Toyo Open Country AT3 (E-rated) / Continental TerrainContact (P-rated) comparison (1 Viewer)

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Joined
Nov 7, 2019
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Location
Idaho
In November 2019 I had the Continential TerrainContact (P-rated) tires (size 275/65 R18) installed on my mostly stock 2014 Land Cruiser (only addition is King Shocks, that's it).

I wrote about how I really liked them here in this post. I would buy them again except that they failed off-road after 22 months.

I replaced them with the Toyo Open Country AT3 (E-rated) tires (size 275/70 R18). I thought I would share my thoughts about the two tires.

Weight
The P-rated TerrainContacts weigh 41 pounds per tire. I like how light they were. They felt great off-the-line accelerating. That being said, I don't mind the weight of the E-rated Open Country AT3s that weigh 53 pounds per tire. Yes I can tell they are a heavier and I have lost some off-the-line punch, but the weight doesn't bother me and I am picky about weight. Before the TerrainContacts I had E-rated General Grabber ATX tires installed that weighed 61 pounds per tire and that weight felt too heavy for my taste and I returned them.

Road Handling
The TerrainContacts feel better on-road than the Open Country AT3s in about every way. However, the Open Country AT3s still do well on-road and I am happy with them.

Road Noise
The TerrainContacts are quiet while the Open Country AT3s have a hum to them. This hum is probably the biggest con for the AT3s in my opinion.

Off Road
The Open Country AT3s have better grip off-road but I never minded the TerrainContacts off-road, except that they failed eventually in the middle of nowhere. With the AT3s the vehicle doesn't slide around as much on dirt road corners at speed. And I have more confidence the AT3s won't leave me stranded - but that is yet to be determined I suppose.

Rain/Snow
It hasn't rained or snowed here yet, so no comments at this point. I will provide an update this winter.

Looks
I think the AT3s look better.

Final Thoughts
I am happy that I got the E-rated Toyo Open Country AT3s. No regrets, I really like them.

For my own learning and experience, I think my next tire will be something like the E-rated Continental TerrainContact or E-rated Yokohoma Geolandar A/T G015 or something comparable with an on-road tread pattern instead of off-road tread pattern. I know that would sacrifice a bit of off-road traction, but I am curious whether that will get me the E-rated durability off-road that I want along with an on-road tread pattern that offers better on-road handling and quietness that I like and where I spend most of my time.

Open Country AT3s.jpg


TerrainContacts.jpg
 
Good post. I have the same size in KO2 E. They were ok at first but after 18 mos im starting to hate them - they are awesome off-road but I can’t stand the hard ride nowadays. I even have them aired down a lot.

I’m tempted to go to General Grabber in the same size and P rated but am nervous about off road durability. And the fact that NO OTHER tire mfg chooses to make p rated in 275/70/18. There must be something to that...

I’d rather have the Toyos but not sure if another E tire is going to improve the ride much.

Thanks for the write up.
 
Agree this is an interesting topic and thanks for the input!

In this case, you got a flat with your P-rated tires off-road which is no-bueno and your choice to beef-up makes a lot of sense.

But, a few questions come to mind:
- was the flat because of the p rated being light duty? Would an e rated tire have flatted? (less likely certainly)
- As note in your conclusion, for other compromises in between p-rated and e-rated A/T, what about C rated A/T or E rated tire that is less aggressive like the Michel Defender LTX or Continental TerrainContact or E-rated?
 
The tire shop thought an E-rated tire would have held up better than the P-rated tires I had on there. The flat wasn't due to nail or sharp puncture, but rather a blunt impact to the tread portion of the tire. They said an E-rated tire would have more reinforcement and strength and that such weakness I saw with the P-rated tire would be less likely to happen so early in an E-rated tire's life.

I am curious as well if anyone has run the E-rated Continental TerrainContact tires on their Land Cruiser?
 
