The ultimate All-Terrain Tyres buyers guide

There really is a lot to be said for All-Terrain (AT) tyres these days. Where they were once seen as a bit of a “soft” choice compared to the more aggressive mud-terrains, they’re now often the preferred option for the discerning wheeler. The technology, tread design and wear characteristics of modern tyres make your old BFG AT1s look positively archaic.

But here’s the thing. These days, there’s a huge influx of cheaply made tyres that look awesome but have a question mark over their longevity and whether they work well (or at all) once they are aired down. Then there are the usual players who may cost a little more but are also delivering levels of quality and performance that older wheelers like me are simply blown away by.

With that in mind, it was high time that we updated our all-terrain tyres buyer’s guide for current times in order to help you select your next set of doughnuts. Tell `em we sent ya!

A quick rundown on our all-terrain tyres guide:

To keep it on a level playing field, we’re sticking with the commonly available 265/70R17 sizing (and prices) for all tyres. Bigger tyres will cost more, and smaller tyres will cost less. You get the idea. Oh, and they’re all in alphabetic order. Not in order of preference, not because ‘Company A’ paid us to be near the top, not because Mercury is in retrograde, nor any other weird reason. 

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BFGoodrich KO3

The brand-spankers BFGoodrich KO3 all-terrain tyres have only been out for a month or so in Aus, and while it’s a little premature to have a definitive opinion on them, the early signs look pretty darn good. The older KO2s were a crowd favourite and the new KO3s look set to continue that popularity for the American brand.

With a huge 60-size range and a newer compound that’s supposed to last longer and improve on-road grip, as well as the “mud-phobic bars” (seriously, who comes up with this shit?) on the profile shoulder and a beefier sidewall, these may well be the top dog on the AT market in short order.

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Bridgestone Dueler A/T 002

When a company has in its blurb about their all-terrain tyres “adventure fearlessly with confidence”, you could be forgiven for being unsure whether they’re selling you tyres or tampons. Nevertheless, the most aggressive of the Bridgestone A/T 002 is designed to bridge the gap between HTs and AT rubber with a lightweight yet rugged-ish tyre.

Utilising a high silica compound that promises an extended working life and high levels of grip on top of a distinctive tread pattern, the Duelers will continue Bridgestone’s solid reputation for reliability and fuss-free performance without ever really being one of the cool kids. Which is exactly what a lot of folks love about them.

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Continental CrossContact AX6

Look, we’re massive fans of the Continental brand here at Unsealed4X4 and while we’re not going to sit here and bag tyres that we’ve never run, the CrossContact AX6 all-terrains are marketed as “an SUV tyre with off-road capability.” It doesn’t exactly scream “built for wheeling and cutting sick across the desert,” now, does it?

But hey, we understand that everyone has different requirements, and for those of us looking to spend most of our driving time on the blacktop with the odd foray onto the sand or dirt, these could be absolutely perfect. Sweet handling in the wet, excellent grip in slippery conditions and wear life that’s up there with John Farnham’s career. Does it scratch our itch? No, but we’re not right.

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Cooper AT3 XLT

There are a bunch of Cooper all-terrain tyres, but we’ve settled on the AT3 XLT because it’s built for 4X4 use. The ST MAXX is more of a hybrid AT, which we’ll look at in a separate article. The AT3 is a bit of a beast, has been tested in Aussie conditions, and comes with an 80,000km warranty, which is what has essentially been selling Coopers since forever.

Rugged shoulder construction and sawtooth tread block edges mean that the Coopers are a well-trodden path by the Australian off-road community and there’s no shortage of lifelong adherents to the brand.

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Dick Cepek Fun Country

One of the OG all-terrain hybrid tyres in the game, the Fun Country is many 4X4 owners’ go-to tyre. Why? Because they work, simple as that. If you’re road driving, regularly tackling the hard lines or doing some touring, the FCs are a genuine all-terrain tyre in the literal sense.

To be fair, they’re not much chop in mud, and if you’re looking for a dedicated rock/mud/road tyre, there are probably better options. But as an all-rounder, they’re a great option. 3-ply sidewalls, an aggressive tread without sacrificing bitumen manners, hardwearing and available in a buttload of sizes – they tick the right boxes.

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Dunlop Grandtrek AT3G

Dunlop is hardly what you’d call a minor player in the all-terrain tyre game, so unsurprisingly, their AT3G is a solid performer across the board. It scores plenty of tough points with its aggressive tread pattern, and it has what Dunlop’s marketing squirrels refer to as “tectonic” construction. What that means is anybody’s guess but it sounds vaguely German, aka high quality.

The tread construction is deep, suggesting high mileage is a realistic expectation, and the blocks are crowned in the middle for better on-road handling when the sprinklers are on. As a jack of all trades tyre, the AT3G seems like a strong choice to us.

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Falken Wildpeak AT3W

Falken has been around for four decades now, and their all-terrain tyre offering gets its name from the infamous Pikes Peak Hillclimb (before it was paved and went all soft), so you know it’s built to handle a thrashing. The Wildpeaks are super popular among 4X4 owners as a great all-rounder that’ll handle the trips to the office or jobsite during the week and be up to the A-grade tracks on the weekends.

