mix of on-road to off-road driving; about 80/20. They are perfect for that use case.

 

In the last i have run Cooper ST Maxxx, Bfg AT's, Nitto G2's, and now currently Good Year Duratracs. The best on highway were the G2's. Best off road is a toss up between the ST Maxx and Duratracs. Having said, i think best all around would be the BFG's. Had them on a Tacoma and a 4runner. With tire prices and the overwhelming worth of opinions that are out there ... i wish you luck with your choice.

 

Cooper AT3 4s are great tires. Just my opinion, though.

 

I tired for the Michelin LTX A/T 2 today, but they are off the table because the smaller size is not on the door tag. So, back to the drawing board.

 

A guy gave me a set of 245/75/16 Dextero dht2 that he said he used for one summer. I’m loving these stupid things. Quiet and tough as shit, so far.

 

Looking at Goodyear Wrangler UltraTerrain AT vs. Continental Terrain Contact A/T ...... any opinions?

right now the Conti's are on backorder and there is a Discount Tire sale that makes the UltraTerrain about the same price.

 

I second the Toyo Open Country at3. i run 235/75R15 and my 2.7 moves them like a dream. not noisy or uncomf