Best Tires for Snow
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Storm Runner
Member
Wrangler DuraTracs are big, beefy tires that handle snow like no other tire I've ever had. They have the snowflake on the side and are rated 10/10 for snow performance, which I can attest to.
Lolrax
New member
Blizzak DM-V1 on my 4Runner and DM-V2 on the wife's Lexus. All Terrain tires are trash on snow and ice. I don't understand why people do it!!
Now some guy is going to say "my [brand] A/T tire is amazing in the winter". I can assure you it won't even come close to a dedicated winter truck tire, not even a bit.
Now some guy is going to say "my [brand] A/T tire is amazing in the winter". I can assure you it won't even come close to a dedicated winter truck tire, not even a bit.
VT245
New member
+1
While I do run my KO2s in the winter on my 4Runner, my fiancée has blizzaks on her RX350 and hers is definitely better in the snow. I've never had a snow tire on my T4R, so these "mountain snowflake" KO2s are the best I've ever had but I'm sure I would do better with blizzaks.
Storm Runner
Member
OP asked for "big, beefy tires good in the snow". He did not ask for the best snow tires. Blizzaks are far from being big and beefy. They look like a wimpy car tire. If the OP had asked for the best tires for snow and ice, then I would have said to stick with Blizzaks. He didn't, which is why I recommended the DuraTracs. They handle great in snow, deep snow, aren't bad on ice, and are also "big, beefy tires".
With that being said, Blizzaks are a dedicated winter tire with a softer compound and tons of sipes, which allows it to get good grip in icy conditions and hard packed snow. However, in fresh powder and deep snow, the DuraTracs will be much better, due to the wide spaced lugs. Another thing to consider is that you can stud the DuraTracs for better grip in the icy conditions and hard packed snow.
I had that train of thought too. There is no "definitive" answer.
Personally, 95% of winter driving is on paved roads, where studs are not allowed, where a lot of other cars are running dedicated winters like the Blizzaks.
That makes 50%+ of other vehicles able to stop in shorter distances than my 4runner: some sedans on all seasons, every vehicle with dedicated snows.
Cost of rear ending someone? A lot, be it through insurance or out of pocket.
I ended up with a set of dedicated, rubber band snow tires, and AT's for the non-wintery months.
Lolrax
New member
This is the direction I went as well. The majority of most of our driving in winter is on pavement surfaces which could have black ice, packed snow, slush or nothing at all. The A/T tire might be good in fresh powder but I wonder how often any of us are driving in fresh powder.
A/Ts for the spring and summer, Winters for the fall and winter is the way to go.
I see a lot of Jeep drivers in my area go for the A/T in the winter and get stuck, hit the ditch, etc. because they are focused on tread design as opposed to the temperature at which their tires turn to rocks.
meRockboost
New member
Any tire is good when you run the right pressure in snow. My duratracs suck at 35 psi in snow but at 26psi they are phenomenal.
Of course no a/t tire will beat a true snow tire. But a snow tire is a one trick pony and I don't have $$$ for multiple tires and rims.
Of course no a/t tire will beat a true snow tire. But a snow tire is a one trick pony and I don't have $$$ for multiple tires and rims.
Hemoglobin
New member
I have some lt285/70/17 Cooper AT/3 for 9-10 months out of the year. Usually after the first snow I'll wait till we are supposed to start getting more and I'll swap to the Cooper M+S studded. Got new wheels and figured that was a good investment for the stockers. They will last a good long while with the amount of miles I put on them. There's a huge difference in the snow tires and A/T tires. The studs make ice covered inclines/declines cake...ish. It's overkill but I wouldn't do it any other way now that I made the jump.
BlackWorksInc
New member
Snow or ice?
My 35" Toyo Open Country R/Ts are doing pretty damn good in the snow out here. Between slush and deep fluff it chews through snow well with mild slippage in tight turns (then again I'm throwing about 5,000lbs of 4Runner and that V8 still breaks those 35's loose in slightly wet ground). But on ice, they do okay; but not as good as a dedicated winter tire.
Keep in mind that in "snow" you'll have wet, dry, slush, fluffy, ect. so something like a R/T or an M/T with some siping will probably chew through the snow pretty well. But on icier roads they may not handle much better than good all-season tires and a dedicated winter tire (possibly with studs) will work far better.
