Best tires
Pickup trucks are everywhere on the roads these days, in case you haven’t noticed. Many half-ton and ¾ ton trucks are now as comfortable, sophisticated, and refined as luxury sedans were a generation ago, with many of the same amenities and comfort features that were once exclusive. Trucks are practical, handy and durable, making them a great choice for family vehicles for many, many thousands of people. However, many of the trucks that you see driving around have almost never been off the pavement and have beds that barely have a single scratch or dent in them, since they’ve never done any serious hauling other than a periodic trip to the home improvement store. One-ton trucks are a different story, though.
One-ton trucks are bigger, more cumbersome to drive in traffic or parking garages, and are harder on fuel economy than half-tons or ¾ tons. Their added load rating and durability makes them a great choice for work trucks. It’s not uncommon to see one-ton trucks being used for roofing, landscaping, logging, farming or other heavy-duty applications. A one-ton truck with a 4WD drivetrain is a great choice for rough oilfield lease roads, ranch roads, unimproved jobsites, and other terrain that would often be too difficult for other trucks, and many of today’s one-tons are powerful enough to practically pull a house off its foundations. The RAM 3500 Cummins Diesel, for instance, has 420 horsepower but 1,075 lb-feet of torque, for an incredible towing capacity of 37,090 pounds. That makes it a great candidate for towing RV trailers, gooseneck equipment trailers (even with a load as heavy as a forklift on them), car haulers, and, of course, big livestock, camper or boat trailers.
In addition, the RAM can haul 7,680 lbs of cargo, which is a lot of shingles, sand, gravel, dirt or whatever a hardworking truck needs to haul. Trucks like the Ford F350, RAM 3500 or Chevy Silverado 3500 are comfortable and nicely equipped, but make no mistake: they’re made to work. Today we’re going to do a roundup of some of the best tires for a one-ton truck, including all-season, all-terrain, mud-terrain and winter tires that will help you get the job done in a dependable fashion.
Best All Season tires for 1 ton truck
1. Continental TerrainContact H/T
First up, let’s talk about the Continental TerrainContact H/T, where H/T stands for Highway Terrain. It’s not unfair to think of highway terrain tires as being the truck equivalent of all-season or Grand Touring tires for cars: they’re designed for year-round performance mostly on the pavement, with reliable traction, a comfortable and quiet ride, great tread wear properties, and capable handling (but with the beefier construction needed for a truck).
The TerrainContact H/T from Continental is a great example of what a highway terrain tire has to offer. It can be considered a premium all-season tire that checks all the above boxes and then some more. Here’s some of what you can expect with the TerrainContact H/T:
- Continental’s proprietary +Silane tread formulation delivers long, even wear, enhanced wet-weather traction, and excellent resistance to cuts, chips, punctures and other damage
- Continental’s Traction Grooves feature gripping teeth and are designed to actually trap and retain snow, building snow-to-snow friction for grip in winter conditions
- Symmetric all-season tread with large, stable shoulder blocks and a system of circumferential and angled grooves that resist hydroplaning by routing water away from the tire’s contact patch
- Continental’s Computer Optimized Pattern Shifting lowers road noise by negating certain frequencies and overtones from the tread pattern
- Full-depth interlocking sipes multiply the tire’s tread area and traction for wet or wintry weather while also helping to ensure stable handling and braking performance on the highway
- Covered by a 70,000 mile limited manufacturer’s tread life warranty, 60-day trial, and 3-year roadside assistance package
- Internal construction includes a 2-ply polyester casing, twin high-tensile steel belts and dual spiral wound nylon cap plies for durability, ride comfort and stability
- Available in sizes from 16” to 22”, making it a great choice for a wide range of fitments
2. Bridgestone Dueler H/T 685
Tough and versatile, the Bridgestone Dueler H/T 685 is equally at home either on an Interstate road trip or doing a hard day’s work. Here are its features and benefits:
- Contact patch is redesigned and optimized to put more rubber on the road, ensuring enhanced traction, handling, and braking performance
- Four wide circumferential grooves and a pattern of sipes for enhanced grip on wet or snowy pavement
- Polyester casing with 2-ply steel belt layer and two reinforcement plies for excellent stability and load rating
- Specialized heavy-duty tread compound resists cuts, punctures, and uneven wear
- Casing and tread pattern designed to adapt to load for improved wear properties
- Great-looking outlined white letter sidewall available for select sizes
- Covered by Bridgestone’s 50,000 mile limited manufacturer’s tread life warranty
3. Toyo Open Country H/T II
Here at the SimpleTire team, we’ve been pretty impressed by just about every tire we’ve seen from the Toyo lineup. The Toyo Open Country H/T II builds on the success of the proven Open Country H/T and is loaded with premium innovations and features such as:
- Wide circumferential grooves work as a system with innovative angled, cross-hatch grooves for enhanced grip in wet or wintry conditions
- Multi-wave siping network incorporated into tread for improved grip in snow, slush, and rain, as well as improved stability, road manners, and braking performance
- Adaptive circumferential grooves and expanding shoulder grooves are molded to continue delivering improved grip even as the tire’s tread depth wears down
- Dual sidewall designs, with sporty or classic looks to customize your ride’s aesthetics (outlined white letter sidewall available for select sizes)
- A 50,000 mile limited manufacturer’s tread life warranty and a 45-day trial
Best All Terrain tires for 1 ton truck
All-terrain tires have come a long way over the last 20 or so years. While they used to mean clumsy handling, sluggish steering response and a noisy, bucking-bronco ride on the pavement, today’s all-terrains now offer the best of both worlds: dependable grip and control in mud, loose dirt, snow and sand. Additionally, these tires also ensure capable handling, great road manners, and an accommodating ride on the highway.
