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Head-to-head Updated

Firestone Destination A/T2 vs Sumitomo Encounter AT — 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 + 0 road tests and 9 + 26 owner reviews. How we score

Destination A/T2 leads, 73–71 Narrow edge

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Firestone Destination A/T2
Tire AFirestone

Destination A/T2

All-Terrain tire

± 7Provisional

Tests – · 1 test Owners 74 · 9 reviews

Best test result: #5 of 18 in 2022 Consumer Reports All Terrain Truck Tires (tested tread life (miles))

Category by category

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

  1. 70

    Dry

    Encounter AT +3
    73
    Why this score
    SourceDestination A/T2Encounter AT
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 69 (est.)≈ 71 (est.)
    Reviews found online7075

    Destination A/T2: 60% × 69 (est.) + 40% × 70.3 = 70

    Encounter AT: 60% × 71 (est.) + 40% × 75 = 73

    No road tests of dry for Destination A/T2. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).

    No road tests of dry for Encounter AT. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).

  2. 78

    Wet

    Destination A/T2 +3
    75
    Why this score
    SourceDestination A/T2Encounter AT
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 77 (est.)≈ 74 (est.)
    Reviews found online8177

    Destination A/T2: 60% × 76.5 (est.) + 40% × 81.2 = 78

    Encounter AT: 60% × 74.3 (est.) + 40% × 77.2 = 75

    No road tests of wet for Destination A/T2. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

    No road tests of wet for Encounter AT. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. 74

    Snow

    Destination A/T2 +6
    68
    Why this score
    SourceDestination A/T2Encounter AT
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 72 (est.)≈ 69 (est.)
    Reviews found online7566

    Destination A/T2: 60% × 72.5 (est.) + 40% × 75.3 = 74

    Encounter AT: 60% × 69.1 (est.) + 40% × 66.2 = 68

    No road tests of snow for Destination A/T2. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.37).

    No road tests of snow for Encounter AT. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.37).

  4. 73

    Comfort

    Destination A/T2 +6
    67
    Why this score
    SourceDestination A/T2Encounter AT
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 70 (est.)≈ 69 (est.)
    Reviews found online7566

    Destination A/T2: 40% × 70.1 (est.) + 60% × 74.6 = 73

    Encounter AT: 40% × 68.6 (est.) + 60% × 66.4 = 67

    No road tests of comfort for Destination A/T2 or Encounter AT. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.

  5. 69

    Noise

    Destination A/T2 +2
    67
    Why this score
    SourceDestination A/T2Encounter AT
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 67 (est.)≈ 67 (est.)
    Reviews found online7368

    Destination A/T2: 60% × 66.6 (est.) + 40% × 72.5 = 69

    Encounter AT: 60% × 66.6 (est.) + 40% × 68.2 = 67

    No road tests of noise for Destination A/T2 or Encounter AT. The test half is the tested tires’ average (67): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.

  6. 70

    Treadwear

    Destination A/T2 +4
    66
    Why this score
    SourceDestination A/T2Encounter AT
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests71≈ 66 (est.)
    Reviews found online6966

    Destination A/T2: 60% × 71.1 + 40% × 68.9 = 70

    Encounter AT: 60% × 66 (est.) + 40% × 65.8 = 66

    No road tests of treadwear for Encounter AT. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.35).

  7. 72

    Handling (owners)

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceDestination A/T2Encounter AT
    Reviews found online72–
Scores at a glance
CategoryFirestone Destination A/T2Sumitomo Encounter AT
Relative Score 73 71
Dry 70 73
Wet 78 75
Snow 74 68
Comfort 73 67
Noise 69 67
Treadwear 70 66
Handling (owners) 72 –

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
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
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
± 7

Destination A/T2

± 8

Encounter AT

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

Pros, cons & observations

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

Tire A Destination A/T2

Pros

  • Exceptional wet weather traction and grip
  • Strong performance in snow with 3PMS rating
  • Quiet and smooth ride quality at highway speeds

Cons

  • Vague or unresponsive steering feedback
  • Questionable durability on sharp rocks or rough forest service roads
  • Stiffer ride compared to factory street tires
All owner themes in the Destination A/T2 review

Tire B Encounter AT

Pros

  • Smooth and exceptionally quiet on-road ride
  • Great value and attractive price point
  • Aggressive, appealing sidewall and tread design

Cons

  • Polarizing winter and snow performance despite the 3PMSF rating
  • Inadequate mud-clearing ability in heavy or sloppy conditions
  • Occasional balancing difficulties reported by some users
All owner themes in the Encounter AT review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Firestone Destination A/T2 B · Sumitomo Encounter AT
CategoryAll-Terrain tireAll-Terrain tire
Vehicle typeSUV and 4x4SUV and 4x4
Sizes available3315
Rim diameters15″ – 22″16″ – 20″
Tread depth10 - 12/32″13/32″
UTQG540 - 560 A B660 A B
Treadwear warranty55,000 mi60,000 mi
SidewallBlack Side Wall - Raised Outline White LetteringBlackwall
Max pressure44 - 50 psi51 psi
Sizes in common55

Which one should you actually buy?

Firestone Destination A/T2

Sumitomo Encounter AT

Narrow edge: Firestone Destination A/T2 — better snow, comfort and treadwear. Pick the Sumitomo Encounter AT if dry matters most to you. Firestone Destination A/T2 rests on little evidence so far (1 test, 9 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire A You drive through snowy winters

Firestone Destination A/T2 scores 74 vs 68 on snow.

Pick tire A You want the most comfortable ride

Firestone Destination A/T2 scores 73 vs 67 on comfort.

Pick tire A You want the longest tread life

Firestone Destination A/T2 scores 70 vs 66 on treadwear.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

Firestone Destination A/T2 scores 78 vs 75 on wet.

Tire A · Firestone Destination A/T2
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Tire B · Sumitomo Encounter AT
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Destination A/T2 or Encounter AT?

Which is better in the wet, Destination A/T2 or Encounter AT?

Firestone Destination A/T2, 78 vs 75 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, Destination A/T2 or Encounter AT?

Sumitomo Encounter AT, 73 vs 70 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, Destination A/T2 or Encounter AT?

Firestone Destination A/T2, 74 vs 68 on our snow score.

Which is quieter, Destination A/T2 or Encounter AT?

Neither, by our numbers: 69 vs 67 on the noise score, within 3 points.

Which is more comfortable, Destination A/T2 or Encounter AT?

Firestone Destination A/T2, 73 vs 67 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, Destination A/T2 or Encounter AT?

Firestone Destination A/T2, 70 vs 66 on our treadwear 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