37s on a Raptor, 35s on a Cummins, $127 Budget Tires on a Power Wagon: Four All-Terrain Reviews From the Fall

Tires are the first real modification most truck owners make, and the most expensive one to get wrong. Between August and the end of October, Power Automedia's Off Road Xtreme and Diesel Army ran four all-terrain reviews on four very different builds: a first-generation Raptor stepping up to 37s, a leveled two-wheel-drive Tacoma, a high-mileage Ram 3500 that tows, and a farm-duty Power Wagon on budget rubber.

TORQFOLIO did not test any of these tires. This is a side-by-side read of what those reviewers reported, including one important caveat: none of the four reviews published measured data, such as braking distances, noise readings or fuel economy. These are seat-of-the-pants reviews from people who live with the trucks, which is useful, but it is not a lab test.

The four tires and trucks

Yokohama Geolandar X-AT: the big-tire play

Jason Gonderman's Raptor review is the one for the lifted crowd. The 37x12.50R17 Geolandar X-AT measures about 36.8 inches tall and weighs about 76.9 pounds, with a 19/32-inch tread depth, Yokohama's Geo-Shield multi-ply sidewall construction and a dual sidewall design that lets the installer choose which face shows. On the road, Gonderman reported a fairly quiet ride with a slight hum when coasting at 65 mph that disappears back on the throttle. Off road, he said the tall sidewall on a 17-inch wheel lets you air down for flex and flotation.

He also listed the limits. This size is a load range D, not E or F, so heavy towers should check the numbers. It is Q-rated for 99 mph, and it does not carry the Three-Peak Mountain Snowflake severe snow symbol. Yokohama's Bob Abram told the site it offers "ultimate off-road performance without sacrificing any on-road comfort."

General Grabber A/TX: the quiet daily

Gonderman also put LT285/70R17 Grabber A/TX tires on his own 2020 Tacoma, a two-wheel-drive truck with a ToyTec coilover setup, SPC upper control arms and about 3 inches of front level, replacing Hankook Dynapro AT2 Xtremes that had covered about 50,000 miles. His verdict: quiet, smooth and planted on dry pavement, strong in heavy Florida rain, and good in sugar sand, packed dirt, clay and mud. "There is no constant hum or howl reminding the driver that an off-road-focused tire was installed," he wrote. It weighs 55.7 pounds in this size and carries the 3PMSF symbol.

Toyo Open Country A/T III: the tow rig

For Diesel Army, Gonderman mounted 35x12.50R20 Open Country A/T IIIs on a 2015 Ram 3500 Cummins with more than 210,000 miles that tows, hauls and plays. He found them predictable and composed at highway speeds, quiet for an aggressive all-terrain, and planted with a boat or car trailer behind. He called wet-weather grip excellent, and said traction in sand and dirt was plenty without a dedicated off-road setup. His one limit was mud: it is not a mud-terrain, and he said not to expect one in deep, sticky stuff. The tire carries the 3PMSF symbol and a 50,000-mile warranty in LT sizes.

Vantage A/T: the budget gamble

Ken Brubaker's review is the most practical of the four. He bought LT285/70R17 Vantage A/Ts through Discount Tire's online-only entry-level all-terrain line for $127 each, $681.09 for four, for a 2005 Power Wagon on its factory forged Alcoa wheels. He noted used sets in his area were going for $750 to over $1,000. After a few thousand miles he called ride and handling very good, said road noise was nearly absent until 40 to 45 mph, and found the tires quieter than some pricier all-terrains he has run. Off road, they handled ruts, gravel and mud and cleaned out better than he expected.

He was honest about the unknowns. The brand was new to him, the sidewalls look less aggressive, stones stick in the tread longer than some rivals, and durability over the long haul is unproven. Discount Tire's own site warned that "entry level tire brands may vary based on availability."

TORQFOLIO's read

Read together, these reviews line up neatly by use. If you are building a lifted truck on 17-inch wheels and want a true 37, the Yokohama is the one tested here, as long as you can live with load range D and no snow rating. If your truck is a daily driver first, the General's quiet ride, 3PMSF rating and 60,000-mile warranty made the strongest everyday case. The Toyo is the pick from this group for a 20-inch heavy-duty tow rig that sees weekend trails.

The Vantage is the wild card. For a farm truck or a project that just needs four round, quiet, load range E tires, $681 is hard to argue with, but no one has put long-term miles on them yet. The bigger lesson is about the reviews themselves: all four testers liked their tires, and none of them measured anything. Until someone puts these on the same truck and runs the numbers, treat them as four good starting points, not a ranking.