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BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO3 vs Sumitomo Encounter AT2 — Compared

Relative Score (0–100): the weighted average of the categories below, each 60% road tests and 40% owner reviews (comfort 40/60). Based on 1 + 1 road tests and 198 + 0 owner reviews. How we score

Encounter AT2 is ahead, 71–63

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BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO3
Tire ABFGoodrich

All-Terrain T/A KO3

All-Terrain tire

± 10

Tests 56 · 1 test Owners 76 · 198 reviews

Best test result: #7 of 30 in 2026 Tire Rack All Terrain Tyre Snow Test (snow handling (tester's mark))

Sumitomo Encounter AT2
Tire BSumitomo

Encounter AT2

All-Terrain tire

± 9Provisional

Tests 72 · 1 test Owners – · none yet

Best test result: #2 of 9 in 2025 Tire Rack All Terrain Tyre Test (dry braking)

Category by category

Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.

  1. 62

    Dry

    Encounter AT2 +9
    71
    Why this score
    SourceAll-Terrain T/A KO3Encounter AT2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 1 tests5472
    Reviews found online75≈ 70 (est.)

    All-Terrain T/A KO3: 60% × 53.6 + 40% × 74.8 = 62

    Encounter AT2: 60% × 72.4 + 40% × 69.8 (est.) = 71

    No owner ratings of dry for Encounter AT2. The owner half is estimated from its road-test score, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).

  2. 63

    Wet

    Encounter AT2 +10
    73
    Why this score
    SourceAll-Terrain T/A KO3Encounter AT2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 1 tests5474
    Reviews found online76≈ 73 (est.)

    All-Terrain T/A KO3: 60% × 54.2 + 40% × 75.6 = 63

    Encounter AT2: 60% × 74.1 + 40% × 72.5 (est.) = 73

    No owner ratings of wet for Encounter AT2. The owner half is estimated from its road-test score, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. 66

    Snow

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceAll-Terrain T/A KO3Encounter AT2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests60–
    Reviews found online75–
    Ice Braking (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 0–176%86%
    Ice Traction (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 0–187%89%
    Snow Braking (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 1–094%88%
    Snow Traction (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 0–179%87%
    Snow Handling (tester's mark) (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 1–088%68%

    All-Terrain T/A KO3: 60% × 59.6 + 40% × 75.4 = 66

  4. 65

    Comfort

    Encounter AT2 +4
    69
    Why this score
    SourceAll-Terrain T/A KO3Encounter AT2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 1 tests6069
    Reviews found online68≈ 69 (est.)

    All-Terrain T/A KO3: 40% × 60.4 + 60% × 68 = 65

    Encounter AT2: 40% × 69 + 60% × 68.7 (est.) = 69

    No owner ratings of comfort for Encounter AT2. The owner half is estimated from its road-test score, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

  5. 63

    Noise

    Encounter AT2 +4
    67
    Why this score
    SourceAll-Terrain T/A KO3Encounter AT2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 1 tests6367
    Reviews found online63≈ 66 (est.)

    All-Terrain T/A KO3: 60% × 62.5 + 40% × 62.7 = 63

    Encounter AT2: 60% × 67.2 + 40% × 66.4 (est.) = 67

    No owner ratings of noise for Encounter AT2. The owner half is the owners’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests, so the tests say nothing about how owners would rate it.

  6. 76

    Treadwear

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceAll-Terrain T/A KO3Encounter AT2
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 72 (est.)–
    Reviews found online82–

    All-Terrain T/A KO3: 60% × 72.2 (est.) + 40% × 82.2 = 76

    No road tests of treadwear for All-Terrain T/A KO3. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

  7. 75

    Handling (owners)

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceAll-Terrain T/A KO3Encounter AT2
    Reviews found online75–
Scores at a glance
CategoryBFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO3Sumitomo Encounter AT2
Relative Score 63 71
Dry 62 71
Wet 63 73
Snow 66 –
Comfort 65 69
Noise 63 67
Treadwear 76 –
Handling (owners) 75 –

Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.

Weight the categories that matter to you

Wet grip starts at “Important”. Treadwear starts at “Neutral” here: road tests measured it for at most one of the two tires, so it rests on owner reviews. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.

Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost

Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.

Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost

Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.

Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost

Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.

Recomputed
Headline score
± 10

All-Terrain T/A KO3

± 9

Encounter AT2

Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.

