Cooper Discoverer A/T3 215/70R16 - hands down the best all-around AT tire I have ever owned. These tires have been outstanding in the face of everything a Central New York winter could throw at them, city, highway, off-road. I bought mine from Discount Tire Direct and got a $70 rebate card too at the time.

 

I like the Discoverer tires as I have them on my truck. I do not drive in snow so I am not sure how they would perform. I was just checking my dealers site and it looks like the Cooper CS3 Touring and the CS5 Grand Touring are all season tires and the reviews are between 4 and 5 stars out of 5 stars. You can check them out and read the customer reviews - http://www.actiongatortire.com.

 

Thanks for your recommendation O'DubnGhailll.

Here is a link to our tire calculator so you can see the difference in size:

Tire Calculator

Let us know if we can be of assistance.

 

Firestone destination AT is also a good choice, very good performance in the snow as well.

 

I haven't heard a single bad thing about Firestone Destination LE as far as all season tires.

Among AT tires, Cooper as mentioned above. I had two sets of Yokohama Geolandar A-T/S. Good tires all around including snow.

 

Sorry to jump in, but how great of a difference is there between all season and all terrain tires? I currently have all season tires that I'm not happy with at all, my oem ones were quiter and performed better. I dont do any sort of off roading but I need tires that perform very well in snow and ice, I got stuck a couple of times this last winter in a couple of inches of snow. So I guess my question is would I be better off getting some light duty AT tires, or some quality all seasons? I know theres tires out there that will give me the absolute best traction in snow, but I dont want my ride quality to be ruined during the rest of the year. I think I want to go with 225/65/17's, I've been looking into the tires that seem to be recommended most on these forums but want to make sure I'm going in the right direction with my search. Thanks!

 

If you're not going off road there's no reason to buy a A/T tire -- they're noisy and won't last as long as a road tire. I'm pretty cynical when it comes to all-season tires: I call them 3-season tires.

If your Patriot is AWD then you can probably get away with an all-season/3-season tire because AWD will make up the difference climbing hills; however, cornering and braking will not be as good as with a dedicated snow tire.

If you have FWD don't waste your money on all-season tires. If there are hills and snow in your area, get a dedicated snow tire for winter.

Our Wrangler has all-season tires on it and its acceptable in snow, but not outstanding. Our old Wrangler with snow tires was way better. On the highway I prefer my FWD Patriot with snow tires to the Wrangler with all-season tires. I can't wait to get a better set, but my checkbook says we've got to get another winter out of the OEM tires.

I was out in our old Saturn last winter with FWD and all-season tires when an unpredicted snowstorm struck. The DOT was caught flat-footed and traffic was heavy. The roads turned to hard-packed snow in about an hour and I had a very miserable trip -- even the grades on the curves presented a problem. I was not alone -- there were umpteen other people also riding on "all season" <snicker> tires, and they were just added obstacles to an already harrowing trip. I've been through much worse with my FWD Patriot and it would have handled it far better, because of its snow tires.

Don't think its going to cost you more money to own a second set of tires, because you're only using 1 set at a time, so considered together, they'll last twice as long.

 

Re-reading your original post I see you have 4wd and want to "go through anything." I guess it depends on where in Pennsylvania you live. If you're south of Philly, you probably can get away with all-season tires; if you're somewhere north of Harrisburg, just get the snow tires and take the worry out of it. Yes, 4wd will help you go forward, but that's only 1/3 of snow driving. Cornering and braking are just as important. In a modest snowstorm you'll see people getting around in Honda Civics, but in that same 'modest' snowstorm you'll see an SUV in ditch or perched on a guardrail. I'd bet dollars to donuts that tires have a lot to do with why.

Finally, remember 4wd is meant to get you up hills or through deep snow slowly. In any other circumstance you're no better off than every other vehicle out there.

 

The patriot's 4x4/awd system is very good but tires are what makes the vehicle get through what it can. Since I've used 7 different tires on my vehicles (A patriot and Compass) i'll chime in with some real world advice. I live in an area that gets about 5-6 months of snow a year. An all season tire is crap in the snow, with the AWD it will barely get your by. Example, Michelin latitude HP all season tires, great tire but junk in the snow, with 2-3" of snow on the ground and a slight incline, I couldn't make it up the hill. The stock goodyear SRA tires, barely passable as a tire i'd use in the snow, even though rated as an AT tire it was a street tire.

I have to disagree with Ignatz that AT tires are loud. I've used both the firestone destination AT and Cooper AT3 in the winter. Both are an AT tire and both were no louder than any of the street tires I've ran on my vehicles. If you get into the more aggressive MT tires you start to get loud (my 15" wrangler territotiy tires are not loud but aren't quiet either, you know they are there).

I also ran a set of dedicated snow tires one winter Gislaved Nord Frost tires. The tread pattern wasn't the most aggressive for offroad, but they were fantastic in all conditions and only struggled in deep snow, but were still better than street tires.

My criteria for a tire is good in snow/offroad and not too loud. The firestone Destination AT and cooper AT3 are probably what you are looking for. Between the 2 the only difference I found is that the firestone was ever so slightly better in the snow and ice. Both were quiet and performed well offroad as well.

My wife has a Cherokee KL and it has crappy continental street tires, its 4x4 system is superior to my compass...........and I've gotten it stuck in snow numerous times only due to the tires.

Take my advice for what its worth, The Cooper's or firestone are great tires, and I've heard good things about the Yokohama geolander AT/S I just don't have personal experience with them. With an AT you make some compromises, but less so than an all season tire or strictly winter tire.

