AT tires for my Silverado.

[Ogg]

I'm trying to decide between a few different AT tires in a LT 285 70 17 for my 2010 Silverado. The 3 tires I am considering are the Falken Wildpeak AT3W, Hankook Dynapro ATM and the General grabber ATX. I have been happy with the Hankooks on my current truck and the two sets I ran on my last truck but they were all made in Korea and branded with the "3PMSF" rating. The current tires in my size are made in China and no longer carry the mark. I contacted Hankook and they claim there is no difference in construction or materials but experience with other products has me skeptical. The Falken has lots of good reviews but my tire guy tried to steer me away from them claiming they wear fast(I talked to "jr" so I may need to talk to "sr" to find out the real story). The Generals look to be modernized versions the old tried and true AT2s and are studdable if I feel the need but they are new and have few independent reviews so far.

I live and work on the North Shore of Long Island(NY) where the roads are steep and windy and they don't really know how to clear them when it snows and my job sites often turn to muck. I also plan on multiple ski trips to New England so winter performance is a priority but they also must hold up in hot weather so Goodyear Duratracs are really not for me. Any relevant experiences or opinions would be appreciated.

 

[Ken_R]

I have been VERY happy with the Cooper Discoverer A/T3 tires. I have had them since the winter of 2016 and have used them in huge temperature range over that time. I lived in El Paso, TX for a little bit and now in Colorado so from -25ºF to 117º they have worked well.

The only "downside" is that they are not for super extreme off road use but work very well off road. Superb grip.

 

[Ogg]

I have been VERY happy with the Cooper Discoverer A/T3 tires. I have had them since the winter of 2016 and have used them in huge temperature range over that time. I lived in El Paso, TX for a little bit and now in Colorado so from -25ºF to 117º they have worked well.

The only "downside" is that they are not for super extreme off road use but work very well off road. Superb grip.

My mechanic has loaned me his Silverado with Cooper AT3s on numerous occasions and I've actually found them to be a bit scary on snow and ice compared to my Hankooks particularly during braking. My boss also had them on his Tundra that I drove a few times. They were good at everything else but fell on their face on slick winter roads, IME. Both trucks were using the same LT version, "E" load rated tires I do so I consider it a pretty good comparison. YMMV with P metric sizes.

 

[Ken_R]

My mechanic has loaned me his Silverado with Cooper AT3s on numerous occasions and I've actually found them to be a bit scary on snow and ice compared to my Hankooks particularly during braking. My boss also had them on his Tundra that I drove a few times. They were good at everything else but fell on their face on slick winter roads, IME. Both trucks were using the same LT version, "E" load rated tires I do so I consider it a pretty good comparison. YMMV with P metric sizes.

Thats Weird. My experience has been great and I have been in some nasty snow covered and icy roads. Went up the road to Ski Apache NM after a big storm no issues and also up Ski Santa Fe NM right after a big storm no issues. In both cases a lot of cars/trucks did not make it, some were even in the ditch. Both roads are infamous. Hossier pass during a storm, no problem either. i70, no problem. Icy lots. No problem. Maybe some models use a different compound?

 

[Ogg]

I'm not surprised. LT and P metric tires use different construction and the LT versions will often use a harder compound. I've noticed some tires will only carry the 3pmsf(3 peak mountain snowflake) rating only on the P version. I've also noticed over the years that some tires may work well on certain vehicles but poorly on others.

 

[François Pugh]

I'm not surprised. LT and P metric tires use different construction and the LT versions will often use a harder compound. I've noticed some tires will only carry the 3pmsf(3 peak mountain snowflake) rating only on the P version. I've also noticed over the years that some tires may work well on certain vehicles but poorly on others.

I've heard good things about the BFG KO2, which also comes in two compounds. I have no experience with it however.
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=BFGoodrich&tireModel=All-Terrain+T/A+KO2

 

[Ogg]

I've heard good things about the BFG KO2, which also comes in two compounds. I have no experience with it however.
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=BFGoodrich&tireModel=All-Terrain+T/A+KO2

I've heard mixed things about the BFGs, particularly on my truck. They worked great on my father's Jeep but multiple sources have told me they're not so good on newer full sized trucks(odd handling, funny wear, balance issues, etc.).

 

[Blue Streak]

Ran Cooper Discoverers on my Silverado for many years. Good tire. Great value. What’s not to like.

 

[François Pugh]

I've heard mixed things about the BFGs, particularly on my truck. They worked great on my father's Jeep but multiple sources have told me they're not so good on newer full sized trucks(odd handling, funny wear, balance issues, etc.).

Most reasonable explanation is the heavy vehicles need the DT (non-snowflake) compound, and don't do as well with the winter rated compound.

 

[graham418]

For the longest time I have run Michelin LTX M&S on my trucks. They give excellent traction, and have excellent wear characteristics. I always get the LT version , E rating, and have never been disappointed. Initial cost may be higher, but the long life more than pays out.

