We Test: The Firestone Destination X/T

It’s a harrowing experience running new tires in rockslide and avalanche conditions, but having the right rubber that stands up to the test offers the added confidence to do it successfully.

by

Words by Perry Mack

We like to test new tires under relatively controlled circumstances with a back-up plan if something goes sideways. We literally mean – sideways. We like to start in medium difficulty terrain and conditions, and then steadily push the tires through increasingly challenging circumstances. Driving alone through a partial rockslide in the pouring coastal rain outside of Lillooet, BC is a long way from controlled, but a great way to test tires, although the pucker factor is on the high side.

The views are spectacular driving a kilometer above the valley bottom, as no trees or shrubs can cling to the sheer drop, and there are no guardrails to obstruct your view. The lane and half available to two-way traffic means you’re guaranteed to enjoy vertigo-inspiring vistas for at least a kilometer or two. On this particular drive, I wish I had photos to share, and a change of underwear.

Fortunately, I lived and returned unscathed to tell you that the X/T’s distinguished themselves through the heavy rain and wet pavement, as we dodged rocks along a narrow, twisting, cliffside highway. Some other tires could probably do the same, however the Destination X/T’s were the ones to prove it.

Our test tires were LT285/70R17, mounted on Rugged Ridge XHD wheels on my 2015 Wrangler JKU weighing in at a rather chubby 2290 kg (5048 lb), roughly 225 kg (500 lb) over the stock curb weight.

The X/T (and A/T2) replaces the Destination A/Ts, which were originally released in 2004. The X/T is designed to be an all-terrain light truck and SUV tire with the Three-Peak Mountain Snowflake Certification, indicating that it’s built for northern climates. Firestone says a new tougher tread compound has been used so the tire can handle more off-road abuse and improve on-road durability – hence the 80,000 km (50,000 mi) limited tread-life warranty and 90-Day Buy & Try Guarantee. It’s available in 25 sizes for almost every light truck and SUV, so if you choose to go this route you should be able to find your size.

Great traction usually comes at the cost of additional road noise and a rougher ride. Do the X/T’s deliver on all of Firestone’s promises – great durability, traction under all conditions, and a quiet comfortable ride?

I let the cat out of the bag (which I normally never do – I dislike cats) in the first paragraph after my harrowing expedition to Whistler to test drive new trucks off-road in the narrow, steep switchbacks of the Callaghan Valley. On the journey home to Kelowna through intermittent heavy rain at highway speeds, there was no hydroplaning and the cornering and braking was quick and secure as we dodged rock fall. We had to pull over twice to the edge to allow other cars pass on the narrow highway.

Firestone incorporated a number of design features to achieve their goal. The staggered siping through the centre tread blocks and open slots on the shoulder blocks evacuate water for good wet pavement traction. Unlike some tires, the siping on these centre blocks is full depth so you’ll get great traction for the tread life of the tire. The new tire compound and siping work together to achieve good ice and snow grip, earning the tire the Three-Peak Mountain Snowflake Certification. This is the more stringent “severe snow service’ rating, which is much better than M+S (Mud and Snow).

The staggered shoulder lugs have less siping (straight and not full depth) but this makes them stiffer for better control at highway speeds. Aggressive sidewall blocks protected the tire from curbs (I occasionally use the Braille method to parallel park – after all, this is a tire test, not a driving test), and also when climbing out of the frozen mud ruts on the trails, as well as the occasional rock. A close look at the sidewalls after the first 4,500 km (2,800 mi) (about 775 km (482 mi) off-road) showed nothing but a few scuffs – no chips or tears.

There are certain sizes of gravel that get stuck in the treads, but the stone ejectors got rid of most while driving off-road and the rest after a driving a few kilometres on-road. You can see the larger ejectors protruding into the bigger tread gaps, and smaller ejectors across from the shoulder lugs. The design easily cleared dirt and mud.

Traction in the snow was so confidence-inspiring I had to reign in my driving enthusiasm. Just like gambling – know your limit and play within it.

But that’s no fun, so most of the time I follow the advice within the esteemed fortune cookie, which said ‘only the man who reaches too far, knows how far he can reach’. The snow hit hard and heavy December 20th, closing highways across southern BC, and prompting severe warnings from Avalanche Canada. Unfortunately, there were too many Christmas obligations (parties) on the calendar to get out of the way, so we had to wait until Christmas Day (don’t judge) to do some wheeling and tire testing.

We wound our way up the well-travelled Forest Service Road (FSR) that provides access points to trails for ATV’s and snowmobiles. The temperature was a balmy -7°C with 25 cm (10 in) of fresh snow. The FSR had been through a few freeze/thaw/freeze cycles over the past few weeks, creating a greasy surface of fresh snow over ice. The Destination X/T’s powered up the mountainside comfortably in 2WD with traction control only kicking in occasionally.

Stopping, starting, and crawling through the snow to test tire grip is counter-intuitive and often counterproductive because in these conditions, speed is your friend. Nevertheless, the tires pulled the truck along without much drama. Pushing further, finding a trail where we could get fresh tracks, we finally ran into trouble after 100 m (328 ft) and stopped. It was an excellent opportunity to practice driving in reverse, following our tracks back to the FSR. Overall, the tires snow performance was stellar from the almost frictionless snow-over-ice to the fresh dump on the trail.

Did Firestone build a durable, quiet, off-road, winter-rated tire? Yes. After driving the tire for 4,500 km (2,800 mi) there was no measurable wear and tear. The wet road performance was inspiring, the tire is very quiet for a tread this aggressive, and the ice/snow traction was considerable. We should mention we did all this testing without airing down; the tire pressure was at 220 kpa (32 psi). We haven’t driven the tire aired down yet, and that just calls for another test. ‘Sorry honey, but I may have to work another holiday.’

www.firestonetire.ca