Any Experience w/Toyo Open Country AT?

buffy · June 13, 2003

I'm interested in anyone's candid description of this tires performance. On the road, in the rocks, sidewall abrasion resistance, in the mud, ect.

buffy · June 14, 2003

Come on folks. Throw me a bone

Moonlight · July 11, 2003

I tried these tires on a 2000 Tundra because of all the hype I read about them and the 30 day money back guarantee, etc. they had going at the time. To make a long story short, they vibrated. Shop installed a total of 3 different sets with no luck. Tried telling me it was the truck, of which do have a history of vibration problems. Didn't vibrate with the worn out OEM tires though. After the 3rd try they asked me what other tire I wanted. They installed a set of Michelin LTX's ... and it drove like a cream puff. Never looked back.

buffy · July 13, 2003

I can now speak to my own post. I've posted on several boards for input on this tire with mixed results. Some hardcore offroad types have complained about how they handle in the mud. Some people rave about their on-road wet/dry handling. Some think they're weak. Others think they're great in snow. Some think just the opposite.

As the guy above me noted, you have a 500 mile grace period to decide yourself. The other day, I had Butler Tire place a set of 285/60R18 Open Country ATs on the Tahoe. I will compare them with respect to the Toyo Proxes STs I had before, in the same fitment. I think this is a fair benchmark for street tire people (Pretty much a known quantity). And since 99.5% of my time is spent on the road, comparing them to a BFG Mud Terrain is a waste.

1. They soak up road defects at low speed better than the ST

2. Road defects at high speed are more noticeable with the AT.

3. With no radio or other distractions, I can only notice a slight increase in sound at around the 70mph mark. Nothing annoying.

4. Surprisingly so, cornering is more firm with this tire than the ST. I would expect the opposite based on their applications, but looking closer at the tire, the AT does appear to have a more square edge than the ST. This might be giving it the stronger feel. I'm also betting the plys are wound tighter, thus stiffenning the sidewalls. Great feel!

5. Braking is better than the ST I just removed, but I think that can be attributed to how new the tire is.

6. Funny enough, I've needed to drive over a couple of curbs in the past couple of days. Very distinct improvement here. I expected this.

That leaves 4 areas to throughly test:

1. Wet Traction

2. Snow Traction

3. Clay-Mud Testing

4. Long Term Wear and Performance.

So far, this tire has only one small strike against it. How it handles road defects at high speed (just too much reaction with the tire).

buffy · July 14, 2003

I now have some rain under my belt. Great stuff.

1. Sticks like glue

2. Parts the red sea.

buffy · July 18, 2003

After a couple of days, it appears that the response to road defects at high speeds has greatly improved. It is definitely better than the ST overall right now.

buffy · September 8, 2003

Folks. I've been running these for a couple thousand miles. Everything still holds true. These tires are fantastic. Next month I'll be taking this thing on the second annual man trip. I'll let your know how they handle the swamps.