July 7, 2022
With the growing subset of varying capabilities and focuses, the On-/Off-Road All-Terrain category has become impressively diverse, but mildly intimidating when it comes to comparing the many options. One such subset is designed to provide the necessary durability in light off-road environments while delivering reasonable on-road capabilities. That’s a difficult task, but arguably, fits the most common use of many consumers in this segment. These On-/Off-Road All-Terrain tires are built to offer more off-pavement capabilities than their highway or touring counterparts, but knowing they are most often driven on the road, aim to strike the delicate balance between the two.
Eager to evaluate three of these options head-to-head, our team rounded up several previously tested favorites in the space. With each tire performing well in its respective tests, our team was excited to see how they match up. Two of the three tires, the Firestone Destination A/T2 and Vredestein Pinza AT, boast the Three Peak Mountain Snowflake (3PMSF) symbol, which indicates they deliver light snow traction sufficient to meet the industry’s severe snow service certification. The Continental TerrainContact A/T completed the test group, and while it’s not branded with the 3PMSF symbol, its history of satisfying customers in wintry conditions and historically strong performance in other metrics will set a strong benchmark for the other two. Our test used 2022 Ford Explorer ST test vehicles fitted with new, full tread depth 265/60R18 tires mounted on 18x8.0 wheels.
Our 6.0-mile loop of expressway, state highway and county roads provide 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.
Driving the three tires back-to-back gave our team a good idea of how each competitor would fare on the streets where they would see most of their use. The TerrainContact A/T’s solid connection to the road found favor with our team. While road imperfections felt sightly harsher than the other two tires, the impacts were well-damped and concise, which helped offset the slight increase in ride harshness. Our drivers praised the TerrainContact A/T’s ability to blend noises into relatively low volumes over coarse surfaces which mostly disappeared once on smooth pavement. The Continental’s precise steering also reinforced its position as best on the road. Turns felt natural, with linear response and a nice heft that felt downright sporty at times and was a pleasant surprise from an all-terrain tire. The Destination A/T2 was a small subjective step behind the leader on the road with a very nice, compliant ride, soaking up the broken pavement with only small hints of secondary motion after larger impacts. Slight cyclical pattern noise on smooth pavement was mostly masked by consistent tones on coarser roads, which led our team to commend the Firestone’s ability to hide its larger blocked tread pattern. The Destination A/T2’s quick and light steering response was satisfying, but our drivers would have liked a little more heft to add some on-center stability and precision. The Pinza AT also seemed to struggle with some consistency mid-corner, and while still good, was a little vague in comparison, especially after driving the Continental. The Vredestein also had some more traditional pattern noise on smooth pavement, that again, might have only stood out more because of its stiff competition. The ride managed to satisfy with the best in the test, with a similarly well-cushioned ride and only minor reverberations after the impact.
Our 1/3-mile per lap test track course includes 90-degree street corners, a five-cone slalom and simulated expressway ramps. 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 or competition events.
Measured testing for wet traction helped our team differentiate each tire along with handling characteristics at the limit, which are not necessarily derived by braking and cornering traction metrics alone. The TerrainContact A/T, however, managed to clinch both honors with an impressive braking performance, stopping almost 10 feet shorter from 50 mph than its closest rival. The Destination A/T2 was right on its heels, however, with similar lateral traction figures but a sharper front-end eagerness and heft that was satisfying in the tighter transitions. In the end, the Continental’s considerable increase in braking performance inspired confidence in our drivers and combined with more mid-corner feedback to become the subjective favorite in the wet. The Pinza AT’s braking was on par with the Firestone but was a step behind the group in lateral traction, which made laps a commensurate second slower. Steering required more input and was easily overwhelmed with safe understeer. Our team noted this was a fine, and even desirable, trait for public roads but after driving the first two tires, the difference was obvious.
Dry track handling capabilities for On-/Off-Road All-Terrain tires aren’t necessarily a primary design characteristic, but emergency braking and accident avoidance are key attributes for any driver. In that regard, all three tires proved capable, with the TerrainContact A/T once again leading the test in braking, but by a smaller margin this time. The Destination A/T2 was able to realize a slight lateral traction advantage around the skidpad with eager steering that helped drivers navigate the slalom with ease. The Pinza AT trailed the group slightly but felt perfectly competent in aggressive maneuvers. In the end, while the Firestone was the subjective favorite, none of these improvements translated to significantly quicker times around the handling course that favored any tire.
On-/Off-Road All-Terrain tires are designed to face a number of different situations, one of the biggest traction challenges being snow and ice. With two of the three tires featuring the Three Peak Mountain Snowflake (3PMSF) on their sidewalls, our team was eager to see how they would perform in inclement situations. Continental’s TerrainContact A/T started the experience relatively strong, helping our team to put the power down with good acceleration in the snow and braking force to match, setting a benchmark for the others to follow. It wasn’t a flawless run, and our testers found themselves sliding sideways at times with weaker-than-expected lateral traction, though the TerrainContact A/T recovered itself nicely.
Following that display was the Pinza AT, which nearly tied Continental’s offering for acceleration in the snow, even if it couldn’t match it in stopping distance. From there, Vredestein’s tire trailed behind, proving itself to be competent: decent but not exceptional. Our drivers felt the front-end steering was reasonably authoritative but was missing the back end to give it support at times. The Destination A/T2 kept pace, falling slightly behind in acceleration, yet surpassing the Vredestein tire in stopping distance. Unfortunately, it could not match the other two tires when cornering. Our team felt it lacked the assurance of lateral grip to keep them from sliding around.
On ice, the tests returned close results, the Vredestein Pinza AT taking an authoritative lead in this arena. The Firestone Destination A/T2, slipped just behind, halting less than a foot off from the Vredestein tire. The Continental TerrainContact A/T, in a surprising inversion to its superior performance in the snow, took an additional couple of feet yet to stop.
Our team’s feedback and scores for these tires are relative to this test: none of these tires, including those carrying the Three-Peak Mountain Snowflake (3PSMF) can compete with a dedicated Winter Snow & Ice tire for your vehicle and should not be considered a replacement for one.
This test set of On-/Off-Road All-Terrain tires impressed our team. We knew each tire in the group would bring a solid mix of on-road ride and noise comfort, and capable traction. Putting them head-to-head allowed our team to parse out nuanced differences so drivers can focus on which traits match their specific needs and wants for their next set of tires. The TerrainContact A/T performs at a high level across the board. Its noise comfort on the road pairs perfectly with its athletic and responsive steering. With capable wet traction that seems to be a slight step above the rest and winter behavior that champions its versatility the Continental proves it’s a well-rounded package. The Destination A/T2 also has good road manners and satisfyingly quick and responsive handling when pushed through the faster transitions and simulated emergency lane changes. The Firestone is different than the Continental in some respects, but their overall evaluation is remarkably close outside of snow and ice conditions, where the Destination A/T2 lacks the authoritative control and lateral traction of the other two. Subjectively, the Pinza AT matches, or scores within sight of the other competitors in almost every criterion but is habitually third of three. As the Vredestein is a previous test leader, this shows how evenly each tire is matched and that each should satisfy based on driver preference and value.
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