Best all-terrain tires: what truck and SUV owners actually need to know

What "best" means in the all-terrain category

The all-terrain segment has more strong options than almost any other tire category, which makes "best" genuinely context-dependent. The right tire for a Wrangler owner who airs down on weekend trails is not the right tire for an F-150 owner who hauls tools down gravel roads and commutes 40 miles each way on the interstate.

The criteria that actually separate them: highway noise and ride, traction on the surfaces you really drive (gravel, mud, sand, packed snow — not rock-crawling fantasies), tread life, the correct load rating for how you use the truck, and total cost over the life of the set.

This guide covers the models with proven track records among US truck and SUV owners, decodes the load-range and winter-rating specs that matter, and is honest about the daily cost of running aggressive rubber you may not need.

All-terrain vs highway vs mud-terrain: pick the right category first

Before comparing models, make sure you are in the right category at all. Highway tires (Michelin Defender LTX M/S2, Continental TerrainContact H/T) are the quiet, long-wearing default for trucks that stay on pavement. Mud-terrains (KM3, Wildpeak M/T) buy serious off-road bite at the cost of noise, wear, and wet-pavement braking. All-terrains split the difference — and how well they split it is the whole game.

Our honest rule: if your truck leaves pavement less than once a month, a highway tire serves you better in every measurable way. If it leaves pavement weekly, an A/T earns its keep. Almost nobody outside of dedicated wheeling or deep-mud work needs a mud-terrain on a daily driver.

Five models worth putting on your shortlist

The BFGoodrich KO2 has been the reference all-terrain for over a decade, and its KO3 successor — rolling out across sizes since 2024 — keeps the formula: 3PMSF winter rating, serrated shoulder blocks for aired-down traction, and tough sidewalls that shrug off rocks and brush. Neither is the cheapest in any size, but the reputation is earned. Budget roughly $230–$280 per tire in LT285/70R17.

The Falken Wildpeak AT3W is the value pick that earns real respect rather than "best for the money" faint praise. It carries the 3PMSF symbol, performs strongly in mud for an A/T, and typically prices $30–$60 per tire under the equivalent KO2 or KO3. The newer AT4W tightens up highway manners and wet braking. For owners who go off-road occasionally rather than constantly, the Wildpeak is the smarter spend.

The Toyo Open Country AT3 is the pick for drivers who want A/T capability but live on pavement. It is measurably quieter than the KO2 and Wildpeak, rides more comfortably, still carries the 3PMSF rating, and backs P-metric sizes with a 65,000-mile warranty. The trade-off is less bite in deep mud than the aggressive-void competition.

Two more worth a look: the Cooper Discoverer AT3 4S hits a mid-tier price with a 65,000-mile warranty on P-metric sizes and is frequently on promotion. The Goodyear Wrangler All-Terrain Adventure with Kevlar is the premium sidewall-protection play — genuinely useful if you drive through brush and sharp rock, and an expensive badge if you do not.

Load range C, D, E — and when E is overkill

LT-metric all-terrains come in load range C (6-ply rated), D (8-ply), or E (10-ply). The letters describe the casing strength and the maximum inflation pressure, which sets load capacity. Full-size trucks that tow — an F-150 pulling a 7,000-pound travel trailer, a RAM 2500 doing anything at all — should be on the load range the door-jamb sticker calls for, usually E on three-quarter-tons.

Here is the part the forums get wrong: load range E is not automatically "better." An E-rated casing on an unloaded Tacoma or 4Runner daily driver rides harshly, weighs 10–15 pounds more per tire than the P-metric equivalent, and drags fuel economy down further. If you never tow more than a small utility trailer and never load the bed past a few hundred pounds, a P-metric or load range C tire in your stock size rides better, stops the same, and costs $20–$40 less per tire.

