Most truck owners pick tires by how the truck looks. Pick them by how you drive it instead, and the choice between highway and all-terrain gets easy.
Highway terrain (H/T) tires
A highway tire has a tighter, smoother tread built for pavement. It is quieter, rides more comfortably, uses a little less fuel and usually lasts longer. If your truck is a daily driver that sees the Whitemud more than a lease road, this is the tire.
Ours: the Haida HD868 for full-size trucks and SUVs, and the HD837 for SUVs, crossovers and lighter trucks.
All-terrain (A/T) tires
An all-terrain tire has bigger, more open tread blocks and tougher sidewalls. It grips on gravel, dirt and mud, shrugs off rocks better, and looks the part. The trade-offs are real: more road noise, a firmer ride, a little more fuel and usually faster wear on pavement. We would rather you knew that before you bought a set.
Ours: the Haida HD878 in LT and flotation sizes. For serious mud, the HD869 mud-terrain goes a step further.
Side by side
| Highway terrain | All-terrain | |
|---|---|---|
| Road noise | Quiet | Louder |
| Ride | Smoother | Firmer |
| Tread life on pavement | Longer | Shorter |
| Gravel, dirt, mud | Adequate on gravel | Much better |
| Sidewall toughness | Standard | Tougher |
A simple rule
If more than about a fifth of your driving is on gravel, lease roads or job sites, go all-terrain. If it is almost all pavement, a highway tire will be quieter and last longer. Neither is a winter tire — for real winter grip, see when to switch to winter tires.
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Quick answers
What is the difference between highway and all-terrain tires?
Highway tires are quieter, smoother and longer-wearing on pavement. All-terrain tires have bigger tread blocks and tougher sidewalls for gravel, dirt and mud, at the cost of more noise and faster wear on the road.
Are all-terrain tires good in winter?
Better than a highway tire in loose snow, but neither replaces a proper winter tire on ice and packed snow.
Which is better for a daily-driven truck?
If almost all of your driving is on pavement, a highway tire. If a fair share is gravel or job sites, all-terrain.