Skinnier tires really better in winter? And which size to get?

[Summit]

Just ordered some Wrangler SAs in 265/70/17

I'm thinking ahead for winter, as for me it is really only 4 months away. Is skinny really better???

My thinking: when trying to get traction on a surface where you are often failing the surface, more surface area is better. I see this well when I am skiing. So is skinny really going to get better traction? On snow? On ice? It really only makes sense in slush in my mind. Someone tell me I am wrong... or right.

And if I am right, then taller tires should work better because they'll have a larger flat spot. If skinnier works better, then shorter tires should work better because they'll have a smaller flat spot... right?

If I am right, 265/65/17s or 265/70/17s are probably my ticket in snow tires.

If I am wrong, what to go with? 255/70/17s are virtually impossible to find in a snow tire and 255/65/17s (which are shorter than 265/65/17s!) aren't much easier.

 

[EH007]

In general, skinny tires do work better in snow than wider tires. That's because they can more easily slice through the snow to get to the pavement underneath. However, that may not be true if you're driving in really deep snow or driving offroad in snow. In that case, you might want the "floatation" of a wider tire.

But in any case, there's really not going to be an appreciable difference between the tire sizes you're considering. If I were you, I'd go with the wider tires just because they look good and they should provide better traction in almost all other conditions.

 

[Summit]

It seems to me that if you are driving on packed snow or fresh snow over packed snow or ice, then you are not going to "sink through" to the pavement with skinny tires even if the packed snow is only an inch deep.

But in any case, there's really not going to be an appreciable difference between the tire sizes you're considering. If I were you, I'd go with the wider tires just because they look good and they should provide better traction in almost all other conditions.

That's a great point.

 

[rook]

It seems logical to assume a narrower tire will slice through better, but the difference is minimal between a 255 and a 265. The decision should come down to the tire with the best traction capability.

Surface area is more a function of tire pressure rather than size. A wider tire distrubtes more contact in a wider path while a narrow tire will create a longer contact patch but the area of contact is the same.

 

[CJ3Flyr]

Skinnier is better in the snow as a rule. The 255/75/17 size has some good AT's that work well in the snow. If I lived in snow country I'd probably do that. The other nice thing is that's a cheap size. Look at tirerack.com Another plus for that size is they'll work well, wear properly etc at higher pressures. Most in that size seem to be 44psi max tires.
:cheers:

 

[Summit]

Skinnier is better in the snow as a rule. The 255/75/17 size has some good AT's that work well in the snow. If I lived in snow country I'd probably do that. The other nice thing is that's a cheap size. Look at tirerack.com
:cheers:

Cheap yes. Snow tires available in that size on tirerack.com ZERO

 

[EH007]

It seems to me that if you are driving on packed snow or fresh snow over packed snow or ice, then you are not going to "sink through" to the pavement with skinny tires even if the packed snow is only an inch deep.

Right, that's what I was saying. If you can't reach solid ground underneath the snow, then a skinny tire will not be much (if any) of an advantage. The idea is that the skinnier tire should be able to reach traction somewhere beneath the snow. If that's not the case because of the conditions, then the wider tire will be better.

Have you ever seen those guys in Iceland (I think) that drive 4wd on snowy terrain? They all have big jumbo sized tires that float on the snow instead of skinny tires that tend to bite into the snow. The reason being that the snow is too deep to possible reach any type of traction beneath it.

 

[CJ3Flyr]

Cheap yes. Snow tires available in that size on tirerack.com ZERO

True sort-of... The GYSA is snowflake rated. The Destination A/T is reported as doing very well with snow and ice but lacks the snowflake. I know neither of those is a full-on, Blizzak style dedicated snow.

Depending on where you live and what type of snow you encounter a 2nd set of rims with some GYSA's or Destinations might be a nice winter setup. I maintain that one of these 255/75/17 tires running at 40psi-42psi would drive better for most on-road snow driving than the same (make & model)tire in a 265/70/17 at 32psi-35psi.

If you choose 265/70's the Firestone Winterforce is cheap and highly rated.

I just re-read the first post... If you have the GYSA's on the way you should be fine unless you really want a 100% dedicated snow.
:cheers:

 

[Summit]

I just re-read the first post... If you have the GYSA's on the way you should be fine unless you really want a 100% dedicated snow.
:cheers:

Yep, now reread my location :

 

[CJ3Flyr]

Yep, now reread my location :

I did. What I don't know about your area is how much better a dedicated snow would be over a GYSA. It's been my experience that dedicated tires really perform on the ice but on snow, even deep snow, the right A/T can do just as well. Where you are is mostly snow and not many ice storms like farther east if I'm not mistaken. I'd tackle winter on the GYSA's and see how it goes...

 

[Scoobs]

I had Michelin Latitude X-Ice on my 2004 SE and stuck with the stock size. They were fine up here in the winter and we get lots of snow etc. Given that you can't go -1 and put 16's on your SE I would just stick with the stock size in a snow tire as there's not much difference in tread width between what you ordered and the stock size. I still have the Latitudes and I'm going to mount them on a set of rims and put them on my Limited this winter. Should be fine.

 

[Summit]

Well I could put 255/70/17s or 245/75/17s or 245/70/17s (there are actually winter tires in this size) on the 17" factory rims I think... wonder if it would make a difference.