P-metric A/T tires carry lower load capacity than LT tires of the same size, and running one at its limit builds heat in the casing. The door-jamb sticker is the minimum spec, not a suggestion — match or exceed its load index, then stop. Paying for capacity you will never use is the most common over-purchase in this category.

• LT load range E: three-quarter-ton trucks, regular towing above 5,000 lbs, heavy bed loads
• LT load range C/D: half-ton trucks that tow occasionally, lifted rigs on larger sizes
• P-metric: crossovers, stock midsize trucks (Tacoma, Frontier, Colorado), no heavy towing

The noise and fuel economy bill comes due every day

All-terrain tires are louder than highway tires, full stop. Coming from a touring all-season to an aggressive A/T pattern, the hum is noticeable from day one and never goes away — it is the single most common complaint from first-time A/T buyers who were not warned. Road-biased designs like the Toyo AT3 and Michelin LTX Trail keep it civil; the KO2 and Wildpeak announce themselves above 50 mph.

The fuel math is just as concrete. Heavier casings and open tread blocks typically cost 1–2 MPG against a highway tire in the same size. A Silverado that drove 15,000 miles last year at 19 MPG drops to 17–18 MPG on aggressive A/Ts — roughly 45–90 extra gallons, or $150–$300 a year at $3.30 gas. Over a 50,000-mile set, that is $500–$1,000 you should add to the sticker price when comparing against a highway tire.

Neither penalty is a dealbreaker for an owner who uses the capability. They are simply part of the honest price, and they are why we tell pavement-only drivers to skip the category entirely.

Popular sizes, what they fit, and what they cost

A handful of sizes dominate the US all-terrain market, and they are the sizes where competition keeps prices honest. The 265/70R17 fits the 4Runner and Tacoma TRD Off-Road from the factory plus countless Wranglers, F-150s, and Silverados — more brands compete here than in any other A/T size, so it is consistently the best value per tire. The 275/55R20 is the go-to for stock F-150s and RAM 1500s on 20-inch factory wheels: it fills the wheel well without a lift. The LT285/70R17 — roughly a 33-inch tire — is the classic first upgrade for lifted or leveled trucks and Wranglers.

If you are unsure of your size, the sticker inside the driver door jamb settles it, or start from our vehicle pages, which list OEM and common plus-size fitments with live price comparisons attached.

Winter performance: where 3PMSF all-terrains earn their keep

One legitimate reason to run an A/T even on a mostly-pavement truck is winter. The KO2/KO3, Wildpeak AT3W/AT4W, Toyo Open Country AT3, and Cooper AT3 4S all carry the three-peak mountain snowflake rating, which means they passed a standardized acceleration test in medium-packed snow. For drivers in Denver, Salt Lake City, or anywhere with mountain passes and plowed-but-snowy roads, a 3PMSF all-terrain is a real year-round answer — and it usually satisfies Colorado traction-law checkpoints that a plain all-season does not.

Keep the claim honest, though: 3PMSF measures snow acceleration, not ice braking. In the Upper Midwest or anywhere ice is routine, dedicated winter tires still stop dramatically shorter. The all-terrain is the convenient compromise, not the safety ceiling.

When to skip the category — the mall-crawler tax

If your truck never leaves pavement and you want all-terrains for the look, we will not pretend otherwise: that look costs real money. Against a Defender LTX in the same size, an aggressive A/T gives up 10,000–20,000 miles of tread life, adds the daily hum, and burns the $150–$300 a year in extra fuel covered above. Over five years that is easily $1,500 spent on an aesthetic. Plenty of people make that trade knowingly, and that is fine — just make it knowingly.

For everyone else, the buying process is short. Decide highway versus all-terrain based on how often you actually leave pavement. Pick road-biased (Toyo AT3) or aggressive (KO2/KO3, Wildpeak) based on the worst terrain you see monthly. Match the door-jamb load index without overbuying into load range E. Then compare the exact model and size across at least three retailers, because the spread on a set of four is routinely $120–$200.