 

I am worried about the snow because last winter we got some unexpected snow storms(accompanied with lazy plow trucks). Add the fact in that I will be leaving work at 2 A.M I do not expect roads to be plowed. After , I end up jumping on the highway and eventually back to hills around the afternoon. So depending how much snow we get things can get bad. Now based on your comments I am either going with the Cooper's or Firestone tires mentioned by Tyler and Dubh or going to buy a set of "strictly winter" tires and just switch them on and off each year. Before I make a solid decision if I would go with another set of tires/rims should I purchase TPMS sensors for those new tires/rims?

 

I'll chime in to recommend the General Altimax Arctics I'm using. My Patriot is FWD and living in NH I refuse to get stuck in the snow. So far so good. I've had them on for all but the first 1/2 winter (I bought my '08 in January '09). The OEM LS-2s were acceptable in light snow, but nothing deep. Like jaminh, I leave for work early in the AM. I leave at 4 and my town doesn't plow between 11PM and 5AM so I'm in the worst of it. I've gotten through some pretty tough stuff that stopped other vehicles, but the Generals got me through just fine. Its fairly quiet considering its a snow-tire. Gets good reviews on tirerack.com. In my opinion the tread life is a little short, but I drive a lot of miles (25,000/year). The tires are still legal, but after 3 winters the snow performance isn't as good -- I estimate the snow tires are on for 10,000/year.

 

Yoy haven't mentioned offroad performance or mud type terrain. If you are strictly looking for snow performance, dedicated snow tires can't be beat. Tpms Sensors are up to you, if you don't get them you will just have the yellow tire light on with the new tires installed. Overall ease of use would be reusing your factory Tpms and getting some all terrain tires, then you get rid of some of the hassle of 1. Changing tires each year and 2. Finding a place to store them.

If you aren't looking for get stuck in a snow storm or trying silly things offroad, the at tires mentioned above will get you where you need to go, you just give up some grip compared to winter tires.

 

I bought Dunlop Signature II all season tires for my '08. They are quite, they handle the snow with zero problems, and are great in the rain. I'd buy them again. Twice the tire as the stock goodyears!

 

Here are 2 videos that show the difference between an all season tire and an AT tire.

Michelin Latitude Tour HP
VS
BFG All Terrain KO (Which is also winter rated)

Hands down AT wins the day in snow.

 

Here are 2 videos that show the difference between an all season tire and an AT tire.

Michelin Latitude Tour HP
VS
BFG All Terrain KO (Which is also winter rated)

Hands down AT wins the day in snow.

As I suggested earlier, all-season tires are not snow tires -- nor are A/T tires. I've gotten through stuff like that with FWD and a good set of snow tires. Going in a straight line on level ground isn't all that difficult. Its when you start turning, and the tighter the turn the harder it gets. I wouldn't expect anything with AWD or 4wd to spin its tires under those conditions.

 

BFG KO2.

That is all.

 

Thanks for all the info, gives me a better idea of what to expect. Depending on funds, I'll either be getting a new set this fall or later in the spring. My normal commute dosent involve any major hills, just poorly plowed urban side streets (which I need to park on, which is how I've been getting stuck). I got around fine, but the car would slide too easily. Concerning tire noise with AT's, I dont mind if the sound is noticeable, but I dont want it to be overwhelming either. As of now the ATs look to be the most promising choice, I am going to need a reliable set of tires for the next few years especially since it looks like I will either be going to college somewhere in Ohio or Maryland.

One more question, Are 225's a good size or would I benefit more from 235's?

 

http://www.expeditionswest.com/research/white_papers/tire_selection_rev1.html

 

Thanks! I think that explains everything I need to know. I have 215's right now, so would you say getting 235's would be worth the extra $$$ over 225's if im focused on pavement and snow performance?

 

Michelin Crossclimate. Got em, love em.

 

I never said an at tire can replace a strictly winter tire, however my experience and others (online review sites) state that the winter performance of the AT3s is very good. They have plenty of Sipes, if we used a number scale, 10 being winter tires 1 being all season the AT3s and destination ats are probably around 7.

 

Most people here only need A/S tires .... General Grabbers or GT Radials are the best bang for your buck.

 

I had General Grabber AT2s on our old Wrangler. That vehicle saw a lot of heavy snow use and that aggressive tread worked well for us. They were, however, noisy on the road and not something I'd put on my Patriot for year-round use.

 

Indeed, skinnier is better, but if we're talking the difference between 205 and 215 the difference is tiny -- about 1/2 an inch.

 

Weird, my dad's Ram and brothers Dakota both replaced with Grabbers recently and the love them and the fact they are so quite. Than again they both had A/T's on prior

 

I picked up a full set of hankook optimo 4s "all weather" tires last year and they pretty much rock. I don't do much off road though. These tires have the snowflake on them so they are truly winter tires that you don't need to change out seasonally. Nokian also makes a 4 season tire that fits the jeep. I don't think I'll ever go back. I don't know about tread life yet but even if it's close to standard its worth the ease of use.

 

I've been very happy with my Yokohama YK580's from Discount Tire. It rains here a lot, and gets icy in winter, and I drive through and over the Cascades in Winter and never slip or slide, never get stuck, never have issues climbing icy slushy driveways.

 

Some all terrain tires like the geolandars are pretty mild but provide better snow performance than any all season tire but still have off road capability.

 

Can anyone speak from experience with the Yokohama geolander at s in the snow. I have heard they are great and I've heard the don't do good in the cold because of the rubber compound. Any input would be appreciated. Thank you.