Best A/T Tires Review: Scorpion All Terrain Plus, Nokian Outpost NAT, BFG KO3, Westlake SL369, Wrangler Duratrac RT, Wildpeak AT4, Recon Grappler

[josiahg52]

Just back from Discount Tire, and I have to say -- this really is a new generation of A/T tire.

These ride and steer noticeably better than the Dueler A/T Ascents I took off.

Steering response is excellent, along with the low weight and excellent dampening means it rides better over bumps and expansion joints than expected.

I feel warranted in my decision to get rid of the Duelers in favor of these, and I'm definitely excited to see how they perform on the trail.

Size LT275/70R18 E Load

They look good, too! It'll be interesting to see how they wear, but also if there's a substantial or noticeable fuel efficiency hit.

My 265/70R18 short list
Nokian Outpost nAT (E or SL)
Mickey Thompson Baja Boss A/T (alternate size, no OE fitment)
Toyota Open Country A/T III (E or SL)
Pirelli Scorpion XTM AT (LT, E))

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[clk55r1d3h]

The EV version is SL rated, which means it's just slightly lower rolling resistance.

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tire...i&tireModel=Scorpion+XTM+AT&partnum=77SR8SXAT

If you're doing any serious off roading, you want E load.

C and D load are basically non-existent in 18" size since the KO3s won't be made in that size and ply.

Ya I’ll be going with 17s for that reason but even then I couldn’t find SL load for the pirellis. I won’t be doing anything serious and SL is good for me. Save on weight a little too.

 

[josiahg52]

It's odd, when I put 17" American Racing Mojave wheels on my 2001 Tahoe in the early 2000s, there were hardly any 17" tires it seemed. No longer the case. I need to do something with those wheels, they're the black Teflon(?) coated ones.

 

[yotahilux]

Nokian Outpost nAT 255/75 R17 has a diameter of 32" and weight of 41.9 lbs - $207 in Walmart
Nokian Outpost nAT 265/70 R17 has a diameter of 31.6" and weight of 40.8 lbs - $182 in Walmart

As a note, the 265/70/R18 is 32.6" per Discount Tire with a weight of 46 pounds.

 

[jcash25]

I've been shopping for new tires for awhile and was interested in how the Pirelli Scorpion stacked up against some of the most tried and true tires.

Looks like tyre review just dropped their results on 8 tires

Tires tested:
Pirelli Scorpion XTM AT
Nokian Outpost nAT
BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO3
Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac RT
Nitto Recon Grappler AT
Falken Wildpeak AT4W
Westlake SL369

Pirelli Scorpion AS Plus 3 (all-season r
eference)


Article

https://www.tyrereviews.com/Tyre-Tests/Best-All-Terrain-Tyres-2026-Test.htm


Video




AI summary:

This comprehensive review by Tyre Reviews spans a year of testing across Northern Europe (snow/ice), Central Europe (dry/wet), and Utah (off-road dirt handling). The test evaluates six of the newest, most aggressive all-terrain (AT) tires, one budget mild-AT tire, and a standard all-season tire as a reference point.

The test vehicle used is a Ford Ranger Raptor, mostly evaluated in rear-wheel-drive (RWD) mode to push the tires to their limits.

1. Dirt Handling & Off-Road Testing
Tested on a mix of rocky, smooth, and fluffy dirt surfaces in Utah.

• Pirelli Scorpion All Terrain Plus (XTM AT/AT80): The top performer alongside the Nokian. Easiest, most predictable drive with a well-balanced grip circle.
• Nokian Outpost NAT: Matched the Pirelli for the best subjective driving feel; excellent carcass compliance over bumps and great bite in loose fluff.
• BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO3: Highly impressive. Even though it's a stiff, heavy tire, its carcass was incredibly compliant in the ruts. It performs slightly better under straight-line braking and acceleration than it does while turning.
• Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac RT & Falken Wildpeak A/T4W: Both offered good mechanical grip, but their stiff carcasses caused them to struggle and bounce when hitting heavy ruts. The Falken suffered from noticeable understeer.
• Nitto Recon Grappler: Had decent straight-line braking grip, but very poor lateral (side-to-side) grip. The rear end would step out rapidly and unpredictably on throttle.
• Westlake SL369 (Budget/Mild AT): The most difficult tire on the dirt track. It had decent rubber compound grip on smooth sections, but its weak carcass provided zero stability through rough ruts.
• Pirelli Scorpion AS+ 3 (Reference All-Season): Performed surprisingly well on hard-packed dirt because its lighter weight and compliant carcass didn't have to account for extreme puncture resistance. However, it struggled to recover once sliding and would fail completely in deep mud.

2. Wet Performance & Braking
Wet handling was tested on a 2-minute lap. Wet braking and hydroplaning resistance were measured objectively.

