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Highway vs AT tire performance

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5.4K views 15 replies 7 participants last post by  Ride  
#1 ·
My older ATs have good tread life but recently developed a lot of road noise quite suddenly.

As a result I’m considering some highway tread instead of all terrains.

Do highway tread do a better or worse job than ATs in standing water?

How much quieter and better gas mileage do highway tread get?

We get snow here (metro NY) most years (anywhere from a couple inches up to a foot and sometimes gets packed)

Can I get by on short commutes with a highway tread?

Truck is 4x4
 
#3 · (Edited)
I live in Tennessee now, but lived in Pennsylvania most of my life so used to snow. I have always ran highway all seasons on my 4x4 pickups. You can select a brand that make both AT and HT versions and watch the comparison videos etc on Tire Rack where they track test and provide the results. For water and snow, a highway usually is as good or out preforms a AT. Where it will fall drastically behind if you get into mud etc while hunting, otherwise a good HT will preform very well in both rain and snow conditions.

I just switched to an LT from a passenger series for towing and also went with a highway all season vs an AT which is a rare find in E rated load range tires.
 
#4 ·
When I switched the factory General P-rated tires (@41 lbs.) to Bridgestone Dueler Revo 3's (@49 lbs), I did not notice any noticeable mileage difference (on my 18 P4X); worst case under 1 mpg. The weight of the AT tires are critical for fuel economy. Try to balance reviews/weights etc. Research on TR as suggested above. I did find notable benefits to the AT tire; one being towing, though I did not tow much. The tire pressures are also critical for ride quality. I kept mine at 38 psi. Some will call this low for an AT tire, but it was great for my purposes with respect to ride and handling. The place that installed my tire indicated that the factory recommended setting of 35 psi would also be fine. Based on towing needs and personal preferences, the pressures can be tweaked. There was no difference in noise. I put on @14K miles on the tires when I traded my truck in for a 23.
 
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#5 ·
As mentioned, A/T tires tend to weigh a little more when compared to a highway terrain, which may impact fuel efficiency. A/T tires also utilize larger void ratios between tread blocks, which captures more air when rolling, which may increases road noise. To quantify how much is tough, however generally speaking, highway tires tend to deliver lower road noise and better fuel efficiency when compared to an all-terrain. It's important to note though, that all tires will experience an increase in road noise with wear.

When it comes to wet, there are a lot of variables that come into play in regards to hydroplaying. Our sister company put together a high level overview that's worth a look. In my experience though, the typical 1/2 ton (truck) driver won't see much of difference between a highway tire and A/T in this area, as long as the tires have a good amount of grooving.

Same as above can be said for winter performance, there are many variables, and winter tires are best suited for temps below 45°F. If you're driving mainly on hardpack, I would expect performance to be similar. Where the A/T would shine is when there is a lot of snow on the ground.
 
#6 ·
Discount Tire said:
As mentioned, A/T tires tend to weigh a little more when compared to a highway terrain, which may impact fuel efficiency. A/T tires also utilize larger void ratios between tread blocks, which captures more air when rolling, which may increases road noise. To quantify how much is tough, however generally speaking, highway tires tend to deliver lower road noise and better fuel efficiency when compared to an all-terrain. It's important to note though, that all tires will experience an increase in road noise with wear.

When it comes to wet, there are a lot of variables that come into play in regards to hydroplaying. Our sister company put together a high level overview that's worth a look. In my experience though, the typical 1/2 ton (truck) driver won't see much of difference between a highway tire and A/T in this area, as long as the tires have a good amount of grooving.

Same as above can be said for winter performance, there are many variables, and winter tires are best suited for temps below 45°F. If you're driving mainly on hardpack, I would expect performance to be similar. Where the A/T would shine is when there is a lot of snow on the ground.
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Dude thank you so much! I picked up a set of the Michelin Defender LTX MS. They didn’t have them in the stock size of 270/70 18 (odd size for most manufacturers) so I had to go with 265/70.