1. Falken Wildpeak A/T4W
With its mix of advanced engineering, premium materials and stellar performance on or off the pavement, the Falken Wildpeak A/T4W is a perennially popular choice. It has the following features and benefits:
- Falken’s proprietary 3-ply DURASPEC sidewall technology is designed to easily handle the most punishing off-road challenges (while helping to handle heavy loads with ease)
- Heat Diffuser Technology helps keep tire temperatures down by dispersing excess heat buildup, especially when hauling heavy loads or towing
- Advanced tread compound is designed for damage resistance, long wear
- Enhanced performance in wet, snowy, slushy or icy conditions thanks to alternating scalloped tread blocks, 3D Canyon Sipes, and an aggressive all-weather tread design
- Lateral grip gets a boost with staggered shoulder blocks and relief sidewall lettering
- Dual layer polyester casing with twin steel belts and polyamide reinforcement ply
- 3 Peak Mountain Snowflake certified for severe winter service
- Tread and casing designed for enhanced rigidity, which aids in handling, towing, load rating
- Covered by Falken with 65,000 mile limited manufacturer’s tread life warranty (60,000 mile for LT sizes)
2. Yokohama Geolandar A/T XD
Yokohama’s Geolandar A/T XD is designed as a commercial grade all-terrain tire that’s ready to take on some of the toughest jobs and roughest conditions. It’s packed with performance and features such as:
- Cut-and-chip resistant tread formulation has a high percentage of natural rubber for long wear, durability, wet-weather performance
- Yokohama’s GEO-SHIELD design and construction package includes a dual-ply casing and high-turnup ply layers for sidewall protection
- Rugged sidewall design enhances the tire’s appearance as well as providing protection from punctures and lateral impacts
- Aggressive all-terrain tread designed with a high void ratio and stone ejectors built into the base of the tread grooves for good self-cleaning of mud and debris, ensuring there’s always a clear section of tread to dig in as the wheel turns
- Hundreds of wavy sipes molded into tread for enhanced winter grip in snow, slush, and ice
- Tread pitch is randomized and computer tuned to keep road noise to a minimum by canceling certain frequencies and overtones, delivering a quiet ride on the highway
- 3 Peak Mountain Snowflake certified for severe winter service
- Covered by 5-year warranty against defects in manufacturing and workmanship
3. Mickey Thompson Baja Boss A/T
With decades of experience in the motorsports world (including Baja rallies and other off-road competition as well as the track and strip), Mickey Thompson brings a lot to the game with the Baja Boss A/T. Here are the features and benefits of the Mickey Thompson Baja Boss A/T](https://simpletire.com/brands/mickey-thompson-tires/baja-boss-a-t):
- Silica-rich tread compound delivers great wear properties, braking performance, damage resistance, and wet-weather traction
- Mickey Thompson’s PowerPly construction adds an angled third ply of heavier denier cord to provide better responsiveness, stability, and damage resistance
- Extreme SideBiters at the shoulder for great lateral traction for cornering, clawing out of ruts (150% deeper than SideBiters on the M-T Baja ATZP3)
- Asymmetric all-terrain tread is tuned for reduced road noise as well as improved performance on or off the pavement
- Covered by 60,000 mile limited manufacturer’s tread life warranty (50,000 mile for LT-metric sizes)
- Available in sizes from 15” to 24” for a wide variety of fitments
- 3 Peak Mountain Snowflake certified for severe winter service
Best Mud tires for 1 ton truck
There are times when the conditions and the terrain are just too much even for the best all-terrain tires. For deep, soupy mud, obstacles like logs and boulders, steep grades and other extreme challenges, mud-terrain tires are a great option. Plus, mud-terrain tires tend to be oversized, making them a great idea for trucks with lift kits for when you need the extra ride height and ground clearance to get through the rough stuff.
