Tough Treads: Toyo Tires’ Open Country A/T III’s

From the highways to the trails, these road warriors will perform flawlessly in all kinds of weather, conditions, and terrain.

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Words by Steve Fennell

Photos by Perry Mack 

For many everyday drivers, tires are essentially just one component of their car or SUV that they don’t worry about until one or all of them need to be replaced. To off-road enthusiasts, however, they are a work of art, sculpted to perfection to successfully take on rough terrain.

Maybe that’s exaggerating a little, but those four rubber souls can make or break your time on the trails or rural roads. Tire manufacturers that serve the off-road consumer market realize this. They continually make efforts every year to improve performance, traction, and of course reliability for all kinds of applications, on all kinds of terrain, and in all kinds of weather.

Taking a tire and making it better is exactly what the Toyo’s engineers did for the on/off-road A/T III series, and it’s apparent they literally put themselves in the driver’s seat. From its well-executed tread pattern to its bullet-proof buttress, you can air it down, run it hard, and take on adverse conditions or weather – the choices are yours to do it all.

“Other manufacturers already had a version-three A/T at the time of Toyo’s revised A/T II all-weather version,” said John Carpenter, Toyo’s technical field service manager. “So, Toyo was working diligently to not only add but improve several performance attributes for the A/T III’s.”

The big news is the A/T III introduces a new specialized hybrid rubber compound to provide the traction requirements to receive the 3 Peak Mountain Snowflake (3PMSF) classification while promising off-road durability in true A/T style. This means the A/T III will more easily handle the white, wet stuff and give it legal status in provinces like BC and Quebec where this rating is enforced by law during the winter.

Other contributing factors that make the A/T III so winter road-worthy – with added reliability on the trails and highways – are a pair of sipes on each of the S-shaped separated tread blocks (depending on the model) for optimal traction in wet conditions; lateral grooves to reduce hydroplaning and better channel snow or other elements; and robust shoulder lugs for better traction when the going gets deep. *A softer 2 or 3-ply casing (depending on tire size) also makes it supple in cold conditions, thus offering a better bite and traction in challenging conditions.

“The AT/III’s can be used all year and in severe snow/winter conditions as extreme as those found while driving a mountain pass,” says Carpenter. “The A/T III’s also don’t need to be changed in the shoulder season due to the 3PMS-certification as designated by Transport Canada’s snowflake symbol on the sidewall, which not only meets but exceeds specific winter traffic laws in some Canadian provinces.”

Although it may not have the tough traction of an all-around M/T many crave on the trails in the summer, the AT/III’s tread pattern comes pretty close. In fact, it’s the “in-your-face aggressive design” backed by its compound that makes the A/T III so tough and trail friendly. While an A/T with a stiffer compound won’t be as resilient against sharp obstacles that can potentially catch and tear the rubber, the A/T III compound and the light casing are designed to flex against debris or roll right over it (and keep on smiling) rather than cause damage.

Another area where the A/T III shines is on the highway. It’s common that rubber with an aggressive tread pattern runs noisy or a ‘little rough’ on the pavement. The AT/III does the exact opposite. Noise is greatly reduced (compared to the A/T II) thanks to the staggered tread pattern with fewer spaces in between the tread blocks in the centre channel, which results in a quiet, smooth ride on the way to trails, while providing optimal performance once you’re on them.

“The staggered tread pattern, new compound, and the casing on the A/T III’s all interact with one other for reduced highway noise and vibration,” said Carpenter. “This not only applies to light trucks but for smaller Jeeps and comparable vehicles.”

Of course, looks are equally important among the off-road crowd. While the A/T III will give a rig a refreshing off-road make-over, they are available in aggressive and less- aggressive sidewall designs, providing users with the style they want. They even offer some raised white lettering sizes for real traditionalists. There are also three optional tread patterns to choose from. There’s what Toyo calls the P/Euro-Metric, which has optimal siping on the tread blocks to better manage wet and snowy conditions, as well as the LT Metric and Flotation patterns.

Although both have one less siping per block over the P/Metric, the LT Metric is more suited for rugged conditions, and the Flotation has larger tread blocks, wider shoulders, and bigger lugs, making them appealing for those who want to upgrade from a passenger-rated tire to a flotation tire in 33,” 35” or 37” sizes.

Widely available with 28 new sizes for a total of 127 models, load, and sidewall combinations, the AT III has so far proven popular among all types of wheelers. Among the 28 sizes are specialty fitments for the Raptor and Rubicon in Load Range C with other lower load/ply options to accommodate owners of Jeep, Toyota, the 1500 series, and additional lightweight rigs. If that isn’t enough, all A/T III’s come with an impressive 105,000 km (65,000 mi) warranty for P/Euro-Metric sizes, and an 80,000 km (50,000 mi) warranty for LT and flotation sizes.  All models are also backed by a 30-day trial offer in Canada.

*Ed Note: Most sizes of the A/T III have a 2-ply casing construction and most flotation sizes incorporate 3-ply construction.