So far only driven in dry weather but wow what a smooth quiet ride in comparison to two sets of AT tires (Cooper Discoverer AT3 XLT 265/70 and my previous favorite General Grabber AT2 270/70).

I think the LTX is now being fazed out for the LTX2 or something, but I snagged a set DOT date of mid May (1823).

I previously groused about the Bilstein 5100 series struts/shocks feeling a little chattery and wanting a slightly more refined ride. These took care of it.

I previously wanted just a little better MPG, I’m seeing numbers I never imagined.

On a previous ride (CRV) I put some all season Continentals on and the flimsy sidewalls made for a nice ride on the straights but a wishy washy ride on corners. The Titan feels great on these things almost like what those Continentals did but without the wonkiness on turns.

Just a great tire for the truck I’m sorry to see them get discontinued. Pretty sure I put a set on a VW Camper Bus about 25 years ago and wasn’t crazy about the ride quality (hard/stiff) but maybe they were a different compound then or just wrong combination of tire/load rating/vehicle.

Hopefully all good in the rain and further, the snow season they’re predicting.

This is just nuts:

Image




Local driving 45mph or so not much stop/go.
 
#7 ·
i think i have michelin defenders on my ranger (my son had it in colorado when he got sent to korea so its in storage and i cannot verify) but they are really good light truck tires and great on the highway, for sure.
 
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#10 ·
I don’t have any direct experience, but my dad used to be a forestry technician for a paper company. He was on the highway and in the woods all day 5-6 days a week. He always ran HT tires on his work trucks and they took him everywhere he NEEDED to go. They didn’t look manly, but they got the job done. I think as long as you can live with the look, HT tires are all 95% of us ever need. I myself have gone from having to have MT’s on everything, to AT’s. And now, my next set of tires will be HT’s. Overall, they cost less, drive better, are quieter, and last longer generally speaking. And like I said, are all most of us ever need. I’m sure that’s an unpopular opinion. And by all means if you WANT AT’s or MT’s, get them, it’s your choice. But, my dad was in the woods day in and day out and the HT’s served him well, with a lot more comfort on the highway between land tracts. Even today, he’s retired and works the farm life. He’s still runnin HT’s on his 4x4.
 
#11 ·
i think i will go to a normal road tire next too. i have these coopers, which are very nice and look great, but other than my dirt driveway, they have never been off road. a lot of money for not using them like they are designed.
 
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#12 ·
I really hate that they changed the firestone destination at. To me that was the perfect tire for my needs, a very mild AT. Actually, it was more like an aggressive HT. The new ones look too much like the old mastercraft at2. I had a set of those that gave me 50k miles, but they got stupid loud towards the end of their tread life. If anyone knows about a tire that’s similar to the old at that’s available in a 265-70r18, let me know.
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#13 ·
This so much reminds me of my cycling days. I had a road bike and hybrid bike….friends would want to take small rides with me and couldn’t ever keep up….that’s because you bought a mountain bike and riding on the road….you’re peddling harder to move more rubber in contact with road surface…if you’re not doing trails why did you buy a mountain bike?

Same premise for truck tires….HT vs AT. Each have their place and buy why fits your use….don’t put on AT and never go off-road
 
#15 ·
a look 586? i have to google that.... nice looking bike!

i have never had a hybrid but i have a road recumbent and a mountain bike. i put road gears on the mountain bike because we don't have off-road bike trails here and i had thin 26x1 tires for road riding because its easier to ride a mountain bike to work than a recumbent.

i ended up going back to wide 26x2.5 tires on the mountain bike, but got maxxis hook worms because they ride so smooth and quick on road.
 
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#16 ·
Narrow tires on a bike don’t make all that much difference. In fact it finally became obvious to the industry as well which is why you see more bikes with fatter and larger (taller) tires now (even without considering the electric bikes).

Increased mass takes a bit more to get moving but once you do they offer a smoother ride. Then you’re rolling over stuff (especially off road) that normally wood hang you up.

Turns out the skinniest tires just felt fast due to higher pressures and a twitchy feel. There was actually energy lost to the vibration into the bike.

What does make a difference is the tread, same as truck or car tires.
 
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