They feature patented canyon sipes for wet weather performance and a silica-infused compound for grip and longevity

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Federal Couragia AT

Nope, they’re not particularly aggressive, and they have about as much sex appeal as a naked politician, but what the Couragia all-terrain tyres do have a truckload of is value for money. They’re silica-infused and handle pretty darn well in the wet, considering what you’re paying.

We’ve heard stories of the tread lifting after a short stint on some rigs, but that seems to be limited to heavier 4X4s. At the slimmer end of the scale, owners have nothing but good things to say about the Federals. If you’re chasing new rubber for your RAM, maybe skip to the next choice. But if you’re chasing doughnuts for your Daihatsu Feroza, these could be bang-on.

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General Grabber AT3

While General Grabber sounds like a character in a military how-not-to-interact-with-a-coworker educational video, these all-terrain tyres are actually pretty good. With a beefy 10-ply construction on the LT versions, these things are a favourite among those who clock up a lot of kays off-road.

The compound, tread pattern and lug design all work toward delivering a quiet and comfy ride while also providing a fantastic amount of grip on and off the bitumen. They are, however, prone to uneven wear if over or under-inflated, but you could probably say that about every tyre on this list, just keep an eye on things eh?

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Goodride SL369

Goodride is made by ZC Rubber, which is one of China’s largest tyre manufacturers, and it reportedly has Australia’s largest range of automobile rubber on offer. These are definitely budget all-terrain tyres, and some online reports are glowing, but as with any product at the lower end of the price spectrum, expectations should be tempered.

Nevertheless, as a cheap beater tyre with a fairly angry-looking tread pattern and what seems like decent sidewall lugs, we reckon they could be an excellent choice. Alternatively, we wouldn’t hesitate to chuck some on the camper or lightweight weekend rig. Are we willing to put it out there that we’d throw them on our cross-country touring rig? Not yet, but we’d love to see yours if you’ve done it.

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Goodyear Wrangler AT Adventure

The tech is right up there on the Wrangler all-terrain tyres, offering a Kevlar-infused compound and “Durawall Technology”, which we’re assured is not a mislabelling from Goodyear’s condom department but rather a reinforced sidewall construction.

It has all of the trimmings you’d expect from Goodyear, who are no strangers to quality tyres. Nice surly tread pattern, tidy wear characteristics, solid grip levels across the board and a reputation that is the envy of many of the smaller players on the market.

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GT Radial Adventuro A/T

If you had to sum up GT Radial tyres, it’d be “high quality without the premium price tag”. Having been around for nearly 75 years now, the Singapore-based manufacturer is one of the biggest in the world yet is a bit of a quiet achiever on the 4X4 scene. The Adventuro (again, fire your marketing department, fam) AT3 isn’t winning any awards in the looks, performance or coolness categories, but they still do the job for a lot of folks.

There’s no whizz-bang tech in the compound. No revolutionary tread block design that increases on or off-road performance out of sight. Just a tyre that’s designed to handle what you throw at it, and you can’t be mad at that.

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Hankook Dynapro AT2

The Hankook AT2 is another quiet achiever on the all-terrain tyre scene with a solid rep for longevity and performance at a competitive price. The on-road credentials are given a boost with the staged side lugs for quiet operation, and the contact patch has been improved for greater tread life. Because every tyre on this list apparently has a marketing department run by illiterate chimps, they also feature “ProMileage” technology, which most likely does little but sure does set off a round of boisterous high-fives around the conference table like nothing else.

In all seriousness, though, the AT2s are a great choice. They’re hard-working, they’re capable, and those who run them almost overwhelmingly love them. Yeah, they can cause a bit of tail-happiness in the wet, but most of the time that’s in utes that are unladen with little weight over the rear axle.

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Kenda Klever A/T2

The Taiwan-based Kenda Tyres have been making waves here in Aus over the past few years, offering top value and solid performance for those looking for an aggressive muddy or all-terrain tyre. With one of the crankier-looking treads on the market, they perform well off-road while also having a lot of siping for not-too-shabby wet-road handling.

“Computer optimided” (no, that’s not a word) tread designs offer a great compromise between wear, performance, noise and capability, and the people who run them seem to swear by them, which says it all really.

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Kumho Roadventure AT52

While we’re yet to test Kumho’s latest all-terrain tyre, we can say that their previous model was a peach, and this updated one only seems like an improvement. Yes, they’re called Roadventure, which is as imaginative as running headfirst into a brick wall, but they also deliver some serious punch no matter where they’re driven.

They have a nice and thick three-ply sidewall and excellent wear and tear characteristics so they’re sweet for wheeling. Plus they’re a better-than-decent choice for on-road manners as well. Owners swear by them, with many on their second or third sets.

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Mastercraft Courser AXT

Never heard of Mastercraft Tyres? We don’t blame you, but they’ve been around in the US since forever and are owned and backed by Cooper Tire, so the cheap price isn’t reflective of being low quality.

