Tire Time - AT vs AS

[AndyLate]

I have a Silverado K1500 and I have gotten most of the good (?) out of the OEM Goodyear tires.

Besides looking more appropriate for a Z-71 4x4, is there any reason I should be looking at All Terrain tires over All Season?

I live in N. Alabama and 95% of my driving is on pavement with the remaining on gravelish roads. Wet traction is more important than snow/winter or mud/offroad performance.

I am going to install a 1.5" leveling kit and run 265 70 18 in leiu of the factory 265 65 18s for 2" more ground clearance for what its worth and tires will be US or Canada.

Thanks

Andy

[utahjeepr]

If you have no need for the all terrains, roll the AS. Mission drives the gear. All terrain tires and worse yet mud tires do not perform as well on pavement. The more aggressive the off road traction characteristics, the more on road traction impacts.

Of course it's a spectrum and it ain't like if you go with a mildly aggressive AT for occasional off roading (or just looks) that your truck becomes dangerous on pavement.

[ChattanoogaPhil]

I live just across the line from ya in Chattanooga. AS is the way to go for your driving. I have Michelin Defender LTX m/s on my Tundra 4wd. Smooth, quiet, great in rain and perform remarkably well in light snow we might get once or twice a year.

[Coal Dragger]

I prefer AT’s on a truck, but my current set are far too aggressive and are borderline MT’s.

If you stick with AS tires you’ll probably be happy. Some of the very mild AT’s are very good on road tires though, like the new Pirelli Scorpion or the Michelin LTX A/T 2. I’ve been in enough trucks with the LTX A/T 2 that I can confidently tell you it rides like an AS on the road, and isn’t noisy. There’s a reason the Michelin and the Pirelli are both OEM fitments on new trucks, because they’re well behaved and do well in a lot of categories.

[AndyLate]

I prefer AT’s on a truck, but my current set are far too aggressive and are borderline MT’s.

If you stick with AS tires you’ll probably be happy. Some of the very mild AT’s are very good on road tires though, like the new Pirelli Scorpion or the Michelin LTX A/T 2. I’ve been in enough trucks with the LTX A/T 2 that I can confidently tell you it rides like an AS on the road, and isn’t noisy. There’s a reason the Michelin and the Pirelli are both OEM fitments on new trucks, because they’re well behaved and do well in a lot of categories.

I understand what you mean about OEM, but my current Goodyear OEM tires are pretty sorry. I had LTX A/T tires on my previous truck (2500) with (edit - no) complaints except the price.

If I lived further North, I would surely be mounting AT tires.

Andy

[Chubbs103]

My characterization of "gravelinsh" roads in the middle of the Mojave is likely different from yours in N. Alabama. Penetration protection (especially sidewall) tends to be better with AT. I see a lot of flats on desert dirt roads.

My guess is from your description, you will be better off with AS. You will actually get better wet pavement performance, lower weight, and lower rolling resistance.

Edited to add: AS will likely last longer (mileage) than AT.

[Ned Christiansen]

The one product in the last couple years, out of all categories, that has impressed me the most is Bridgestone Blizzacs as snow tires (if that's what you're asking). I preach the Blizzac gospel with the fervor of a traveling evangelist. Yea though I drive through the valley of snow, I will not slip and slide, etc.

[Rifleman_04]

I live just across the line from ya in Chattanooga. AS is the way to go for your driving. I have Michelin Defender LTX m/s on my Tundra 4wd. Smooth, quiet, great in rain and perform remarkably well in light snow we might get once or twice a year.

The Michelin Defender LTX M/S is the best answer.

[Edm]

My 2020 1500 came with GY. They were decent on the road but off road they hopped like crazy. I’ve run BFG KO2 and while they look cool, they are not that great on wet roads and squeal rally bad in turns and parking lots. I’m back to Michelin AT2 now. Those work great. Quiet and off road traction. Smooth ride. I work in mines and rock quarry’s that isn’t 90% of my off-road.

[AndyLate]

"Gravelish" because they are more dirt than rock, not like the gravel roads I grew up driving on in the midwest.

Andy