Sumitomo Encounter AT Performance
Overall Rank
The Encounter AT by Sumitomo is a truck/suv off-road tire with an overall rating of 4.3 / 5. This places it in spot #14 among the 39 truck/suv off-road tires we’ve reviewed.
Dry Performance
Dry Performance Rank
The Encounter AT received a Dry Performance rating of 4.4 / 5. This ranks it #16 among the 39 truck/suv off-road tires we’ve reviewed.
Considering this, you may be underwhelmed by its performance on dry roads. However, it may perform well in other categories.
Wet Performance
Wet Performance Rank
The Encounter AT received a Wet Performance rating of 4.4 / 5. This ranks it #12 among the 39 truck/suv off-road tires we’ve reviewed.
This is a decent rating, buyers are typically pleased with its performance on wet roads and hydroplane resistance.
Comfort Performance
Comfort Performance Rank
“Comfort” performance relates to the tire’s quietness, and smoothness. Better ratings will keep tire ‘roar’ or road-noise to a minimum. Great for luxury cars, or anybody looking for a quieter cabin.
With a Comfort Performance rating of 4.4 / 5, the Encounter AT is ranked #9 among the 39 truck/suv off-road tires we’ve reviewed.
This is an okay rating, this tire tends not to surprise buyers with too much road noise or feedback in the cabin. However, it’s not the best, so we advise you expect ‘some’ noise from these.
Treadwear Performance
Treadwear Performance Rank
Treadwear performance is a measure of how well the tire matched up to customers’ expectations of how many miles they will last. Keep in mind, this rating can be influenced significantly by users giving it 1-star or 5-stars because expectations were too extreme. Maybe their last set of tires lasted 100,000 miles and they now think all tires will last that long (that’s extremely rare). Or perhaps their alignment was really off, causing them to wear out in only a few thousand miles.
The Encounter AT received a Treadwear Performance rating of 4 / 5. This ranks it #28 among the 39 truck/suv off-road tires we’ve reviewed.
With this rating, most buyers were not very happy with how long this tire lasted. If you’re looking for a long-lasting tire, best pick something else.
UTQG Rating: What does 660 A B Mean?
The UTQG Specification is also relevant to discuss here. This is a specification provided by the manufacturer after testing. The rating for this tire is 660 A B. There are three parts to this specification: treadwear grade, traction grade, and temperature grade (in that order).
Treadwear Grade
The treadwear grade for this tire is 660. This treadwear grade is very high. This implies the rubber compounds are relatively hard compared to other tires. This tire should wear very slowly – however the trade-off here is usually poorer dry and wet traction.
Traction Grade
The traction grade for this tire is ‘A’. This is a great rating, and implies the tire can handle high g-forces before starting to skid.
Temperature Grade
The temperature grade for this tire is ‘B’. This rating refers to how well the tire dissipates heat at high speeds. If the tire gets too hot at high speeds, it may come apart. Keep in mind, these speeds are very high, and any tire manufactured these days is capable of maintaining highway speeds up to 80mph.
This temperature grade is not as high as A, but still implies the tire will not come apart due to heat at speeds between 100 and 115mph, which is plenty.
Snow & Ice Performance
Snow/Ice Performance Rank
Snow and Ice performance is tested on a specifically designed track to simulate these environments. These ratings represent how confident drivers in these conditions felt on these tires.
The Encounter AT received a Snow & Ice Performance rating of 4.3 / 5. This ranks it #7 among the 39 truck/suv off-road tires we’ve reviewed.
These tires rated relatively well for snow/ice. While not the absolute best, you can depend on these tires to get you through light/medium snowfall and occasional ice. However, if you frequently have deep snow or lots of ice, it would be our recommendation to find tires that fairs better in this category.
Off-Road Performance
Off-Road Performance Rank
The off-road ratings represent how satisfied other drivers were in these conditions. These conditions could include anything from dirt/gravel roads to extreme offroading/bouldering. If you intend to use these in more extreme conditions, we always recommend checking individual reviews on TireRack.com for specific examples.
The Encounter AT received an Off-Road Performance rating of 4.3 / 5. This ranks it #19 among the 39 truck/suv off-road tires we’ve reviewed.
These tires performed pretty well off-road. They aren’t top-tier, but buyers were relatively pleased with their performance. As long as you don’t intend to drive the Rubicon Trail in record time on these, they should meet your expectations!
Treadlife Warranty
Sumitomo does offer a treadlife warranty for this tire. You should see a time-frame and mileage provided in the ratings on this page. Note that this is a ‘whichever-comes-first’ scenario. So if it’s listed as 3 years, 50K miles – they can be warrantied as long as they are less than 3 years old AND have less than 50K miles on them. Manufacturer’s generally determine if a tire is claim-able for warranty by measuring remaining tread depth. See the documentation for the tire for more information.
