Summit Trail Climber HT03 vs National Commando HTS tires

Founded in 1974, Summit is a tire brand owned by Tire Alliance Group and offers solid tires utilizing advanced technologies and new-age features. In the US, it offers tires in sizes that cover 90% of the passenger vehicle replacement market. The portfolio of Summit tires aims to fulfill the replacement needs of passenger cars, CUVs, SUVs, light trucks, farm applications, commercial vehicles, and trailers. The variety of tires offered by Summit includes all-season, UHP all-season, rugged-terrain, all-weather, all-terrain, and performance.

National, on the other hand, is a private label tire manufacturer founded in 1935 that produces high-quality tires for use on passenger cars, light trucks, SUVs, and trailers. It primarily offers all-season and all-terrain types of tires in the US, keeping in mind the needs of drivers who focus on affordability and value.

Coming from these two tire makers, the Summit Trail Climber HT03 and the National Commando HTS are capable highway-terrain all-season tires suitable for use on light trucks, SUVs, and CUVs. Both tires are optimized for quieter rides, good handling, enhanced ride comfort, and year-round service. The design and construction of these tires also offer lasting and heavy-duty use, assuring maximized value.

For your daily driving, load carrying, and highway hauling needs, if you need one of the two tires, do read this Trail Climber HT03 vs Commando HTS tires comparison till the end, and know which one is better and secures higher ratings in areas like traction, handling, and longevity, based on our SimpleScore tire rating system.

Summit Trail Climber HT03 tires

First, let’s talk a bit about the Summit Trail Climber HT03, which was introduced in 2017. This tire features a computer-tuned tread pattern for strong year-round traction and grip in dry, wet, and light winter conditions. Its all-season rubber compound also promotes a great driving experience in all seasons. Summit has also optimized this tire for responsive handling and braking, while the pattern design promotes smooth and quieter rides, longer service, solid durability, and hydroplaning resistance. Additionally, it also comes with tread life warranties in both LT and P-metric sizes, ensuring a great return on investment.

Thanks to decent tread life, good handling, and impressive traction, the Summit Trail Climber HT03 is rated an overall SimpleScore of 8.2 out of 10.

Get Summit Trail Climber HT03 tires at the best deals for your vehicle here

National Commando HTS tires

The National Commando HTS, our other value-offering champ, also boasts all the characteristics of a good highway-terrain all-season tire. It is good for use on SUVs, pickup trucks, and CUVs, comes with a decent tread life warranty, and focuses on offering pleasant ride quality, strong year-round traction, and long-lasting service.

Overall, the Commando HTS scores an 8.2 SimpleScore, thanks to its excellent handling, long-lasting tread life, and good traction.

Get National Commando HTS tires at the best deals for your vehicle here

Summit Trail Climber HT03 vs National Commando HTS tires on traction

Let’s analyze the traction performances of these tires to learn how good they are when it comes to gripping the roads or highways. We found that one of these tires excelled by a small margin. Read on!

Commencing with the Trail Climber HT03, the tire earns a great 8.0 SimpleScore in traction, assuring maximum surefootedness in dry, wet, and light snow weather. Thanks to its multiple 3D sipes, which boost traction year-round, the wide circumferential grooves improve water channelling for better grip and traction in wet conditions, and also prevent hydroplaning. Similarly, the flat contact patch of the Trail Climber HT03 helps in increasing surface grip by bringing a large tread portion in contact with the road. Additionally, the rubber compound of the Trail Climber HT03 also boosts traction and grip in all seasons.

On the other hand, the Commando HTS is rated a 7.7 SimpleScore in traction, ensuring good grip in rain, shine, and mild snow conditions. To boost wet grip and resist hydroplaning, this tire features four wide circumferential grooves, and the multiple sipes ensure increased grip in wet and light snow conditions. The sharper tread block edges also enhance traction and grip year-round. The overall pattern design and rubber compound of the Commando HTS additionally contribute to improved traction and grip.

No doubt, the Commando HTS is good in traction and grip, but it is the Trail Climber HT03 that excels with a higher rating and stands as a better choice here.

ADVANTAGE: Summit Trail Climber HT03

Summit Trail Climber HT03 vs National Commando HTS tires on handling

In the handling comparison here, we will find out which of the two tires is better in areas like steering response, stability, braking, ride control, and cornering.

