The Toyota Highlander is an incredible SUV. It combines comfort, luxury, and convenience with respectable off-road capabilities. While its versatility to drive on or off the road is one of its strengths, it makes it challenging to choose the right tires.
What type of tire should you use? What factors should you consider? That and more will be covered in this article, where we will help you choose the best tires for your Toyota Highlander.
[sc name=”best-tires-for-toyota-highlander-aag”][/sc]Toyota Highlander Tire Size Overview
Using the correct tire size for your vehicle is crucial, which is why we list the tire size for each generation below.
- OEM Tire Size:
- Front/Rear: 225/70R16
- OEM Tires: Michelin Energy LX4, Goodyear Integrity, Michelin Cross Terrain SUV
- Trim(s): Limited, Hybrid, Sport, Base
- OEM Tire Sizes:
- Front/Rear: P245/55R19, P245/65R17, 225/70R16
- OEM Tires: Bridgestone Dueler H/L 400, Toyo Open Country A20, Dunlop Grandtrek ST30
- Trims: Hybrid Limited, Limited, Sport, Base, Hybrid
- OEM Tire Sizes:
- Front/Rear: 245/55R19 or 245/60R18
- OEM Tires: Bridgestone Dueler H/L 422 Ecopia | Toyo Open Country A20, Michelin Latitude Tour
- Trims: Limited, Hybrid Limited, LE, LE Plus, XLE
- OEM Tire Sizes:
- Front/Rear: 235/65R18 or 235/55R20
- OEM Tires: Michelin Premier LTX, Bridgestone Alenza Sport A/S, Toyo Open Country A43, Bridgestone Alenza Sport A/S
- Trims: Hybrid LE, Hybrid XLE, L, LE, XLE, Limited, Platinum
Choosing New Toyota Highlander Tires
There are many variables when deciding what kind of tire your Highlander needs. Factors range from driving style, type of climate in the area where you live, type of vehicle used, and more. Below we explore the most important aspects in this regard.
What’s Your Weather Like?
The weather in the area where you live is crucial to consider before purchasing a new set of tires. There are tires designed to offer better performance in the wet, while others use special tread compounds for better grip in winter. In other words, not all all-season tires behave in the same way throughout the year.
What do you use your Toyota Highlander for?
When it comes to choosing your next set of tires, the use case is decisive. That’s because if you like Overlanding, you probably need a tire with better off-road performance than a tire for daily driving in the city. Similarly, if you favor ride quality above all else, then such a tire may not be the most suitable for towing your boat.
Comfort, Performance, Budget. Pick Two.
One of the most challenging aspects of choosing tires is balancing mutually exclusive factors. Tires with extraordinary durability and comfort tend to use compounds that sacrifice grip, while tires that focus on performance tend to wear out faster and therefore impair ride quality.
To make it easier for you to deal with all of these issues, below we present the best tires for your Highlander based on which factor is most important to you.
Comparison of the Best Tires for Toyota Highlander
[sc name=”best-tires-for-toyota-highlander”][/sc]The Best Tires for Toyota Highlander
Ready to find out which tires our experts have selected? In the following sections, we will list the best tires for your Highlander based on your intended use of your SUV.
Best All-Terrain Tires for Toyota Highlander
General Grabber AT/X
Ratings (out of 5)
Dry Performance: 4.6
Wet Performance: 4.5
Overall Comfort: 4.3
Treadwear: 4.45
Offroad Performance: 4.55
Snow/Ice Performance: 4.5
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If you wonder if there is a tire that achieves a balance between on- and off-road performance, the answer is yes. This tire combines a unique chip-resistant compound, an aggressive tread design that includes shoulder blocks, and General’s DuraGen Technology to help you to take on any challenge during your off-road adventures.
However, despite its robust all-terrain design, this tire also uses General’s Comfort Balance Technology which integrates an absorption layer under the tread with a two-ply polyester casing to give you a fantastic highway driving experience.
All in all, if you are looking for a tire with unsurpassed off-road performance that also has a good ride quality in the city/highway, then the Grabber A/TX is for you.
