Everyone who drives a light truck, Jeep, SUV, or crossover that’s equipped with four-wheel-drive (4WD) or all-wheel-drive (AWD) knows that the most reliable way to get the most out of your vehicle’s potential for traction and control is with a quality set of all-terrain tires. In any kind of conditions worse than light snow, all-season tires or highway-terrain tires are just not going to be able to provide the kind of performance you need and are likely to leave you stuck someplace.

The good news is this: the current generation of all-terrain tires has come a long way from the designs of a few decades ago when all-terrains still tended to be rough, noisy, and cumbersome on the pavement. Today’s all-terrain tires are a lot more civilized, with a great balance of road manners, ride quality, and handling on the highway along with durable and dependable performance in difficult off-road conditions. The other good news is that all-terrain tires are now available at every conceivable price point, from pricey premium brand tires to affordable all-terrain from less well-known brands. In the case of the Ridgetrak A/T II from Rovelo, this is a tire that comes in at a surprisingly affordable price but offers features and value that easily match what’s available from tires that cost much, much more. Let’s get in and get a closer look at what this tire has to offer with this Rovelo Ridgetrak A/T II tire review:

Features and Benefits

There’s a lot to like about the Rovelo Ridgetrak A/T II; here are some of the great design features and innovations that make this tire an excellent value and a standout performer in the world of all-terrain tires:

• The silica-enhanced tread compound is engineered for great wear properties, damage resistance, and excellent grip on wet or dry pavement
• Aggressive all-terrain tread with a staggered lug pattern and altered shoulder tread blocks
• Three Peak Mountain Snowflake certified for severe winter service
• Wide grooves are designed to easily shed mud, gravel, and debris from the tread, protecting the casing against damage and making sure there’s always a clear section of the tread to dig in as the wheel turns
• The wide contact patch is optimized to put the most rubber in contact with the road for even weight distribution, better wear properties, traction, braking, and control
• Tread pitch is tuned for low noise using Finite Element Analysis software, reducing resonance effect and overtones
• Best-in-class 80,000 mile limited manufacturer’s tread life warranty
• Grip in wet or wintry conditions gets a boost from a strategically placed network of sipes, hundreds of hair-thin edges that multiply the tread’s surface area and traction by chewing and slicing through snow and slush
• Internal construction includes a polyester casing with a high-tensile steel belt package and nylon cap ply for added stability

Pros and Cons

PROS:

• Three Peak Mountain Snowflake certification for severe winter service
• Durable construction and tread formulation
• Low noise and a forgiving ride on pavement
• Very generous limited manufacturer’s tread life warranty

CONS:

• It can be noisier on some pavement surfaces
• Not good in deeper, heavier mud
• It is not advisable for aired-down rock-crawling

SimpleTire’s view on Rovelo Ridgetrak A/T II tires

Are you familiar with SimpleScore? SimpleScore is the proprietary rating system that was developed by the SimpleTire team to give you an easy overview of any tire’s strengths and weaknesses. We look at the tire’s technical details, manufacturer’s information, specs, customer reviews, and other data points, and then we process all that to a 1-10 numerical score for the categories of traction, handling, and durability, along with an overall average SimpleScore number. For the Rovelo Ridgetrak A/T II, the SimpleScore ratings break down this way:

Rovelo Ridgetrak A/T II:

• Traction: 7.7
• Handling: 7.9
• Longevity: 7.8
• Overall average SimpleScore: 7.6

Those are all some pretty respectable SimpleScore numbers, and they look even better when you bear in mind that SimpleTire’s price on the Rovelo Ridgetrak A/T II runs from $106.99 to $215.99 per tire, depending on tire size.

The Rovelo Ridgetrak A/T II is engineered starting from scratch, with a next-generation tread compound that provides excellent resistance to cuts, punctures, and abrasions as well as great wear properties and enhanced wet or dry traction. The staggered center rib and tread blocks give the Rovelo solid straight-line tracking as well as dependable grip and control in difficult terrain and tough off-road conditions.

Ride quality is surprisingly refined with this tire, although it can feel a little firmer on irregular pavement surfaces. Steering response is quick and accurate, with straight-line stability at highway speed that’s confident and secure, with little wander or need for constant tweaks and correction. In the corners or on curvy roads and onramps, the Rovelo Ridgetrak II exhibits few vices; its handling is neutral and precise, with little evidence of understeer. Even on broken and rough pavement surfaces, the Ridgetrak A/TII stays composed with easy control and no tendency toward jittery handling and road-holding.

The Three Peak Mountain Snowflake certification is a real plus for this tire, and its durable, damage-resistant tread compound is designed to remain flexible for consistent grip even in subfreezing weather. An 80,000 mile limited manufacturer’s tread life warranty for a tire at this price range was unheard of at one time and is another strong point that makes the Ridgetrak A/T II an excellent value. All in all, it’s our take that the Rovelo Ridgetrak II is a great deal on an all-terrain tire that offers both capable performance and durability off the pavement, along with civilized and composed ride, handling, and roadability on the highway.

Vehicles the Rovelo Ridgetrak A/T II is a good replacement tire for

While the Rovelo Ridgetrak A/T II isn’t featured as OEM on any vehicles, it would make a great aftermarket replacement tire on light trucks and SUVs such as:

• Ford Explorer
• Ford Escape
• Ford Freestyle
• Jeep Wrangler
• Jeep Grand Cherokee
• Ford Bronco
• Ford Ranger
• Ford Maverick
• Ford Expedition
• Jeep Compass
• Chevrolet Traverse
• Buick Rainier
• Nissan Murano
• Nissan Pathfinder
• Toyota RAV4
• Toyota 4Runner
• Honda CR-V
• Honda Ridgeline
• Honda Pilot
• Chevrolet Trailblazer
• Chevrolet Equinox
• GMC Acadian
• Dodge Durango
• RAM 1500
• Chevrolet Tahoe
• GMC Yukon
• Kia Sorento
• Kia Telluride
• Kia Sportage
• Hyundai Santa Fe
• Hyundai Tucson
• Hyundai Palisade
• Hyundai Santa Cruz
• Volkswagen Tiguan
• Volkswagen Atlas
• Volkswagen Taos
• Mazda CX-5
• Mazda CX-3
• Mazda CX-9
• Mazda CX-50