AT/A stands for All Terrain Adventure and is a model that is as country-oriented as it is asphalt
If you like off road driving, surely you know that it doesn’t matter how many locks, traction or suspension you have, because if the tires don’t grip, you don’t do anything.
So here I am about to test some Goodyear Wrangler All Terrain Adventure (AT/A) behind the wheel of a Land Rover Defender with the confidence that it is a tool beyond any doubt to achieve my goal… which is none other to do a route in Les Comes, the off-road driving paradise located in Súria, Barcelona.
Since the first Wrangler model appeared in 1991 (remember, it has nothing to do with the Jeep), there has been a lot of rain (maybe not enough this year, but I’m sure you get the idea). They are tires focused on off road, although with the passage of time their offer has diversified.
Currently, the most radical in the range is called Duratrac, whose studs are designed for complicated and muddy roads. There is also the HP All Weather, mainly asphalt, although with some capacity for 4×4.
And then, in the middle, there is the one that I am going to try. During a journey on asphalt I have been able to verify that the All Terrain Adventure is not going badly. Its sound is not high and the grip on the side seems adequate: unlike some similar models, you won’t hear it squeak on the curves of a mountain road.
In the field, the Wrangler AT/A are in their element. Despite what it may seem due to its tight tacking, the truth is that it performs well when the ground is loose: it has the M+S label, although it is not winter certified, which is a shame.
In gravel areas it grips well in part thanks to some small grooves in the rubber that perform the same function as a summer tyre. They also absorb irregularities well when the road is broken, although I suppose that the good profile of the tires that my Defender had, some 255/60 R20, also helped this.
The tread has been optimized to better support and save 37% fuel on average compared to its rivals. As a curiosity, that test was carried out at Dekra in 2016 in a Hilux 2.4 4×4 and the results were that it was 49% better in front and 25% better in the rear.
Returning to the tread, Kevlar appears between the layers of which it is composed, so in principle it will be able to withstand stones and other objects placed on the road. The flanks are also reinforced with what the brand calls Durawall and they also have greater resistance to cuts.
Some sections of Les Comes were slightly muddy, so I was able to test the traction in these circumstances. The Goodyear Wrangler has “blocks on the open shoulders”, in the words of the brand, which allows better evacuation of mud.
The truth is that they are not bad at all: although in the end the mud is mud and if you do not wear the right equipment it will cost you, the truth is that they worked better than I would have expected and I was able to get out of a couple of troubles with some ease. … and, of course, the invaluable help of the Defender who was riding them.
Also on a slightly wet stone surface, they were able to control well the 2,415 kilos that this 4.75-meter-long SUV weighs, although perhaps I felt some slight displacement, surely the result of significant inertia.
The AT/A is available in sizes from 15 to 20 inches (like the Duratrac; the HP All Weather goes from 17 to 20″), and while the world of pricing can vary wildly from one side to the other, for less than 200 euros you can find them without difficulty.
