All-terrain tires explained
All-terrain tires sit between a highway tire and a mud-terrain: open enough to clear gravel and dirt, tight enough to stay quiet at highway speed. The best modern A/Ts also carry the 3PMSF snow rating, which makes them a genuine year-round solution for trucks in northern climates. The trade is weight, rolling resistance, and a few decibels of hum.
- Season
- Year-round; many carry 3PMSF
- Temperature
- Model dependent
- Best for
- Trucks, SUVs, and overlanding rigs
Strengths
- Real traction on gravel, dirt, sand, and light mud
- Reinforced sidewalls resist trail punctures
- Many models are 3PMSF snow-rated
- Aggressive look without mud-terrain penalties
Trade-offs
- Noisier and heavier than a highway tire
- Costs 1-2 mpg versus a highway-terrain tire
- Shorter treadlife when driven mostly on pavement
Buy these if
- You leave pavement regularly but commute during the week
- You tow or haul on unimproved roads
- You want one truck tire for all four seasons
Our top-rated all-terrain tires
Scored on dry grip, wet grip, treadwear, ride and value.
All-Terrain Tires: common questions
Are all-terrain tires loud?
Modern road-biased A/Ts are surprisingly quiet — typically only a few decibels above a highway tire. Aggressive hybrid-terrain patterns are noticeably louder, especially as they wear.
All-terrain or mud-terrain?
Choose mud-terrain only if you routinely drive deep mud or crawl rocks. For gravel, forest roads, snow, and overlanding, an all-terrain is quieter, lasts longer, and performs better in the rain.