Toyo Open Country A/T III EV Tires (LT275/65R20) - Fantastic (Review & Efficiency Stats)

[ksurfier]

XT? How is the noise?

Yes, that’s X/T for the size and weight…

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[Steamingoat1]

XT? How is the noise?

Harmonics are perfect. No complaints.

 

[EdwardM2005]

XT? How is the noise?

Nominal


I get more wind noise than tire/road noise as I have not applied the additional weather stripping. My Bride and I can still have normal conversations while driving either city street speeds (25 MPH) or higway speeds 60, 75 MPH or more

 

[EdwardM2005]

Little noise. The road/tire noise does not impact or is not noticeable either at 25 MPH or highway speeds 60 and 75 MPH

 

[JCRiver]

Just switched from factory 22 range wheels to 20" evsportline wheels with Toyo open country A/T III EVs. Loving the look and the ride. Tire noise slight increase to a pleasant hum, but not bothersome.

 

[barsaec]

TLDR: The Toyo Open Country A/T III EVs are pricy but are the best-engineered tires I've driven. If your requirements are similar to mine, put them on your shortlist.

The OEM Pirelli Scorpions that came on my Gen 1 R1S Quad were at 15k miles. They got noisy and then the rear passenger rubber split. The noise was reason enough to swap them but the split forced the issue. I started the hunt for a new set.

My requirements:

1. Noise: Quiet on the road. I find noise and vibration distracting.
2. Durability: Tough enough for off-roading. I don't off-road often, but I go fairly hard when I do. A side-wall tear at the bottom of a canyon would put a big gash in my weekend.
3. Traction: Grippy, safe, and fun. I like technical ascents and never want to slide on windy Hill Country backgrounds in wet weather with the family in tow. I also like to drive my R1S like it should be driven: with joy =)
4. Efficiency: Not terrible. Within -10% of the OEM Scorpions would be worth the trade-off for my priorities above.

I researched the usual suspects: Michelin Defender LTX Platinum, Nokian Outpost nAT, BFGoodrich KO2/KO3, Nitto Ridge Grappler, Falken Wildpeak AT3W, and others.

I decided on the Nokian Outpost nATs, bought Nitto Ridge Grapplers, and ended up with the Toyos. Here's the short story.

I wanted the Nokian Outpost nATs because they seemed the most appropriate for EVs, but my local @Discount Tire might not have gotten them in time for a camping trip I had upcoming. Since my Pirellis weren't safe to drive, I had Discount install the Nitto Ridge Grapplers they had in stock. I drove them for a few days. I tried to like them—they looked great—but I disliked them for all 150 miles. They made a zipper noise that I felt in my feet when accelerating. They buzzed loudly between 45-60 MPH. The tread was soft and grippy but turning was grindy and laggy like the vehicle was shifting around on balloons. Even under normal driving conditions, I could not keep tight, predictable lines with them at 40, 50, or 60 PSI. I didn't feel confident driving them, a feeling that bordered on unsafe. I decided to replace them. Fortunately, Discount gives us 30 days to change our minds.

As I prepared to order Nokian Outpost nATs, I read about the newly released Toyo Open Country A/T III EVs. They were so new that only SimpleTire.com listed them for sale. Toyo markets the A/T III EVs as having a new rubber compound and design for heavy EVs with high torque, for decreased rolling resistance, and for reduced noise. Few detailed reviews were available, but I gambled on the 10-ply LT Toyos because I learned that the Nokians weren't designed for EVs; they were merely "EV FIT". Discount didn't have a part number for the A/T III EVs in their system but they called Toyo directly and ordered a set for me. I planned to camp with the Ridge Grapplers and put on the A/T III EVs when I got back. To my surprise, Discount received the tires before my trip and mounted them the next day. Excellent service just in time. Thanks, @Discount Tire off of Ben White Blvd!

