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Last updated 8/27/2024 - Originally published 8/27/2024
Written by SimpleTire
Here’s an interesting factoid we stumbled onto the other day: in recent years, SUVs now take up a full 52 percent of new vehicles sold in the United States, and pickup trucks account for nearly 20 percent of sales. Obviously, that is a huge chunk of all the vehicles on the road today, with trucks and SUVs taking over the family-car role that used to be filled by sedans and minivans (and station wagons, back a few decades ago). Many of those trucks and SUVs are fitted from the factory with four-wheel-drive, and even if you don’t take your 4WD vehicle off the pavement very often, a good set of all-terrain tires is still the smartest play if you want to get the most out of your truck’s performance potential. The good news is that the latest generation of all-terrain tires has evolved since the noisy, rough, clumsy all-terrains of decades ago. Modern all-terrain tires (like the two we’re about to cover in this head-to-head comparison) are designed hand-in-hand with automakers and are focused on the weight, power, torque, center of gravity, suspension, and overall driving dynamics of today’s vehicles. That means all-terrain tires that are durable and capable of off-pavement in difficult terrain but are civilized and composed on the highway with an accommodating ride, predictable handling, low road noise, and solid road manners.
Today we’re going to look at two premium all-terrain tires from premium brands, the Dueler A/T Ascent from Bridgestone and the Dynapro AT2 Xtreme (RF12) from Hankook. In the course of this head-to-head comparison, you’ll see us make frequent reference to the SimpleScore ratings for these tires. If you’re not acquainted with SimpleScore, that’s the ranking system SimpleTire team developed to give you a quick, at-a-glance idea of a tire’s strengths and weaknesses. We take into account the tire’s technical details, spec sheet, manufacturer info, customer reviews, and other data points, then we process that all to a 1-10 numerical value for the categories of traction, handling, longevity, and an overall average SimpleScore. For the Bridgestone Dueler A/T Ascent and Hankook Dynapro AT2 Xtreme (RF12), the SimpleScore numbers look like this:
Hankook Dynapro AT2 Xtreme (RF12):
- Traction: 8.4
- Handling: 8.3
- Longevity: 8.8
- Overall average SimpleScore: 8.4
Bridgestone Dueler A/T Ascent:
- Traction: 8.9
- Handling: 9.0
- Longevity: 8.4
- Overall average SimpleScore: 8.7
As the SimpleScore numbers show, the Bridgestone has it over the Hankook in some of the key categories, but that doesn’t really tell the whole story. As handy as SimpleScore is, it’s still the 30,000-foot view that doesn’t really give you the details of a tire’s performance and value. Let’s go in and get a closer look with this comparison review of the Bridgestone Dueler A/T Ascent vs the Hankook Dynapro AT2 Xtreme (RF12):
Bridgestone Dueler A/T Ascent tires
First off, let’s talk about the Dueler A/T Ascent from Bridgestone. Bridgestone’s Dueler family of all-terrain light truck tires has been a mainstay of their product line for a couple of decades now, and they’ve built on the proven track record of the Dueler line with the Dueler A/T Ascent. The A/T Ascent incorporates Bridgestone’s Enliten package, a series of features that are designed to deliver year-round traction, low noise, and great wear properties. The Dueler A/T Ascent offers tenacious grip in challenging off-road environments, with an aggressive all-terrain tread that employs precision sawtooth block edges, staggered shoulder blocks, deep grooves, and a wide void ratio to easily fling mud and debris out of the tread grooves to make sure there’s always a clear section of the tread to dig in as the wheel turns. 3D sipes are molded deep into the tread to continue doing their job of enhancing traction in mud, rain, and snow even as the tire’s tread depth gets thinner. The Dueler A/T Ascent has the 3 Peak Mountain Snowflake certification for severe winter service.
The tread pitch of the Dueler A/T Ascent is randomized and computer-tuned to keep road noise low by disrupting certain frequencies and harmonics, and the continuous center rib is designed for light, quick steering response as well as solid straight-line roadability. Select sizes of the Dueler A/T Ascent are available with an outlined white letter (OWL) sidewall that looks great on a variety of trucks and SUVs. Bridgestone covers the Dueler A/T Ascent with a 60,000 mile limited manufacturer’s tread life warranty. SimpleTire’s price on the Dueler A/T Ascent from Bridgestone starts at $239 per tire.
Hankook Dynapro AT2 Xtreme (RF12) tires
Get ready to take on the roughest, most difficult conditions, environments, and terrains with the Dynapro AT2 Xtreme (RF12) from Hankook. The Dynapro AT2 Xtreme (RF12) is a tough all-terrain tire that you can count on for consistent, predictable traction in mud, sand, loose dirt, gravel, and snow, earning it the M+S rating for mud/snow traction as well as the 3 Peak Mountain Snowflake certification for severe winter service. Its tread pattern is designed around large tread blocks with multi-directional grooves, biting block edges, and sipes, helping to ensure reliable grip as well as quick self-cleaning of mud and debris that helps make sure there’s always a clear section of the tire to dig in, reducing wheelspin in mud. On the highway, the Dynapro AT2 Xtreme (RF12) is surprisingly quiet, with staged block edges that neutralize road noise and tie bars that do double duty, stabilizing the tread face while keeping road noise down. Cross combined blocks at the shoulder boost lateral traction for clawing out of ruts and for cornering on pavement, along with high-depth sidewall blocks that guard against cuts and punctures in rough off-road conditions. Hankook covers the Dynapro AT2 Xtreme (RF12) with a best-in-class 70,000 mile limited manufacturer’s tread life warranty (60,000 miles for LT-metric sizes). And of course, we can’t go without mentioning that the Dynapro AT2 Xtreme (RF12) looks great on all kinds of trucks with its white-letter sidewall. SimpleTire’s price on the Hankook Dynapro AT2 Xtreme (RF12) starts at $142 per tire.