 

[Ogg]

Ran Cooper Discoverers on my Silverado for many years. Good tire. Great value. What’s not to like.

Which model Discoverer? I could still get the Discoverer XT/4 I would probably get those but they appear to be discontinued. The LT version Discoverer AT3s I've driven on I found less than impressive in the snow/slush/ice.

 

[Blue Streak]

I always ran 2 sets: winter & summer.
No substitute for a dedicated winter tire.

 

[wyowindrunner]

Gotta give Yokohama Geolanders some love. Have ran them on many different trucks for the last 15 years, from half to one tons when the stockers wore out. Work and personnel vehicles. Good off road mud snow performance and decent on the highway with just a small loss of fuel economy. Tried others, BGF , Cooper,(Discover was terrible but understand they refomulated thier rubber and are supposed to be much better now- haven't tried them but my son has a set on a 3/4 ton Ram with over 40k and the tire is holding up well- mostly hwy but some pretty messy rig roads too.). Put some Geolanders on a CR-V once. Would not recommend that. The little Honda became a slave to the depressed wheel tracks in the blacktop-sure improved in the mud from the Bridgestones though. Always bought the 10 ply rated tires (really only a 5+2 nowadays), but I hate sidewall flats and that happens occasionally in the country I drive.

 

[Ogg]

I ended up going with the Falken Wildpeak AT3W. By all accounts they are exceptional in winter conditions for an all terrain and don't burn up it warm temps like the Duratracs. They are also quite a bit bigger than my previous Hankooks of the same size so I'm going to have to pull back the wheel well liners a bit and possibly even bend a little metal out of the way to eliminate the rubbing(Damn you GM and your square wheel wells. Didn't anyone tell you wheels are round?LOL)

 

[pete]

@Ogg , you'll have to update us on their ride/handling/grip.

I like @Blue Streak just go with 2 sets. Silverado rims can be really cheap, so mounted some General Arctics. They work pretty good but was on edge prior to pick up the BFG K02 but interested in the AT3W

 

[Ogg]

I considered running two sets. We have two sets of wheels and tires for my wife's Crosstrek. I find a good set of winter biased ATs has worked well for me so far since my truck is much more likely to see a muddy job site than a snowy mountain pass and occasional 60+ temps in the winter is becoming the norm around here. The only times I've really felt I needed more grip probably would have required studs.
So far I have noticed they ride quite well at 40 PSI especially for an E load tire and they are much quieter than my old worn out Hankooks that had developed a roar that sounded like bad wheel bearings. My initial impression is they seem to grip well on the wet leafy roads after the storm we just had and go through deep puddles without drama but I've only put on a few miles since they were rubbing. I did a little adjusting this morning with a 2x4, crowbar and BFH, zip tied the plastic back and now I've got some room. I'll keep this updated as I put on some miles.

 

[Ogg]

Quick update: I upped the pressure to ~48 psi because they a bit felt heavy and bouncy and it made a big difference, improving handling without any significant loss of ride quality. I have no winter weather experience to report yet but have had tons of rain, fallen leaves and job site muck to contend with. They have handled everything with ease. Dry road handling is also noticeably improved likely due to the extra width. Gas mileage seems to have taken a bit of a hit but I'll see after I run a few tanks through with the higher pressure.

 

[Ogg]

I actually experienced my first "winter conditions" of the season yesterday morning.When I turned the key in my truck and the dashboard warned me of possible ice and displayed 34 degrees. I have to make a left turn onto a major state road and you sometimes have to be "on it" as soon as you hit the intersection to avoid being stuck behind a long line of traffic. Yesterday was sort of one of those days since nobody was coming from the left and the traffic on the right wasn't too close. What I hadn't noticed was the sheet of ice where water had been running over the road over night. Front slide, rear slide, grabbed dry pavement. About what I would expect from anything without studs since I was accelerating into a turn. I probably scared the people behind me more than I scared myself but gave them a good warning.
.

 

[Ogg]

I got a real winter weather test this evening since the forecast was off by a few inches. My usual 45-55 minute drive turned into a 3 1/2hr odyssey. I followed Waze though a series of backroads covered in a few inches of wet snow, which was no problem but I came upon a couple o other "Wazers" that didn't know what they were getting into. All of my delays were because of closed roads and backed up traffic. I passed more stuck SUVs than I could count. I blew past several uphill pileups once the downhill traffic cleared The only other people driving my comfortable speed were LEOs in Explorers(equipped with snow tires this time of year) and a few Jeeps(likely running Duratracs or similar). The biggest issue I had was driving up the hill to my house where my traction and stability control had a bit of a work out.

 

[ScotsSkier]

@Ogg , you'll have to update us on their ride/handling/grip.

I like @Blue Streak just go with 2 sets. Silverado rims can be really cheap, so mounted some General Arctics. They work pretty good but was on edge prior to pick up the BFG K02 but interested in the AT3W

Hope they work better for you. I put them on my F150 last year and was very disappointed with them. Weren’t any better than the standard hankooks. So back to Yokohama’s this year...