Goodyear Wrangler AT/S Review [2023 Updated]

By Tire Expert, Joe Steffen

Who says you can’t find honest, unbiased tire reviews anymore? If you hear anyone saying this, send them here, where I will give you a completely unbiased and fair review that you can trust.

I have seen and heard it all with over nine years in the tire industry. All of my reviews come from personal experience in the industry and my experience with customers just like yourself!

Today I will review the Goodyear Wrangler ATS. I will go over what this tire excels in and some of the opportunities it could improve on.

Let’s get to it, so you can see if this is the right choice for your new tire needs.

Feel free to jump to any sections below if you want a specific aspect review of this tire.

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Pros

Cons

Ratings

3.0

3.5

3.0

Wet Traction:

★★★★★ 3.0/5

Dry Traction:

★★★★★ 3.0/5

Snow Traction:

★★★★★ 3.0/5

Ride Comfort:

★★★★★ 3.0/5

Ride Handling:

★★★★★ 3.0/5

Ride Noise:

★★★★★ 3.0/5

Hydroplaning:

★★★★★ 3.0/5

Tread Life:

★★★★★ 3.5/5

Value For $$$:

★★★★★ 3.0/5

Traction - Goodyear Wrangler AT/S

Traction on the Goodyear Wrangler AT/S is very lacking, especially for an all-terrain tire. It is disappointing since Goodyear tires have some very aggressive, high traction all-terrains under their belt.

Driving on dry roads, you won’t notice too much traction loss. It is typical for any tire to perform in dry weather since there is nothing between the rubber and roads to cause the tire to slip. I often find that when slamming on the brakes, it would take longer to come to a complete stop.

With there being nothing that stands out in dry traction, I gave it an above-average traction rating.

Wet weather is a little different. Tires out there perform much worse on wet roads, but the Wrangler ATS is nothing to brag about. When there is a high accumulation of water on the streets, the tread design fails to evacuate water efficiently.

Water evacuation is critical to perform in the rain otherwise, you could end up spinning around like running over a banana in Mario Kart.

Snow traction is above average as well as you will notice light snow traction is confident on fresh powder, but when the ice starts to pack on the roads, man, you will need to break out the tire chains.

Goodyear uses self-cleaning “Dual Traction Lug Channels” to offer better all-surface traction. This is a fancy marketing term used to describe having two circumferential grooves. These channels they use are not all that effective compared to most tires that would have four.

A less aggressive tread design should make it a better all-season tire, but it just doesn’t provide enough to make it better than average ratings.

Traction Rating: 3.0/5

★★★★★ 3.0/5

Ride Comfort - Goodyear Wrangler AT/S

You won’t feel any severe vibrations when driving on these Wranglers. Still, it is worth noting that I have seen quite a few installers have a lot of trouble balancing them.

Tire balancing is used to counteract heavy spots in the tire that cause the wheel to shake about like a jumping bean trapped in a can.

The issue of vibrations will be more severe in the light truck size options. Light truck tires are naturally heavier because of the extra plies used in the sidewall. Heavier tires are more prone to ride vibrations because of the balancing weights required to counteract their weight.

Out of all the people I have ever asked how they liked the ride on these tires, the answer was always the same, “eh.” That is the kind of response you get when a tire doesn’t have terrible ride comfort, but it’s not something memorable enough to say good things about.

This is nothing against Goodyear and its quality, but if I were to spend the money on these tires, I would expect a much better ride.

I gave it an above-average rating because nobody ever had terrible things to say, but also, never anything was said that would be worth remembering.

A tire that would offer much better ride comfort in an all-terrain is the Hankook Dynapro AT2 RF11.

Ride Comfort Rating: 3.0/5

★★★★★ 3.0/5

Ride Handling - Goodyear Wrangler AT/S

When an all-terrain tire doesn’t have superb off-road traction, you expect it to make it up in the handling on-road. I think the Wrangler AT/S does a pretty good job of handling through tight, unanticipated turns.

You will notice some body roll from the tires when maneuvering, but that is a given whenever you have all-terrain tires in sizes with tall sidewalls. Body roll is when the vehicle will feel as if it is going to roll over when making a turn or sudden swerves.

Goodyear uses two high-tensile steel belts in the sidewall plies to provide a stiffer and more durable construction.

The added belts in the sidewall are what make this tire have a slightly above-average handling rating. Without the added belts, I imagine it could have earned this product a much lower rating.

Ride Handling Rating: 3.0/5

★★★★★ 3.0/5

Ride Noise - Goodyear Wrangler AT/S

The worst part about any all-terrain tire is that it will make very little noise at the beginning of the tread life. As a tire wears down, it will start to show you its true colors and how loud they really are.

The Goodyear Wrangler AT/S is no different. Having tread blocks with so many biting edges makes it a recipe for a loud ride. I have had customers complain so frequently about the road noise when worn to a point where I wouldn’t recommend it.

The only reason I didn’t rate this tire lower in ride noise was that I have had customers say that the ride noise is not unbearable.

Mixed feedback makes me question if it really is the tire or if it’s the driver behind the wheel.

I have driven on these tires before, and they had the typical hum you will get from an all-terrain tread design, but I have heard much worse over the years.

