Tires for winter

[rando]

I have X-ice on a Prius and they work remarkably well - not sure if they come in many LT sizes though. For my previous Tacoma I had Blizzacks, that do come in LT sizes and higher load ratings. At least for slick rock stuff (Utah) the Blizzacks actually worked better than the BFGs, probably due to their super soft and sticky rubber. This probably wasn't good for their longevity, but I still got 7 winters out of them and sold them with tread left when I sold the truck. I never really tried them in mud, but my guess is that they would not have worked so well.

 

[trikebubble]

So the new cat is "All Weather" which is different than "All Season". Most All Weather tires are sipped and rated with the snowflake/mountain peak but don't have as many sips (e.g. BFG KO) and lack the rubber compound that remains soft in the cold. Thus Winter tires lack aggressive tread to allow for more sips and have the winter rubber compound. This means that for offroad adventures in the spring, summer, fall they won't work well and of course will wear faster. I think the biggest drawback of the All Weather is the rubber compound though and that compound is not available in All Weather tires.

Given all of this, I guess I'll have to hunt for rims and get some winter tires.

Mich X-Ice seems to be holding it's top spot for years. This the best for trucks though?

The Avalanche Xtreme studded tires have been very good for me in the winter. Multiple trips through Manning Park, and up to Apex Mtn here in Penticton almost every other week to go snowshoeing, and they hold the road like glue.

I bought the mat my local Excel Tire Center. I had the Goodyear Ultra Ice WRT studded on my old Xterra and they were equally good.

 

[Bigfoot]

In the past I ran two sets of tires, summer and winter, which was a pain because of switching and storage but there were few good options. In the last decade tire technology has advanced and there are more all-season, snowflake-rated tires in truck sizes. I have used both the Nokian Rotiiva AT and the BFGoodrich KO2 on Ram pickups. They both worked and wore well including in icy and snowy conditions. Sure is nice not having to wrestle with those heavy tires twice a year. Choice of brand depends somewhat on size and availability.

 

[Jeromelo]

I live two miles up on a dirt road with 1000' of elevation in the mountains of Utah. For this reason I run studded snow tires in the winter. In your circumstance where winter riding will be occasional I'd run the Duratracs with a set of cables if and when you might need them. I've had both the BFG and the Goodyears...both good tires...Duratracs considerable difference in all winter conditions.

 

[thewwkayaker]

Are e-rated tires necessary for winter driving with the FWC? Unless you go offroad in the winter a lot (difficult in the winter) how likely would a tire fail from hwy winter driving (and maybe some limited snow FSR)?

Just thinking out loud here. More options for non-e rated winter tires.

Studs don't work well on dry and wet roads without snow (and for the coast here that's what we start from - wet roads, pounding rain, then slowly as we climb up a pass it changes to wet snow then just snow and gets colder as we climb, then reverse on return). If you live in all snowy terrain then studs can make sense.

Without the softer rubber compound are KOs and Duratracs as good on ice as dedicated winter tires? From my readings they aren't but others might have different experiences.

 

[rando]

Whether E-Rated tires are necessary or not depends on your vehicle weight - what camper and truck do you have?

Agreed that studs significantly reduce tire performance on dry or wet roads, particularly on concrete roads. Also, for most conditions studless winter tires outperform studded tires (see https://blog.tirerack.com/blog/docs-advice-on-tires/do-i-need-a-studded-winter-tire-or-is-studless-the-way-to-go-we-can-tell-you ). Given this, I don't really think studded tires are the way to go.

I mentioned my experience before - dedicated winter tires definitely outperform at least KOs, but most likely also Duratracs. It is not just the tire compound, it is also the tread design. Winter tires have a tremendous number of sipes compared to AT tires.

 

[Ace!]

As Rando said, the E rated is related to the weight. You want that for hauling a camper.

The none of the tires offered will be as good on ice as a dedicated winter tire with a winter compound. They usually have a temperature rating as part of the warranty and will show considerably more wear in temperatures over 40-degrees F or so. The tread compound is such that it stays softer in colder weather than a non-winter tire. That's the trade-off. Winter tires wear faster due to the softer tread compound and non-winter tires do not grip as well in freezing temperatures.

 

[Jeromelo]

All of the above info on studded tires are accurate. If I didn't have to climb a mountain everyday in the winter I'd stick with standard winter tires. I use them so I don't have to throw chains on when hard pack roads get icy, especially in early/late winter when it rains on the hardpack...two miles of ice skating ring.