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Maxxis AT980 Bravo

Maxxis has about a billion different all-terrain tyres on offer, but we chose the top-rated AT980 Bravo for this list because we didn’t want to turn this yarn into a Maxxis catalogue. The Bravo has a classic all-terrain tyre tread pattern and is built to maintain maximum contact patch no matter the load. While not much has changed in the design over the past decade or so, they straight up work, and the people that own them rate them.

They’re neither the newest nor the fanciest, but again, they have a strong reputation for getting the job done on and off-road, with tough sidewalls and a decently aggressive tread pattern. They’ve been a favourite for over ten years and likely will be for the next ten, too.

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Mickey Thompson Baja Legend EXP

Mickey Tees have been one of the premier tyre brands in this country for donkey’s years, and the Legend EXP is the latest and greatest in their all-terrain tyre range. With technological features like a silica-reinforced tread compound and aggressive shoulder lugs for off-road grip, they’re a top contender for anyone’s next set of hoops.

While the two-ply sidewall is a bit of an eyebrow-raiser, the overall consensus is that they’re a strong overall choice and worth the outlay over cheaper brands.

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Monsta Terrain Gripper

The Monsta brand has been around for a few years now and represents some solid value for those seeking an aggressive all-terrain tyre without breaking the bank. By all reports, the off-road performance is right up there, and many owners would rather punch on than say anything bad about their misspelled monsters.

With a set of four hitting the hip pocket at just over the $1000 mark, the value is the strongest selling point here and has people coming back for their third and fourth sets. To be fair, it’s hard to argue with, and after speaking with several owners, the worst thing we could find was the variance in quality between batches and the sidewalls being a bit on the anaemic side.

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Nexen AT Pro

The full name is Nexen Roadian (you’re killing me, Smalls) AT Pro RA8 but typing it out more than once puts me in severe danger of having a stroke, so the AT Pro it is. To be fair, the tread isn’t the worst looking, and the performance on-road, by all accounts, seems pretty decent.

Off-road, however, accounts seem to largely vary between “horrible” and “average”, so adjust your expectations accordingly. With that said, though, look at the price. Four of these things, under a grand?! You’d need to blow through three sets before you’re dollars behind one of the top brands.

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Nitto Terra Grappler AT G2

Nitto is one of Japan’s top tyre makers, and the Terra Grappler is a serious contender for the bang-for-buck all-terrain tyre winner on this list. The tread design is butch while still being road-friendly, the sidewalls are stout, and the handling (at least in the dry) is excellent.

The only issues we could really find with the Nittos are the wet weather handling (particularly evident with unladen utes), and a few peeps we spoke to had torn-out sidewalls, that was apparently a batch issue.

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Pirrelli Scorpion AT Plus

While the Pirelli Scorpion is designated as an all-terrain tyre, its super-sleek tread design is way more slanted towards highway driving. And that’s not really a big deal if you’re doing a lot of Outback touring where you’ll be spending 80%-90% of your journey on the black top or dirt roads. And on sand, they rule.

But still, while it’s never going to be an off-road performer like some of the others in this article, it’s still a viable all-rounder if you’re mainly doing road, dirt or beach work. The Scorpions have been around a long time now, and their owners love them, you just have to be aware of what they’re to be used for and set your expectations accordingly.

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Predator New Mutant XAT

Yep, they’re really called that. And yep, if you type it into Google you get put on a watchlist. Ask me how I know. With that said, the XATs (I refuse to type that name out again) seem like a great all-terrain tyre. They’re brought in-country by ROH Wheels and come with an 80,000km warranty, which has to be given props.

The tread is also one of the meaner-looking designs in this article, and we’re here for it. While they’ve only been on the market for about a year, we’re keen to give them a rip over some gnarly terrain before long and give you some more insight into how they perform long-term.

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Toyo Open Country ATII

The Toyo ATIIs have been around for ages now and are well and truly proven as a solid performer in `Strayan conditions. Toyo even reckons they’re able to do five full laps of Australia on a single set of rubber – gotta love a brand who puts their money where their mouth is.

While they don’t exactly have a lot of boat-ramp champ cred or “Saturday night at the drive-thru” sex appeal, if you’re after a no-nonsense, long-lasting, reliable all-terrain tyre that’ll go the distance and hold its own in a fistfight with nature, give the ATIIs a once over. There are a lot of good reasons so many folks are running them.

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Yokohama Geolandar XAT GO16

Back in the day, next to nobody ran Yokies. But in the past few years, they’ve quietly been gathering a bit of a cult following among those who recognise how good they are. They feature a proper carcass design, a triple polymer compound and a nice wide flat profile to maximise traction across a range of conditions.

They offer a predictable on-road driving experience and are excellent on the sloppy stuff. While the wet weather performance isn’t the greatest, and most people seem to average around the 60-70,000km for wear (hardly shit) these are everything an all-terrain tyre should be. Fine on-road and pretty damn good where it counts.

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