The Toyota FJ Cruiser was introduced as a concept in 2003. Two years later, the first production FJ Cruiser made its debut at the 2005 North American Auto Show. The FJ Cruiser was ahead of its time, literally. If it were sold now, Toyota would literally sell millions. But back then, people wanted SUVs that were big and practical, which the FJ Cruiser never was. And since retro is cool again, we noticed a huge resurgence in vintage-styled machines like the Toyota FJ Cruiser. So, the question remains: What are the best tires for Toyota FJ Cruiser? Tire technology has vastly improved since 2005, and there are a lot of tire brands competing for attention. As if choosing between different brands is not hard enough, you also have to consider what type of tire is best for your FJ Cruiser. And of course, the answer depends on your driving habits.

What are the best tires for FJ Cruiser?

When thinking about buying tires for trucks or sport-utility vehicles, it boils down to three choices: Highway Terrain (H/T), All-Terrain (A/T), and Mud Terrain (M/T) or mud tires. But now, hybrid tires all over the place. Hybrid tires combine the attributes of HT and AT tires in a single package. For example, it’s not uncommon to find A/T tires with the highway smoothness of H/T tires. And despite this, it’s important to discern between each type. Highway Terrain (H/T) tires are all-season touring tires for larger vehicles like pickup trucks, midsize/full-size crossovers, and SUVs. As the name suggests, H/T tires are for driving over smooth highways. This also means H/T tires are engineered for comfort and longevity. Hybrid H/T tires deliver some mild off-roading capabilities at the expense of faster wear and/or a fidgety ride, but H/T tires are the OEM choice for most automakers with its lower cost. All-Terrain (A/T) tires are designed for on-road and off-road driving with chunkier blocks, taller treads, and aggressive tread design. However, A/T tires from the past were horrific over smooth tarmac with deafening tire roar and overly stiff ride quality. But when the road turns to mush or loose gravel, A/T tires will keep you going. Again, don’t be surprised to find hybrid A/T tires that promise to deliver a smooth ride despite the chunky appearance. We’re not saying it doesn’t exist, but the better ones are usually costlier than an ordinary set of A/T tires. Now, the Toyota FJ Cruiser can benefit from a set of mud tires (M/T) when paired with a tougher suspension and a lift kit. And for those who know, the FJ Cruiser is a solid off-road machine. Sure, Toyota is marketing it as an adventure vehicle for the family, but it doesn’t drive as well over smooth roads than it does over loose gravel. On a smooth road, the FJ Cruiser is a comfortable steed, but it wallows like an old Cadillac from the 1960s. But if you drive it on an off-road trail, it transforms itself from a wallowing cruiser to a capable off-road machine. True, the FJ Cruiser never really caught on as a family vehicle. But now, it’s becoming a popular and capable alternative for overlanding or off-roading. And with the right set of tires, you can tune your FJ Cruiser for any given terrain or environment. Best Tires for Toyota FJ Cruiser 2020

1. Best All-Season Highway Tires

​ Michelin Defender LTX M/S

The Michelin Defender LTX M/S is a hybrid tire. It combines all-season and all-weather driving comfort with mild off-road capabilities; made evident by the M/S tag which stands for Mud and Snow. But don’t be fooled. The Michelin Defender LTX M/S is an excellent albeit pricey all-season hybrid tire, but it’s only good for light snow and mud. And despite this, you still get a smooth and quiet ride with longer wear. It has a highly functional tread design like an H/T tire, but Michelin’s Evertread compound is formulated for better ruggedness and toughness. The symmetrical tread pattern features 3D-active high-density sipes to deliver stronger traction over wet and dry pavement. It also has four wide circumferential grooves to relieve the tread surface of water, slush, or snow. In short, the Michelin Defender LTX M/S is worthy of being one of the absolute best Toyota FJ Cruiser tires. This especially holds true if you won’t be doing a lot of off-roading in your rig. Starting at around $215 per piece, it’s also one of the costliest tires on this list. But you get the benefit of both worlds without sacrificing style or off-road ruggedness. Pros All-weather traction and grip

All-season comfort with longer wear

Quiet and comfy ride

Good for light snow or mud

Outlined white letters for better styling Cons It’s a pricey choice Yokohama Geolandar H/T G056

The Yokohama Geolandar H/T G056 is a more affordable option if you want a hybrid tire for your Fj Cruiser. The Geolandar H/T G056 is an all-season highway tire that handles a bit of rough roads or snow. Yokohama utilized a premium all-season tread compound with Orange Oil, Micro Silica, and advanced polymers. The result is an excellent all-weather, all-season tire that won’t back down from slippery pavement, loose gravel, or light mud. The best thing about the Yokohama Geolandar H/T G056 is the ride comfort. It’s not meant for heavy snow duty or extreme off-roading, but it delivers the goods with its admirable off-road performance. And on the highway, the symmetrical tread design ensures capable handling, stronger braking, and a comfortable ride. It’s also a quiet cruiser with its adaptive shoulder blocks and Triple 3D siping. The Yokohama Geolandar is not the most affordable H/T tire on this list. But it undercuts the Michelin at around $184 per piece by offering similar levels of on-road/off-road performance and ride comfort. Pros All-season performance