Watch out for cupping that can cause your car to sound like a helicopter is right inside your cabin. Tire cupping is when each tread block is wearing out at a different rate due to worn-out suspension, lack of tire rotations, or even a bad wheel alignment.

I gave them an average quiet ride rating from the mixed customer reviews and the fact I have driven on these.

Ride Noise Rating: 3.0/5

★★★★★ 3.0/5

Hydroplaning - Goodyear Wrangler AT/S

Hydroplaning is one of the most terrifying experiences that can happen in a car. Some crazy people will tell you it’s fun, but for me, I can’t stand not having control of my car or not knowing if I’m gonna crash.

Hydroplaning resistance on the Wrangler ATS is not the best, but I will give it credit for the fact that it will maintain traction through some very thick water.

You will notice the Wranglers have a hard time at high speeds on wet roads. The faster this tire travels, the less efficiently it can kick water out from underneath it. This happens because there’s no clear path for water to evacuate.

The outer tread blocks create a wall for water to hit when enough moisture has built up, and as you travel faster, the more it needs to be able to remove water.

Since this tire will provide safe resistance to hydroplaning at lower speeds, I gave it an above-average rating in hydroplaning.

For a much safer Hydroplaning resistant tire, I recommend the Continental TerrainContact A/T.

Hydroplaning Rating: 3.0/5

★★★★★ 3.0/5

Tread Life - Goodyear Wrangler AT/S

The tread life on the Wrangler AT/S will receive about forty-five to sixty thousand miles, depending on how much you keep up on routine tire maintenance. You can expect between thirty and forty thousand miles if you don’t maintain these tires.

The fact it won’t come with a treadwear warranty may concern you as it makes this tire a no guarantee tread life. Most consumers that spend money on a tire will want it to provide at least some mileage warranty.

Goodyears rubber compound does a great job when it comes to aging. Very rarely have I ever seen this tire come in with premature dry rot or cracking within the tread blocks.

One time I had a customer come in with a fifteen-year-old Goodyear tire, which still almost looked brand new.

In all my years of servicing tires, most Goodyears don’t have a long-lasting tread life, and you will find much better options, especially for the price range of these.

I recommend the Cooper Discoverer AT3 XLT/4S for a much better tread life with a treadwear warranty.

Tread Life Rating: 3.5/5

★★★★★ 3.5/5

Value For Money - Goodyear Wrangler AT/S

I checked prices for the Goodyear Wrangler AT/S across various retailers like TireRack, Amazon, and Discount Tire. I found that the price on them is relatively high for the quality of tire you are receiving.

The price was frequently over two hundred dollars per tire, comparable to pricing in a higher quality product in Michelin or Pirelli.

If you are looking for a good bang for the buck, I don’t recommend this tire as you are getting a very average performance for the price.

You will get much better value in tires like the Hankook Dynapro AT2, Falken Wildpeak AT3W, or Firestone Destination AT2.

Value For Money Rating: 3.0/5

★★★★★ 3.0/5

Final Verdict - Goodyear Wrangler AT/S

The Goodyear Wrangler AT/S, fortunately, is not made in many fitments anymore since it has been in production for quite some time now. It used to come as an original equipment option on Chevrolet Silverados, GMC Sierras, Ford F-150s, and even Toyota Tundras. With technology rapidly evolving, the ATS quickly fell behind the completion and stopped coming with these vehicles.

I want to mention that for off-road tires, the Goodyear really lacks when it comes to traction in dirt and mud. It does have great traction on gravel, thanks to the smaller opening in the tread blocks.

I have a hard time recommending this tire to anyone because of the fact you can find much better tires for the price. Anyone considering this tire, please think that you will be overpaying for it even if there is a rebate on them.

I recommend any of the tire options mentioned throughout this article over the Wrangler ATS, which included the Falken Wilpeak AT3W, Cooper Discoverer AT3, Continental TerrainContact A/T, and the Firestone Destination AT2.

Check out my in-depth reviews on some of these tires above to see how they truly compare to the Goodyear Wranglers.

Meet Your Tire Expert

Joe Steffen

Joseph Steffen is a trusted expert in the tire industry, with nine-plus years of experience. He has worked as a tire installer, tire salesman, and more recently a writer for various companies, providing honest feedback and advice to those who need it.

Tire Recall Information

I am glad to say there are no active recalls on the Goodyear Wrangler AT/S.

Goodyear brand tires will not have recalls issued frequently as they do have a high standard they like to maintain on their products.

You will find various Goodyears recalls off brand lines, including Kelly and Dunlop tires.

Warranty & Tire Sizes

Warranty Details

Tire Sizes

Warranty Details

Tire Sizes

Frequently Asked Questions

What ply is the Goodyear Wrangler AT S?

The Goodyear Wrangler AT S comes in two different ply ratings. It will come in a standard P-metric, four-ply, and a light truck option, ten-ply.

What is the difference between HT and AT tires?

HT stands for highway-touring, which is designed to offer a longer-lasting tread and more comfortable ride quality. AT stands for all-terrain and is designed to deliver much safer all-weather traction capabilities while performing on more treacherous terrains.

Are all-season tires the same as mud and snow?

No, mud and snow-rated tires have the ability to perform much better than an all-season in mud and snow. However, the mud and snow rating is not better in the snow than an all-season with a three-peak mountain snowflake rating.