Tests 72 · 1 test Owners – · none yet
Best test result: #2 of 9 in 2025 Tire Rack All Terrain Tyre Test (dry braking)
Head-to-head
Updated
Sumitomo Encounter AT2 vs Nitto Terra Grappler G3 — 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 0 + 32 owner reviews. How we score
Terra Grappler G3 is ahead, 82–71
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Tests 74 · 1 test Owners 83 · 32 reviews
Best test result: #1 of 12 in 2024 Tire Rack All Terrain Tyres On-Road Test (wet braking)
Category by category
Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.
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71
Dry
Terra Grappler G3 +1384Why this score
Source Encounter AT2 Terra Grappler G3 Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 1 tests 72 86 Reviews found online ≈ 70 (est.) 81 Encounter AT2: 60% × 72.4 + 40% × 69.9 (est.) = 71
Terra Grappler G3: 60% × 86.2 + 40% × 81.2 = 84
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 0.42).
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73
Wet
Terra Grappler G3 +1386Why this score
Source Encounter AT2 Terra Grappler G3 Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 1 tests 74 87 Reviews found online ≈ 73 (est.) 84 Encounter AT2: 60% × 74.1 + 40% × 72.6 (est.) = 73
Terra Grappler G3: 60% × 87.1 + 40% × 83.5 = 86
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 0.54).
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Snow
No comparison52Why this score
Source Encounter AT2 Terra Grappler G3 Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests – 33 Reviews found online – 80 Ice Braking (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 1–0 86% 85% Ice Traction (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 0–1 89% 89% Snow Braking (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 1–0 88% 78% Snow Traction (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 1–0 87% 81% Snow Handling (tester's mark) (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 1–0 68% 65% Terra Grappler G3: 60% × 32.8 + 40% × 80.2 = 52
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69
Comfort
Terra Grappler G3 +776Why this score
Source Encounter AT2 Terra Grappler G3 Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 1 tests 69 71 Reviews found online ≈ 69 (est.) 80 Encounter AT2: 40% × 69 + 60% × 69.1 (est.) = 69
Terra Grappler G3: 40% × 70.8 + 60% × 79.5 = 76
No owner ratings of comfort for Encounter AT2. The owner half is the owners’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests, so the tests say nothing about how owners would rate it.
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67
Noise
Terra Grappler G3 +471Why this score
Source Encounter AT2 Terra Grappler G3 Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 1 tests 67 66 Reviews found online ≈ 67 (est.) 78 Encounter AT2: 60% × 67.3 + 40% × 66.5 (est.) = 67
Terra Grappler G3: 60% × 66.2 + 40% × 78.4 = 71
No owner ratings of noise for Encounter AT2. The owner half is the owners’ average (67): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests, so the tests say nothing about how owners would rate it.
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Treadwear
No comparison79Why this score
Source Encounter AT2 Terra Grappler G3 Professional tests (TWG score) – ≈ 74 (est.) Reviews found online – 87 Terra Grappler G3: 60% × 73.7 (est.) + 40% × 87 = 79
No road tests of treadwear for Terra Grappler G3. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.35).
Scores at a glance
| Category | Sumitomo Encounter AT2 | Nitto Terra Grappler G3 |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 71 | 82 |
| Dry | 71 | 84 |
| Wet | 73 | 86 |
| Snow | – | 52 |
| Comfort | 69 | 76 |
| Noise | 67 | 71 |
| Treadwear | – | 79 |
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.
Recomputed
Headline score
71
/ 100
Encounter AT2
82
/ 100
Terra Grappler G3
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, Sumitomo Encounter AT2 finished ahead 1 times and Nitto Terra Grappler G3 0 times.