Bridgestone Dueler A/T Ascent vs. Hankook Dynapro AT2 Xtreme (RF12) tires on traction
How do the Bridgestone and the Hankook look when it comes to traction? In this category, the Bridgestone comes along with a SimpleScore of 8.9 vs 8.4 for the Hankook. First off, let’s note that both the Bridgestone and the Hankook are pretty strong performers in winter weather, with both tires having the 3 Peak Mountain Snowflake certification for severe winter service. The off-road grip with the Hankook is pretty impressive with its combined blocks at the shoulder for lateral traction and multi-directional grooves with chunky tread blocks and a wide void ratio. The Dueler A/T Ascent, though, is packed with innovative tread features like sawtooth block edges, staggered shoulder blocks, and extra-deep grooves along with the 3D sipes molded deep into the tread blocks. The 12/32” original tread depth of the Dueler A/T Ascent also helps with traction that’s consistent and dependable, so our decision is:
ADVANTAGE: Bridgestone Dueler A/T Ascent
Bridgestone Dueler A/T Ascent vs. Hankook Dynapro AT2 Xtreme (RF12) tires on handling
How do the Bridgestone and the Hankook come out when it comes to handling? It’s not a real close margin there, with a SimpleScore of 9.0 for the Bridgestone and 8.3 for the Hankook. Many of the same tread features that give the Dueler A/T Ascent a strong SimpleScore for traction also help with handling, braking, and control on or off the pavement. A continuous center rib is a common feature for a lot of tires; it gives a nice solid, secure feel for straight-line driving at highway speed as well as lending a steering response that’s immediate and light without being overly sensitive or touchy. One of the biggest considerations for handling any tire is its rigidity at the shoulder and tread face; as a vehicle starts to round a corner, momentum tries to keep it moving forward, which puts stress on a tire and can lead to deformation and “tread squirm.” The reinforced shoulder blocks of the Bridgestone help resist tread squirm for cornering that’s crisp and consistent, so our decision is:
ADVANTAGE: Bridgestone Dueler A/T Ascent
Bridgestone Dueler A/T Ascent vs. Hankook Dynapro AT2 Xtreme (RF12) tires on longevity
When we get to the longevity category, things are a bit different, with the Hankook coming in with a SimpleScore of 8.8 vs 8.4 for the Bridgestone. In the longevity category, it’s usually going to be the limited manufacturer’s tread life warranty coverage that moves the needle, and that’s what we have here: 70,000 miles of coverage for the Hankook vs 60,000 miles for the Bridgestone. This one’s an easy call, and our decision:
ADVANTAGE: Hankook Dynapro AT2 Xtreme (RF12)
When to use each
The question to ask yourself here is, what are your expectations and what do you really need when it comes to a set of light truck tires? If you go off the pavement a lot in mud, sand, loose dirt, or rough country with lots of obstacles, then you can’t really go wrong with either the Hankook or the Yokohama. If you have to deal with tough winter weather and snow that piles up 3 or 4 inches deep and lingers on the road for days at a time, then the Bridgestone and the Hankook are both more than prepared for it with the 3 Peak Mountain Snowflake rating for severe winter service. They also have the durability and reinforced construction you need for enhanced load ratings, making them a great choice for hauling heavy loads or towing heavy trailers. If on the other hand, you like to go rock-crawling with aired-down tires or like to splash around in deep, messy mud, these might not be the best choice and perhaps you ought to consider mud-terrain tires. The Hankook Dynapro AT2 Xtreme (RF12) and Bridgestone Dueler A/T Ascent are both tires that would be an ideal fit as replacement tires for vehicles like the Chevy Silverado 1500/2500, RAM 1500/2500, Ford F150/F250, Toyota Tacoma, Toyota Tundra, Chevrolet Tahoe, GMC Acadia, Nissan Titan, Jeep Wagoneer, and Honda Ridgeline.
Which one should you choose?
As you can see from the SimpleScore numbers, the Bridgestone does outrank the Hankook in the pertinent categories, but that doesn’t mean the Hankook is a bad tire. Here at the SimpleTire team, we’ve been pretty impressed with just about everything in the Hankook product family for some time, and the Dynapro AT2 Xtreme (RF12) is no exception. With its internal construction, tough and resilient rubber compound, tread features, and shoulder design, the Dynapro AT2 Xtreme (RF12) is packed with innovations that give it plenty to run with for long and dependable service. So let’s take price into account for a moment too, with our price on the Bridgestone starting at $239 per tire vs $142 per tire for the Hankook. That’s almost a $100 per tire difference, and it’d come out to over $400 all told for a set of four tires. We’d just break it down this way: if you can afford the Bridgestone Dueler A/T Ascent, go with that tire. If you want to save a considerable chunk of money, go with the Hankook Dynapro AT2 Xtreme (RF12). We’re pretty sure you’ll be satisfied and can’t go wrong with whichever one you decide on.
Still not sure which tire to buy? Fortunately, SimpleTire is here to help, and our helpful agents will be more than happy to assist you in selecting the right tire for your ride and budget.