Toyo Open Country A/T II Review: On-/Off-Road All-Terrain Tire

The Toyo Open Country A/T II is a different type of all-terrain tire. We all know A/T tires are supposed to offer uncompromising traction on rough terrain. But what we’re not expecting is a refined and silent ride on smooth roads. But is it really possible for an all-terrain tire to deliver the on-road manners of an H/T or highway-terrain tire?

As it turns out, the answer is a resounding yes. In order to sell more products, tire makers are hard at work in coming up with hybrid tires. And even though Toyo didn’t implicitly state the Open Country A/T II is a hybrid, it does have the good qualities of an A/T and H/T tire. 

Best of all, the Toyo Open Country A/T II has the looks to back it up. If you’re interested in a set of all-terrain tires, the decision will most likely sway in the favor of the brand that offers a good price with aggressive looks. In this regard, you simply can’t go wrong with the Toyo Open Country A/T II.

Toyo is even offering the Open Country A/T II in three distinct types. The P-Metric and Metric sizes have a mildly-scalloped shoulder. The LT-Metric comes with more aggressive scalloped shoulders. In the meantime, the Xtreme size comes with deeper tread depth similar to a mud-terrain or M/t tire and a deeper scalloped shoulders. 

What are the features of the Toyo Open Country A/T II?

The Toyo Open Country A/T II is designed for all-season and all-terrain driving. The most prominent feature of any A/T tire is the sidewall. The Open Country A/T II is equipped with an aggressive sidewall and open tread block design. Besides giving your vehicle a tougher go-anywhere vibe, the tread design is engineered to deliver tons of traction in mud, snow, ice, dirt, and loose gravel.

The tire is constructed utilizing a wear-resistant and durable tread compound. All-terrain tires need to be tough enough to withstand shock and sharp rocks, and the Toyo Open Country A/T II delivers superb toughness in this regard. It even comes with stone-ejecting blocks and deep tread grooves to easily eject stones from the grooves.

It even comes with tie bars between the tread blocks to stabilize the tread blocks. This feature is also designed to improve braking and reduce the possibility of irregular wear. In order to deliver higher amounts of grip in the snow, the Toyo Open Country A/T II is also equipped with polygonal blocks and zigzag sipes. No matter the terrain whether on or off-road, this tire is designed to excel.

Which vehicles are applicable to the Toyo Open Country A/T II?

The Toyo Open Country A/T II is applicable to light and medium duty import and domestic trucks and sport-utility vehicles. It is a superb choice for popular pickup trucks like the RAM 1500, Ford F-Series, Chevrolet Silverado, and Toyota Tundra. It is also good for rugged SUVs such as the Jeep Wrangler and Grand Cherokee, Nissan Pathfinder, and Toyota Land Cruiser.

How does it fare in off-road driving?

The Toyo Open Country is a revelation on rough and uneven roads. It offers relentless traction whether you’re crawling over soft and shifting sand, thick mud, deep snow or hard ice, and loose gravel. This comes as no surprise since A/T tires are meant to conquer the roads less travelled.

But how about in normal city and highway driving?

The best attribute of the Toyo Open Country in on-road driving is the ride comfort and road silence. It’s not the most comfortable tires that money can buy. If you really push it, you can even say nothing beats a set of H/T or highway terrain tires in terms of long-distance touring comfort.

But despite the rugged and chunky appearance, the Toyo Open Country A/T II is impressively comfortable. It also rolls silently on the highway. However, don’t expect luxury-levels of comfort and silence at higher speeds. This tire is not exactly meant for high-speed and precision applications.

How does it behave on wet roads?

Good enough, but not quite. The Toyo Open Country A/T II is great in snow, but it doesn’t offer the same levels of grip in rain-drenched highways. However, the grip level in the wet is relevant to the speed of the vehicle. You will only feel the tires hunting for traction once you approach silly speeds. It’s the same story on dry and paved roads, but the tires are marginally better in the dry than in the wet.

What about tire wear?

Since Toyo designed the Open Country A/T II as a cross between an H/T and A/T tire, it also saw it fit to gift the tire with longer wear characteristics. Toyo claims impressive tire wear as long as the suspension and the steering is calibrated to the proper specifications. If you are upgrading from normal road tires to a set of new all-terrain rubber, it is better to have the alignment checked to ensure maximum life from your new set of tires.

You can see more Toyo Open Country AT II Review here: videos created by MadMatt 4WD

Should I buy the Toyo Open Country A/T II?

Yes! I can see no reason why you shouldn’t buy the Toyo Open Country A/T II for your rugged pickup truck or SUV. This especially holds true if you are intending to drive over mixed terrain and snow-covered roads.

All-terrain tires have transformed from crude and rugged pieces of chunky rubber to a refined and aggressive set that also functions well in on-road driving. If you had doubts on whether A/T tires are capable of providing higher levels of riding comfort and driving silence, the Toyo Open Country A/T will turn you into a believer.