| Discipline | Category | Encounter AT2 | Terra Grappler G3 | Δ | Head-to-head |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry Braking | Dry | 98% #2/9 · 2025 Tire Rack All Terrain Tyre Test | 100% #1/12 · 2024 Tire Rack All Terrain Tyres On-Road Test | – | Different tests |
| Wet Braking | Wet | 97% #2/9 · 2025 Tire Rack All Terrain Tyre Test | 100% #1/12 · 2024 Tire Rack All Terrain Tyres On-Road Test | – | Different tests |
| Wet Handling | Wet | 99% #3/9 · 2025 Tire Rack All Terrain Tyre Test | 100% #1/12 · 2024 Tire Rack All Terrain Tyres On-Road Test | – | Different tests |
| Ice Braking | Snow | 86% | 85% | +1.0 | 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2026 Tire Rack All Terrain Tyre Snow Test · 265/70 R17 |
| Ice Traction | Snow | 89% | 89% | −0.2 | 0–1 in 1 shared test Newest: 2026 Tire Rack All Terrain Tyre Snow Test · 265/70 R17 |
| Snow Braking | Snow | 88% | 78% | +9.9 | 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2026 Tire Rack All Terrain Tyre Snow Test · 265/70 R17 |
| Snow Handling (tester's mark) | Snow | 68% | 65% | +2.8 | 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2026 Tire Rack All Terrain Tyre Snow Test · 265/70 R17 |
| Snow Traction | Snow | 87% | 81% | +6.1 | 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2026 Tire Rack All Terrain Tyre Snow Test · 265/70 R17 |
| Comfort (tester's mark) | Comfort | 83% #3/9 · 2025 Tire Rack All Terrain Tyre Test | 87% #3/12 · 2024 Tire Rack All Terrain Tyres On-Road Test | – | Different tests |
| Noise (tester's mark) | Noise | 74% #6/9 · 2025 Tire Rack All Terrain Tyre Test | 80% #7/12 · 2024 Tire Rack All Terrain Tyres On-Road Test | – | Different tests |
| Also published by the testers (not in the score) | |||||
| Overall Ranking | Overall | #23/30 | #27/30 | – | 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 Encounter AT2
Not enough owner reviews yet to extract themes.
Tire B Terra Grappler G3
Pros
- Exceptionally smooth and quiet highway ride compared to other all-terrain tires
- Impressive multi-weather traction excelling in rain, snow, ice, and mud
- Aggressive sidewall styling that enhances the overall aesthetic appearance of trucks and SUVs
Cons
- Minor road noise or a low-pitch hum with slight vibration reported by a few users around specific speeds (30-40 mph or highway cruising)
- Potential for isolated quality control issues, such as a difficult-to-balance or defective individual tire
- A slight reduction in fuel economy noted when upgrading to certain larger sizes
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Sumitomo Encounter AT2 | B · Nitto Terra Grappler G3 |
|---|---|---|
| Category | All-Terrain tire | All-Terrain tire |
| Vehicle type | SUV and 4x4 | SUV and 4x4 |
| Sizes available | 30 | 75 |
| Rim diameters | 16″ – 22″ | 16″ – 22″ |
| Tread depth | 12/32″ | 12.7/32″ |
| UTQG | 660 B B | 600 A B |
| Treadwear warranty | 65,000 mi | 70,000 mi |
| Sidewall | Blackwall | Blackwall |
| Max pressure | 50 psi | 50 psi |
| Sizes in common | 28 | 28 |
Which one should you actually buy?
71
/ 100
Sumitomo Encounter AT2
82
/ 100
Nitto Terra Grappler G3
Winner: Nitto Terra Grappler G3 — better dry, wet 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
You want the most grip on dry roads
Nitto Terra Grappler G3 scores 84 vs 71 on dry.
Pick tire B
Your priority is wet-weather safety
Nitto Terra Grappler G3 scores 86 vs 73 on wet.
Pick tire B
You want the most comfortable ride
Nitto Terra Grappler G3 scores 76 vs 69 on comfort.
Pick tire B
You want a quieter cabin
Nitto Terra Grappler G3 scores 71 vs 67 on noise.
Tire A · Sumitomo Encounter AT2
Tire B · Nitto Terra Grappler G3
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Encounter AT2 or Terra Grappler G3?
Which is better in the wet, Encounter AT2 or Terra Grappler G3?
Nitto Terra Grappler G3, 86 vs 73 on our wet score.
Which grips better on dry roads, Encounter AT2 or Terra Grappler G3?
Nitto Terra Grappler G3, 84 vs 71 on our dry score.
Which is quieter, Encounter AT2 or Terra Grappler G3?
Nitto Terra Grappler G3, 71 vs 67 on our noise score.
Which is more comfortable, Encounter AT2 or Terra Grappler G3?
Nitto Terra Grappler G3, 76 vs 69 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