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Head-to-head Updated

Sumitomo Encounter AT2 vs Toyo Open Country A/T III — 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 + 3 road tests and 0 + 2,028 owner reviews. How we score

Too close to call: Encounter AT2 71, Open Country A/T III 72.

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Sumitomo Encounter AT2
Tire ASumitomo

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)

Toyo Open Country A/T III
Tire BToyo

Open Country A/T III

All-Terrain tire

± 7

Tests 67 · 3 tests Owners 79 · 2,028 reviews

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

“Toyo Open Country A/T III Picked up 4 new AT3s for my 2023 crosstrek for about $900 from Firestone so far it holds up well there is slight road noise and they ride a little softer than the original Yokohamas. Read more”

Category by category

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

  1. 71

    Dry

    Open Country A/T III +5
    76
    Why this score
    SourceEncounter AT2Open Country A/T III
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 2 tests7271
    Reviews found online≈ 70 (est.)83
    Dry Braking (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 1–098%96%
    Dry Handling (tester's mark) (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 0–197%99%

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

    Open Country A/T III: 60% × 70.8 + 40% × 82.8 = 76

    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. 73

    Wet

    Encounter AT2 +4
    69
    Why this score
    SourceEncounter AT2Open Country A/T III
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 2 tests7462
    Reviews found online≈ 73 (est.)80
    Wet Handling (tester's mark) (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 1–089%87%
    Wet Braking (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 1–098%95%
    Wet Handling (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 1–0100%98%

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

    Open Country A/T III: 60% × 61.6 + 40% × 80.1 = 69

    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. –

    Snow

    No comparison
    71
    Why this score
    SourceEncounter AT2Open Country A/T III
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests–68
    Reviews found online–76
    Ice Braking (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 1–086%77%
    Ice Traction (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 1–089%84%
    Snow Braking (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 1–088%86%
    Snow Traction (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 1–087%77%
    Snow Handling (tester's mark) (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 1–068%65%

    Open Country A/T III: 60% × 67.5 + 40% × 76.2 = 71

  4. 69

    Comfort

    Open Country A/T III +3
    72
    Why this score
    SourceEncounter AT2Open Country A/T III
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 1 tests6964
    Reviews found online≈ 69 (est.)78
    Comfort (tester's mark) (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 1–083%80%

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

    Open Country A/T III: 40% × 63.6 + 60% × 77.5 = 72

    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. 67

    Noise

    Encounter AT2 +2
    65
    Why this score
    SourceEncounter AT2Open Country A/T III
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 1 tests6760
    Reviews found online≈ 66 (est.)71
    Noise (tester's mark) (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 1–074%68%

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

    Open Country A/T III: 60% × 60.5 + 40% × 70.9 = 65

    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. –

    Treadwear

    No comparison
    74
    Why this score
    SourceEncounter AT2Open Country A/T III
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests–71
    Reviews found online–79

    Open Country A/T III: 60% × 71.1 + 40% × 78.9 = 74

  7. –

    Handling (owners)

    No comparison
    79
    Why this score
    SourceEncounter AT2Open Country A/T III
    Reviews found online–79
Scores at a glance
CategorySumitomo Encounter AT2Toyo Open Country A/T III
Relative Score 71 72
Dry 71 76
Wet 73 69
Snow – 71
Comfort 69 72
Noise 67 65
Treadwear – 74
Handling (owners) – 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.

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
± 9

Encounter AT2

± 7

Open Country A/T III

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 2 tests that ran both, Sumitomo Encounter AT2 finished ahead 2 times and Toyo Open Country A/T III 0 times.

DisciplineCategoryEncounter AT2Open Country A/T IIIΔHead-to-head
Dry Braking Dry 98% 96% +1.4 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2025 Tire Rack All Terrain Tyre Test · 265/70 R17
Dry Handling (tester's mark) Dry 97% 99% −2.0 0–1 in 1 shared test Newest: 2025 Tire Rack All Terrain Tyre Test · 265/70 R17
Wet Braking Wet 98% 95% +2.4 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2025 Tire Rack All Terrain Tyre Test · 265/70 R17
Wet Handling Wet 100% 98% +1.7 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2025 Tire Rack All Terrain Tyre Test · 265/70 R17
Wet Handling (tester's mark) Wet 89% 87% +1.8 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2025 Tire Rack All Terrain Tyre Test · 265/70 R17
Ice Braking Snow 86% 77% +8.6 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2026 Tire Rack All Terrain Tyre Snow Test · 265/70 R17
Ice Traction Snow 89% 84% +4.7 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2026 Tire Rack All Terrain Tyre Snow Test · 265/70 R17
Snow Braking Snow 88% 86% +2.1 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% 77% +10.3 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2026 Tire Rack All Terrain Tyre Snow Test · 265/70 R17
Comfort (tester's mark) Comfort 83% 80% +3.3 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2025 Tire Rack All Terrain Tyre Test · 265/70 R17
Noise (tester's mark) Noise 74% 68% +6.5 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2025 Tire Rack All Terrain Tyre Test · 265/70 R17
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Overall Ranking Overall #23/30 #27/30 – 2–0 in 2 shared tests 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 Open Country A/T III

