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Last updated 10/30/2024 - Originally published 10/30/2024
Written by SimpleTire
Pickup trucks, Jeeps, and some SUVs can benefit by using all-terrain tires such as the Continental TerrainContact A/T and the Toyo Open Country A/T III if they want to drive on- and off-road. Both these tires perform to their greatest potential when combined with AWD or 4X4 drivetrains. In general, all-season tires may be able to provide dependable year-round traction, long treadwear, great handling, and civilized road manners, but they’ll certainly be inadequate when faced with a lot of snow, mud, slush, gravel, or loose dirt. Not just 4WD but suitable all-terrain or mud-terrain tires will be necessary for confidence on such surfaces.
Modern all-terrain tires such as the Continental TerrainContact A/T and Toyo Open Country A/T III are designed for great durability, off-road performance, and comfort. The design teams at tire companies build their products keeping vehicle horsepower, torque, weight, handling, and braking characteristics of contemporary trucks and SUVs in mind. These tires can provide the kind of ride quality and road etiquette on a lengthy road trip that won't leave you tired from a droning, teeth-rattling, and noisy ride, but they'll naturally not be as good as an all-season or all-weather tire.
Both the TerrainContact A/T and the Open Country A/T III are premium all-terrain tires from top brands, sporting top-quality materials, great features, and innovations. Throughout this head-to-head comparison, we will make multiple references to the SimpleScore figures associated with each tire. If you're not familiar with SimpleScore, it's a system designed by the SimpleTire team to provide you with a brief summary of a tire's value and performance based on reviews, specifications, and other data.
Continental TerrainContact A/T tires
If you intend to use the Continental TerrainContact A/T on the Ford F-250 Super Duty, it's truly a great option. Tremendous performance on dirt and gravel surfaces as well as other qualities contribute to a great average SimpleScore of 8.7. All-terrain tires must have a flat footprint and strong shoulders for maximum road contact, resulting in good performance and traction, and the TerrainContact A/T delivers on both counts. The above features are also useful in increasing tire life. Either a black or an outline white sidewall will be provided as per the selected size. Various traction technologies are available to enable excellent grip from this tire. A healthy limited manufacturer warranty and Continental’s Total Confidence Plan make this tire a great choice.
Toyo Open Country A/T III tires
The Toyo Open Country A/T III is a great option for a 4x4 vehicle if you need the grip and toughness to help you through enjoyable excursions on sand, snow, mud, or rocks. Its internal construction features consist of a polyester casing, two steel belts, a polyamide cap layer wrapped in spirals, and a sturdy tread compound that resists cuts and chips.
Toyo provides a comprehensive limited manufacturer tread life warranty for the Open Country A/T III. An extra-deep tread depth ensures that it demonstrates extended wear and traction. Much like the Continental TerrainContact A/T, the Toyo Open Country A/T III's Three Peak Mountain Snowflake certification for severe winter service is hardly surprising. All things considered, the Toyo Open Country A/T III is a strong, competent all-terrain tire that feels at home on- and off-the-road, enabling us to award it with an amazing average SimpleScore of 9.3.
Continental TerrainContact A/T vs Toyo Open Country A/T III on traction
Traction makes sure the tire maintains consistent contact with the ground, preventing skids. Regardless of tire type, it is an essential parameter for providing overall safety and reliable performance.
As an all-terrain tire, the TerrainContact A/T offers comprehensive on- and off-road traction through TractionPlus Technology, and one of its greatest benefits is a tremendous wet grip. Traction grooves and full-depth sipes are responsible for confident grip across wet, dry, and winter roads, resulting in a great average traction SimpleScore of 8.9.
The Open Country A/T III features an excellent tread-to-void ratio that provides extra biting edges and quickly channels water, mud, and slush out of the tread to resist aquaplaning and boost wet performance. Thanks to the aggressive staggered shoulder lugs, the Toyo tire gets extra off-road grip and traction when tackling unpaved roads, resulting in an outstanding traction score of 9.8.
