All-Terrian tires vs all-season tires

[madmax]

I did a little research on A/T tires vs all-season tires. Here's what I found:

With A/T tires, you will lose approximately 3%-5% in fuel economy. The tread design can have a much more significant effect on gas mileage. For example, aggressive, heavy all-terrain tires can cause you to get 1 to 2 MPG less than it would with ultra-fuel-efficient highway/street tires. The advantages are better grip on snow, gravel, and even sandy beaches.

Also, all-terrain tires have shorter lives than highway & street tires because of their treadwear.

Many tire manufacturers are designing low-resistance rolling on all-terrain tires.

Let's say if you drive 15,000 miles per year while getting 20 mpg, the gas price is $3 per gallon, you'll spend $67.50 more per year with a set of A/Ts. It's probably not significant.

Best low-resistance rolling tires: Nexen Roadian AT Pro RA8.
Best fuel efficient: Continental TerrainContact A/T.
Best long tread wear: Kumho Road Venture AT51.

I also think Goodyear Wrangler A/T tires are pretty good.

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[Darnon]

Personally not a fan of Goodyear Wranglers or the brand in general. Had too many shift belts, start shedding steel, and/or experience tread blowouts through fleet use.

 

[Dr3wman]

Fuel economy aide, I would imagine A/T tires are noisier than all-season??

 

[Maverickman74]

This is more my cup of tea... or mud!

If I ordered the hybrid for sure I would have some rain tires.

But realistically this is what will be on our Tremor after the factory tires wear out. Is it a little extreme for the Maverick, maybe but overall the mileage wont be much worse at that size than the Wildpeaks and it will not pick up tiny gravel and hold it until the highway as bad. The rocks they pick up will be dropped pretty quickly before I reach enough speed to tear up my fenders.

And no the Wildpeaks are not as capable. I used to have a little Jeep group we all had similarly sized CJs and we all had different tire preferences. ATs, MTs, and Bias mudders. It was easily evident who would have to go first and who could pull out who, and who couldnt go where. Honestly if you could squeeze 2 boggers on the front of a hybrid, barring ground clearance is would go anywhere a Tremor would on its 235 ATs. With out a doubt.

 

[Decayed]

It really depends on what you want and need. Full on all terrain tires like the wildpeaks will weigh 40+ lb and be noisier on the road. But they have a wider range of capabilities and look awesome. If you need off road capability or want the looks the rest is just an expense. Then again the Mav isn't really designed for heavy off road use anyway.

Falken makes wildpeak AT/Trails which are more like SUV tires and straddle on and off road requirements. BFG makes the Trail-Terrains which are also designed to do it all. But there is the sacrifice of being a jack of all trades, master of none. For the maverick this is as "off raod" as I would go in a tire since if you want a heavy duty off roader you need a jeep or bronco. Mine is a grocery getter that is meant to be able to deal with deep snow or dirt trails but only rarely.

I actually like the Pirelli scorpion ATR's that came on it- their design seems biased toward highway use and seem pretty grippy. They are more of a crossover than a true AT tire anyway but are fairly lightweight.

Most people myself included would do fine with a decent all season radial. They will be much lighter - in the 25-30 lb range and have a center rib design for low rolling resistance and low noise. The stock continental cross contact lx 25s are prototypical of the kind of tire that would do well.

 

[fossil]

Two "All Terrain" tires. Probably at the two extremes of what can be called all terrain. They are both round and black but the tread is sure different. The Falkens are mostly civilized the MTs not so much.

Top is a Mickey Thompson Baja ATZP3 LT315/70R17 off My Raptor and bottom is a Falken Wildpeak 235/65 R17 off a Bronco Sport Badlands.

if I ever get my ordered Tremor I'll most likely go 245/65 R17 KO2s somewhere in between

 

[Traegorn]

I have to admit, when I see people who I know never go off road driving around on All Terrains to look cool, I always just laugh a little at them.

The question of all terrain vs all weather tires should always come down to "What am I going to be driving on."

 

[Darnon]

Full on all terrain tires like the wildpeaks will weigh 40+ lb and be noisier on the road. B

Falken Wildpeaks aren't that heavy; only 31 lbs. Unless one is buying a a 10-ply LT which is total overkill for the Maverick's load ratings.

 

[Jmav2152]

They're are also a new bridge between the extremes of a AT. Falken also makes the wildpeak trail which is specifically designed for crossovers to have that AT bite but with good road manners. Yokohama geolander and the toyo at3 in certain ratings would fall into that bracket.

 

[IslaDelDan]

Last week I bought a set of 235/65r17 Falken Wildpeak AT3W's (31 lbs.) from Discount Tire at $132/tire. I'll let my son sell the Pirelli Scorpion ATR's with 11,000 miles on them. The Pirelli's were good tires. Not great, not terrible and they rode fine. A little loose but they are a light tire. And...they just didn't look right on my Mav. I kept trying to get used to the look but gave it up.

The Falkens ride firmer and seem to track better. I don't notice any road noise but I usually have the stereo on. And they make the FX4 look like it should have from the start. It looks good! I do expect my mpg to drop a little. At 27.4 overall right now I'll give up one or two mpgs - time will tell.

Why didn't I go bigger? I don't want any issues with the Zeigler extended warranty and when I do go off concrete/asphalt roads I want some space for tire travel. And I wanted to stay in the low 30's with weight.

Good luck with your decisions

 

[SkeeterB]

Thanks, very good discussions on tires. I'm at 9,000 miles on the Scorpions. I will upsize when necessary, but haven't settled on 235 vs 245. I like the discussion on wheel travel but I thought with the 245s the problem may be with clearance in turning while bumping around off road.

 

[Jmav2152]

Thanks, very good discussions on tires. I'm at 9,000 miles on the Scorpions. I will upsize when necessary, but haven't settled on 235 vs 245. I like the discussion on wheel travel but I thought with the 245s the problem may be with clearance in turning while bumping around off road.

245s are well known to be the widest with no issue at any point.

 

[BradGroux]

There are many threads on this forum of people with Falken Wildpeak A/T that say they see minimal difference for fuel economy (1-3mpg). Remember, many of the analysis are on full-size trucks, the tire sizes for a Maverick are much closer to those of crossovers. They are much smaller, and weigh far less.

 

[Aherpa]

Personally not a fan of Goodyear Wranglers or the brand in general. Had too many shift belts, start shedding steel, and/or experience tread blowouts through fleet use.

I had three out of four Goodyear Gatorbacks with tread separation. I'll never look at Goodyear tires again.

 

[Starfysh]

I had three out of four Goodyear Gatorbacks with tread separation. I'll never look at Goodyear tires again.

Totally agree. Many in Florida fatalities by separation of tire.

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