Toyo unveils Open Country A/T III EV replacement tire

LAS VEGAS — Toyo Tires USA Corp. is taking an "off-road" approach to the electric-vehicle (EV) replacement tire market, unveiling the Open Country A/T III EV at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas.

Toyo, long entrenched in the off-road and overlanding communities, said enthusiasts want a better-performing all-terrain — and all-weather — tire for their EV truck or SUV.

"They are marketed as adventure vehicles, and (buyers) want to use them that way," Todd Bergeson, senior manager, product planning and technical services, Toyo USA said.

EV truck buyers, he said, are made up of two groups: truck enthusiasts with an interest in EVs, and EV enthusiasts who want more out of their vehicle. In both cases, they want performance in extreme conditions.

Toyo looked to the Open Country A/T III — its most popular tire from its flagship line — as the starting point for the new EV tire. The treads on the two tires look similar, though elements of the EV version have been redesigned to reduce drag.

"It was developed specifically for electric vehicles, understanding the challenges of weight and range efficiency, and that the all-weather factor plays a big role," Bergeson said Oct. 31. "We really focused on two main factors: rolling resistance and aero."

The A/T III EV has a smoother sidewall and doesn't feature the raised-block lettering of the A/T III. Instead, the sidewalls feature Toyo's streamlined AeroWing design and high-contrast lettering as a way to add aggressive elements while maintaining the 3PMS designation and treadwear mileage.

"The aero features, which we're really proud of, not only provide function but actually look cool — adding to the aggressiveness."

The tire is lighter than the A/T III and has a different compound. Bergeson said the A/T III EV offers a 20% improvement in rolling resistance versus the A/T III.

"It still has the 3-Peak Mountain Snowflake (3PMS), which is huge, because that all-weather story is a big story for this consumer," he said. "The new compound not only reduces the rolling resistance coefficient, but it has improved the ability to handle that instant torque."

Toyo had to balance highway performance with off-road performance, but said the goal was to build the best all-terrain EV replacement tire they could.

"Our goal wasn't to make a tire better than the OE tire, we wanted to have the best all terrain for an EV," he said. "There's going to be some trade-offs by putting an off-road tire on an EV, and we want to minimize those trade-offs as much as we can.

"And to all of our amazement, (the A/T III EV) has been very successful at doing that so far."

The Open Country A/T III EV will be produced in a wide range of unique sizes and high-load combinations for 18- to 24-inch wheel diameters.

The first LT size (275/60R20) will be available February 2024 as an LT-metric upgrade for the Ford F-150 Lightning.

Other OE and plus sizes of LT- and P/Euro-metric fitments have been planned to release later in 2024 for popular EV trucks and SUVs like as the Rivian R1T/R1S and GMC Hummer EV, as well as upcoming vehicles like the Tesla Cybertruck and Chevrolet/GMC EVs.

Toyo said it will continue to roll out more sizes as this segment grows with new vehicles becoming available in the future.

Testing, so far, has shown tread wear on par with the original A/T III, Toyo said. While the company has not announced the tread-wear warranty, they said their goal has been to achieve the same as the A/T III (up to 65,000 miles).

"It's really important for every tire manufacturer to be studying in this space," Tim Chaney, vice president of marketing, said. "And for us, we've been providing tires for EVs and also for hybrids for years, and we know how to make a low rolling resistance tire and low rolling resistance compounds. But, you know, we wanted to focus on an area where we're already strong, and we can learn maybe the most from more difficult development."