ADVANTAGE: Toyo Open Country A/T III
Continental TerrainContact A/T vs Toyo Open Country A/T III on handling
Handling is a measure of the steering response and control of your vehicle, with tires playing an important part. Both tires sport symmetrical tread patterns, although the tread depth on the Toyo is slightly higher. Similarly, both tires also showcase aggressive tread blocks, so we’ll let the scores help you make the best decision.
There is a difference between the two tires in terms of speed ratings. H, T, S, and V speed ratings on the Continental enable drivers to drive and corner quicker. A flat footprint on the Continental TerrainContact A/T is responsible for a big contact patch that leads to great on- and off-road performance.
Expect the Open Country A/T III to generate sharp and direct cornering, steering response, and braking performance thanks to the shoulder design, sipe pattern, and stable internal construction. Available with T, Q, S, and R ratings, the Open Country A/T III provides superior dry and wet handling, courtesy of the advanced rubber compound. The optimized void-to-tread ratio and increased block rigidity enable high control and balance on paved and unpaved roads.
While the TerrainContact A/T is good enough for an average handling score of 9.0, the Open Country A/T III betters this with an outstanding 9.3.
ADVANTAGE: Toyo Open Country A/T III
Continental TerrainContact A/T vs Toyo Open Country A/T III on longevity
As mentioned above, a flat footprint and strong shoulders on the Continental TerrainContact A/T minimize uneven wear, leading to high tire life. Additionally, Continental provides a Total Confidence Plan that is inclusive of attractive parameters such as Flat Tire Roadside Assistance, Road Hazard, Customer Satisfaction Trial, and a 60,000 mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty. Based on the above, we have given this tire an average longevity SimpleScore of 8.3.
On the other hand, the Toyo Open Country A/T III pips the Continental TerrainContact A/T yet again in longevity. It features stone ejecting blocks that get rid of mud, rocks, debris, and stones from the tread. The 3D multi-wave sipes prevent uneven wear and Toyo backs this tire with a 65,000 mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty for P-metric sizes and a 50,000 warranty for LT-metric sizes, resulting in a score of 8.9.
ADVANTAGE: Toyo Open Country A/T III
When to use each
The above tires were launched after putting a significant amount of time and effort into creating products that meet client expectations. Although both aim to surpass client expectations, what sets one product apart from the other is what you require as a unique driver. Nevertheless, before selecting one over the other, consider every feature, including pricing, warranty, traction, handling, steering reactions, and performance.
Since they have superior rubber compounds that resist cuts and chips and improve handling and comfort on highways and streets, all-terrain tires are highly useful on both paved and unpaved roads. But there are not the right ones if you plan to engage in extreme off-roading. For heavy mud, sand, slush, gravel, and other such conditions, be sure to buy mud-terrain tires because they have huge tread blocks for maximum grip. However, noise and low tread life could be factors that might keep you away from them.
Which one should you choose?
Both manufacturers have released their tires after spending lots of time and effort building products as per customer needs. While both look to exceed customer expectations, it’s what you need as an individual driver that can separate one product from the other. That being said, explore all aspects of performance, handling, steering responses, traction, price, and warranty before choosing one over the other. In terms of pricing, the Continental TerrainContact A/T starts at $203.99 per tire ($816 for 4), and the Toyo Open Country A/T III begins at $162.81 ($651.24 for 4).
With that in mind, we’d recommend that you choose the Continental TerrainContact A/T if:
- You drive vehicles like the Chevrolet Traverse, GMC Sierra 1500, and Jeep Grand Cherokee
- You want a more comprehensive warranty
- You want more traction technologies
- You want better on-road comfort
You should go for the Toyo Open Country A/T III if you:
- Drive vehicles like the Jeep Cherokee, Chevrolet Silverado 1500, and Toyota 4Runner
- Want the cheaper tire
- Want better limited manufacturer warranty
- Want better handling
Still not sure which tire to buy? Fortunately, SimpleTire is here to help as our helpful agents will be more than happy to assist you in selecting the right tire for your ride and budget.