Hankook Dynapro ATM and Pathfinder AT are both All-Terrain Tires that are built for smooth navigation on all kind of surfaces.
Pathfinder AT is the upgraded version of the ATM with better-built quality, marginally wider grooves, and stronger sidewalls.
ATM due to its comparatively lower void ratio provides good on-road traction with mild off-road capabilities, whereas, the Pathfinder AT is slightly better at off-roading due to its somewhat higher void ratio and provides decent on-road performance as well.
Let’s dive into details. But first, make sure you also check out the Hankook Dynapro other family members as well.
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Hankook Dynapro ATM vs PathFinder AT – An Overview:
Vs
ATM tires are designed to provide a reliable ride on-road by placing its tread blocks close by.
This increases the contact patch of the tire with the road, resulting in overall better on-road performance.
Its grooves are a little narrower which could cause the loss of traction in severe weather conditions, causing the tire to slip due to hydroplaning.
There is not enough off-road traction capability in this tire due to narrow grooves which may cause the tire to get stuck in the mud and soft snow terrains.
Its shoulders do not have an open design which decreases its traction in mud and soft snow.
But on the ice, it outperforms its counterpart due to its higher contact patch, providing the necessary grip, therefore, keeping the tire on the track.
It has decent stone ejectors for a puncture-free ride over harsh rocky terrain.
Since ATM is an earlier version of the Pathfinder AT that uses lower quality tread compound, therefore, it’s built is weaker, making the durability and mileage of the tire much lower.
It is built for a quieter road experience but can’t cope with the bumpy paths since it got narrow grooves which are not effective in dampening the shocks.
Pathfinder AT has the same tread pattern as ATM but was enhanced by increasing its grooves width a little and by improving its sidewall.
The higher void ratio doesn’t allow higher contact with the surface and decreases the tire’s on-road traction.
The tire does, however, perform very well on wet surfaces as it can easily wipe away the water.
The soft snow and mud traction is also reliable because of the wider grooves that can throw back loose terrain material hence allowing the tire to move boldly.
The shoulders of this tire are wider than its predecessor, allowing easy passing of mud through them.
The bold stone ejectors are present for avoiding stones from getting stuck inside its grooves on rocky terrain. The tire has stronger built to withstand harsh conditions and outperforms its competitor in durability and mileage comparisons.
The tire is loud due to its wider grooves but is preferred for off-road drive due to its jerk dampening ability.
On-Road Traction Comparison
ATM tire has a lower void ratio which allows greater contact patch with the road, making the tire perform well because higher contact patch results in a better grip.
The better grip is responsible for allowing good acceleration and shortening the braking distance of the tire on dry roads.
The tire has decent grooves which are sufficient to wipe away water, but it can’t be trusted in the rainy season as its narrow grooves are unable to cope with extreme wet conditions and will cause hydroplaning.
Pathfinder AT is a higher void ratio tire, therefore, has lower contact with the road.
This decreases the grip and hinders the tire’s acceleration and braking capabilities, resulting in a much below-average on-road tire.
On the other hand, its wet traction is much higher since it got wider grooves which ensures great grip on the road during the rainy season.
Off-Road Traction Comparison on Muddy Terrain
ATM tire has an average capability to track mud because of its narrow grooves which are not effective in biting the mud then throwing it backward, hence, moving the tire forward.
Its shoulder design is also closed which hinders the passing of mud through its grooves.
There is no doubt that the tire will get stuck in the mud due to the filling of its grooves, losing grip as a result.
Pathfinder AT due to its comparably higher void ratio performs a little better on mud, its wider grooves more efficiently throwback mud and keep the tire moving.
Its shoulder design is broader enough to facilitate the passing of mud through its grooves but it is still not good enough to be trusted in heavy mud.
Snow Terrain Tires Performance:
ATM is unable to grip soft snow efficiently due to its narrow grooves which cannot effectively bite soft snow, then throw it backwards.
This causes the grooves to get stuffed with snow particles, causing the tire to lose its traction.
This tire performs well on ice since it has a higher contact patch which allows a good grip on icy roads.
The Pathfinder AT performs a little well on soft snow due to its marginally wider grooves which will provide a little extra grip in soft snow as they can easily throw back the soft snow and allow the vehicle to move forward boldly.
Its ice traction is, however, not that great due to the tire’s inability to secure decent grip caused by its lower contact patch.
The tire will slip hence it is not preferred to use this tire on icy roads.
Tires performance on Rocks?
ATM has stone ejectors that are not bold enough to keep all the stones from getting inside its grooves which could cause the tries to get punctured.
It’s built is not strong enough to handle the trail damages like cuts and chips.
Narrow grooves don’t allow enough traction on tricky angles of approach which causes the tire to perform worse on rocks.
Pathfinder AT has wider grooves for some support on tricky angles of approach on rocks as they provide extra grip.
Along with that, it has bold stone ejectors for keeping the stones out of its grooves.
Its built is also strong to handle harsh rock terrain challenges, although, it performs better compared to other tire, still, it is not a very desirable tire on rocks.
Durability and Treadwear differences
ATM has higher rolling resistance due to its higher contact with the road, causing more resistance in rolling the tire.
This inflicts more treadwear to the tire, furthermore, the weaker built of the tire also contributes to increasing its treadwear as it lowers its treadwear resistance.
This causes the tire to be less durable comparatively and also provides lower mileage.
Pathfinder AT tire is a tire with a lesser contact patch, making its rolling resistance lower which means that less energy is required to keep the tire rolling.
It has a good built quality which increases its treadwear resistance.
Both lower rolling resistance and higher built quality lead to the highly durable tire with better mileage compared to ATM.
Which tire is more comfortable?
Due to narrow grooves, ATM traps a lower amount of air particles inside its grooves, resulting in the lower sound produced during high-speed on-road travel.
This makes the tire comfortable on-road whereas its narrow grooves don’t provide a comfortable ride off-road due to its inability to absorb shocks while traveling through rough terrain.
Pathfinder AT is a noisier tire due to its wider grooves which cause the production of noise as the air particles after getting trapped inside its grooves strike its walls back and forth which produces noise.
This makes the tires very uncomfortable on-road, but the same wide grooves act as a suspension while traveling off-road, dampening the jerks, hence, providing a smooth ride.
Quick Summary
- Both are All-Terrain Tires with Pathfinder AT being the upgraded version of ATM.
- ATM is better on dry roads but lacks in wet traction compared to Pathfinder AT.
- Mud and soft snow traction of Pathfinder AT is higher due to wider grooves.
- Higher contact patch allows ATM to provide a better grip on ice.
- Rocks traction of Pathfinder AT is higher due to bold stone ejectors.
- Durability and mileages of Pathfinder are higher due to lower rolling resistance and stronger built.
- Pathfinder AT is a higher-priced tire.
