SL A/T Tires (P285/70R17)

Looking for my next set of tires and I am set on SL tires (passenger "P") but there seems to be limited offerings in the 285/70 size. I had the Wildpeak AT3W before (did not get to fully experience them before the truck was gone) but their price seems to have skyrocketed lately... They were a great value before and they looked fantastic but there might be better offerings for the price now. I found a few alternatives but wanted to get everyone's experience with them and to see if there are any other SL offerings in this size. Also prefer three peak mountain snowflake (3PMS) rated tires because I need them to perform well in the snow. A good looking sidewall is also important but the SL offerings don't seem to entertain this (besides the Wildpeaks).

I'm sure there are several 4Runner owners that don't need heavy duty LT tires and would benefit from the more comfortable ride on SL tires. They also tend to be lighter for better fuel efficiency and seem to handle the occasional off road adventure. Hopefully this thread can server as a reference for 4Runner owners in a similar situation.

List of SL A/T P285/70-17 tires:
Falken Wildpeak A/T3W (3PMS)
Falken Rubitrek A/T
Toyo Open Country A/T III
Yokohama Geolandar A/T G015
Nitto Terra Grappler G2 (3PMS)
Cooper Discoverer AT3 4S
Kenda Klever A/T2
Hercules Terra Trac AT X-Venture (not as aggressive sidewall for SL sizes)
Hercules Terra Trac AT II


Side note, has anyone found a set of SL 255/80-17 tires? Everything in this size seems to be LT.

 

No SL rated in 255/80r17s

Have you thought about a C rated (6 ply) tire? You still save on weight and can get the Duratrac that’s probably the best all terrain snow tire on the market.

 

C rated is still a harsher ride than SL. I have also heard the Duratracs don't do too well in snow... I guess opinions vary greatly with tires.

 

SL rated Falken Wildpeaks are soft on road compared to BFG KO2 Load C (same size 285/70R17) and by far comfy than Load E BFG KO2. I think BFG KO2 load E are one of the most toughest A/T tires with 3 ply side wall vs many A/Ts only have 2 ply side wall with Load E. Sadly its too firm on road trips even at 32-33psi.

I'm still new to Duratracs but so far I feel Duratracs handle snow and Ice better than Falken Wildpeaks on road.


Edit-
I was very disappointed with Nitto Terra Grappler came stock with TRD Pro. No 3PMSF and poor performance in mud. Noiser than KO2 and Wildpeaks. Why I changed to Duratracs in short time. Duratracs are about the same noise level as stock Nitto Terra Grappler too. But better grip.

 

Duratracs are by far better then my KO2s or Falkens. I've tried a lot of different tires and Duratracs were by far the best rain/snow/ice tire here in the PNW.

 

Unfortunately, looks like the Duratracs are not offered in SL for 285/70-17. They look great and seem to perform well per the two responses but I am trying to focus on SL tires.

 

Hercules Terra Trac AT II look very interesting with all those sipes. Try those.

 

I’m running the Firestone Destination at2 in SL 285/70/17. Have only 1000 or so miles on them but they’ve been awesome. I can’t speak for their performance off-road as I haven’t had the chance yet but In the rain I’ve had no issues and they ride smooth as can be. Oh and they only weigh 42lbs

 

I have Firestone Destination A/T's in SL 285/70/17 as well. Had them for about 60,000 miles now. Will probably get 75,000 out of them total.

Ride quality with them has been awesome. They handle great in the rain and offroad. Haven't tried them in the snow however. Completely happy with them.

 

This ^^^. I run two sets of 255/75/17's. The KO2 are my three season tires, and the DuraTrac's for winter. The DT's are leaps and bounds better in snow than the KO2's.

 

The Yokohamas would be my top choice on that list. I had a set on my previous 4Runner and they handled all conditions well. They have also been the best tires I've used in snow aside from actual winter tires.

I currently have Toyo AT3 in that size but they are load range C. They're still performing very well and I imagine the SL version would perform even better in snow.

I have heard good things about wildpeaks, but I haven't used them personally. They tend to run heavy for their size so it sort of defeats the purpose of going with an SL Tire.

Duratrax are supposed to be good in snow, but as you mentioned they are not available in an SL load range in that size. I have also heard that they get noisy as they wear.