Other Specifications
UTQG Rating: 640 A B
Directional: No
TireRack Road Hazard Protection: Yes
Treadlife Warranty: 6 Years / 50K Miles
Price Range: $136 to $225 per tire
Best All-Season Tires for Toyota Highlander
Michelin CrossClimate SUV
Ratings (out of 5)
Dry Performance: 4.75
Wet Performance: 4.8
Overall Comfort: 4.45
Treadwear: 4.4
Offroad Performance: N/A
Snow/Ice Performance: 4.35
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With a 295 hp engine and an 8-speed shiftable automatic transmission, the Highlander begs to be driven like a sports car. If this idea appeals to you, then you need a set of tires to match. Michelin has designed the CrossClimate SUV specifically for this use case, crossovers, and SUVs that require a high-performance all-season tire.
Moreover, the CrossClimate SUV also gives you the ride comfort and durability you have come to expect from Michelin. In short, you can think of this tire as the perfect combination of performance, comfort, and durability. No doubt all this makes it ideal for year-round daily driving regardless of your driving style.
Other Specifications
UTQG Rating: 580 A A
Directional: Yes
TireRack Road Hazard Protection: Yes
Treadlife Warranty: 6 Years / 50K Miles
Price Range: $185 to $249 per tire
Best Cheap Tires for Toyota Highlander
Kumho Crugen HT51
Ratings (out of 5)
Dry Performance: 4.55
Wet Performance: 4.5
Overall Comfort: 4.45
Treadwear: 4.35
Offroad Performance: N/A
Snow/Ice Performance: 4.25
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You don’t have to pay a premium price to enjoy reliable tires. Proof of this are the Kumho Crugen HT51. These tires provide a firm grip, powerful braking, and great ride quality at an affordable price.
For this, Kumho has used an asymmetric tread design with an optimized geometric block layout for maximum tread life, four wide circumferential zigzag grooves for optimal water evacuation, and an all-season tread compound that ensures good traction on light snow roads.
While the Crugen HT51 doesn’t offer you the high-speed performance of the Michelin CrossClimate or the off-road capabilities of the Grabber AT/X, it does give you an excellent city-grade tire with a 6-year/70k miles warranty at a fraction of the price.
Other Specifications
UTQG Rating: 720 A A
Directional: No
TireRack Road Hazard Protection: Yes
Treadlife Warranty: 6 Years / 70K Miles
Price Range: $165 to $205 per tire
Best Off-Road Tires for Toyota Highlander
BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2
Ratings (out of 5)
Dry Performance: 4.55
Wet Performance: 4.35
Overall Comfort: 4.15
Treadwear: 4.1
Offroad Performance: 4.5
Snow/Ice Performance: 4.35
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Are you planning to take advantage of your Highlander’s off-road capabilities? If yes, the BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2 is what you need.
BFGoodrich has an impeccable reputation for manufacturing high-end tires for off-field applications. And for a good reason. Tires like the KO2 feature a racing-derived cut-, chip- and tear-resistant tread compound, computer-optimized, high-void all-terrain pattern with interlocking tread blocks, Sidewall Armor technology, and more to guarantee optimal performance on any type of terrain.
Furthermore, this tire meets the industry’s severe snow service requirements so you can use it on light snow roads with confidence. All in all, if you are looking for one of the best on- and off-road tires of the moment the T/A KO2 will not disappoint you.
Other Specifications
UTQG Rating: Not yet rated
Directional: No
TireRack Road Hazard Protection: Yes
Treadlife Warranty: 6 Years / 50K Miles
Price Range: $219 to $311 per tire
Best Snow Tires for Toyota Highlander
Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V2
Ratings (out of 5)
Dry Performance: 4.35
Wet Performance: 4.6
Overall Comfort: 4.4
Treadwear: 4.15
Offroad Performance: N/A
Snow/Ice Performance: 4.75
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If you live far north and are looking for the best winter tires for your Highlander, then the Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V2 is hard to ignore.
Bridgestone used an advanced adaptive NanoPro Tech Multicell compound on the tread that, along with its aggressive block edges and 3D zigzag sipes, give it an amazing grip on snow, ice, and wet. The combination of technologies used in this tire makes it undoubtedly one of the safest as they allow it to achieve predictable braking and high resistance to dangerous hydroplaning in winter.
All in all, one of the best winter tires on the market today.
Other Specifications
UTQG Rating: Not yet rated
Directional: No
TireRack Road Hazard Protection: Yes
Treadlife Warranty: None
Price Range: $175 to $222 per tire
Conclusion
In this article, we have explored 5 of the best tires currently available for your Highlander. It is important that you remember that each one excels at a specific task, so when choosing your next set of tires, don’t lose sight of how you intend to use your Highlander. With that starting point and the recommendations we have included, it will not be difficult for you to choose the best tires for your Toyota Highlander.