1. General Grabber X3
With the General Grabber X3, General Tire brings some of its most impressive features and design for extreme traction and durability in difficult terrain, as given below:
- Aggressive mud-terrain lug tread with high void ratio, block chamfers and traction notches for grip in wet or loose surfaces
- Stone bumpers and evacuation channels in tread grooves are designed to easily rid the tread of mud, gravel, and debris
- General’s DURAGEN design package includes a 3-ply body casing and twin high-tensile steel belts for durability and stability on or off pavement
- Deflection Ribs and Sidewall Protection Lugs guard against damage and lateral impacts in rough terrain
- Full-depth sipes for improved performance in wet or snowy weather
- M+S rated for mud/snow traction
- Multi-pitch tread design helps cut down on drone and highway noise
- Black or great-looking red letter sidewall for select tire sizes
- Covered by 6-year materials and workmanship warranty protection
2. Firestone Destination M/T2
Firestone designed the Destination M/T2 to offer dependable connection to the road (or lack of it), with the durability and tenacity you need to get through the toughest situations without having to call your buddy to winch you out. Given below are the features and benefits of the Firestone Destination M/T2:
- Aggressive mud-terrain lug tread features mud and stone rejector technology with wide grooves a full 19/32” deep
- Tough 3-ply reinforced sidewall provides great damage resistance and rigidity for aired-down operation while rock crawling over boulders and steep terrain
- Pre-drilled for easy installation of studs in case of severe winter conditions (always check state and local laws for legality of studded tires where you live)
- Next-generation tread compound is engineered for increased protection against chips, tears, punctures, cuts
- Debris Shield around bead area prevents stones and other trail debris from wedging between tire and wheel, potentially causing damage or loss of pressure while aired-down
- Wraparound lugs at shoulder extend onto sidewall for damage resistance and improved lateral traction
- Outlined white letter sidewall available on select tire sizes
- 20% more biting edges (compared to predecessor) for traction in winter conditions
3. Kumho Road Venture MT71
Kumho Road Venture MT71 is an Extreme Traction mud-terrain tire for drivers who are looking to conquer off-road terrain while still retaining a capable and stable driving experience on the highway. Here are the features and benefits:
Kumho’s proprietary Tri-Blend tread compound is optimized for durability and wear properties while delivering unbeatable traction on or off the pavement Dual-pitch high-void mud-terrain tread with wide void area and mud and stone ejectors molded into base of tread grooves Rugged construction with 3-ply polyester body, twin high tensile steel belts, and two high-denier polyester protection plies to hold it all together Tread elements reinforced at the base for extra rigidity, enabling great control, braking, handling, and load capacity Aggressive shoulder lugs extend onto sidewall for off-axis traction
Best Winter tire for 1 ton truck
Winter driving in heavy snow and ice presents a whole different set of challenges for any vehicle. In many cases, a tire’s tread compound might harden and stiffen up in subfreezing weather, cutting its ability to get decent grip in snow or slush. Winter tires need an entirely different tread pattern as well, with their own system of sipes and grooves for dependable grip in snow and slush, with some tires pre-drilled to make it easy to install studs in case of icy pavement. For most winter tires that use a specialty winter tread compound, the rubber formulation is softer for flexibility in freezing weather but will wear quickly on warmer days. Tire manufacturers advise against using their winter tires when temperatures are above 40-45 degrees F.
