In the past, pickup trucks were made for work: hauling, towing—and getting dirty. It's no secret, though, that today's pickup truck is far more than a simple workhorse. With stylish design packages, gas-saving powerplants, and plush interiors, trucks have become far more useful than ever—while still being able to work hard when you need them to.
Today's SUVs and crossovers are no different. Initially packaged as a more comfortable and driveable utilitarian option to the passenger van, they can tote around groups of passengers in comfort while still providing the cargo capacity and rugged ability that severe weather, urban driving, and the occasional dirt road can bring—with a lot more style than an old Econoline could ever offer.
Both pickups and SUVs thrive on doing everything well, no matter what's asked of them. To fully achieve that ability, though, an all-terrain tire is essential.
You may want an all-terrain tire you can trust in extreme weather or occasional rough terrain. When you're the family driver, that trust is critical. Alternatively, you may need a tire for biting off rocks and slugging through sand, such as the BFGoodrich All Terrain T/A KO2 that has proven worthy in the Baja 1000. Specialized tires like the Nokian Rockproof and Firestone Destination M/T2 are so adept in mud that they feel like paddles.
All-terrain tires deliver on both counts. These are the kind of tires that you can bash, squeeze, and shimmy over the rocks and through the dirt without incessantly worrying about punctures. They're also the kind of tire that can ride in relative quiet and comfort for everyone inside the cabin. And while no tire is immune to failure, all-terrain tires provide the extra measure of grip and grit required in the toughest conditions.
No matter what kind of all-terrain tire you want for your truck, SUV, Jeep, crossover, or, yes, beloved passenger van, there's one at TireRack that will suit your needs.
Back on the road, the most severe all-terrain tires will be noisy with lots of humming on the highway. They don't have the dry road grip of all-season tires. And they will probably wear out more quickly versus the all-season truck tires like the Goodyear Eagle F1 fitted to various Land Rovers or the Bridgestone Dueler H/T found on the Jeep Wrangler Sahara. Such street-tuned tires have more chops than their smoother appearance would suggest (we've actually crawled up the Continental Divide in a fleet of Range Rovers on those 21-inch Goodyears).
In the middle ground are tires like the Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac or All-Terrain Adventure, which provide a worthy off-road upgrade without totally sacrificing on-road comfort. Do your homework and you'll be able to find the right all-terrain shoes that are best for you and your vehicle.
With a combined 206 years of automotive publishing experience, Hearst Autos—Car and Driver, Road & Track, and Autoweek—knows cars better than just about anyone, and the Gear Team delivers honest evaluations, hands-on tests, and product reviews driven by decades of knowledge and experience. We get our hands on almost every product, tool, and piece of gear we feature; we evaluate gear on its own merits, and tell you the truth.
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