Pros
- Superb off-road performance
- Usable even in deeper unpacked snow
- Excellent aquaplaning resistance
- Grip and traction levels are plenty for everyday driving
Cons
- Comfort and noise levels are compromised
- Will struggle with packed snow
Cars have evolved a lot over the past century. There were a handful of car types in the early days, meaning that the choice wasn’t that great. As the evolution progressed, cars have become better and, most importantly, more diverse. Today’s market has tons of different segments based on the car’s capabilities, size, shape, and plenty of other aspects.
Off-road capable vehicles are kind of popular right now as they seem to be quite flexible. You can drive them on the road and utilize their size, meaning more interior space, a more comfortable ride, and bigger space to carry cargo. On the other hand, you have people that often go off-roading, something you cannot do in your family sedan.
When the time comes to get a new set of tires, the first question you ask yourself is what you need the tires to do. People who drive on paved roads would go touring because they won’t need any off-road performance. On the opposite side of the spectrum, you have people who need tires capable of performing in extreme situations. So, what if you need both?
The good news is that there are already tires that can perform in both scenarios. All-terrain and mud-terrain tires have been on the market for a while. Both have pros and cons, but in general, all-terrain tires are more oriented towards road performance, while mud-terrain is best at off-roading.
A small American tire manufacturer claims to have designed something in between. Atturo is a relatively new tire manufacturer on the market and claims that the Trail Blade XT is a multi-terrain tire, basically taking all the positive sides of the all-terrain and mud-terrain tires and putting it into one.
What are the features of the Atturo Trail Blade XT?
Looking at the tread design of the Trail Blade XT, you can see that it is here to bring something different. Down the center, the tire seems more like an all-terrain one, while the shoulder resembles a toned-down mud-terrain one.
The central part of the design features smaller blocks designed to reduce the noise the tire generates. They also should help with traction on wet roads as well as snow. The Trail Blade XT features vertical and horizontal sipes throughout the blocks, which should offer more biting force and help the tire with snow traction. Another advantage to the sipes should be to reduce noise on the road further.
On the shoulder side of the things, the Trail Blade XT features larger blocks that you’d usually find on a mud-terrain tire. With this, Atturo goes after the off-road performance by enabling the tire to give grip and traction in mud or sand. The shoulders are designed at an angle, a feature whose goal is to improve traction on the trail.
The Trail Blade XT is designed with a linkage between the central ribs. This is a feature mainly used for improving stability when driving at higher speeds.
How does it behave on dry tarmac?
The performance in dry conditions with the Trail Blade XT is decent enough as an off-road-oriented tire.
Traction is good, and the tire won’t slip every time you think about hitting the gas. Naturally, the tire won’t stick to the road like a performance tire, but I think it offers more than enough for regular driving. The grip also isn’t too bad, and the tire will bite into the road in the corners. Considering that it’s an off-road-oriented tire, don’t expect it to throw it into a corner and have a good time.
Responsiveness of the Trail Blade XT is acceptable, and unless you want some razor-sharp handling, the tire will be fine. Atturo’s idea of linking the central blocks was on point and provided the tire with excellent stability at higher speeds.
How does it behave over wet and slippery roads?
There is a drop in performance once it starts raining, and despite that, the Trail Blade XT remains a pretty good performer.
On damp roads, the tire can find a good amount of traction, and you shouldn’t struggle too much. Accelerate aggressively, and you’ll light up the tires, but at the end of the day, the tire is perfectly safe as long as you don’t drive like you’re on a track. To be honest, I’m not too impressed with the results as other off-road tires offer a bit more.
One area that the Trail Blade XT that showed outstanding results is aquaplaning resistance. The tire has no problem evacuating water from beneath it, providing a stable driving experience in heavy rain.
How is it over snow?
With that tread pattern, I hoped to see some good performance, and I have some good news and some bad news.
I’ll start with the good news: the Trail Blade XT is pretty good in snowy conditions. Even if the snow is deeper, the tire can bite into it and find traction. This makes the tire very well behaved and controllable, something that not too many tires can brag with.
The problems start with packed snow. However you drive the Trail Blade XT, the traction will be limited, and it suffers from the same fate on ice as well.
As you can guess, the braking distances vary depending on the snow. While it brakes decently well on unpacked snow, it will struggle with packed one.
Is it comfortable and refined?
In the comfort and noise department, the Trail Blade XT is not a tire that performs exceptionally well.