My 35" Toyo Open Country R/Ts are doing pretty damn good in the snow out here. Between slush and deep fluff it chews through snow well with mild slippage in tight turns (then again I'm throwing about 5,000lbs of 4Runner and that V8 still breaks those 35's loose in slightly wet ground). But on ice, they do okay; but not as good as a dedicated winter tire.
Keep in mind that in "snow" you'll have wet, dry, slush, fluffy, ect. so something like a R/T or an M/T with some siping will probably chew through the snow pretty well. But on icier roads they may not handle much better than good all-season tires and a dedicated winter tire (possibly with studs) will work far better.
hikenbike
New member
I know OP asked for "big, beefy tires" but they should ask themself what their winter driving is really going to be like, particularly if this is a dedicated set of tires for the winter. Here in northern New England we get a fair amount of snow but it's actually relatively rare to be driving in deep powder.... maybe a few times a year. Generally if you are driving during a storm there is at most a few inches of snow, and otherwise it's ice / packed snow / clear pavement. An A/T tire (even with the B.S. "snowflake" rating) is not the right choice.
I'll agree with this. I had BFG ATs, Pro Comp ATs, Nitto Terra Grapplers, Toyo Open Country AT2s, and the DuraTracs on my leveled '05 Z71 Avalanche. The DuraTracs were far and beyond the best in the snow. Not even a comparison, they went through the stuff in 2WD that the others needed 4WD for.
Hemoglobin
New member
This was my reason for the studded tires. Yes, it's overkill in Knoxville Tennessee(and Nashville as far as I have noticed from 3 years driving to the regional HQ). That said the way we get snow is the following: We get a snow. They blow their first salt/brine load here. Then we get another one that's 1/2" - 2"... the second wad blows here. Then when we get 6-8" and they are screaming, "we are out of road salt etc." and the only thing half way cleared are the parts of the interstate within larger city limits.
SO I actually drive on packed snow/ice for days on end when we do get that one big snow, and this has been the way it's worked since I was a friggin kid.
If I just drove on fluffy powder I wouldn't bother.
chris in ky
New member
I've had several snow and A/T tires over the years, various 4wd vehicles.
The Blizzaks are fantastic on ice and snow, hands down. Tread stays soft in the cold and the compound is filled with microbubbles, acting like a sponge which removes the thin layer of water formed on ice. That being said, once the snow melts and water is on the road, they turn into the worst tire I ever tried, sliding right through a wet intersection. They were only invented because many states don't allow studded tires, hence he 'studless' label.
For deeper snow, you don't want a 'big beefy tire', rather a 'pizza cutter' profile works best. I was one of a handful of trucks still on the road when a 30" snow hit MD a while back, using some cheap Winterforce skinnys. They dug down to the hardpack underneath.
The Blizzaks are fantastic on ice and snow, hands down. Tread stays soft in the cold and the compound is filled with microbubbles, acting like a sponge which removes the thin layer of water formed on ice. That being said, once the snow melts and water is on the road, they turn into the worst tire I ever tried, sliding right through a wet intersection. They were only invented because many states don't allow studded tires, hence he 'studless' label.
For deeper snow, you don't want a 'big beefy tire', rather a 'pizza cutter' profile works best. I was one of a handful of trucks still on the road when a 30" snow hit MD a while back, using some cheap Winterforce skinnys. They dug down to the hardpack underneath.
wallytoo
Member
there is no best tire. suitability will depend on driving style, road surface, speed, temperatures, etc.
a true winter tire provides the best all around winter driving performance, by far. blizzak, hakkapeliitta, hankook, etc. i run hankook, hakkas on my fwd cars.
on my 4r, i run cooper LT discoverer s/t, and this will be the fourth winter on this set. still have well over half tread remaining. they have worked very well in a variety of winter weather conditions here in north central new england, and they work pretty well in muddy spring driving on dirt roads. they are not as good in snow and ice as the hakka/blizzak/hankook snows, but they are superior to those on muddy surfaces, along with providing decent winter driving capability and good tread wear.
wally
a true winter tire provides the best all around winter driving performance, by far. blizzak, hakkapeliitta, hankook, etc. i run hankook, hakkas on my fwd cars.
on my 4r, i run cooper LT discoverer s/t, and this will be the fourth winter on this set. still have well over half tread remaining. they have worked very well in a variety of winter weather conditions here in north central new england, and they work pretty well in muddy spring driving on dirt roads. they are not as good in snow and ice as the hakka/blizzak/hankook snows, but they are superior to those on muddy surfaces, along with providing decent winter driving capability and good tread wear.
wally
