June 1, 2020
Highway All-Season tires are the workhorses of North American trucks, full-sized SUVs and vans. They’re expected to deliver a quiet, comfortable ride with durable performance mile after mile, while providing traction in inclement weather, including the widely variable winter conditions encountered throughout the continent. With the continued popularity of these full-sized vehicles along with the increase in sales of mid-sized SUVs, tire manufacturers realize the importance of this market segment. These primarily on-road tires need to satisfy drivers’ demands for safety and traction, balanced with the road manners and durability expected from modern tire consumers.
With two new offerings in the Highway All-Season category, our team set out to compare the latest tires available to customers. The first newcomer is the TerrainContact H/T from Continental, utilizing the brand’s extensive technology and design capabilities to provide a premium option in the market. We also chose to test the Firestone Destination LE3, which aims to fill its predecessor’s large shoes, while being competitive with the latest generation of products in the category. To round out the test group we selected the Kumho Crugen HT51 and Yokohama Geolandar H/T G056. Both tires have a long track record of resonating well with customers, so they should be excellent benchmarks for what a Highway All-Season tire should be. Our evaluation used 2020 Ford F-150 4x4 trucks fitted with new, full tread depth 265/70R17 tires mounted on 17x8.0 wheels.
Our 6.0-mile loop of expressway, state highway and county roads provides a great variety of road conditions that include city and highway speeds, smooth and coarse concrete, as well as new and patched asphalt. This route allows our team to experience noise comfort, ride quality and everyday handling, just as you would during your drive to school or work.
The Firestone Destination LE3 led the group in our team’s on-road subjective ratings. While not scoring highest in any specific metric, the tire demonstrated the strength of a well-rounded package. The ride quality from the Firestone was a pleasant balance of comfort and control, feeling well-suited for our 2020 Ford F-150 4x4 test vehicles. While one of the softest tires in our test group, large, repetitive road imperfections upset the tire, creating a slightly unrefined feel at times over rough pavement. The flat toned, unobtrusive noise from the Destination LE3 helped the tire score near the top of the group, but was held back by slight initial impact noise over larger bumps. The Firestone continued to impress our team, giving its on-road handling solid marks for a natural and intuitive feel. In the end, the Destination LE3 consistently demonstrated itself up to the task, whether that’s a quick trip in town, or a cross country journey. The Continental TerrainContact H/T followed the Firestone in on-road scores with a controlled ride quality that impressed our team. Small road imperfections were succinct and well damped with larger impacts sometimes on the stiff side, however never upsetting. This created a luxurious feel unmatched by other tires in the test. The TerrainContact H/T exhibited appropriately low levels of road noise, with a slight acoustic slap over large impacts, which tended to bring more attention to bumps than the feeling alone would generate. Our team noted the TerrainContact H/T’s on-road handling was a little vague and imprecise, which impacted its subjective score. It was characterized as loose yet responsive, sometimes causing a wandering sensation that required constant correction, especially at higher speeds. This unique combination came across feeling non-linear and slightly unnatural compared to the other, more balanced-handling tires in the test. The Kumho Crugen HT51 scored essentially the same overall road rating as the Continental, however achieving it in a different manner. Our team ranked the Kumho as the softest-riding tire in the test, with well-mitigated impacts combined with little acoustic indication. However, the Kumho did seem to exhibit some secondary motion but overall achieved a quiet, comfortable ride. After the initial impact, the Crugen HT51 seemed to take longer than expected to recover, extending the ride disturbance longer than other tires in the test. While this tradeoff might certainly be preferable to customers, our team thought it created a moderately uncontrolled ride over poor road conditions. The Kumho beat out its competition in regards to noise comfort by exhibiting a consistent, albeit higher-level white noise over most pavement surfaces. This trait is arguably one of the most important to consumers of these on-road focused tires, as loud, rhythmic tread noise can be one of the chief complaints for truck, SUV and full-sized van customers. The Kumho’s steering again left some room for improvement, with a stiff and perhaps overly-linear feel that never built or subsided with input. While not unpleasant, it didn’t help the tire’s personality win the hearts of our team. Rounding out the test group on the road was the Yokohama Geolandar H/T G056. Our team immediately noticed its sporty disposition with a comparatively stiff but well-controlled ride. The tire did produce slight overtones on coarse pavement which stood out compared to its competition, but mostly disappeared on smoother surfaces. The Yokohama, however, led the group in steering response, characterized as a taut on-center feel with intuitive response to inputs at both higher and lower speeds. Even though the sporty steering appealed to our team, the stiff ride and sometimes noisy demeanor was significant enough in this competitive test to bring down the Yokohama’s overall road rating.
Our typical test track course features some elements that aren’t ideal for testing a full-size pickup, so for this test we used a modified lap that includes 90-degree street corners, simulated expressway ramps and an emergency braking zone. Run in both dry and wet conditions, the test track allows our team to experience the traction, responsiveness, handling and drivability normally only encountered during abrupt emergency avoidance maneuvers.
