allyncooper
Observer
Looking to put these on my Ranger. Will be living in the CO San Juans so would like some feedback from those having these tires and how they perform in snow. TIA
How are AT3's in the snow?
- Thread starter allyncooper
- Start date
Roody
Adventurer
Wasn't impressed by them on my parents '14 Grand Cherokee. In the snow, stability seemed fine but braking was worse than I expected. A lot of the time they sent ABS into a frenzy, and would fill the voids with snow while skidding all over the place. They also packed themselves full of snow when accelerating from a standstill, and would dig until they hit pavement rather than claw forward. Size was 265/65/18. Parents just replaced them with Hankook Dyanpro ATMs. I know a lot of people swear by the AT3s, but they just weren't right for my parents' vehicle or usage.
Edit: forgot that I have them on my VX too, but haven't had them in the snow yet.
Edit: forgot that I have them on my VX too, but haven't had them in the snow yet.
aardvarcus
Adventurer
Look at the ATWs, they are similar to the AT3s except they have way more sipes and some other features that make them good in the snow. I have the ATWs, they do everything I ask without issue and seem to be a good all around on/off road compromise. I prefer my Michelin LTX M/S 2 for dedicated street use though. All of this was in a 235/85R16 on a 2005 Tacoma.
allyncooper
Observer
Thanks for the replies, good info. Checked out the ATW's and look like the appropriate tire for my use. Unfortunately they don't seem to be available in the size I need - 31 10.5 15. I'm committed to that size because my trailer wheels/tires are that setup and I've done this for a one spare strategy with the spare still able to fit in the stock mounting area under the truck bed.
Any other suggestions?
Any other suggestions?
1stDeuce
Explorer
Check out Hercules Terra-Trac II's. I have a set on the Comanche and they are freaking AWESOME in the snow. Made in USA too (By Cooper). They also seem to be wearing well.
FWIW, we ran AT3's on the wife's Liberty, and they were great in the snow and ice. Based on my experiences, I would not have expected anyone to be disappointed with the AT3 in winter conditions. Type of snow does make a difference though... Mostly we were in cold condition and dry snow/ice roads, whereas NY gets a lot of wet, heavy snow, sometimes over ice... Not many tires work well for that.
FWIW, we ran AT3's on the wife's Liberty, and they were great in the snow and ice. Based on my experiences, I would not have expected anyone to be disappointed with the AT3 in winter conditions. Type of snow does make a difference though... Mostly we were in cold condition and dry snow/ice roads, whereas NY gets a lot of wet, heavy snow, sometimes over ice... Not many tires work well for that.
I'm not too happy with the set on my wife's vehicle. We didn't get a lot of snow this past winter but I expected them to do a little better than they did. My biggest surprise and complaint with them is how loud they are for a non-aggressive AT tire. They make way more road noise than the KO2s I have on my truck.
1stDeuce
Explorer
Are we all talking about Cooper AT3's?? I couldn't hardly hear them on the wife's Liberty... And they did really well in the snow. I suppose on a newer really quiet vehicle, you might hear them... Probably not on a Ranger though. 
Allyncooper, you're going to LOVE the San Juan's! Where are you moving to? Wife and I are going to try to move up to Mancos/Delores/Cortez in a year or so. For now, we'll just do the two hour drive up to Silverton for most summer weekends.
Cooper has a $70 rebate till the end of the month (I think...) on several tires now... AT3 is included. Makes them a darn good deal.
And I should think the noise similar, but I hear from someone at Cooper that the new BFG AT is one of the best performing snow/ice tires they've tested that wasn't a winter dedicated tire... Not a BFG guy, but that's a pretty good endorsement.
Allyncooper, you're going to LOVE the San Juan's! Where are you moving to? Wife and I are going to try to move up to Mancos/Delores/Cortez in a year or so. For now, we'll just do the two hour drive up to Silverton for most summer weekends.
Cooper has a $70 rebate till the end of the month (I think...) on several tires now... AT3 is included. Makes them a darn good deal.
And I should think the noise similar, but I hear from someone at Cooper that the new BFG AT is one of the best performing snow/ice tires they've tested that wasn't a winter dedicated tire... Not a BFG guy, but that's a pretty good endorsement.
allyncooper
Observer
Moving to Pagosa Springs. I'm in Pittsburgh just for a while, I have actually lived in CO for 28 years all on the Front Range except for a year in South Fork (eastern edge of the San Juan). Going into semi retirement mode. I'll check out the Terra Trac II's.
Lot's of different types of snow out there, so pay attention to geographical location with snow reviews.
I have had two sets of AT3's now and had them on the road in some slushy, watery snow and on the trail in some crusty spring snow that has frozen and melted several times. The snow on the trail was a north facing slope of a road that still had approximately two feet of coverage for about 200 yards.
In both instances, I have been impressed with the AT3's on both my old xterra and my land cruiser. In the past I have run duratracs, Michelin LTX MS2's the old BFG AT's and a handful of lesser known brands. The AT3's seemed to be on par, or slightly above those tires in the conditions and vehicles I have used them in. My brother has grown up and still lives in the North East and loves the AT3's on his 4th gen 4runner.
Noise wise, I find them very quiet. The most direct comparison is that I recently removed a set of near new dura tracs from my 80 series land cruiser to install at3's and the road noise from the tires all but disappeared.
mike
I have had two sets of AT3's now and had them on the road in some slushy, watery snow and on the trail in some crusty spring snow that has frozen and melted several times. The snow on the trail was a north facing slope of a road that still had approximately two feet of coverage for about 200 yards.
In both instances, I have been impressed with the AT3's on both my old xterra and my land cruiser. In the past I have run duratracs, Michelin LTX MS2's the old BFG AT's and a handful of lesser known brands. The AT3's seemed to be on par, or slightly above those tires in the conditions and vehicles I have used them in. My brother has grown up and still lives in the North East and loves the AT3's on his 4th gen 4runner.
Noise wise, I find them very quiet. The most direct comparison is that I recently removed a set of near new dura tracs from my 80 series land cruiser to install at3's and the road noise from the tires all but disappeared.
mike
allyncooper
Observer
Thanks to all who have given feedback on my OP. As I research the subject I'm becoming aware that tire technology has greatly advanced over the past few years so there's much to learn from a consumer viewpoint.
One such entry into the market this year is the Falken Wild Peak A/T3W. I have read some pretty positive reviews, wondering if anyone here has any experience with them.
One such entry into the market this year is the Falken Wild Peak A/T3W. I have read some pretty positive reviews, wondering if anyone here has any experience with them.
Stumpalump
Expedition Leader
Falken is China if that matters to you. My experiance in Colorado was that the newer and softer the all season radial the better for hardback. For deep snow then the mud tires worked the best. Some of the best rides in Colorado are "Snow Bashing". Basically they go out and try to be the first ones to make it thru a trail in the spring. It may be 75% dry untill you hit a 10' compacted snow drift. You would be surprised at what a 4x4 can claw thru but you have to watch the tranny temps even in the snow.
RubiconGeoff
Adventurer
Falken is a brand of Sumitomo, which is a Japanese. You can check the sidewall of the tires to see which country in which they were actually produced.
Mickey Bitsko
Adventurer
Ha Ha .. I live in Pagosa and have AT3's on wifes Trailblazer and my f-150 ,about every other vehicle runs them here , nuff said
See ya here.
See ya here.