These Brands Make The Best Off-Road Tires

My dad once told me that you should never cheap out on the things that separate you from the ground, which includes chairs, shoes, beds, and also tires. That may be even truer when considering off-road tires. After all, you're not on the road anymore and there are all kinds of things off the road that can mess up a tire, like rocks and trees, along with extra obstacles like water, deeper mud and sand, and things like that. Off-road tires are specifically designed to tackle these hurdles, which is what makes them different from touring, summer, or racing tires. 

So, if you're shopping for tires specifically for off-road use, you'll want to avoid the kinds of tires you would buy if you spent most of your time on paved roads. It's a whole different ballgame when you move to this segment since different tire brands focus more on different segments. So, while Michelin is among the best tire brands for on-road tires, they don't do off-road as much. Even off-road vehicles are built differently to handle snow, mud, rocks, and trees. Below is a selection of tires that you can pop onto your Jeep Wrangler or Ford Bronco to give it the best odds possible of handling your next rock crawl. 

First up is the Cooper Discoverer Stronghold AT. Cooper is owned and operated by Goodyear, so it's no surprise that both brands appear on this list. Cooper is more of a budget brand, as opposed to the more premium Goodyear brand. In any case, the Discoverer Stronghold AT is a perfectly serviceable tire. Like most off-road tires, it's designed for heavier loads and traversing through dirt, gravel, and mud. It's also widely available at retailers like Walmart, Tire Rack, and Discount Tire. Cooper also offers a treadwear warranty that covers up to 60,000 miles, depending on the tire size and vehicle type. 

In general, tire authorities like Tire Rack give the Discoverer Stronghold AT high marks in all the ways that matter, including off-road prowess, wet and dry conditions, and wintry conditions. Per consumer reviews, the tire does admirably in city driving as well, making a good dual-purpose tire. It's a strong showing all around, with the only real dig being that the tires are pretty stiff, which is fairly normal for an off-road tire, so on-road comfort and noise aren't the best in class. If that doesn't bother you, these are a pretty good value. 

Cooper's stablemate Goodyear is next on the list. Goodyear is a flagship brand, and the company owns a dozen other tire makers, including the aforementioned Cooper. Despite Cooper being better known as a budget brand, Goodyear's Wrangler Workhorse AT tires are approximately the same price as the Discoverer Stronghold ATs. So, if you're cross shopping between the two, the difference in price for four tires of roughly the same size is about $40, which is no big deal at all. Goodyear puts a 50,000 treadwear warranty on its Wrangler Workhorse tires, giving Cooper the edge there. 

In terms of performance, it's roughly equal to the Cooper tires, just in different ways. Where the Cooper tires are superior at the off-road stuff, Goodyear's Wrangler Workhorse tires are better at on-road driving. So, you can gainfully swap these first two selections, as the better one will depend more on what you value in a tire. Customer reviews are also very positive, with people enjoying the comfort, more aggressive look, and general performance. They aren't best in class, but they're a good option if you want an on-road tire with some off-road prowess without spending a ton of money. 

Pirelli is much more well-known for their racing tires than their off-road selection, but the brand does make a pretty good off-road tire. The Pirelli Scorpion All Terrain Plus tires are where we'll start. They are competitively priced compared to the Goodyear and Cooper options listed so far. The brand keeps it short and sweet when it comes to describing these tires, saying that the tread is designed to self-clean the tires by pushing goop out while you drive. The tire giant is also quite proud of its sidewall and shoulder design, which they say makes their tires tougher. They also offer a competitive 50,000-mile treadwear warranty. 

Pirelli technically scores slightly lower on sites like Tire Rack than the competitors so far, but the Scorpion All Terrain Plus has more reviews with which to compare, and all the reviews are positive. Pirelli's off-road tire does well all-around, but isn't great at any specifically. It's reasonably comfortable, decently quiet, and its off-road capabilities aren't the best, but they are far from being the worst. Per Tire Rack, the tire's Achilles heel is ice traction, which is merely average among tires in the class. In short, it's a jack of all trades and a master of none. 

In the grand scheme of things, Sumitomo makes a pretty decent tire. The brand's Encounter AT is a good example of that. It's one of the least expensive tires on the list, starting at around $130 depending on the tire size as of this publication. Sumitomo keeps it pretty simple and gimmick-free in terms of design. It utilizes a five-rib design, steel belts, and the usual materials to make a solid all-around tire. This simplicity is backed by Sumitomo's 60,000-mile warranty, which includes free replacements based on material or workmanship defects for the life of the tire. That's not bad for an option that undercuts most competitors by $70 or more per tire. 

