Best Tires for Snow

[Hitman]

An A/T tire (even with the B.S. "snowflake" rating) is not the right choice.

There's nothing BS about the snowflake rating on tires. It's objective, not subjective and it's a proven fact that the rating provides better snow performance than all-season tires. Of course a dedicated snow tire would be the better choice for snow, but that's not the discussion here.

 

[atalarico]

If you want a dedicated snow tire, the Blizzaks are amazing. I have the WS80's on my 2016 Golf R (AWD) and it is just planted at highway speeds in adverse conditions (and stops when you need them to). I really think if you only have one vehicle in the winter, and you have to drive on snow packed roads, then a set of dedicated winter tires are worth every penny.

That said, I have Duratracs on my 4Runner, and they do OK for an A/T tire. My only other A/T tire experience was Geolander A/T-S, but I like the Duratracs better. As it's been said, you have to keep them inflated lower in the snow though, and I've had some scary instances with them when they were inflated above 30psi in the winter.

I honestly prefer my Golf R in anything but deep snow, but it's apples and oranges really.

 

[vjack]

There's nothing BS about the snowflake rating on tires. It's objective, not subjective and it's a proven fact that the rating provides better snow performance than all-season tires. Of course a dedicated snow tire would be the better choice for snow, but that's not the discussion here.

I called it "B.S" because even though it is an objective measurement, it only requires the tires to perform *slightly* better than a reference tire, I think it's 7% or 10% more grip on snow. Some "all season" tires even have the snowflake rating.

It really just doesn't mean that much. Check out this test of various tires in snow on an F-150 and you'll see that the "snowflake" KO2 performed about the same as stock all-seasons. (That test was done on packed snow, which IMO is a good test for typical winter driving. Deep powder is a different story.)

 

[Storm Runner]

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.

You can get skinny DuraTracs and they will still look big and beefy, due to their aggressive tread and sidewalls. With that being said, I had a H3 with 35's that were over a foot wide and I had no problems getting around in any of the snow storms we had here in the midwest during the 6 years that I had it.

 

[WaldoOneFive]

I picked up the Cooper Discoverer AT3 and love them. I cruised through 10-12 inches of snow during a storm on saturday without hesitation. What I like most is they are rugged, but are still great for going 75-80 on my daily highway commute with no noise.

Elan, those look nice! Did you get them locally? I am on the Cape, and looking for a good place in MA for tires at a good price.

 

[UnderFire]

I like the BFG ATs over the other tires I've tried, including Toyo MTs, Cooper AT3s, Duratracs and the original Toyo ATs.

 

[jwatson]

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.

Thanks!

 

[jwatson]

I like the BFG ATs over the other tires I've tried, including Toyo MTs, Cooper AT3s, Duratracs and the original Toyo ATs.

I've heard a lot about the BFG's, leaning toward those I think. Thanks!

 

[jwatson]

Thanks for all the responses!

 

[WaldoOneFive]

I've heard a lot about the BFG's, leaning toward those I think. Thanks!

Are you guys referring to the original BFG AT's or the new KO2's?

 

[UnderFire]

Are you guys referring to the original BFG AT's or the new KO2's?

Mine are the original style, but the KO2's look even better, similar design with slightly softer compound and a bit more siping should give you even more bite on ice and snow.

 

[Pedals303]

New Cooper Discoverer M+S. $106 at discount tire. So far great on snow, ice and slush. Very grippy.

 

[4Regrets]

I was very impressed with the KO2's on all but the most hardpacked snow and ice. I think they actually perform better than the DM-V2's in slush and deeper snow, but I think the all around winter drive ability of the Blizzaks is superior.


They are SL-rated, but I don't offroad in the winter, and the cost is reasonable. The DM-V2's did require a lot of weight to balance though.

 

[Rock_Rat]

I ran the Nitto Trail Grappler's this summer during a "primarily" off road trip for a week and put my Toyo A/T's (ran them last year in the winter) back on when I returned. In preparation for winter, I swapped the wheel/tires again and have been running the Grappler's since November. I absolutely love them!

I've owned my rig since new and have lived where I do for just about the same amount of years. I live on one hellacious friggin road in the winter, and I've ran many different tires on my rig. This is the FIRST year I have not needed to put chains on. Even with the ice we've had. That actually says a lot about this tire. These tires have made the world of difference in my driving experience this winter. So confident in their ability.

Unfortunately, because this is SW Wa,/PDX, after tomorrow's fiasco (expecting freezing rain) we'll probably only see rain from here on out...(insert sad face). I'm sold on the Nitto's. Love em.

Funny thing happened this AM on my way to work. Watched a guy right in front of me in a Mariner do a 360* on the ice while making a right hand turn. I just slowly stopped and watched him correct himself.




Hey [MENTION=152144]Pedals303[/MENTION] resize your pics man, I'm running dual monitors and you just knocked my speakers off the desk.

 

[LandCruiser]

Blizzak DM-V1's.

Do they still make those?

 

[4Regrets]

Blizzak DM-V1's.

Do they still make those?

I think they are still around, but I believe it's a phased replacement with the DM-V2. It's been several seasons since I've run Blizzaks on a vehicle, and these seem to handle and brake better on wet pavement than my previous set.

 

[Lolrax]

Blizzak DM-V1's.

Do they still make those?

Yep, they are DM-V2 now though. Have some on my wife's GX and they are fantastic. All of my complaints about DM-V1 were addressed like the soft sidewall and questionable wet road performance.

 

[NVAGVUP]

Looking for some big, beefy tires good in the snow. What ones do you guys have?

I have owned '99 and 2002 Gen 3 now for last 18 years in Maine and mountains in VT, NH.

I swear by Firestone Winterforce UV STUDDED from Tire Rack. good pricing and I get 2 great winters and a 3rd okay winter out of them. 12,000 to 18,000 miles on them total.

I mount on older Tundra alloy wheels. great on Ice and snow. I will not drive in winter up here without the studs due to frequent black ice.

 

[jwatson]

Thanks. I've seen those, look like great tires.

 

[jwatson]

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.

That's a good point. I live in Western New York so it's quite common to drive in deep powder not only because of snowfall but because of drifts. Thanks for the tip!