SUVs and truck drivers haven’t had a lot of cheap tire choices without significant compromises on performance and comfort. However, manufacturers like Patriot are set to change that by undercutting the market with cheaper alternatives like the Patriot H/T.
Most modern SUVs and trucks never see a day of off-roading. Elevated vehicles stay on paved surfaces for most of their lifespan, and the tire industry has evolved around that customer behavior. While truck and SUV drivers have lots of highway tires to choose from, it’s hard to beat the price of the Patriot H/T.
But let’s be honest, the budget all-season highway truck tires like the Patriot H/T won’t perform as well as premium alternatives. However, it’s all about the value you get for your money.
If you’re an average truck driver using your vehicle to get from point A to point B, you might get away with spending half as much on your tires with minimal compromises on performance. Let’s see if that theory holds up in the real world as we review the Patriot H/T in dry, wet, snowy, and off-road scenarios.
On-Road Performance
Dry pavement is the natural habitat of the Patriot H/T. That might be odd to hear since it’s meant for elevated vehicles like SUVs, trucks, and crossovers, but the entire highway tire category is meant for vehicles that stay on the road despite their strong off-road capabilities.
The tire provides a thoroughly safe and reliable driving experience. It feels highly responsive to your steering inputs and remains stable even at highway speeds. You also get grippy cornering and lots of traction to work with on dry tarmac. Braking distances aren’t as impressive as premium offerings from brands like Michelin, but they’re short enough.
Wet Performance
On damp roads, the Patriot H/T outperforms most of its category’s competitors within the budget price bracket. As long as you drive safe, you’ll have sufficient braking performance, traction, and stability at all times.
You won’t have to make too many steering corrections as you drive through puddles either, thanks to its effective hydroplaning resistance.
Winter Performance
The Patriot H/T is an all-season tire and can handle light snow, but you wouldn’t want these under your vehicle in extreme winter conditions.
Like most other all-season highway tires, the H/T’s performance and reliability goes down as the weather gets worse. If you live in northern areas or get thick snow and icy roads where you live, there’s no way around getting a set of winter tires for those months.
Off-Road Capabilities
The Patriot H/T might be meant for SUVs and trucks, but it’s not for offroading. Sure, it’ll get you out of a rough patch in an emergency, that’s where its off-road capabilties end. The tread isn’t hard enough to withstand hardpacked surfaces, and you won’t find much traction on muddy tracks either.
Ride Quality
Being a highway tire, the Patriot H/T provides quite a smooth ride. You’d be surprised at how plush the tire feels even at highway speeds despite its affordable price. The ride isn’t going to be completely silent when you’re going fast, but it’s quiet enough. The H/T gets a pass on ride quality!
Conclusion
If you never take your truck or SUV offroading and don’t get extreme winters where you live, it’s hard not to recommend the Patriot H/T. Since it gets all the basics right and comes at a dramatically lower cost than its premium counterparts, you really can’t go wrong with the Patriot H/T.