Words & Photos: Adventure Rigs Staff
We were recently invited on an exclusive driving experience with the new Yokohama Geolandar X-AT, which is the seventh model in the Geolandar family of adventure tires making it one of the most diverse lineups in the industry. It’s also the third in the Geolandar X-series line of “in-between” and “extreme” offerings, according to Fardad Niknam, Yokohama’s Senior Director of Marketing and Planning. The other two are the X-CV for luxury sport crossovers and their flagship off-road, rock-crawling X-MT mud terrain.
The Yokohama Geolandar X-AT tire offers exceptional durability, thanks to its innovative GEO-SHIELD technology, which enhances puncture resistance. This is achieved by incorporating multiple sidewall piles, a high-turn-up carcass, and a full nylon cap, all while keeping the tire lighter than many competitors. These features combine to provide impressive resistance to punctures, extending the tire’s lifespan and reliability in challenging terrains.
For long-lasting tread life, the X-AT employs Yokohama’s high-density HD2 compound, which consists of a special triple-polymer blend designed for consistent, long wear while also offering exceptional cut- and chip-resistance. An elliptical contact area ensures a balanced performance between off-road traction and even tread wear, while enhancing durability. The tire is backed by an impressive 45,000-mile limited treadwear warranty, along with a 30-day money-back guarantee, giving drivers peace of mind.
Ride comfort and low road noise are also key features of the X-AT, as its zig-zag grooves interrupt airflow, limiting unwanted sound. The tread design, with staggered five-block sequences, further reduces pattern and road noise for a smoother driving experience.
Off-road traction is maximized with large, aggressive shoulder blocks of varied lengths, creating a biting edge that improves mud and stone ejection. Angular offset center block clusters enhance grip and strength, while sipes and narrow grooves on each tread block offer reliable traction on wet, snow-covered, or slick rock surfaces.
The X-AT also boasts load-range F sizes for heavy carrying capacities and a dual sidewall design, with Mesa and Summit options, allowing vehicle owners to customize their look. With 27 initial size offerings, ranging from 15″ to 22″ diameters and up to 37″ in height, the Geolandar X-AT will be available starting July 1st, 2019, making it a versatile and high-performance choice for any off-road enthusiast.
The varying terrain outside of the Las Vegas city limits in the Mojave Desert was our test track and who better to trail boss the course than the owner of The Mint 400, Matt Martelli. Matt lead our caravan of Ford Raptors and a Jeep JL south of the city where we were able to sample the X-ATs on-road manners. Quiet is an understatement, granted the tires were new and we were in a new Ford Raptor.
Nothing scientific was done to audibly test road noise other than shutting off the radio, and eventually lowering the windows to see if we could detect anything. The subtle notes from the exhaust drowned out anything we could hear from the tires – they were that quiet.
After about 10 miles, we made it off-pavement to test its capabilities through varying terrain of fire roads, rocky washes, sand and silt as well as through slow and technical portions of the The Mint 400 course, where the X-ATs footing would be challenged. Midway through the drive, we were lucky enough to do a few high-speed passes through an empty Jean Dry Lake bed. Unsurprisingly, the X-ATs performed as expected and traction was never in question and inspired confidence through sketchy situations.
As consumer demand continues to grow for an off-road tire that performs better than an all-terrain, and almost as good as mud-terrain, the Geolandar X-AT fulfills that void. The extreme all-terrain tire redefines the term rugged, offering pickup trucks, Jeeps, and SUV owners a tire with excellent off-road performance that doesn’t sacrifice on-road comfort, making it a great performance upgrade for dual purpose weekly work vehicles and weekend adventure rigs.
