4x4Review Off Road Magazine
At 4x4Review we are constantly testing products, writing in-depth product reviews, and telling our readers how products perform in the real world, but we don’t always tell you how the product held up months or even years later after the first review. I cases where we can keep tabs on a product through its entire life, however, we will take some time to revisit the product and let you know how it held up.
Our long-time readers may remember a few years back when we installed and tested a set of Bridgestone A/T Revo tires on a Chevrolet Z-71 4×4 pick-up. After 4 years they finally wore out. I say finally because it took over 50 thousand miles to reduce them to drag slicks. Prior to the Bridgestone’s, we were averaging 30-35k per set on this truck with rotations every 5k and a rebalance every year. Suffice to say, we are impressed! After 50k the tires were a bit louder, but the ride was still as smooth and controllable as the day we had 
them mounted.
Since our love affair with the Bridgestone’s had come to an end, we decided to test out one of its close relatives, the Firestone Destination A/T with Uni-T. Unlike the majority of the vehicles in our testing fleet, our 1996 Chevrolet Z-71 pickup is still stock, thus it received another set of 265/70R16 tires. Once the tires were mounted and balanced, the new Firestones were exceptionally quiet. They were definitely quieter than the worn out Bridgestone’s they replaced, and maybe quieter than the Bridgestone’s were when new.
The Firestone Destination A/T’s use a new 5 degree noise reduction design that produces noise cancelling sound waves to reduce the overall sound produced by the tire on all surfaces. The Destination A/T also benefits from UNI-T technology which delivers outstanding comfort and control behind the wheel while giving drivers precise handling, outstanding wear, increased fuel efficiency, reduced noise, and a smooth, quiet ride. UNI-T actually uses 3 separate technologies to improve the tire, CO•CS®, O-Bead®, and L.L. Carbon®. CO•CS® optimizes the tire shape to maximize performance, while O-Bead® improves the tires roundness and strengthens the bead area, lastly L.L. Carbon® is a reinforcing material that greatly extends the tire life.
Testing / Post Installation Comments
On road the Firestones are quiet and well controlled for an A/T tire, off road they handled everything we threw at them. While they don’t have an aggressive, open tread pattern to self clean after heavy mud use, they did perform admirably in the light goo we found for testing. In dirt and rocks the Firestones dug in well and found solid traction without excessive wheel spin.
The Verdict
If you are looking for a long lasting quiet, all terrain tire for your light truck or SUV, check out the Bridgestone A/T Revo, and the new Firestone Destination A/T. We were impressed with both tires and we think you will be too.
| Bridgestone/Firestone |
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Consumer Affairs |