The professional test results behind the scores

Per discipline: the average % of the best tire over every test both tires were in, and how many of those tests each one won. “Different tests” rows compare results from separate tests.

In the overall rankings of 1 tests that ran both, BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO3 finished ahead 1 times and Sumitomo Encounter AT2 0 times.

DisciplineCategoryAll-Terrain T/A KO3Encounter AT2ΔHead-to-head
Ice Braking Snow 76% 86% −9.6 0–1 in 1 shared test Newest: 2026 Tire Rack All Terrain Tyre Snow Test · 265/70 R17
Ice Traction Snow 87% 89% −2.2 0–1 in 1 shared test Newest: 2026 Tire Rack All Terrain Tyre Snow Test · 265/70 R17
Snow Braking Snow 94% 88% +5.8 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2026 Tire Rack All Terrain Tyre Snow Test · 265/70 R17
Snow Handling (tester's mark) Snow 88% 68% +20.7 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2026 Tire Rack All Terrain Tyre Snow Test · 265/70 R17
Snow Traction Snow 79% 87% −8.3 0–1 in 1 shared test Newest: 2026 Tire Rack All Terrain Tyre Snow Test · 265/70 R17
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Overall Ranking Overall #7/30 #23/30 – 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2026 Tire Rack All Terrain Tyre Snow Test · 265/70 R17

Pros, cons & observations

Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.

Tire A All-Terrain T/A KO3

Pros

  • Significantly quieter and more comfortable on-road ride compared to the KO2 and factory alternatives
  • Exceptional off-road grip on dirt, gravel, and rough forest service trails
  • Strong braking performance across various surfaces including snow and dirt

Cons

  • Consistent balancing and high road force issues reported by some users, leading to steering wheel wobble
  • Subpar ice traction, as is common for standard all-terrain tires not designated as dedicated winter options
  • Slower on-center steering response compared to competing light truck tires
All owner themes in the All-Terrain T/A KO3 review

Tire B Encounter AT2

Not enough owner reviews yet to extract themes.

Specs side by side

Attribute A · BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO3 B · Sumitomo Encounter AT2
CategoryAll-Terrain tireAll-Terrain tire
Vehicle typeSUV and 4x4SUV and 4x4
Sizes available9230
Rim diameters15″ – 22″16″ – 22″
Tread depth15 - 16/32″12/32″
UTQG—660 B B
Treadwear warranty50,000 mi65,000 mi
SidewallBlack Side Wall - Raised White LetteringBlackwall
Max pressure35 - 80 psi50 psi
Sizes in common2929

Which one should you actually buy?

BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO3

Sumitomo Encounter AT2

Winner: Sumitomo Encounter AT2 — better wet, dry and comfort. It leads or ties in every category we score. Sumitomo Encounter AT2 rests on little evidence so far (1 test, 0 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Sumitomo Encounter AT2 scores 73 vs 63 on wet.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Sumitomo Encounter AT2 scores 71 vs 62 on dry.

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

Sumitomo Encounter AT2 scores 69 vs 65 on comfort.

Pick tire B You want a quieter cabin

Sumitomo Encounter AT2 scores 67 vs 63 on noise.

Tire A · BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO3
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Tire B · Sumitomo Encounter AT2
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All-Terrain T/A KO3 or Encounter AT2?

Which is better in the wet, All-Terrain T/A KO3 or Encounter AT2?

Sumitomo Encounter AT2, 73 vs 63 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, All-Terrain T/A KO3 or Encounter AT2?

Sumitomo Encounter AT2, 71 vs 62 on our dry score.

Which is quieter, All-Terrain T/A KO3 or Encounter AT2?

Sumitomo Encounter AT2, 67 vs 63 on our noise score.

Which is more comfortable, All-Terrain T/A KO3 or Encounter AT2?

Sumitomo Encounter AT2, 69 vs 65 on our comfort score.

How do we compare tires?

Every category score blends two independent signals. 60% comes from professional tire tests (braking distances, lap times, noise measurements), each result compared with every other tire in the same test and newer tests counting more. 40% comes from owner reviews found online, adjusted for how generously each site rates. Both use one scale: the average tested tire gets 70, the best 100. When a tire has only one of the two, the missing half is estimated from the other and the score stays closer to average; with no road test and fewer than five owner reviews it gets no score yet.

Handling is the exception: road tests measure it inside the dry and wet scores, so its own row comes from owner ratings only and starts as less important.

Community buzz from Reddit and forums is shown for context only — it never changes the score. Full methodology