On track our team put an emphasis on wet performance and handling attributes, as consumers are far more likely to exceed the limit of traction in wet conditions than in dry. It became immediately apparent the Continental TerrainContact H/T also emphasized the importance of wet performance by wholly outperforming its competitors in every test metric by a considerable margin. Boasting 50-0 mph braking distances almost twenty feet shorter than its closest rival, and lateral traction gs three hundredths higher, it easily swept our objective testing. The impressive performance continued on our handling circuit where the Continental’s sure-footed and predictable transitions made lapping a drama free event. Steering inputs were met with the expected change in trajectory, along with confident braking and acceleration traction sure to satisfy customers that demand category-leading performance. The Firestone Destination LE3 once again demonstrated the benefits of a well-rounded package, and if not for the Continental’s standout performance, would have been the undisputed leader in the wet. With its solid wet objective performance and trademark balanced approach, the Firestone handily took second place in our wet evaluation. The Destination LE3 required a little more finesse when adding steering angle and power but patience was rewarded with competitive and consistent laps. The Kumho Crugen HT51 followed up the first two tires in the test with wet traction characterized as merely acceptable by our team. The Kumho’s competitive wet braking contrasted with its lower threshold of lateral traction, requiring a point and shoot approach to wet laps. Attempting two inputs simultaneously, like acceleration and turning often resulted in quick but mostly manageable oversteer. Rounding out the group in our track testing was the Yokohama Geolandar H/T G056 which struggled to find the wet traction needed to be competitive in this test. With braking a considerable step back from the group along with lateral traction described as adequate, lapping in the Yokohama ended up being an exercise in patience. Every input had to be tempered and separated so as not to upset the chassis causing loss of control or wheel spin. Our team noted the tire’s front end authority created an imbalance front to rear that sometimes exacerbated the tire’s lack of traction.
On the dry track the TerrainContact H/T continued to impress our team with easy to drive characteristics complemented by test leading levels of lateral traction more than sufficient for on-road maneuvers. The Yokohama’s front end authority that upset its handling in the wet, created an enjoyable dry track experience that our team ranked just short of the Continental. In fact, the Yokohama’s shortest dry 50-0 braking distance prevented the Continental from sweeping every objective metric. While it didn’t quite have the ultimate dry traction as the TerrainContact H/T, our team enjoyed its poised performance, even if the end result wasn’t the quickest lap times. The Firestone revealed itself as a slightly more reluctant partner after the track had dried. It required judicious throttle application to keep the truck from understeering, but with moderation ended up turning laps that flirted with the best in test. Dry handling was a similar experience with the Crugen HT51, which felt like another step back from its competition. While its wary approach to dry lapping didn’t win favor with our team, it did however seem perfectly adequate for emergency avoidance maneuvers that may be performed on public roads.
Winter traction for Highway All-Season tires can be a priority for drivers that experience wintry conditions and need traction in snow and on ice. While it’s generally accepted that severe-condition grip will be sacrificed for the year-round performance and longer tread life these tires offer, our testing found some significant differences in how each coped with the snow and ice.
The TerrainContact H/T led the group in every winter condition test we put it through, establishing significant leads in both objective and subjective metrics. The Continental displayed well-rounded stability where no one attribute overpowered the other or caught the driver off guard. Lateral traction was predictable, with longitudinal traction strong enough to tie corners together in a way the other tires couldn’t. The Destination LE3 was a step back in acceleration and steering authority but displayed good balance between the axles. The Kumho had a very similar balance that created drama free laps but lacked the traction to make forward progress when pointed in the right direction. The Geolandar H/T G056 was a noticeable step back from the others with appreciably less traction from all inputs. Throttle was most often met with significant wheel spin along with aggressive understeer from anything more than a gentle turn of the steering wheel.
In our ice braking test, the Continental once again took the top spot, with a respectable 5.7 foot margin over its closest competitors. The Kumho and Firestone both displayed capable ice performance with 61.4 and 62.0 foot stopping distances, respectively. The Yokohama took the longest to stop on the ice in an adequate 65.8 feet.
Due to the limited number of drivers participating in our 2020 testing as a result of the global pandemic, the sample size was not large enough to provide reliable fuel consumption data.
After a decisive performance on road and track, Continental consistently hits the mark with the TerrainContact H/T. Sure to satisfy drivers with its stable on-road control and category-leading dry and wet performance, it leaves little not to like. After sweeping our winter test results as well, the tire has positioned itself as a do-it-all tire that refuses to make the usual concession in grip that we often see in other tire lines. Our team would prefer to see a slight decrease in tread and impact noise along with a bump in steering feedback, but not at the expense of any other previously-mentioned positive traits. The Firestone Destination LE3 proves itself a worthy replacement for its predecessor and a strong competitor within the category. While not achieving any of the highest objective results, it repeatedly scores within sight of the winner. By ensuring the tire delivers satisfying performance in all categories, including light snow, Firestone has created a product that is more than the sum of its parts and offers drivers steadfast performance. The Yokohama Geolandar H/T G056 achieves admirable scores overall, thanks to its athletic dry track performance and sporty on-road handling. Even though its wet and winter performance leaves something to be desired in this test set, it’s still thoroughly capable for public road performance. However, we are starting to see tires that have raised the bar considerably, and its lack of wet grip is apparent. Rounding out the test is the Kumho Crugen HT51 with its satisfying, smooth and comfortable ride. After solid on-road scores and admirable winter traction, its track performance fails to wow our team in any way. Like the Yokohama, the Kumho is certainly capable of emergency braking and avoidance maneuvers, but it too needs a bump in performance to stay competitive.
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