Falken WildPeak A/T
For such a mild looking tread, the WildPeak A/T surpassed our expectations in terms of performance off-road. Much of the punishment our staff subjected the WildPeak A/T to included heavy rock, deep mud, high-speed gravel, and sand. We even managed to challenge the compound to some unforgiving lava rock near Flagstaff, Arizona, with little consequence. In virtually all aspects, the pattern returned positive results. Our staff didn’t experience any flats, though the WildPeak A/T did fall short when it came to braking in the dirt. It wasn’t really an issue on-road, but off-road, we found that these tires lock up and skid more readily than others in this category. As expected, the WildPeak A/T shined on pavement whether it was wet, dry, or ice-covered.
Rating
Street: 4 stars
Heavy Rock: 3 stars
Sand: 3 stars
Snow: 3 stars
Mud: 2 stars
Ice: 3 stars
General Grabber
Our testing concluded that the overbuilt seven-ply carcass would take on anything nature could dish out, and keep providing traction free of punctures, tears, or deep gouging. On the street, the Grabber is heavy and robs power, but inspires confidence on rain-slick pavement thanks to the long, angled grooves that channel water to the outside of the pattern. When aired down, the sipe-free tread blocks left us wanting more bite when compared to others in the segment. Additionally, the pattern returned less than desirable results in icy conditions, which is to be expected from a tire with an emphasis on desert performance. Overall, the Grabber has proven itself among the elite desert racers as a formidable competitor to other tires in the segment. We recommend the Grabber for the go-fast user who doesn’t mind a heavy tire that howls.
Rating
Street: 3 stars
Heavy Rock: 3 stars
Sand: 3 stars
Snow: 3 stars
Mud: 3 stars
Ice: 2 stars
General Grabber AT2
Like the BFG A-T, the Grabber AT2 has a broad repertoire of strengths. Thanks to its deep treads and abundant siping, the interlocking tread lugs are able to resist hydroplaning in the wet and provide stellar grip in snow and ice. However, in mud the narrow voids fill up quickly and despite heavy throttle application, cleaning was non-existent. The pavement is where these tires shine best. Even on steep, twisty mountain roads, our tester was able to push this tread hard into corners, perhaps harder that any sane person would, and the tires maintained contact. With virtually no road noise and great all-around performance, the AT2 is a good choice for daily drivers that need added traction for weekend adventures, no matter sand, rock, rain, snow, or ice. Just go easy on the mud whompin’.
Rating
Street: 4 stars
Heavy Rock: 2 stars
Sand: 3 stars
Snow: 2 stars
Mud: 1 star
Ice: 3 stars
Goodyear Duratrac
One of the most aggressive all-terrain tires we’ve seen from Goodyear, we think the Duratrac blurs the lines between all-terrain and mud-terrain. As such, our staffers subjected the tire to a whole assortment of surfaces including rocks, sand, snow, mud, and ice. The pattern stood up to heavy rains and ice-covered asphalt, and returned a quieter than average road noise. In conclusion, the tread scores highest in snow and ice traction—probably because of the plethora of multi-angle siping on every lug. However, the pattern also proved worthy of mud, sand, and rock. Just don’t get too deep into rocks with sharp edges as the compound will chip and cut easily and the two-ply sidewalls are more vulnerable than you might expect. For a daily-driven weekend warrior, these tires are a great choice.
Rating
Street: 3 stars
Heavy Rock: 3 stars
Sand: 3 stars
Snow: 4 stars
Mud: 3 stars
Ice: 4 stars
Goodyear MT/R With Kevlar
It’s an asymmetrical design that delivers both aggressive and tame tread characteristics. On the outer edges, the pattern almost appears to be grooved—like a purposeful mud-bogging tire would be to add void spacing. On the inside however, there is a column of tightly packed tread blocks that maintain a seemingly continuous rib for street-friendly performance. The on-road manners are pleasant and relatively quiet, with none of the vibration or harshness we expect from tires with high void ratios. In the mud, the tread cleans well, and when aired down, the three-ply sidewall is flexible enough to envelope rocks the size of tennis balls. Speaking of sidewalls, Goodyear included Kevlar fibers to the MT/Rs sidewalls to add puncture resistance. If you want a mud tire that shines both on- and off-road, the MT/R with Kevlar is hard to beat.
Rating
Street: 3 stars
Heavy Rock: 4 stars
Sand: 3 stars
Snow: 3 stars
Mud: 4 stars
Ice: 2 stars
Goodyear Silent Armor
One of the quietest tires we’ve tested to date, the Silent Armor packs Goodyear’s exclusive Kevlar fiber technology with a sophisticated pattern. That’s not to say that this tire isn’t off-road friendly. It’s just not as well equipped for deep mud and heavy rock as we’d like on our 4x4s. The two circumferential grooves shed mud, but the rest of the pattern holds onto it like a fat kid holds a Slurpee. However, the shoulder lugs have larger voids between them and are able to supply bite when the middle loses traction. This split personality allows the tire to work well in the sand and snow. On ice, the abundance of siping combines with a compound that remains flexible at low temperatures, netting favorable results for winter operation.
Rating
Street: 4 stars
Heavy Rock: 3 stars
Sand: 3 stars
Snow: 4 stars
Mud: 2 stars
Ice: 4 stars