Brilliant traction and grip

Sustainable construction

Good for mild off-road duty

Longer wear and comfy ride

Great price Cons Not as quiet as the Michelins Goodyear Wrangler AT/S

Forget about the Goodyear Wrangler SR-A and go for the Wrangler AT/S instead. And before you accuse us of any wrongdoings, we’re perfectly aware the Wrangler AT/S is an all-terrain tire. However, Goodyear developed the AT/S as an on-road/off-road tire for light pickup trucks and larger SUVs like the Toyota FJ Cruiser. Essentially, you also get the best of both worlds while paying less money than a set of Wrangler SR-A tires. However, the Goodyear Wrangler AT/S is a hybrid tire that puts more emphasis on rugged driving. But there are compromises, and we’ll tell you more later. Meanwhile, the Goodyear Wrangler AT/S features a multi-faceted symmetrical tread design. It has independent wraparound shoulder blocks with locking center blocks to offer better grip and toughness over rough terrain. Incidentally, the tread blocks are arranged in such a way to moderately reduce road noise and tire roar. The tire even has dual traction lug channels to eject pebbles, snow, and mud from the tread face. The Wrangler AT/S is an aggressive all-terrain tire for on-road driving. There’s no other way of saying it. It’s not the most comfortable tire for highway driving, but it’s not too bad, either. However, it beats other H/T tires when the road less traveled turns from smooth tarmac to dirt and gravel. As a bonus, it starts at around $160 each, which also makes it one of the more affordable tires in this list. Pros All-season traction

All-terrain toughness

Pleasant on-road manners

Comfortable ride

Good on wet or snowy roads Cons Louder tire noise over tarmac Bridgestone Dueler H/L Alenza

The Bridgestone Dueler H/L Alenza is developed using the brand’s Ultimate Network of Intelligent Tire Technology (UNI-T). In short, the Dueler H/T is an all-season highway tire that won’t back down from light mud or snow. It’s also one of the smoothest riding and quietest H/T tires we tested so far, but it’s not as rugged as other hybrid H/T tires. But if you’re not a big fan of off-roading, the Bridgestone Dueler H/L Alenza will not disappoint. This tire combines innovative tire construction and design with an advanced all-season tread compound to deliver superior on and off-road performance, longer wear, and a comfortable ride. It features a symmetrical tread design with fully-independent blocks to offer admirable all-season and all-weather traction without emitting too much noise on smooth roads. The Bridgestone Dueler H/L Alenza starts at around $200 each. Again, it’s not exactly an affordable option, the Bridgestone name demands respect. In our tests, we admired the Dueler H/L Alenza for its comfy street manners and rugged DNA. Pros Great comfort

Quiet ride

All-season traction

Dependable all-weather performance

Good for light snow and cold weather

High-speed stability Cons It’s a pricey option General Grabber HTS 60

The General Grabber HTS 60 rightfully deserves a spot in this list of best Toyota FJ Cruiser tires. It offers excellent traction and grip in all-season driving while delivering a smooth and pleasant ride. However, its constructed from a tougher and chip-resistant tread compound to improve the treadwear over rugged service conditions. The General Grabber HTS 60 is also the best H/T tires we tested in terms of highway comfort and all-weather stability. The tire is equipped with a stronger continuous center rib and intermediate tread blocks. The notched shoulder blocks are embedded with a higher sipe density to offer better grip and directional stability. The ribs are designed to absorb road noise while a built-in internal cushion absorbs excess road noise to deliver a quiet and serene ride. The General Grabber HTS 60 may look tough, but it has the most pleasant road manners we’ve ever experienced in a light truck tire. Best of all, the General Grabber HTS 60 starts at less than $180 each. If you want a premium set of tires without paying a premium price, the General will fill you in. Pros Pleasant on-road manners

Mild off-road capabilities

Good for light snow

Comfortable and quiet ride

Steady handling

All-weather traction and grip

Affordable price Cons Bland styling Kumho Crugen HT51

In terms of value, it’s hard to beat the Kumho Crugen HT51. Granted the Kumho is not as tough or as rugged as other H/T tires in this list, but it starts at below $140 each. The Kumho Crugen HT51 is one of the most affordable tires in this list, but don’t let the low price fool you. In fact, it belongs in the pantheon of best tires for Toyota FJ Cruiser. The Kumho Crugen HT51 is a versatile all-season highway tire. It’s the only one in this list to have the three-peak mountain snowflake (3PMSF) symbol, which is high praise for an H/T tire. Normally, the 3PMSF symbol is found in A/T or mud tires, but the Kumho Crugen HT51 gives it to you without penalizing on-road comfort. In short, the symbol means the tire is well-suited for extreme snow conditions and off-road terrain. Interestingly enough, the Kumho Crugen HT51 is constructed with an asymmetric tread design. The optimized block layout is responsible for optimizing the ride comfort and tread life of the tire. It has a stiff center block with a five-rib tread design and four circumferential grooves. It’s also sportier than other H/T tires in this list to offer crisper handling and superior high-speed stability. Pros Quiet and comfortable on the street

