The other brands
Atturo TrailBlade
Atturo tires come from Taiwan or Thailand. They are included here because, despite their limited distribution, they are specifically designed for serious off-road excursions especially in the ATS and MTS versions with their 12-ply construction for 17 to 24 inch rims.
But for more civilized use, the Atturo is available in a three-ply XT version for 17- to 24-inch wheels.
Cooper Discoverer
Not to be overlooked, the American brand Cooper is now part of Goodyear. Eventually, there will be important improvements made to its products, but for now, Cooper offers the Discoverer AT3 XLT for 15- to 20-inch wheels at affordable prices.
Falken Wildpeak
Available in M/T, A/T 3, A/T Trail and R/T versions, these Japanese-built tires are available in two- and three-ply construction for safe on- and off-road travel. Note that they are starting to be installed as factory original equipment on select SUVs.
Maxxis Razor and Bravo
With a rather limited distribution, these Taiwanese tires are more focused on heavier duty trucks with 15- to 22-inch wheels.
Mickey Thompson Baja Legend
This highly specialized brand of off-road (especially desert) tires was recently purchased by Goodyear. Its aggressive two-ply EXP or three-ply MTZ tires are specifically designed for off-road travel, especially in the desert. They are available for rims from 15 to 20 inches.
Nexen Roadian MTX
The Nexen brand is the first South Korean tire manufacturer in history. Its products are beginning to gain in popularity and quality. For off-road enthusiasts, it offers the Roadian MTX three-ply tire for 15- to 20-inch rims.
Nitto Grappler
Nitto is a division of Toyo. Its off-road tires have a three-ply construction except for the Nomad which is more of a road tire but only for 17- to 20-inch wheels. The others can go from 15 to 24 inches.
Keep in mind that most of these tires are approved for winter use, as indicated by the silhouette of a mountain with a snowflake on their sidewall. However, the recommendations described here are primarily for summer application. Some of these products may not perform as well on snow or ice. This is why we continue to recommend a true winter tire for winter use.
Secondly, there are several other more or less known brands that are not included here. This does not mean that they are not necessarily bad choices. It's just that we still prefer those we recommend over them.
Thanks to the specialists at Premier Choix Tire in Laval, Quebec for their technical assistance.