Comfort levels are average, at best mainly due to the vibrations. At slower speeds, the tire deals okay with bumps, and you can say that it’s comfortable-ish. On the highway, the tire vibrates noticeably, leading to a non-comfortable driving experience.
You also won’t be pleased with the noise levels. Off-road tires are known for not being the quietest tires, and the Trail Blade XT is just that – a tire that isn’t quiet. The noise levels are the highest on the highway, meaning that speed is the biggest enemy of this tire.
Is it good for off-roading?
The best part about the Trail Blade XT is how it performs in off-road conditions.
The tire can deal with mud and sand marvelously thanks to the tread pattern, even when you drive over deeper patches. Dirt roads will pose no problem, and you can even push the tire a bit in these conditions and not worry about the grip and traction. Another area that helps in these conditions is the sidewall. It is a bit stiffer, meaning that you can expect excellent stability when you’re driving faster.
To be fair, as good as it is in these conditions, rock-climbing remains something that you’d do with some extreme off-road tire.
Is the Atturo Trail Blade XT ideal for sporty driving?
I did praise the stability of the Trail Blade XT and the stiffer sidewall, but that doesn’t make it a good tire for sporty driving.
The handling dynamics aren’t nearly as close to anything that I’d find acceptable, and the grip and traction aren’t on the same level as performance tires.
Atturo Trail Blade XT Warranty
In the off-road world, people will sometimes have to settle for tires with no warranty, something that Trail Blade XT is here to change. Atturo sells the tire with a 45,000-mile treadwear warranty which may not be the longest, but it beats not having any.
Atturo Trail Blade XT Pricing: Is it worth the money?
The Trail Blade XT is worth it, but it’s a bit difficult to make any comparisons. Prices start from around $140, which isn’t a lot for a tire that can deliver so much performance in off-road scenarios. The closest competitors are tires that are closer to the $200 mark.
Should I buy the Atturo Trail Blade XT?
You should think about buying the Trail Blade XT because there are some things that you need to consider.
Road performance isn’t a big issue, and the tire is not a bad option for that. You will have a good amount of grip and traction, more than enough for normal driving. The wet performance takes a bit of a hit, but the tire remains very safe and controlled in the rain. Snow performance is a mixed bag, and the tire will be either excellent on unpacked snow or not so good on packed one.
With that said, the off-road performance is exceptional. I feel like the tire can do everything except rock-crawling, meaning that it’s as good as a mud-terrain tire.
Comfort and noise levels are also not a positive side to this tire. Vibrations are a common problem with this tire, and even balancing won’t solve the issue entirely. On top of that, driving on the highway can be problematic for people that don’t want a loud tire.
On a positive note, you can get the tire for a lower price when compared with its rivals, and you’ll get a warranty with it.
At the end of the day, if the refinement is not a problem for you and you want an affordable but excellent off-road capable tire, the Trail Blade XT is the perfect choice.
What Vehicles Will the Atturo Trail Blade XT Fit?
Here’s a sample list of cars that the Atturo Trail Blade XT will fit:
- Chevrolet Blazer, Silverado, Traverse
- Dodge Durango, Ram
- Ford Ranger, Explorer, F-150
- GMC Yukon, Sierra
- Hummer H2, H3
- Jeep Wrangler
- Land Rover Defender
- Mitsubishi Outlander, L200
- Nissan Frontier, Pathfinder, Titan
- Toyota Tacoma, Land Cruiser, 4Runner, Hilux
Tire Sizes for Atturo Trail Blade XT
17″
- 235/65R17
- LT255/75R17
- LT285/70R17
- 35×12.5R17
18″
- 235/60R18
- 285/60R18
- LT255/70R18
- LT285/65R18
- 33×12.5R18LT
- LT275/70R18
- LT295/70R18
- 35×12.50R18LT
20″
- 275/45R20XL
- 265/50R20
- 275/55R20
- 275/55R20XL
- LT305/50R20
- LT285/55R20
- 33×12.50R20LT
- LT265/60R20
- LT305/55R20
- LT295/60R20
- LT275/65R20
- 35×12.50R20LT
22″
- 275/45R22
- 305/45R22
- LT325/50R22
- 285/40R24
- LT325/45R24
- LT345/50R24
24″
- 285/40R24
- LT325/45R24
- LT345/50R24
List of Atturo Tire Reviews