• Pirelli Scorpion XTM AT: The absolute standout. It was an astonishing 5 seconds faster per lap than the Westlake and roughly 10 seconds faster than its premium rivals. It transformed the truck's dynamics, offering immense traction, crisp steering response, and top-tier wet braking.
• Westlake SL369: The surprise runner-up in the wet. Because its design is biased toward on-road driving (milder tread), it cleared water effectively and felt sharp on the brakes.
• Nokian Outpost NAT: The fastest of the remaining premium pack. It resisted terminal understeer and allowed the driver to rotate the truck smoothly using the throttle. It also won the hydroplaning resistance test.
• BFGoodrich KO3: Excelled at straight-line wet braking but heavily disliked cornering, exhibiting continuous, safe (but slow) understeer.
• Goodyear Duratrac RT: Felt "industrial" and required a lot of steering input. It had a wide recovery window but lacked structural sharpness.
• Falken A/T4W & Nitto Recon Grappler: Finished at the bottom. Both suffered from low grip, poor braking, and a "peaky" rear end that would suddenly snap into oversteer.

3. On-Road Comfort, Noise & NVH
Evaluated over a full day of driving across varying pavement types in Utah.

• Nokian Outpost NAT: The biggest surprise on the road. While it didn't strictly dominate one single area, it combined steering sharpness, low noise, and excellent ride damping perfectly, making it the host's top recommendation for a daily driver.
• BFGoodrich KO3: The most plush and comfortable tire. It rounded off harsh bumps beautifully. However, its steering in this specific size felt sluggish and unpredictable, causing a delayed "two-part turn" reaction between the front and rear axles.
• Pirelli Scorpion XTM AT: Possessed the sharpest, most stable steering and best shoulder stability (feeling like a sports tire), but rode slightly firmer and louder than the BFG.
• Goodyear Duratrac RT & Falken A/T4W: Both felt agricultural and a bit bouncy. The Falken was noticeably loud at highway speeds and suffered from poor damping over bumps.
• Westlake SL369: Noticeable drop-off in refinement. While total volume wasn't terribly high, it emitted an annoying high-pitched pitch reminiscent of a failing wheel bearing and held onto vibrations.
• Nitto Recon Grappler: The loudest tire on test. It produced a traditional, prominent all-terrain "hum" at speed that modern premium tires have largely engineered out.

4. Snow Performance
A brief overview ahead of a full upcoming winter test video.

• Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac RT: The objective king of the snow. It produced the fastest handling lap, best braking, and second-best traction.
• Pirelli Scorpion XTM AT & Nokian Outpost NAT: Right on the Goodyear's heels. The Pirelli had slightly better traction but slightly worse braking, while the Nokian was incredibly solid overall.
• BFGoodrich KO3: Very competitive and performed reliably in both 2WD and 4WD configurations.
• Falken A/T4W, Westlake, and Nitto: Considerably behind the pack. The Falken A/T4W was uniquely disappointing, with snow traction sitting 30% lower than the leaders. The host explicitly warns against using it in heavy winter climates.

Final Standings & Summary

Position	Tire Model	Key Strengths	Key Weaknesses	Final Verdict
1st Place	Pirelli Scorpion All Terrain Plus (XTM AT/AT80)	Dominant wet braking Fastest wet & dirt handling laps Top-tier snow traction Exceptionally sharp steering	Slightly firmer ride quality Slightly more road noise than the softest options	The Winner: Represents a generational leap for the AT category. Delivers sports-tire handling on pavement while dominating off-road and winter testing.
2nd Place	Nokian Outpost NAT	Best overall balance of manners Extremely low road noise Superb winter/snow grip High hydroplaning resistance	Slightly longer raw braking distances in dry pavement conditions	The Best All-Rounder: A masterfully engineered package with zero glaring flaws. Easily the top recommendation for an everyday daily driver.
3rd Place	BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO3	Unmatched plush ride comfort Excellent impact damping Stellar straight-line braking Great compliance in dirt ruts	Heavy understeer in wet corners Sluggish, delayed "two-part" steering response on-road	The Comfort King: Sturdy and premium over rough bumps, but sacrifices pavement handling agility and cornering speeds.
4th Place	Westlake SL369 (Budget)	Strong wet road braking Predictable on-road handling Very low retail entry price	Weak carcass struggles in ruts Poor winter snow traction Emits an annoying, high-pitched highway drone	The Wild Card: Road-biased design punches well above its weight class on wet/dry pavement, but falls short in severe off-road terrain or real winter weather.
5th Place	Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac RT	Undisputed king of pure snow Fastest snow handling & braking Tough, durable carcass in dirt	Mediocre wet pavement grip Unrefined "industrial" handling Noticeably bouncy ride quality	The Winter Warrior: A traditional, heavy-duty all-terrain tire built to survive harsh jobsites and deep winter conditions, sacrificing daily street refinement.[/TD>
6th Place	Falken Wildpeak A/T4W	Excellent dry braking metrics High tread life and wear resistance	Terrible snow traction (-30%) Heavy understeer in dirt Prone to sudden wet oversteer	The Disappointment: Sacrificed too much performance and winter traction in favor of longevity. A massive step down from the celebrated AT3W legacy.
7th Place	Nitto Recon Grappler	Decent straight-line mechanical braking on dry dirt tracks	Worst wet handling and braking Unpredictable, peaky breakaway Loud traditional highway hum	Last Place: A legacy 2021 platform that simply can no longer keep pace with modern rubber compounds and modern tread architecture.

