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Head-to-head Updated September 2026

Firestone Destination A/T2 vs Sumitomo Encounter AT — Compared (September 2026)

Our Relative Score blends 60% objective test data with 40% owner-review signal — so any two tires can be compared even if they were never tested on the same day.

Tire A Firestone

Firestone Destination A/T2

Firestone Destination A/T2 tread pattern
Objective (60%)
74/100
2 professional tests
User signal (40%)
82/100
8 owner reviews
Dry
81
Wet
91
Snow
64
Comfort
89
Noise
44
Treadwear
78
Handling
76
Check price on Amazon

Prices change daily — check the retailer for your size.

VS
Tire B Sumitomo

Sumitomo Encounter AT

Sumitomo Encounter AT tread pattern
Objective (60%)
–/100
No test data yet
User signal (40%)
82/100
Owner ratings
Dry
88
Wet
88
Snow
85
Comfort
86
Noise
86
Treadwear
79
Handling
85
Check price on Amazon

Prices change daily — check the retailer for your size.

VerdictWinner: Sumitomo Encounter AT — better noise, snow and handling. Pick the Firestone Destination A/T2 if wet and comfort matter most to you.
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Category breakdown

7 categories, side by side

Each bar is the Relative Score for that category. Expand a tile to see the test results and owner ratings behind it.

Dry

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100) Encounter AT leads by 7
A
81
B
88
Why this score
SourceDestination A/T2Encounter AT
Professional tests (TWG score) 82 –
Tire Rack owners 87 –
Tyre Reviews owners 77 –
SimpleTire owners 100 98

Wet

Weight: Important
Score (0–100) Destination A/T2 leads by 3
A
91
B
88
Why this score
SourceDestination A/T2Encounter AT
Professional tests (TWG score) 91 –
Tire Rack owners 85 –
Tyre Reviews owners 89 –
SimpleTire owners 100 95

Snow

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100) Encounter AT leads by 21
A
64
B
85
Why this score
SourceDestination A/T2Encounter AT
Professional tests (TWG score) 51 –
Tire Rack owners 92 –
Tyre Reviews owners 83 –
SimpleTire owners – 90

Comfort

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100) Destination A/T2 leads by 3
A
89
B
86
Why this score
SourceDestination A/T2Encounter AT
Professional tests (TWG score) 89 –
Tire Rack owners 83 –
Tyre Reviews owners 87 –
SimpleTire owners 100 92

Noise

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100) Encounter AT leads by 42
A
44
B
86
Why this score
SourceDestination A/T2Encounter AT
Professional tests (TWG score) 7 –
SimpleTire owners 100 89

Treadwear

Weight: Important
Score (0–100) Encounter AT leads by 1
A
78
B
79
Why this score
SourceDestination A/T2Encounter AT
Tire Rack owners 87 –
Tyre Reviews owners 73 –
SimpleTire owners 100 89

Handling

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100) Encounter AT leads by 9
A
76
B
85
Why this score
SourceDestination A/T2Encounter AT
Tyre Reviews owners 76 –

Scores at a glance

CategoryFirestone Destination A/T2Sumitomo Encounter AT
Relative Score 76 85
Dry 81 88
Wet 91 88
Snow 64 85
Comfort 89 86
Noise 44 86
Treadwear 78 79
Handling 76 85

Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.

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Wet grip and treadwear start at “Important” — the two things buyers rank highest. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.

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Recomputed
Headline score

Tire A

Tire B

From owners

Pros, cons & observations

Themes extracted from owner reviews across retailers and review sites — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.

Tire A Firestone Destination A/T2

The Firestone Destination A/T2 is widely regarded as a high-performing all-terrain tire that excels in wet weather and snow, offering a balanced experience for daily drivers and light-duty truck owners. While most users praise its longevity and highway comfort, some concerns persist regarding its durability on rugged terrain and a slightly vague steering feel.

Pros

  • Exceptional wet weather traction and grip
  • Strong performance in snow with 3PMS rating
  • Quiet and smooth ride quality at highway speeds
  • Impressive tread life and mileage
  • Good value for the price point

Cons

  • Vague or unresponsive steering feedback
  • Questionable durability on sharp rocks or rough forest service roads
  • Stiffer ride compared to factory street tires

Observations

  • Users transitioning from factory street tires to the A/T2 on 2WD work trucks report a noticeable improvement in off-road traction despite a slight increase in tire stiffness.
  • Large SUV owners report that the tire maintains fuel efficiency while providing superior winter performance compared to original equipment all-season tires.
Tire B Sumitomo Encounter AT

Not enough owner reviews yet to extract themes.

Specifications

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Firestone Destination A/T2 B · Sumitomo Encounter AT
Sizes available3315
Rim diameters15″ – 22″16″ – 20″
Tread depth10 - 12/32″13/32″
UTQG540 - 560 A B660 A B
Treadwear warranty55,000 mi60,000 mi
SidewallBlack Side Wall - Raised Outline White LetteringBlackwall
Max pressure44 - 50 psi51 psi
Final verdict

Which one should you actually buy?

Firestone

Sumitomo

Winner: Sumitomo Encounter AT — better noise, snow and handling. Pick the Firestone Destination A/T2 if wet and comfort matter most to you.

Pick tire B You want a quieter cabin

Sumitomo Encounter AT scores 86 vs 44 on noise.

Pick tire B You drive through snowy winters

Sumitomo Encounter AT scores 85 vs 64 on snow.

Pick tire B You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Sumitomo Encounter AT scores 85 vs 76 on handling.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Sumitomo Encounter AT scores 88 vs 81 on dry.

Tire A · Firestone Destination A/T2
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Tire B · Sumitomo Encounter AT
Check price on Amazon

How do we compare tires?

Every category score blends two independent signals. 60% comes from professional tire tests (braking distances, lap times, noise measurements) normalized against the best tire in each test and weighted toward recent tests. 40% comes from thousands of owner reviews collected from retailers and review sites. When a tire has only one of the two, we use what exists and say so.

Community buzz from Reddit and forums is shown for context only — it never changes the score.