Starting with the Trail Climber HT03, the tire earns an 8.0 SimpleScore in handling and features void angles and lateral groove tie bars for consistent airflow and better stability. Its tread design is engineered for improved braking performance, while the wide and flat contact patch ensures better ride control and stability. There are solid shoulder blocks that can withstand cornering pressures to provide great confidence while taking turns, and the ribs at the centre additionally improve lane-changing and cornering.

Contrarily, the Commando HTS earns a 7.8 in handling, offering decent steering response and an admirable overall controllability. Like its peer, it features multiple sipes for strong braking and grip, whereas the presence of grooves forces water and slush away from the contact patch for increased handling response and seamless maneuvering. The ribs take responsibility for ride balance and lane-changing to offer great overall control on both roads as well as highways.

In the handling battle too, we see that the Trail Climber HT03 beats the Commando HTS by a small margin, leading with a 2-0.

ADVANTAGE: Summit Trail Climber HT03

Summit Trail Climber HT03 vs National Commando HTS tires on longevity

The value-offering tires need to be good not only in terms of performance but also in terms of longevity. So, here in this section, let’s find out which tire is better at resisting wear and lasts longer. Sneak peek, the comparison got interesting here! Read on further to know the details.

The Trail Climber HT03 earned a great 8.7 SimpleScore rating, proving its remarkable ability to offer a good number of miles during its lifetime. It also comes with 60,000 mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty for the P-metric sizes and 50,000 mile tread life warranty for the LT sizes. These higher warranties denote the tire’s ability to offer lasting service. Likewise, the reinforced casing and solid durability resist the wear rate and ensure better load-carrying capacity.

Comparatively, the Commando HTS scored a 9.3 SimpleScore in longevity, proving its excellent lasting ability. It also comes with an excellent 65,000 mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty to prove its long-lasting service. Likewise, the tire’s contact patch is also optimized for a slow wear rate and even pressure distribution, both resulting in long-lasting use. The inner construction of the tire is also reinforced well to offer extended performance.

Here, as we see, the National tire scored way better than the Summit tire, taking the lead in longevity. It sums up the three key aspects of comparison by a 2-1!

ADVANTAGE: National Commando HTS

When to use each

Both tires can be used on light trucks, SUVs, and CUVs, and feature an all-season tread pattern and compound for consistent traction and use in dry, wet, and mild winter weather. Both tires are also engineered and constructed to serve on paved urban roads or highways, or tow and haul loads. If you are looking for a tire that serves, aforementioned purposes, definitely choose your best bet out of the two, however, if you live in a region that witnesses fall for over 6 months in a year, or in an area where the temperature typically remains below 45 degrees Fahrenheit, then consider a set of all-weather or winter tires as they are Three Peak Mountain Snowflake certified. It is to be noted that none of the compared tires are suitable for off-road driving purposes.

Talking about the sizes, the Trail Climber HT03 is available in 15- to 22-inch rim options, whereas the Commando HTS is offered in 16- to 20-inch rim choices.

Which one should you choose?

As there was a tie in overall SimpleScores of both tires (8.2 vs 8.2), they both tend to be equally good; however, their strengths differ based on their utilities for buyers. Therefore, your decision to buy one of these tires should be based on your driving preferences and budget.

Talking about the prices, the Trail Climber HT03 is available at a starting price of at least $85 per tire, while the Comando HTS is available at a starting price of at least $103 per tire. This means that a set of four Trail Climber tires will cost you at least $340, while a set of four Commando HTS tires will cost you at least $412.

Looking at SimpleScore data, you should consider the Trail Climber HT03 if you:

• Drive a vehicle like Land Rover Defender, the RAM 3500, or Ford F-250.
• Want a tire that’s better in traction (8.0 vs 7.7).
• Want a tire that’s better in handling (8.0 vs 7.8).
• Want a tire that’s backed by an up to 60,000 mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty (based on tire LT and P-metric sizes).
• Want an affordable tire that excels in traction and handling.
• Want a set of tires in the rim size range of 15- to 22-inch.

On the other hand, you should choose the Commando HTS if you:

• Drive a vehicle like the Cadillac XT5, Chevrolet Silverado 1500, or Nissan Titan.
• Want a tire that’s better in longevity (9.3 vs 8.7).
• Want a tire that’s covered by an excellent 65,000 mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty for all sizes.
• Can pay more to buy a long-lasting tire.
• Want a tire suitable for use on vehicles with 16- to 20-inch rims.

Still not sure which tire to buy? Fortunately, SimpleTire is here to help, as our helpful agents are more than happy to assist you in selecting the right tire for your ride and budget.