Firestone Destination A/T vs LE2

[Matto]

Hello all,

I'm debating between these 2 tires for replacements on my 05 Renegade...

They both seem to have good reviews overall. I'd like something that will be good in snow/winter weather, but also quiet, comfortable, good tread wear, and suitable to have on year-round.

Any thoughts/experience with either?

Thanks in advance.

Matt

 

[ol-flattop]

I don't have personal experience with either, but from all I've heard from those who do, they're both perfectly good tires. If you've narrowed the options to just these two, the choice seems pretty simple to me:
Do you want an A/T? Then get the A/T.
Do you want a highway tire? Then get the LE2.

With that said, unless you have a particular reason to go with Firestones, your methodology seems a little off - it makes more sense to decide what kind of tire you want before comparing specific models. For instance, which is better, the Nitto NT05R drag tire, or the Nitto Mud Grappler? Well, that depends entirely upon what you intend to do with them!

The same thing applies to the A/T and LE2, albeit to a lesser degree. Comparing the different niches of Firestone's lineup is less useful than comparing the same niche in the lineups of Firestone, Bridgestone, Hankook, Goodyear, Nitto, General, Cooper, etc.

 

[tommudd]

I ran the Destination ATs back in 04 / early 05
They were way better than the stock tires for sure:thumbsdown:
Ran them for a while, did OK for a street tire
TJKJ says they sell a lot of them out where he is
LE seems to car tire like for me

 

[nullptr]

I do have some experience with the LE2s, they are a great tire... but probably not a good choice if you want to go off road. They are a highway tire with good 'poor weather' traction and grip. My mom's Rav4 has them, and I've heard nothing but good things about their snow traction from both her and my dad. They seemed to have good wet traction when I was driving around down here with them (purchased the car in FL, put new tires on it, then drove to Michigan for my parents). On the highway, they were an absolute gem with a good ride, good grip, and low noise.

If you want to go off road, though, they are probably not a good choice. I imagine they'd be fine on forest service roads, but with their car-like tread pattern, they wouldn't be ideal and you'll find yourself getting stuck a lot easier than a decent set of A/Ts would.

 

[tjkj2002]

I do have some experience with the LE2s, they are a great tire... but probably not a good choice if you want to go off road. They are a highway tire with good 'poor weather' traction and grip. My mom's Rav4 has them, and I've heard nothing but good things about their snow traction from both her and my dad. They seemed to have good wet traction when I was driving around down here with them (purchased the car in FL, put new tires on it, then drove to Michigan for my parents). On the highway, they were an absolute gem with a good ride, good grip, and low noise.

If you want to go off road, though, they are probably not a good choice. I imagine they'd be fine on forest service roads, but with their car-like tread pattern, they wouldn't be ideal and you'll find yourself getting stuck a lot easier than a decent set of A/Ts would.

Pretty much sums it up.


LE2's are a great tire but are more a street tire with great traction in all seasons.The AT's are still very streetable,good mileage(why that matter is beyond me),and can handle some offroad.

 

[TwoBobsKJ]

I ran the Destination AT's for a little over 50,000 miles (their rated mileage) and found them to be a good tire. When the tread was still relatively new I took them offroad quite a bit - as the tread wore down they became less effective however.

My travels take me to some pretty rugged snow belt areas so I used them a lot in the snow and found them to be a good snow tire. Never got stuck and always felt confident driving anywhere with the within limits.

I switched to Goodyear Duratracs last Fall and find them to be a smoother ride than the Firestones which completely surprised me. The Duratracs are a much more aggressive tire but ride better. Don't know why but it's the truth :shrug:

Of the two tires you're looking at I vote for the Firestone AT's - I really liked them on my Liberty :waytogo:

Bob

 

[tlrtucker]

I drove a work truck (2006 Chevy Colorado) that had a set of Firestone AT's and I really liked those tires. I thought the on road and highway manners were great. Much quieter than my duratracs. I didn't really take it off road, but did venture out on a logging trail that was covered in about a foot of snow and the truck just crawled along.

I was trying to decide between those and duratracs when I lifted my KJ and part of me wishes I would have gone with the firestones. Sure, the duratracs look so much better and are amazing in the mud and snow, but damn are they loud on city streets. I thought I had a wheel bearing going out for a while...

 

[colorado76]

:rocking: I have to put my Two Cents in about Firestone Destination A/T's. I put on a set of them in Fall of 2013 and still running them. I had a set of Kumho Venture A/T's before that and I hated them. I will say that my Destinations have great traction for on road and off road. So the Destinations get my vote.

 

[tommudd]

I drove a work truck (2006 Chevy Colorado) that had a set of Firestone AT's and I really liked those tires. I thought the on road and highway manners were great. Much quieter than my duratracs. I didn't really take it off road, but did venture out on a logging trail that was covered in about a foot of snow and the truck just crawled along.

I was trying to decide between those and duratracs when I lifted my KJ and part of me wishes I would have gone with the firestones. Sure, the duratracs look so much better and are amazing in the mud and snow, but damn are they loud on city streets. I thought I had a wheel bearing going out for a while...

My Duratracs with over 83,000 miles are still quiet, of course I rotate every 3-3,500 miles but doing great
The Destination ATs I had were good for the streets IMO, had to always lock it in to get to my home place though and they are just one lane dirt roads. Reason why they were sold with so few miles on

 

[Birdman330]

I sold the Destination A/T's and LE's as well as the LE2's. Its going to boil down on preference, I'm running the Destination A/T's right now and even with not having 4WD I've done fine with the snow we've had this winter and I like how quiet they are for being an A/T tire.

 

[tlrtucker]

My Duratracs with over 83,000 miles are still quiet...

Don't get me wrong, they're not Super Swamper loud or anything like that. Just loud enough to annoy the hell out of me. I've heard from a lot of people, not just KJ owners, that love their Duratracs and never complain about noise. But mine are not quiet. At about 25-28 mph they growl and hum, and again at about 45 mph. I have 7k miles on them, and have rotated them once (at 5k) and didn't notice any uneven wear or uneven lugs, like I've seen on most Duratracs. Maybe I just got a loud set. :shrug:

 

[ltd02]

The Destination ATs I had were good for the streets IMO, had to always lock it in to get to my home place though and they are just one lane dirt roads. Reason why they were sold with so few miles on

I'd have to go with Tom on this one. I think I have said this in another thread. I currently have a set on my Ranger 4x4. I've had them over a year and 6-7k. They look real nice, they are quiet and work fine overall but if you don't have some weight on them they will break free real easy on wet pavement. The Ranger isn't exactly stock but I don't have a real heavy foot and I've got 2-250 lbs of crap in the bed. I haven't run them much in the snow since I usually run the kj in the messy stuff but they performed well when I did and also in some muddy areas. Maybe they'd be okay on the KJ but based on what I've experienced and what Tom said I'd probably look at something else. Just my opinion. :shrug:

 

[jeepguy4276]

I ran the fire stones on my suburban and loved them. It was my hunting rig so it saw all types of terrain they handled most of what I threw at it well. Loved them on snow and ice I highly recommend them for a multi purpose vehicle like the liberty. They aren't great for heavy off road use, but work fine for mild stuff. Great on the road too.

 

[Birdman330]

If you want descent quite A/T and don't mind a slightly stiff ride, Duravis M700 from Bridgestone.