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Head-to-head Updated

Sumitomo Encounter AT vs Firestone Destination A/T2 — 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 0 + 1 road tests and 26 + 9 owner reviews. How we score

Destination A/T2 leads, 73–71 Narrow edge

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Firestone Destination A/T2
Tire BFirestone

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. 73

    Dry

    Encounter AT +3
    70
    Why this score
    SourceEncounter ATDestination A/T2
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 71 (est.)≈ 69 (est.)
    Reviews found online7570

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

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

    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).

    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).

  2. 75

    Wet

    Destination A/T2 +3
    78
    Why this score
    SourceEncounter ATDestination A/T2
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 74 (est.)≈ 77 (est.)
    Reviews found online7781

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

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

    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).

    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).

  3. 68

    Snow

    Destination A/T2 +6
    74
    Why this score
    SourceEncounter ATDestination A/T2
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 69 (est.)≈ 72 (est.)
    Reviews found online6675

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

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

    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).

    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).

  4. 67

    Comfort

    Destination A/T2 +6
    73
    Why this score
    SourceEncounter ATDestination A/T2
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 69 (est.)≈ 70 (est.)
    Reviews found online6675

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

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

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

  5. 67

    Noise

    Destination A/T2 +2
    69
    Why this score
    SourceEncounter ATDestination A/T2
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 67 (est.)≈ 67 (est.)
    Reviews found online6873

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

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

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

  6. 66

    Treadwear

    Destination A/T2 +4
    70
    Why this score
    SourceEncounter ATDestination A/T2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests≈ 66 (est.)71
    Reviews found online6669

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

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

    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. –

    Handling (owners)

    No comparison
    72
    Why this score
    SourceEncounter ATDestination A/T2
    Reviews found online–72
Scores at a glance
CategorySumitomo Encounter ATFirestone Destination A/T2
Relative Score 71 73
Dry 73 70
Wet 75 78
Snow 68 74
Comfort 67 73
Noise 67 69
Treadwear 66 70
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
± 8

Encounter AT

± 7

Destination A/T2

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 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

Tire B 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

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Sumitomo Encounter AT B · Firestone Destination A/T2
CategoryAll-Terrain tireAll-Terrain tire
Vehicle typeSUV and 4x4SUV and 4x4
Sizes available1533
Rim diameters16″ – 20″15″ – 22″
Tread depth13/32″10 - 12/32″
UTQG660 A B540 - 560 A B
Treadwear warranty60,000 mi55,000 mi
SidewallBlackwallBlack Side Wall - Raised Outline White Lettering
Max pressure51 psi44 - 50 psi
Sizes in common55

Which one should you actually buy?

Sumitomo Encounter AT

Firestone Destination A/T2

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 B You drive through snowy winters

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

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

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

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

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

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

Sumitomo Encounter AT scores 73 vs 70 on dry.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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