Despite its budget price tag, the tire actually scores pretty well in reviews. It excels in off-road, wet, and dry pavement conditions, and even manages to be relatively comfortable in terms of ride quality and noise. It does have a 3-Peak Mountain Snowflake certification, but wintry conditions are the only time where this tire is merely above average instead of great. Many customer reviewsare all glowingly positive, so Sumitomo did well with this one. 

Firestone has been around for well over a century and the brand's tires are some of the best. That remains true to this day with the Firestone Destination X/T. These tires are competitively priced and seem to tick all of the boxes for what makes a good off-road tire. The tread is aggressively designed to work in sand, mud, and snow, while the tire giant also boasts noise-cancelling materials to help keep the ride quieter. The price is around the same as Cooper, Pirelli, and Goodyear, while also supplying a similar 50,000-mile warranty. Firestone also offers a 90-day exchange period in case these aren't your favorite tires. 

Its review metrics back up most of Firestone's claims. It does quite well on off-road conditions whether they're wet or dry. Like many tires on this list, it is merely above average on snow and ice. It's also only above average in terms of comfort, with good noise and ride quality levels, but not the best in class. For the record, above average wintry performance is still way better than your standard all-season touring tire, so that's something to keep in mind. In all, this is a solid all-around tire. 

Firestone's second entrant on this list is a little better than the first one. The Destination A/T2 is another off-road capable tire that beefs up some of the weaknesses from the Destination X/T while still being different enough to make the two viable competitors. The A/T2 features a more aggressive shoulder tread pattern and some changes to the tread design to help it better contend with some types of elements, including snow and water. Firestone also ups the ante with its warranty on this one, offering a 55,000-mile warranty. That's a full 5,000 miles more than the Destination X/T. 

This Firestone tire is very similar to the other one in terms of raw performance. It's excellent in nearly all facets while being above average in terms of winter conditions. Where the Destination A/T2 excels is on-road comfort, which scores much higher than its off-road stablemate. So, much like the Goodyear and Cooper tires listed above, you have a choice. The Destination X/T has better off-road prowess but less on-road comfort, whereas the Destination A/T2 has more on-road comfort and less off-road prowess. Whichever one is better for you depends on what you value, and you can potentially swap either tire for the other, as they're both good at different things.

Falken is a bigger name in off-road tires, and it's because they make good ones. Falken tires are owned by Sumitomo and typically sit in the mid-range when it comes to tires. The WildPeak A/T3W is one of two Falken tires to make it onto this list. Falken designed this tire to do well both on and off-road, so it's a natural choice for anyone looking for a do-it-all type of tire. It's mostly made for SUVs and CUVs, so you'll see it recommended most often for those types of vehicles. It comes with a 55,000-mile warranty for all tire sizes. 

In terms of metrics, the Falken WildPeak A/T3W does quite well. Like most tires in the middle of this list, it excels at everything while being above average in wintry conditions. However, it does all of that while maintaining a good ride comfort and noise score from Tire Rack, giving it a leg up on most of the rest of the mid-range competition. Other review sites agree that Falken makes a very strong tire here, and it should be on the shortlist if you're shopping around for off-road tires. 

The General Grabber A/TX is a much better optionthan I was expecting. General has been around for over 100 years. It started in Akron, Ohio alongside many other tire companies and was eventually purchased by Continental. Since Continental doesn't have a tire on this list, the General Grabber will have to represent both brands. General keeps it simple here, similar to Sumitomo. You get the usual aggressive tread design along with General's Duragen technology, which the brand says increases durability. The warranty is also quite nice, ranging from 50,000 to 60,000 miles depending on tire size. 

In terms of review scores, General does very well. It receives excellent marks from Tire Rack across the board, being one of the first tires on the list to achieve that score in wintry conditions as well as wet, dry, and off-road. It only has one weakness and it's in comfort. It ranks as merely above average in that area as it tends to make a little more noise than some other competitors on the list. Ride comfort is still excellent, though, and in terms of overall performance, the Grabber is the first on the list with no notable weaknesses in any condition. 

The BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2 is the first of two BFGoodrich tires on our list. BFGoodrich is owned by Michelin and is considered one of the "big four" U.S. tire makers, so their inclusion on the list shouldn't be surprising. For the T/A KO2, the tire maker boasts a lot of positive things. The company has paid particular attention to sidewall strength with this model, as well as tread patterns that should resist mud, snow, and other such things easier. In addition to a 60-day return period, the brand also offers a 50,000-mile warranty, regardless of tire size. That's pretty standard in the industry. 