Exceptionally capable on rough roads and snow

Balanced handling

Great on wet or slippery roads

All-season and all-weather traction

Affordable price Cons Treadwear might be an issue Sumitomo Encounter HT

The Sumitomo Encounter HT is another budget alternative for the Toyota FJ Cruiser. It’s an all-season highway tire for pickup trucks and SUVs, but it’s also tough enough to handle a bit of snow and dirt roads. But the primary reason for this tire’s popularity is the affordable price. True to form, the Sumitomo Encounter HT starts at around $175 each, which is not bad for a capable SUV tire. It has a symmetrical tread pattern with four wide circumferential grooves. It also has zigzag lateral sipes to offer better traction offer wet roads and snowy surfaces. The five-rib symmetric pattern is enhanced with a continuous center rib to deliver outstanding straight-line stability and sharper steering. The Sumitomo Encounter HT is an excellent choice for an affordable and capable SUV tire. It offers unbeatable value in its class and is worthy of being named one of the best tires for FJ Cruiser. Pros Solid on-road manners

Comfortable and quiet ride

Sporty handling

Good for light snow

Affordable price Cons Minor issue with treadwear Pirelli Scorpion Verde All Season Plus II

Pirelli has a definite winner in the Scorpion Verde All Season Plus II. It has the same asymmetrical tread design as its predecessor, but it has a larger footprint to offer better stability and sharper handling. But most of all, the Pirelli Scorpion Verde All Season Plus II offers the quietest and most comfortable ride among the sea of name-brand SUV tires, and that’s a fact. The updated tread compound has a lot to do with this, but the optimized rubber-to-void ratio is further optimized to deliver longer wear and a whisper-quiet ride, even at highway speeds. The tire is equipped with longitudinal siping and high-density lateral sipes for improved wet and snow traction without sacrificing handling and ride comfort. Best of all, the Scorpion Verde All Season Plus II is an eco-friendly tire with lesser emissions. With prices starting at $172 each, this tire is a solid choice for an all-conquering H/T tire. Pros Whisper-quiet ride

Premium ride comfort

Sporty handling

Great over wet roads and light snow

Superior all-weather traction

Enticing price

Stylish design Cons Not much

1. Best All-Terrain Tires for Toyota FJ Cruiser

Cooper Discoverer AT3 4S

In truth, the Cooper Discoverer AT3 4S is designed and engineered for on-road and off-road driving, with particular emphasis on the off-road part of the spectrum. Surprisingly, it delivers an excellent blend of off-road grip and on-road refinement. It’s also equipped with the three-peak mountain snowflake symbol which makes it extremely capable over adverse weather and demanding road conditions. Featuring a unique Secure-Grip tread pattern with five ribs and wider lateral notches, this tire is meant to grip the pavement. It also has micro-gauge zigzag siping with saw-tooth block edges to offer superior snow traction. Starting at less than $165 each, the Cooper Discoverer AT3 4S is an excellent all-terrain tire for the Toyota FJ Cruiser. Pros Rugged looks and construction

Refined on-road manners

Ideal for severe weather and deeper snow

Comfortable and quiet ride

Outlined white letters for rugged styling Cons Not much Pirelli Scorpion All Terrain Plus

The Pirelli Scorpion All Terrain Plus is a multifaceted all-terrain tire. It has the 3PMSF symbol which gives it solid dependability over inclement weather and snowy roads. But then again, the symmetrical tread pattern with higher voids and deeper grooves offers a smoother, quieter, and more comfortable ride. The Pirelli Scorpion All Terrain Plus is equipped with independent tread blocks for better grip over loose terrain. The open shoulders and wider lateral notches are designed to quickly evacuate water, mud, and snow from the contact surface to deliver relentless grip. The Pirelli Scorpion Plus is a bit more expensive at around $200 each, but it magnifies the performance merits of the Cooper Discoverer for a bit more money. Pros Superior on-road performance

Excellent off-road capabilities

Great for snow or cold weather driving

Comfortable and silent ride

Good handling Cons Pricey but worth it BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2

The BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2 is the second-generation all-terrain tire offering outstanding all-weather traction. This is an on-road/off-road tire combining flexible ruggedness and refined on-road manners. Constructed using a racing-derived tear-resistant tread compound, this tire is touted to deliver up to double the tread life of the first-gen All-Terrain T/A KO tire from BFGoodrich. This tire is equipped with a high-void all-terrain tread pattern. Equipped with interlocking tread blocks and unique siping, it delivers relentless grip in all-season and all-weather driving. The serrated shoulder design is not only meant for show as it delivers better traction in deep snow, sand, or dirt. Also branded with the 3PMSF symbol, this tire is meant to handle the rough stuff with relative ease. Pros Rugged performance

Admirable comfort

Great for snow, mud, or sand

Relentless year-round traction

Outstanding durability Cons Louder tire roar

Expensive price Hankook Dynapro AT-M