• Auto123 tests out Hankook’s New Dynapro Total Terrain Tire.
Calgary, AB – Last month, Hankook shared some results from the latest edition of what it calls the Hankook Gauge Index, which takes the pulse of American consumers to see what it is they want from their tire products. The latest results showed a clear taste for tires that could handle all-terrain situations; what’s more, that taste grew stronger the younger the respondents were.
Should we be surprised then that the signature new product to come from the Korean tiremaker is a tire designed to provide equal satisfaction in on- and off-road driving situations? No. Meet Hankook’s New Dynapro Total Terrain Tire, which we headed to Alberta to test out.
Note that the Dynapro Total Terrain will be available for purchase as of this week, specifically August 14, and exclusively at Canadian Tire outlets.
Hankook Dynapro Total Terrain tire – What’s new?
Here are the salient facts about this new tire. It’s designed to perform equally well on and off the road, hence the ‘Total’ in the name, but provide a special interest for those planning to leave the asphalt at least on occasion. Hence the de rigueur ‘Terrain’ in the name.
The sidewalls are constructed for extra durability to handle the extra knocks of rough terrain driving.
The tire also carries on its side the snowflake-in-mountain silhouette icon (officially the Three-Peak Mountain Snowflake (3PMSF)), meaning it’s certified for use in winter conditions.
The grooves and sipes of the tread are multi-directional and they work with cross-combined scoops on the shoulder to maximize grips on muddy and slushy ground.
At the same time, the tire features a noise-reducing tie bar design, which aims to stabilize the tread blocks and thus reduce noise and vibration when riding on asphalt.
Danny Yun, President of Hankook Tire Canada explained that the Dynapro Total Terrain is engineered so that it does “not require drivers to choose between capability and comfort. This tire is designed to provide the confidence drivers require on rugged terrain and in severe winter conditions, while maintaining a quiet and comfortable ride for everyday use.”
Driving with Hankook Dynapro Total Terrain tires
We could, in theory, have tested out the Dynapro Total Terrain tire in snow during our early-June test drive in the region west of Calgary. The area has been known to get the occasional June snowstorm. But not on this day.
We did have some mud and water to play in, however; that was a gift of the previous day’s rain. But the first step was getting to that mud and water, and that entailed driving a collection of midsize and full-size pickups - labeled Chevy, Ford and Toyota and fitted with the tires under study – on paved roads, including the highway.
Which is where we were able to confirm quite quickly that these rugged-duty tires do in fact provide a level of driving quietude that is more than acceptable for anyone but the pickiest of motorists. There was little hum or vibration in the F-150 we were in. Handling felt adequate on this dry, sunny day.
Eventually we arrived at Bragg Creek, where we said goodbye to the asphalt. It was into the woods for us. Precisely the type of terrain younger drivers say they want to hit, as per Hankook’s Gauge Index. In both midsize and full-size trucks, we were able to wade through both mud and medium-depth collections of water with no apparent effort. Grip was maintained quite easily as long as we kept our pace slow and steady.
It should be mentioned that the backwoods course we were brought onto didn’t offer up any challenges that fell into the intimidating category - for example, very rocky, accidented terrain. But then, Hankook’s new tire isn’t designed for MOAB-level extreme rock crawling. It’s meant more for Tundra or Tacoma owners, say, who may want to do the occasional weekend off-roading. And in that respect, it succeeds quite well.
Hankook Dynapro Total Terrain tire – Sizes and availability
The Dynapro Total Terrain tire will be available in 20 sizes covering the main passenger-car and light-truck applications. Tread width ranges from 245 to 285, and the tire can be fitted on 16-to-20-inch wheels. It’s backed by a limited treadwear warranty of 113,000 km for P-metric sizes and 97,000 km for LT-metric sizes.
As mentioned, this is an exclusive deal between Hankook and Canadian Tire, so you can’t get the Dynapro Total Terrain anywhere else.
The final word
In contrast with Hankook’s hardier Dynapro AT2 Xtreme, an existing product that serves as Hankook's global, flagship aggressive all-terrain tire, the Dynapro Total Terrain is meant to offer a practical, all-weather balance specifically suited for Canadian Tire's broad everyday light-truck and crossover customer base.
Given that, how it performed on the relatively mild off-road course was almost secondary to the ride it delivered on the road, which is where the majority of drivers apt to get this tire will spend the majority of their time. The relatively quiet and smooth ride we enjoyed on both mid- and full-size trucks showed us it delivers on its mandate.