A/T tires 30x9.50 R15
I've read many reviews and for the most part, they are a waste of time due to lack of objective information. The strongest opinions are always given by those with the least education & experience. Reviews are completely subjective, and everyone claims the tires they have or are selling, are the best. Tread wear evaluations are completely unreliable, because they're so susceptible to usage, load, maintenance and false expectations. Almost nobody actually gives a balanced review, compares the DIFFERENCES of in-class tires, or provides pros & cons of each. Nowhere can be found an analysis on the composition of the rubber or the construction method used in these tires.
I've narrowed my research down to three very similar tires. Lets take a look at them in order of highest to lowest preference, and coincidentally, price as well.
- Cooper Discoverer Sure-trac (S/T)
These tires have a high-void design. The grooves between tread blocks are quite wide, and the lug walls are highly beveled. This should give the tire good self-cleaning characteristics making them effective in the soft stuff: mud, snow and gravel. The downside is it makes them noisier at high speeds, and many online reviews confirm this fact. They have the least amount of siping, which would explain the absence of severe snow rating.
Severe snow rating symbol:
But I have chains anyways. Also, it is notable that they come with an extra 1/16" of tread rubber than the other 2 tires. Speed rating is lower than the others, but I don't think I'll be hitting 160km/h very often. - BF Goodrich All-terrain TA/KO
These are the tires I had the past two years. They seemed to wear quickly, though I have no good frame of reference. The tread is a more closed design, which explains the poor performance in mud. I have found that the voids quickly fill up with, and retain mud, causing them to slide all over the place, especially sideways, and back into ruts that you try to stay out of. This observation is mirrored in the reviews. They WILL, however, continue to move forward when throttle is applied. I did not have any problems with stone retention. I did not notice any significant road noise. I read in a couple places that sidewalls are particularly vulnerable to piercing, and my personal experience confirms this:
The tire has a good amount of siping, and are severe snow rated. I found snow traction to be very confident, but I didn't try ice. I experience no hydroplaning, even when hitting puddles at highway speed, although it did pull which is to be expected. - General Grabber AT2
So we have two very similar tires, with the Coopers standing out as a bit more aggressive.
Another thing that will affect my decision is that Costco carries the BFG's for about $20/tire cheaper than other places, and offer a good guarantee (I got $30 back for the blown out tire you saw above). Plus BFG is offering a $40 rebate on a set of 4 in Oct.