Toyo open country AT3 poor wet weather performance

[booch2024]

I swapped out my stock FE wheels and tires after purchase this summer to TRD bbs 18” wheels and at3 275/70/18’s. I’m running them at 35psi and they have been great all summer.
However, once the rains started here in the PNW, they have been crazy slick and unsettling to drive.
The road on my daily commute is steep with many off camber turns and I’ve felt the LC FE slip and slide all over (no leaves on the road either).
For one, I would have thought the full time 4WD would help and 2 the AT3’s updated rubber compound would grip better.
Has anyone else experienced greasy type driving in the LC in the rain around corners?
Think the tires need to acclimate more?
Thanks for any advice or feedback.

 

[b407driver]

Are you sure it's not that the first rains have brought the oil up/off the roadway? I haven't had mine in any significant rain yet, but the Falken AT3Ws I briefly had on my 4Runner were excellent in regard to hydroplaning, and I was hoping these Toyos would be similar.

 

[Altitude]

Are you sure it's not that the first rains have brought the oil up/off the roadway?

My thought as well.

 

[booch2024]

It’s been raining here for about 3 weeks solid but maybe.

 

[trek805]

ive had similar experience with KO2's when it first starts raining.

 

[phantasticphil]

I'm so torn between the wildpeak at4ws and toyo AT3s. Now I have teetered back to the at4ws due this post. Also in the pnw.

I have the same color, and the same wheels are on the way! Can't wait to match haha. I'll be running 285/70/18s in either tire.

 

[trek805]

its a tough one. I think both are great tires. I went with AT3's as the FWP's are heavy tires compared to most other AT's. Im adverse to KO3's now after reading that thread... LOL

 

[phantasticphil]

its a tough one. I think both are great tires. I went with AT3's as the FWP's are heavy tires compared to most other AT's. Im adverse to KO3's now after reading that thread... LOL

Yes the weight is the only thing that's really holding me back on the FWPs. I just really wanted the Toyos to handle the wet conditions as good as the FWPs, sounds like that may not be the case.

@booch2024 - FWIW I'm on stock michelin tires and the grip is very good, I have tried to get them to spin at stoplights and around corners and haven't been able to. Just so you have that data point. Located in Portland. I feel like it's been raining enough to not have oil on the road..

 

[uraniumrich]

I've got the AT4Ws on my LC (255/80R17) and they've done fine so far in the wet. But, the snow performance may be significantly worse than expected (but, maybe still better than non-3 peak rated tires?)

 

[msenske]

I swapped out my stock FE wheels and tires after purchase this summer to TRD bbs 18” wheels and at3 275/70/18’s. I’m running them at 35psi and they have been great all summer.
However, once the rains started here in the PNW, they have been crazy slick and unsettling to drive.
The road on my daily commute is steep with many off camber turns and I’ve felt the LC FE slip and slide all over (no leaves on the road either).
For one, I would have thought the full time 4WD would help and 2 the AT3’s updated rubber compound would grip better.
Has anyone else experienced greasy type driving in the LC in the rain around corners?
Think the tires need to acclimate more?
Thanks for any advice or feedback.

I also live in the Pacific Northwest in Eastern Washington / North Idaho where we get rainfall in the fall and spring seasons, but where we also get significantly colder temperatures and more snow in the winter months. I have never experienced what you've described in your original post in my Land Cruiser FE with BFG KO3s (265/70R18 124S) in the rain (even after it initially starts raining), and I didn't even experience this today with our first snowfall in the "lower" elevations.

There is a particularly severe off camber corner I routinely drive, and I'm typically slowing down from speeds of approximately 70mph as I approach the turn and then have to immediately start accelerating, and I've never slipped at all in the rain (I haven't driven the corner yet in the snow/ice).

I will be driving up a very steep road this weekend that has several switchbacks and will likely be very wet at lower elevations AND snowy at higher elevations. I will post back if I experience what anything close to what you're describing.

 

[cvx5832LC]

It’s been raining here for about 3 weeks solid but maybe.

With 3 days of rain all that slick should already be gone from the roadway. 3 weeks and I’m thinking it’s the tire, or maybe airing down if you changed load ratings.

 

[ryanjl]

I've got the AT4Ws on my LC (255/80R17) and they've done fine so far in the wet. But, the snow performance may be significantly worse than expected (but, maybe still better than non-3 peak rated tires?)

I have the Falken AT4Ws too, and I bought them in part based on the stellar reputation the AT3Ws had in the snow. Unfortunately, it looks like the changes they made to the AT4Ws made them worse in the snow.

This channel does about the best I've ever seen talking about tire characteristics and what they signify the brand is targeting the tire for.



Looks like hardening the tire compound (to make the tire better for heavy duty trucks) and changing the tread pattern have made these worse in the snow.

I guess I'll see when it snows here.

 

[Nor Cal Cruiser]

I have the Toyos and in the midst of our so-called atmospheric river in California they have been great. Running mine at 36 psi and I love them.

 

[LCColorado]

I’ve experienced what you described back when I lived in Portland and had KO2’s on my FJ Cruiser. I’ve had none of those issues in some pretty torrential rain storms with my KO3’s though. Currently running a 275/70/18 KO3 at 45 PSI.

 

[bluebullet]

Yes the weight is the only thing that's really holding me back on the FWPs. I just really wanted the Toyos to handle the wet conditions as good as the FWPs, sounds like that may not be the case.

@booch2024 - FWIW I'm on stock michelin tires and the grip is very good, I have tried to get them to spin at stoplights and around corners and haven't been able to. Just so you have that data point. Located in Portland. I feel like it's been raining enough to not have oil on the road..

I was planning going to my old standby, the Michelin Defenders, as soon as the Michelin Trails get worn out. Just getting the PNW rain/snow here now. Time to go out and test the roads. We should have a good dose of MgCL on the highways by now.

 

[ChrisMA1B]

Tire tread is not the determining factor when it comes to hydroplaning. The speed at which any vehicle will hydroplane is: 7.5 times the square root of the tire pressure. Thus if your tire pressure is 36 psi, you will hydroplane at 45 mph. So in rain that is puddling on the road, slow down to below 45 mph, regardless of tire tread. BTW, many large trucks run 100 psi, so they can run at 75 mph with little chance of hydroplaning. On ice or wet snow, all bets are off...

 

[uraniumrich]

Tire tread is not the determining factor when it comes to hydroplaning. The speed at which any vehicle will hydroplane is: 7.5 times the square root of the tire pressure. Thus if your tire pressure is 36 psi, you will hydroplane at 45 mph. So in rain that is puddling on the road, slow down to below 45 mph, regardless of tire tread. BTW, many large trucks run 100 psi, so they can run at 75 mph with little chance of hydroplaning. On ice or wet snow, all bets are off...

Under real world testing, the hydroplaning performance of different tires run at the same pressure and load on the same vehicle will hydroplane at different speeds. I'm curious where you found that equation - can you share it?

 

[misnMy4runner]

I’m running the open country AT3 on stock wheel w/275/60r20 and have not had issue yet. We just had some rain/flurries for a few days after weeks of a drought but so far they’ve been fine. I will switch it up next time though and go with the MTs which I had in my 4runner and they proved competent in all condition including excelling off-road.

 

[Roonie]

I have run toyo at3 now for a couple years in Seattle wet weather and have not experienced what you describe. First rain yes. But overall no.
Great in snow too.

I have them on my First edition now too and are doing great.

 

[mayonayze]

falken at/3 and a set of steelies with blizzaks for them snows. All good for the mid Atlantic