Yokohama Geolandar H/T vs Yokohama Geolandar A/T

Yokohama Geolandar H/T vs Yokohama Geolandar A/T: The Geolandar H/T is known for its on-road capabilities. They are all-season highway terrain tires. Conversely, the A/T being an all-terrain tire, ensures optimum traction on all surfaces. It renders good both on and off-road traction.

The Yokohama tires are the best choice if you live near areas that experience long winters and heavy snowfall since both tires offer something unique that you will find out below.

Comparing Yokohama Geolandar H/T & Yokohama Geolandar A/T

The new Yokohama Geolandar H/T replaces the aging HT/S tire. The H/T tire comes with an exclusive new orange oil tread technology and multi-angled grooves in its tread pattern that increases the tire’s grip during the rainy season. The tires seem to be unaffected by anything except larger rocks and deep muddy trails because the grip is lacking when it comes in contact with large and rocky terrains because of the sipe design. This tire is also rated good for snow conditions but it cannot beat heavy snow.

On the contrary, the Geolandar A/T is an all-terrain tire. It features an aggressive and chunky design that improves the rugged stance of the tire. This tire continues to perform well even when the roads are rough and broken. The Geolandar A/T has deep circumferential and edge-tec grooves between the treads, which gives it numerous biting edges. This feature improves traction in snow, dirt, and sand. The A/T is ideal for divers who spend most of their time driving on the road and occasionally venture off-road. It is not recommended to go off-road for extended periods with these tires. These tires don’t have large enough voids between the treads to move through the mud with absolute ease, even though, they perform better than the H/T on muddy tracks.

On-road Traction Comparison

The A/T has a symmetrical tread pattern with scarcely placed blocks in its tread design that gives it a significant surface area to grip the road in dry conditions. It has better wet-traction on the road due to the Triple 3D sipe design and the new compound. This compound combines triple polymer and silica that enable it to stand its ground on the road. The A/T offers excellent grip on wet surfaces and stable traction on slippery roads because of its reflectively larger grooves and sipes than the H/T. It can withstand extreme weather conditions better than the H/T.

On the other hand, the Geolandar H/T provides an even better grip on the road in dry conditions due to its compact tread design and long circumferential tread blocks that give it an enormous contact zone on the ground. Therefore, it has higher rolling resistance and greater biting strength on the ground. The four main zig-zag grooves on tires provide excellent hydroplaning resistance in common wet conditions. Nevertheless, these narrow grooves are not influential enough to avoid hydroplaning in extreme weather conditions. Therefore, the H/T is better adapted for dry roads and the A/T is better suited for wet roads.

Off-Road Traction Comparison

These tires can’t be used on all rough terrains, as they aren’t destined for supreme off-roading. Geolandar H/T is an all-terrain tire, whereas Yokohama A/T is intended for moderate off-roading.

Sand

The Geolandar A/T performs well in sandy terrains as they have wider grooves that let the sand pass through its treads with greater efficiency. Hence, the A/T has moderate sand traction. 

On the contrary, the Geolandar H/T is an all-terrain tire. Although it can work on sandy terrain, it is not recommended to use it on this terrain, because it has narrow gaps between the treads that don’t let the sand slip away from the treads easily. Therefore, the A/T has more trustworthy Sand traction.

Snow

The H/T features center and intermediate tread blocks that form a zig-zag pattern and Multi-angle tread grooves for reliable traction in winters. The H/T has micro silica in the tread compound and triple 3-D sipes on the tread block that act as wipers to push away snow from the tire. Its thin grooves give it some grip on the snow and grant decent traction on snow. The orange oil technology in H/T helps it to adhere to the surface, leading to a firm grip in snowy conditions.

The A/T has deep circumferential grooves and edge-tec grooves in between the treads. It also has a comprehensive shoulder profile which aids in improving the handling in snowy conditions. The A/T has a 3 peak snowflake rating, which means it continues to give a good performance even at lower temperatures. Moreover, its larger grooves help it to clutch the snow with an inclusive power and move over it effortlessly. 

Rocks

When it comes to terrains with thick and large rocks, the A/T tires struggle, because they don’t possess large enough voids to propel over the rocks. The R/T tires with larger voids are more competent on rough terrains unlike AT or HT tires.

Similarly, the Yokohama H/T is not compatible with rough terrains consisting of large rocks. Both of these tires are not sturdy enough to withstand rugged terrains.

Mud

The A/T has a tooth-like shoulder-edge tread block that gives it a fighting chance on mud terrains. Its shoulder lugs grab the mud and push the vehicle forward through the muddy tracks. The Geolandar A/T embodies some traits of M/T tires. These traits (deep grooves) enable it to produce some traction on the mud by efficiently cleaning mud from the treads. But it cannot conquer deep mud tracks.

On the flip side, Yokohama H/T comes with 3-D triple sipes that stabilize the tread blocks and provide better traction in foul weather. However, its grooves and sipes don’t give it enough self-cleaning ability to move on muddy terrains, as its composition and tread pattern suits highways and roads.

Comfort

The H/T has increased stiffness in its tread pattern due to its interlocking shoulder blocks and 3-D sipes. This improves the vehicle’s handling and comfort. The yaw angle during lane change has also been reduced by 13%. This allows stable on-road handling and enhanced comfort. Even though the H/T are seasoned tires, they are not off-road friendly due to smaller groove patterns.

Comfort-wise, H/T tires (highway-terrain) are the best, but the Geolandar A/T is a worthy alternative for on-road applications. Comfort also depends on vehicle speed, the tires will get bumpier the faster you go. However, the tires have a uniformed black circumferential pitch that significantly reduces noise. These tires are great on all surfaces but not as comfortable as the H/T. 

Durability and Tread-wear

Geolandar H/T has a tread lifetime of up to 70,000 miles. This tire’s tread life is its strongest point. Better wear performance is possible due to the carbon-silica binding force in the compound of the tire. Additionally, H/T has adaptive shoulder blocks, which form continuous outer ribs. This results in improved tread-wear and less road noise. Optimized contact patches in the tread block also result in better tread wear and longer tread life. Triple 3D sipes provide high-grade traction over the entire life of the tire.

The Enduro tire compound in the A/T has been engineered to provide maximum durability. This increases the tire’s resistance to punctures, cuts, chips, and scrapes. Sidewall protectors are also added to the tire to protect it against abrasions while navigating over sharp rocks. The patented Enduro compound is made with a particular polymer that remains flexible in all weather conditions. This tire compound reduces rolling resistance and gives superior traction for all seasoned driving.

Price

The Yokohama A/T tires, due to their advanced design and excellent traction for both on and off road tracks, are a little expensive compared to the H/T that are engineered to stay on the road for thousands of kilometers.

Summary

Both tires have many plus points and some cons as well. To sum it all up, let’s go over the main points.

• A/T tires offer a road-oriented tread design, and they are capable of navigating off-road but they will clog up in mud because of their compact configuration.
• The H/T is a highway terrain tire ideal for divers who drive a lot on highways and occasionally off-roads. Regardless, the A/T can be utilized on and off the road.
• The A/T’s Enduro tire compound offers maximum durability, while the H/T is optimized for better tread-wear.
• Geolandar H/T has orange oil technology for a firm grip in winter and the A/T has a 3PMSF rating, which gives both of them decent snow traction.