Coming from a location where we get our fair share of snow, I have never needed chains. You stick to the main roads and trails, even with 20-24 inches of snow and you should be able to plow through with ease so long as you have the right winter tires.
The following are my top picks:
- Nokian Hakkapeliitta R (apparently the R2's are even better - never tried them) but I can say the R's are awesome tires. I had gone through snow that was just into the bumper opening at the front and kept plowing. Once I hit some harder snow with crust at that depth, game over - the X couldn't do it.
- Bridgestone Blizzak - been told by several dealers the soft compound that grips so well is only 1/2 the thickness of the treads, after that is worn out they are supposedly not as good. But from personal experience on my old Ford Ranger, even with nearly nothing left for tread, they still did better than an all season.
- Michelin Latitude X-Ice - my father has them on his 2014 Tundra platinum. Goes whoever he wants in the winter with zero issues, has 6-7 softener salt bags over back tires in the box.
None of these tires my father or I have had for winters have ever been studded. Studded will make a huge difference if you will be on very hard packed snow / ice.
My old ride - summer rubber and wheels.
The amount of snow we generally have on the front yard in the winter
Obviously the streets will have less snow, but it will be hard pack after enough traffic has flattened the snow. The 3 above mentioned tires have all performed excellent. Expect to get 4-6 winters out of them only. Not because the tires wear out, but the rubber eventually starts to spike between the treads really badly.
