Silent Armor's, very poor on ice!

[Rob_G]

I just had these installed a week ago and last night we had a big dump of wet snow that froze. On slick ice the braking traction is absolutely awful to the point of being scary. Now it may just be that conditions were bad enough that no tire except something made specifically for ice is going to have any bite. However I also noticed that the wet traction (rain several days ago) had my ABS kicking in a few times which never happened with the stock Duelers. In snow, wet snow, gravel and dry conditions the tires have been fairly good so far.

I wasn't expecting a 'miracle on ice', but did not think they would be this bad either. Going to work today, I slid through the first intersection I came to and the truck felt really 'unsteady' driving down an icy road.

Last but not least, the trip computer is showing about a %10 decrease in fuel economy with these tires compared to the stock duelers.

Rob

 

[SeattleMike]

I've never heard of a "good" ice tire that wasn't covered in spikes. Which is one of the reason I chose the Duratracs over the Silent Armor; "Pinned For #16 Metal Studs For Enhanced Traction In Winter Driving Conditions".

 

[borgzman]

Ah.. its only a week since installed, I believe new rubber needs break-in time. It feels that it stick to the floor better after miles of driving. I also read that new tires are coated with chemicals so as not to deform. Hope it will improve when stretched a bit.

If its feels unsafe for your daily driving, its not really worth to pretend they are ok... when long winter months is coming. You can sell it while new and forget the $$ spent for safety.

Fortera Triple Tread could be better..

 

[JB.]

I just had these installed a week ago and last night we had a big dump of wet snow that froze. On slick ice the braking traction is absolutely awful to the point of being scary. Now it may just be that conditions were bad enough that no tire except something made specifically for ice is going to have any bite. However I also noticed that the wet traction (rain several days ago) had my ABS kicking in a few times which never happened with the stock Duelers. In snow, wet snow, gravel and dry conditions the tires have been fairly good so far.

I wasn't expecting a 'miracle on ice', but did not think they would be this bad either. Going to work today, I slid through the first intersection I came to and the truck felt really 'unsteady' driving down an icy road.

Last but not least, the trip computer is showing about a %10 decrease in fuel economy with these tires compared to the stock duelers.

Rob

The snowflake on an A/T is good as far as it goes but it's only a specific snow test and is no replacement for a dedicated winter tire.

The new tread will kill fuel economy out of proportion for the first couple of months.

 

[Rob_G]

Lots of accidents in the past 24 hours here due to nasty weather conditions. The roads in my area of town seem especially icy and the transcanada highway is closed heading east. There's a moderate amount of snow in the back lane where I park and my 4R handled it really well with the SA's. With how icy some roads are, I think (as mentioned above) only studs are going to have any stick.

This storm system is HUGE and is walloping areas of Canada and the US

Rob

 

[M1911]

The only tires half decent on snow and ice are snow tires, preferably studded. All season and such generally suck.

 

[Ryan_S]

Are the SA's siped? That usually helps quite a bit on the slick stuff.

Also +1 about the tires needing to wear a little before getting maximum traction.

 

[westwind77]

I just had these installed a week ago

Ok, my 1st question is WHICH silent armor, they make 2:

a) Fortera SilentArmor

b) Wrangler SilentArmor

The Fortera has 'horrible' ice traction compared to the Wrangler (6.1 vs 8.1) on TireRack's site. Of course that is nothing compared to our stock Duelers with a rating of 4.1 on the ice, owch!

 

[oldsweng]

I had the Wrangler Silent Armors on my FJ and they were great on ice.

 

[CJ3Flyr]

I had the opportunity to drive my GYWSA's in icy conditions last year. By the time the ice it I had a few (maybe 3k) miles on them and they did as good if not better than any non-studded, non-winter-dedicated tire I have driven.

Are the Blizzacks? NO! Was I impressed? Yes.
:cheers:

 

[hambone575]

I agree I think just not broken down the compound enough yet.. It will take some time and driving especially in the cooler weather. I bet you could also use a strong APC on the tires to help then rinse.

I loved mine last winter

 

[Rob_G]

Ok, my 1st question is WHICH silent armor, they make 2:

a) Fortera SilentArmor

b) Wrangler SilentArmor

The Fortera has 'horrible' ice traction compared to the Wrangler (6.1 vs 8.1) on TireRack's site. Of course that is nothing compared to our stock Duelers with a rating of 4.1 on the ice, owch!

I have the Wrangle SA's.

Rob

 

[bak3rme]

wow ice already? where are u located? its about 80 degrees outside here

 

[Rob_G]

wow ice already? where are u located? its about 80 degrees outside here

Regina Saskatchewan Canada.

Much of the snow and ice has melted now until the next dump, whenever that may be. The heated side mirrors work great!

I've read some user reviews that claimed the SA's wore quite fast, but even if they do, I don't do that much driving so these will last several years regardless.

Rob

 

[Maritimer]

Regina Saskatchewan Canada.

Much of the snow and ice has melted now until the next dump, whenever that may be. The heated side mirrors work great!

I've read some user reviews that claimed the SA's wore quite fast, but even if they do, I don't do that much driving so these will last several years regardless.

Rob

The shop I was pricing out SAs at said they had an 80,000 km warranty.

 

[MikesToy]

I don't think there's a tire out there than can run on top of ice. When the roads get ice'd up, they normally close that road or freeway.

 

[paraordnance]

I run GYWSA through last winter and never had major problems on ice. Its not a Blizzaks or studded tires but they get you around quite safely. I think first ice in winter is not the best time to jump to conclusions.

 

[CO_FlyFisher]

I just got GYWSA's on my rig a few weeks ago. Everything I've read said that they're one of the best non-winter specific tires out there. They ARE mountain/snowflake rated.

As far as wear, they have a pro-rated 40,000 mile warranty. I got 20% back on my BFG AT's because they were done at less than 42k with a 50k warranty. Honestly, if a tire gets me 40k good miles, I'm pretty happy with it.