My off road trips are rare and tame, so P rated tires are fine for my uses. But I’ve posted here before about hard core off road guys using LT-E rated Michelin Defenders off road with great success. They don’t look cool but they seem to work well in anything but mud. This would lose the hum, and the Defernders would be slightly lighter and probably better on road all around. Here’s an interesting thread on it that I’ve posted before:

 
In November 2019 I had the Continential TerrainContact (P-rated) tires (size 275/65 R18) installed on my mostly stock 2014 Land Cruiser (only addition is King Shocks, that's it).

I wrote about how I really liked them here in this post. I would buy them again except that they failed off-road after 22 months.

I replaced them with the Toyo Open Country AT3 (E-rated) tires (size 275/70 R18). I thought I would share my thoughts about the two tires.

Weight
The P-rated TerrainContacts weigh 41 pounds per tire. I like how light they were. They felt great off-the-line accelerating. That being said, I don't mind the weight of the E-rated Open Country AT3s that weigh 53 pounds per tire. Yes I can tell they are a heavier and I have lost some off-the-line punch, but the weight doesn't bother me and I am picky about weight. Before the TerrainContacts I had E-rated General Grabber ATX tires installed that weighed 61 pounds per tire and that weight felt too heavy for my taste and I returned them.

Road Handling
The TerrainContacts feel better on-road than the Open Country AT3s in about every way. However, the Open Country AT3s still do well on-road and I am happy with them.

Road Noise
The TerrainContacts are quiet while the Open Country AT3s have a hum to them. This hum is probably the biggest con for the AT3s in my opinion.

Off Road
The Open Country AT3s have better grip off-road but I never minded the TerrainContacts off-road, except that they failed eventually in the middle of nowhere. With the AT3s the vehicle doesn't slide around as much on dirt road corners at speed. And I have more confidence the AT3s won't leave me stranded - but that is yet to be determined I suppose.

Rain/Snow
It hasn't rained or snowed here yet, so no comments at this point. I will provide an update this winter.

Looks
I think the AT3s look better.

Final Thoughts
I am happy that I got the E-rated Toyo Open Country AT3s. No regrets, I really like them.

For my own learning and experience, I think my next tire will be something like the E-rated Continental TerrainContact or E-rated Yokohoma Geolandar A/T G015 or something comparable with an on-road tread pattern instead of off-road tread pattern. I know that would sacrifice a bit of off-road traction, but I am curious whether that will get me the E-rated durability off-road that I want along with an on-road tread pattern that offers better on-road handling and quietness that I like and where I spend most of my time.

View attachment 2794878

View attachment 2794879


Arco9 - Would love an update on how the AT3 handles in the rain and any additional thoughts since your first impression.
 
Arco9 - Would love an update on how the AT3 handles in the rain and any additional thoughts since your first impression.
In my experience the AT3 handles confidently in the snow and rain. I have not been disappointed so far. It is a versatile tire for off-road and on-road use. The only two improvements I still would suggest is that they get rid of the slight hum on the highway and make it weigh 5lbs less while keeping it E-rated. If I didn't do much off-roading, I would go with a P-rated tire. If you off-road in rocky areas and want the confidence of an E-rated tire that also looks great, this should be on your shortlist I think.
 
Thanks! I took off my winter tires last month and I ended up going with Toyo Open Country AT3 (E-rated) tires (size 285/65 R18). So far so good. They have performed great on the freeway with heavy rain.
Toyo 1.jpg
Toyo 2.jpg
 
Thanks for posting. Good feedback. Currently on those P Contis about 15k in, and they are perfect for my needs. My next tire in about 2 years will be (I think) a C rated LT with a hwy leaning AT pattern on 17s - just because. The smart move would be to get the exact same tire though.
 
Just a thought and maybe keep in mind that the sidewalls of P rated tires are not designed to be aired down. It's tempting to run them because of the more attractive ride and cheaper cost. No matter what rating you choose with LT rated tires, you can be comfortable with airing them down off road. No tire can hold up to negligent use of constantly being at the wrong PSI (run flat syndrome), but the sidewalls of LT tires are stout enough to hold up to being aired down under certain conditions.
 

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