1. Bridgestone Blizzak LT
The Bridgestone Blizzak LT is 3 Peak Mountain Snowflake certified for severe winter service and is optimized for the weight, power and torque of light trucks. Look at the features and benefits from this tire:
- Commercial-grade design with reinforced internal construction, heavy-duty winter tread compound
- 2-ply polyester casing with two high-tensile steel belts, nylon cap ply
- Deep tread for long wear and aggressive traction
- Innovative symmetric winter tread design employs tied shoulder blocks, zigzag grooves and straight outer grooves to easily slice through snow and slush while diverting water behind the tire’s contact patch to resist hydroplaning
- Reduced rolling resistance helps to save on fuel costs
- 10-ply rated for enhanced load capacity
2. Nokian Hakkapeliitta LT3 Studded
Nokian is a Finland-based tire maker (yes, the same parent company as Nokia phones) with decades of experience in designing tires for the harsh Scandinavian winters. The Nokian Hakkapeliitta LT3 Studded is loaded with innovations and features for the most hazardous winter driving. Its features include:
- Directional winter tread with a system of chevron-shaped grooves, notched intermediate blocks, large and reinforced shoulder blocks and solid center rib design
- Fitted with stainless steel studs (a tire industry first) that resist corrosion from salt and road de-icing chemicals (check your local and state laws for the legality of studded tires and any calendar restrictions on their use)
- Studs and sipe network strategically placed and optimized, with a denser pattern of studs towards the center tread blocks for improved braking and cornering ability
- Aramid-reinforced sidewalls give the Hakkapeliitta LT3 Studded enhanced handling as well as robust load capacity and durability
- Reduced rolling resistance for improved fuel economy (also suitable for EV and hybrid trucks)
3. Cooper Discoverer Snow Claw
The last tire in our roundup of winter tires for one-ton trucks, the Cooper Discoverer Snow Claw](https://simpletire.com/brands/cooper-tires/discoverer-snow-claw), is inspired by the snow leopard, a predator that thrives in harsh winter habitat and conditions. Here are the features of this tire:
- Cooper’s WinterGrip tread formulation is designed for durability and ride comfort, as well as traction in winter conditions
- Pre-drilled for optional installation of #12 studs
- 3D sipes boost traction and interlock to help reduce tread pattern squirm and aid in stability at highway speed
- 8-ply rating
- Cooper Snow Groove design traps and retains snow to develop snow-on-snow friction
- Zigzag circumferential grooves work with angled grooves to resist hydroplaning
- Dense pattern of angled 3D sipes to easily slice through snow and slush
Other great tires for 1 ton truck
Let’s close out this compilation of best tires for one-ton trucks with these great tires from Goodyear, Nexen, and Atturo:
1. Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac RT
For over 100 years, the name “Goodyear” has been synonymous with premium tires, and the Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac RT is the latest addition to the Wrangler family. Here are the features and benefits of a tire from one of America's oldest and most beloved tire brands:
- Aggressive rugged-terrain tread splits the difference between mud-terrain and all-terrain design and performance
- 3 Peak Mountain Snowflake rated for severe winter service
- M+S rated for mud/snow traction
- Tread and sidewall reinforced with DuPont Kevlar fiber for durability and stability
- High-void shoulder blocks with lugs that extend onto the shoulder for enhanced lateral grip and off-axis traction
- Covered by Goodyear with a 50,000 mile limited manufacturer’s tread life warranty
- Wide and deep tread grooves
- Tread pitch is randomized and computer tuned for muted road noise
2. Nexen Roadian HTX2
Here at the SimpleTire team, we’ve been pretty impressed with just about every tire in the Nexen lineup. The Nexen Roadian HTX2 is an [all-weather tire]((https://simpletire.com/categories/all-weather-tires) that is no exception to the above, and given below are its features and benefits:
- All-weather tread design is derived from all-season designs, but with more of an emphasis on winter traction
- 3 Peak Mountain Snowflake rated for severe winter service
- Wide grooves and open shoulder design for versatile traction on wet, dry or snowy pavement
- Designed for refined and quiet ride quality
- Reduced rolling resistance for a boost in fuel economy
- Covered by best-in-class 70,000 mile limited manufacturer’s tread life warranty (50,000 miles for LT-metric sizes)
3. Atturo Trail Blade X/T
Let’s wrap up this roundup with features and benefits from a highly capable rugged terrain tire, the Atturo Trail Blade X/T:
- Innovative tread design features smaller center blocks with larger, more open tread blocks towards the shoulder for enhanced handling and off-road performance
- Built-in rim flange protects sidewalls and wheels from scrapes, curb damage, abrasions, and cuts
- Open shoulders and wide diagonal-angled grooves for improved grip and resistance to hydroplaning
- Stylish “knife blade” design on sidewalls for a great aesthetic touch for any truck
- 3-ply sidewall on LT sizes for rigidity and damage resistance
- Center blocks link together for added rigidity and resistance to tread squirm
- Combination of horizontal and vertical sipes in tread pattern for low noise and enhanced winter traction
- Modestly angled shoulder for a smoother handling feel, better cornering ability and driver feedback on the highway
- Backed by 45,000 mile limited manufacturer’s tread life warranty
So there you have it – a comprehensive roundup of some of the best winter, mud-terrain, all-terrain, all-season, and other tires for 1-ton trucks that SimpleTire has to offer. Regardless of your budget, the year/make/model of your 1-ton truck, your needs or your driving style, we’re sure that SimpleTire has a set of tires for you and your truck that you’ll be happy with.
Ready to find the perfect tires?
Search By