Toyo Open Country A/T III EV LT275/65R20 Review

Though I bought the A/T III EVs to be capable both on- and off-road, I haven't driven them off-road and don't know when I will next. Instead of waiting until I do, I thought I'd provide my impressions of their on-road performance now and update this review later.

On-Road Performance

1. Noise: Remarkably quiet at all speeds. Toyo implemented different techniques to achieve this, but I believe the primary contributors are the rubber compound, strong construction, and tread pattern. The rubber feels like dense Vibram rubber used for performance shoe soles. The compound and the tire's thick construction ate up micro-vibrations (rough asphalt) and impacts (manhole covers, potholes) that create noise. To reduce noise at speed, Toyo implemented lugs with alternating sizes toward the tire's outer rim, which supposedly spreads noise across a wide frequency spectrum to lower its perceived volume. The audio engineer in me believes this makes sense in principle, but I can't test it. It seems to work.
2. Durability: The side wall of the LT tire feels dense and tough when I flick it and hit it (yes, I did that). When I strike a pothole or manhole cover, they transfer only low-frequency vibration into my feet that attenuates rapidly. The lugs feel stiff, owing to the A/T III EV's excellent rubber compound. A 10-ply tire, I'm confident they will be more durable than the OEM Pirelli Scorpions on the trails.
3. Traction: They grip like no other tire I've driven. My son's and my hearts leaped when I launched from full stop. Neither of us remembers the Pirelli Scorpions providing the immediacy of torque and sustained acceleration the A/T III EVs did. They gripped the asphalt without letting go up through 35 MPH or so when I let off the juice. What a thrill. I credit the tire's incredible rubber compound and strong construction for the torque performance. On the other side of F=ma, the A/T III EVs stopped much faster than the Scorpions or Ridge Grapplers. I don't know what it is about I-35, but huge sections of traffic have a habit of halting without warning, forcing me to slam on the big Brembo calipers on two separate occasions. The A/T III EVs refused to give an inch of road. I didn't feel the ABS activate. I don't remember the Scorpions stopping that well from high speed. The Toyos have given me a greater sense of safety than the Pirellis. As for wet traction performance, the weather has been either dry when I'm on the road or wet when I'm not. The jury is still out but I'm cautiously optimistic. CONS: The A/T III EVs aren't superior to the Scorpions along all dimensions. The A/T III EVs performed worse in lateral traction. As I hugged swerving corners on 2222 at speed to test the tire's cornering stability, I felt and heard them struggle to stay on the line, sliding cm by cm instead. I believe the stiffer compound, alternatingly-sized lugs along the outer rim, and sidewall construction were responsible. The Toyos performed sufficiently well to keep me confident at normal speeds and Gs, but I won't be testing their lateral limits in the rain.
4. Efficiency: On the OEM Pirelli Scorpions, I averaged 2.14 miles/kWh over ~14,700 miles. On the Open Country A/T III EVs, I averaged 2.17 miles/kWh over ~600 miles. I couldn't be happier!

A note about PSI: I drove them at 48, 55, and 60 PSI during our 300-mile road/camping trip to see how they performed. I found them to perform best at 48 PSI.


Off-Road Performance

TBD. I'll come back to update this section after I run the Toyos on trails.

If this review helped you make a better decision, please consider buying me a cup of sake. Kanpai! ?

https://buymeacoffee.com/tedmanasa​

Great write-up. Curious about wet weather performance, don’t ask me why, as we haven’t had rain in forever in San Antonio!

 

[risingphoenix]

1000 mile update on Toyo Open Country A/T III EV LT275/65/20 tires. Efficiency 2.18mi/kWh and still climbing with warmer weather. This is the same as the 2.19mi/kWh I had after 17K miles on OEM Pirelli 20". The Toyo is a far superior tire for off road, snow/ice and rough roads. Noise is low pitched and not bothersome (typical for an AT) but much better than the intolerable whine of the Pirelli's after 15K miles.

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