Pros

  • Low road noise and smooth, comfortable highway ride
  • Excellent all-weather traction, particularly in snow, rain, and mud
  • Aggressive and attractive tread/sidewall design

Cons

  • Some users reported occasional slipping or reduced confidence on wet pavement or heavy downpours
  • Higher price point compared to some competitors
  • A minority of drivers experienced faster-than-expected tread wear or increased noise as the tires aged
All owner themes in the Open Country A/T III review

What real owners are saying

From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score

Tire A

Sumitomo Encounter AT2

We haven't collected enough community discussion about this tire yet.

Tire B

Toyo Open Country A/T III

Positive

Community feedback for the Toyo Open Country A/T III is largely positive, with drivers frequently praising its traction in snow, rain, and off-road conditions, as well as its smooth ride comfort and solid tread life. While road noise and heavy unsprung weight are noted by some users, the primary complaints involve sidewall durability issues specifically on C-load ratings compared to E-load versions, alongside a recent product recall.

r/subaru ·2 upvotes ·2026-06-08

“1 year, +/- 20k miles since swapping to Toyo Tire Open Country A/T III 215 /75 R15 w DX4's Pocket 15 X7 wouldn't change a thing. 80% commuting, 20% fun. Soak up the potholes and dig in the snow. Softest, smoothest”
r/COsnow ·1 upvote ·2026-10-07

“Appreciate you asking the question and why not just swap out for the Toyo Open Country A/T III with the 3MPSF rating right before you make the drive? I've run dedicated winter tires for years now and would not consider them useable at a 7/32 tread level. Hope you have a great time in CO and enjoy the road trip!”
ramforum.com ·2022-09-15

“I had them on a 2wd silverado 2500 for towing a 10,000 pound 5th wheel. They were the best tires i ever owned on a heavy duty truck. In winter i thought i suddenly had 4wd in the snow. They worr very well. I wouldnt put them on a half ton daily driver because they are heavy bit quiet. Way overkill for a 1/2 ton. That was my last 3/4 ton truck. If i had tried them years before they would have been on all of my towing trucks.”
Top themes
#snow and wet traction#ride comfort and softness#road noise levels#load range durability#towing capability#tread life and wear#tire recall notice

Based on 49 community posts

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Sumitomo Encounter AT2 B · Toyo Open Country A/T III
CategoryAll-Terrain tireAll-Terrain tire
Vehicle typeSUV and 4x4SUV and 4x4
Sizes available30103
Rim diameters16″ – 22″15″ – 22″
Tread depth12/32″10 - 17/32″
UTQG660 B B360 - 600 A A - B
Treadwear warranty65,000 mi—
SidewallBlackwallBlack Side Wall - Raised Outline White Lettering
Max pressure50 psi35 - 80 psi
Sizes in common3030

Which one should you actually buy?

Sumitomo Encounter AT2

Toyo Open Country A/T III

Too close to call: Sumitomo Encounter AT2 and Toyo Open Country A/T III are within 2 points overall. Sumitomo Encounter AT2 is stronger on wet. Toyo Open Country A/T III is stronger on dry and comfort. 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

Toyo Open Country A/T III scores 76 vs 71 on dry.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

Sumitomo Encounter AT2 scores 73 vs 69 on wet.

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

Toyo Open Country A/T III scores 72 vs 69 on comfort.

Tire A · Sumitomo Encounter AT2
Check price on Amazon
Tire B · Toyo Open Country A/T III
Check price on Amazon

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Encounter AT2 or Open Country A/T III?

Which is better in the wet, Encounter AT2 or Open Country A/T III?

Sumitomo Encounter AT2, 73 vs 69 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, Encounter AT2 or Open Country A/T III?

Toyo Open Country A/T III, 76 vs 71 on our dry score.

Which is quieter, Encounter AT2 or Open Country A/T III?

Neither, by our numbers: 67 vs 65 on the noise score, within 3 points.

Which is more comfortable, Encounter AT2 or Open Country A/T III?

Toyo Open Country A/T III, 72 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