Overall, the tire is quite good. It has no obvious weaknesses as it scores well in off-road, on-road, wet, dry, and wintry conditions. Comfort could be a little better, but even then, Tire Rack says that the ride quality is excellent. It just makes a little more noise than some other tires. This a theme you'll see us repeat over the last few tires on the list. As long as you don't mind some road noise at highway speeds, there really isn't anything wrong with this tire. Reviews often cite it as one of the best all-terrain tires on the market, and we agree. 

Toyo is a Japanese tire brand that has been around for more than half a century. Its Open Country A/T III tire is among the best in its lineup. It's not too different from the BFGoodrich T/A KO2 tires. It's engineered specifically for wet, muddy, and snowy conditions with reinforced parts like the shoulder to help it remain stable even when the terrain isn't. Toyo also sells this with three shoulder designs so you can choose how hardcore you want your tire to be. Toyo also has one of the best warranties of any tire brand on the list at 65,000 miles. 

In terms of reviews, Toyo is right up there with BFGoodrich. It excels in off-road, wet, dry, and wintry conditions, which means this is another tire with no notable weaknesses. In terms of comfort, Tire Rack says that ride quality is fantastic with the only knock being that the tire is a little noisy. If that seems familiar it's because the T/A KO2 tires have exactly the same weakness. These two tires are pretty interchangeable, but Toyo has a slight advantage here because it has a longer treadwear warranty than BFGoodrich. 

The Falken WildPeak A/T4W represents the top of Falken's lineup and is one of the best all-terrain tires on the market. It takes everything we wrote about the A/T3W and improves it, leaving a tire that is just about everything you could want it to be. That includes a stronger shoulder, a three-ply sidewall, and Falken even makes a size specifically for heavy duty trucks that offers good towing performance. Falken backs up its claims that it's a superior tire by offering an even longer warranty than the A/T3W, with 60,000 miles for LT sizes and 65,000 miles for the other sizes. 

In terms of ratings, the Falken WildPeak A/T4W is the first tire on the list with no weaknesses. It can do wet and dry, cold and warm, and off-road as well as on-road. It manages to keep tire noise down, making it better for on-road driving than the prior Toyo and BFGoodrich tires while being just as good at everything else. Customers seem to really enjoy them, and pro reviews are also overwhelmingly positive. Within a margin of error, this is about as good as it gets for off-road tires, and other than personal preference, there isn't anything wrong with them.

It would take a truly special tire to top Falken, and BFGoodrich has a good case with its All-Terrain T/A KO3. It's much the same relation as the two Falken tires. Take everything good about BFGoodrich's KO2 tires and improve it. Included in those improvements is a new tread design from its predecessor along with improved stress distribution, new tire compounds, and a serrated shoulder design to help with challenging conditions. The only place where it doesn't excel is its 50,000-mile warranty, which is par for the course, but lags behind the 65,000-mile warranty of its competitors. 

Fortunately, the tire makes up for it with sizzling test scores. Tire Rack rates this as the best all-terrain tire on its entire website for any vehicle, even higher than the Falken WildPeak A/T4W. It's good at everything on or off of the road, including wintry conditions without sacrificing comfort or treadwear. There simply isn't any weaknesses here, which also describes the Falken, but BFGoodrich simply does it slightly better here. Reviewers agree that this tire is something special. So, we'll make this easy. If you want the best tire, get these. If you want a tire nearly as good as these but with a longer warranty, get the Falken tires. 

Tire reviews on the internet are few and far between, so choosing these tires proved a challenge. However, we were ready for it. We based this list off of Tire Rack's rankings based on its internal testing, which we believe to be quite authoritative and reliable. We then cross-referenced that with existing lists from other blogs to make sure we were on the right track and finally, we cross-referenced Tire Rack's reviews with other pro reviews to generate a consensus.

There are dozens of tires not mentioned, and our threshold was to not include any tire that Tire Rack deemed "average" or worse in any category. So, while it seems like we're pointing out a lot of deficits in comfort and wintry conditions, you should note that even with that, every tire we're selected scored better than average in every metric, beating out any tire that scored average or worse. And, since they're all-terrain tires, every tire above has wintry performance better than virtually any touring tire on the market today. In short, any of them could easily fulfill most off-roading needs.