Its spelled.....TIRE.... In America

 

[jcash25]

It's odd, when I put 17" American Racing Mojave wheels on my 2001 Tahoe in the early 2000s, there were hardly any 17" tires it seemed. No longer the case. I need to do something with those wheels, they're the black Teflon(?) coated ones.

Its not ODD factory wheels for Tahoes and all GM trucks and suvs back then were 15" wheels with some 16" also. So the number of tire makers making 17" tires would be maybe 2 companies if not just one and the sizes would be very few to choose from.
My first truck was a 1993 stepside chevy with factory 15" wheels. 18" wheels were all the rage and most expensive at that time up until they started making 20" wheels. There were very few sizes to choose from in tires back then, most were made for factory size wheels.
Geez thanks for making me feel really freakin old having to explain that....

 

[josiahg52]

Its not ODD factory wheels for Tahoes and all GM trucks and suvs back then were 15" wheels with some 16" also. So the number of tire makers making 17" tires would be maybe 2 companies if not just one and the sizes would be very few to choose from.
My first truck was a 1993 stepside chevy with factory 15" wheels. 18" wheels were all the rage and most expensive at that time up until they started making 20" wheels. There were very few sizes to choose from in tires back then, most were made for factory size wheels.
Geez thanks for making me feel really freakin old having to explain that....

Yes, 16" factory, 17" were the Z71 option back then, GMT800 days.

 

[BonRunner]

Is there any reviews on the mid-tier Cooper Discoverer Road+Trail AT? i'm running 265/70-R47 on my SR5, stock rim & height, no rub. it's like the sweet spot, imho. it doesn't feel heavy and no noticeable drag during acceleration. Designed for more road and some trail, no significant noise at 120kph. Also, it is 3MPSF rated so should be good for this coming Alberta winter - remains to be seen.
Here's latest pic of "Shadow", my SR5 in Underground color, hence the nickname.

View attachment 40690

I had the Cooper Discoverer Road & Trail AT previously on stock 20". Ride wells in highway but sucks on ice/snow even in low speed.


Now I run Falken Wildpeaks AT4W on 18". Much better performance.

 

[Shadow4r]

I had the Cooper Discoverer Road & Trail AT previously on stock 20". Ride wells in highway but sucks on ice/snow even in low speed.

Now I run Falken Wildpeaks AT4W on 18". Much better performance.

Darn. I thought i saw reviews that snow handling was good. Alberta winter is harsh.
The Cooper had 3MPSF snow rating. Thank you for your owner review, at least i will be more careful this coming winter. Thanks

 

[josiahg52]

The Cooper Discoverer AT3 XLT E were good in all the southern Maine weather on my Ram truck. I'm looking for something lighter, Ithink, but I'd run them again.

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

I’ve been very pleased with Cooper, and once the Falkens on my 4R need replaced, I’ll look at the new generations of Coopers to see how they rate against other brands.

I’m also in snow country, although last winter was pretty much snowless at my elevation. I will be buying Bridgestone Blizzaks and a set of wheels to mount them on. Any recommendations on best places to buy? Here in NE Oregon, Les Schwab’s is our goto tire dealer, but they don’t carry Bridgestone. For the record, Les Schwab has a well earned superb reputation.

 

[Tarekith]

I got my Blizzaks at Tirerack.com and had them shipped to a Discount Tire here in Central Oregon for the install. Same company FWIW.

 

[BonRunner]

Darn. I thought i saw reviews that snow handling was good. Alberta winter is harsh.
The Cooper had 3MPSF snow rating. Thank you for your owner review, at least i will be more careful this coming winter. Thanks

I'm in Montana, just a few hours south of you and our winters are mostly the same.. I remember one time with the Cooper in icy parking and it was slipping hard pulling out of the parking lot. End up switching to 4LO and maneuvered out slowly. They were decent if you have momentum and traction on roads, but i'd be careful at dead stop.

 

[Jafo]

Just back from Discount Tire, and I have to say -- this really is a new generation of A/T tire.

These ride and steer noticeably better than the Dueler A/T Ascents I took off.

Steering response is excellent, along with the low weight and excellent dampening means it rides better over bumps and expansion joints than expected.

I feel warranted in my decision to get rid of the Duelers in favor of these, and I'm definitely excited to see how they perform on the trail.

Size LT275/70R18 E Load

How are they on the highway? Looking to replace my Falkens AT3s with something smoother.

 

[CO/ZA]

How's the road noise ?

How are they on the highway? Looking to replace my Falkens AT3s with something smoother.

There's not really any noise until you reach 50mph, then there is a bit.

It's only a hair louder than the Dueler Ascents, and that is very impressive for a more aggressive A/T tire.

I would go along with saying that they're about the same as KO3s.

EDIT: Having some trouble with 3/5 of what I bought, 3 of them are unable to balance - with one having around 60lbs of force that is unable to be resolved. Tire Rack is doing a quick turn around of 3 tires under Pirelli satisfaction warranty. Tires are great otherwise!

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