Tires for winter in WY?

[rn_trauma903]

I am a newbie, and have just moved to Casper from So Cal. I have never driven in snow, and I'm looking for A/T tires that won't let me down in snow and ice. While I realize that all tires lack performance when it comes to ice, the whole snow driving thing frankly freaks me out, just a little. So, I need some advice, please. I'm looking for mostly road driving, with probably about 10% mild off-roading, mostly for camping, etc. I have a '97 Limited with the rear diff locker. I'm looking at the Dueler A-T Revo 2, the Wrangler Duratrac, and when I went to the local Big O Tire, the guy there told me that the Duratrac was too much tire for what I'm planning to use it for. He recommended the Big Foot A/T that they make, because it's quieter on the road, and I don't need a studded tire with my 4x4 and locker. I've never heard of the Big Foot, and couldn't find any reviews on it at all. What do you think?

 

[flatboy]

Check out the nokian rotiva, their a extreme weather tire with the snow flake that can be used all season. I have them on my company trucks that see mud, gravel, snow and ice, also my summer tire on my 4 runner. My winters are the nokian hakaplita studded tire.

 

[Limbwalker]

Duratracs are over-kill.
Anything with a half-way aggressive tread and good siping for ice will do.
Trust me, Ive been plowing snow for 19 years on junk work truck rubber.
Just take your time and get a feel for it. Maybe do some donuts in an empty parking lot to get the feel now and then

 

[Toowiley]

I live at 8500 ft at the base of a ski area and I run studded Hankook ice pikes on mounted on rims so I can switch them out myself if I'm going on a long trip and every spring/winter. Not sure what the winters are like in Cody but there's a cheesy saying "4 wheel drive doesn't mean 4 wheel stop" If you don't have much experience driving on snow and ice having dedicated winter tires will give you a little extra margin of safety. Real snow tires are made out of a different compound that gives better traction in colder temps as opposed to all seasons. Lastly, pretty much any set of winter tires cost less than having an accident. Just make sure whatever you get has plenty of siping, don't be scared of studs Just my $.02

 

[Limbwalker]

btw, no tire will make up for driving skills in the snow. go out and play whenever possible

 

[98OzarksRunner]

I'm using Cooper Discoverer AT3 and having good luck with them. In one of the magazine tests they did better than BFG A/Ts in wet, snow, trails. I have 30K on mine and they still have more tread than a lot of new A/T tires. I got the LT (load range C) version. They are quiet and smooth on the highway and are pretty cheap too - I got mine for $700 out the door (tax included) a couple of years ago (265/75-16).

My 98 4Runner had a set of Big Foot A/Ts and they were terrible. They wore quickly and never did ride smooth. I had them balanced after I got the truck (they had 10K on them) and the tire shop said they were out of round. The Coopers made it drive like a different truck.

 

[farmerjon]

No tire recommendations, but welcome to big, wonderful Wyoming! The weather in Casper and in the entire state can be incredibly insane and varied, you'll learn to be an even better driver, fairly quickly!

 

[the great him]

id suggest getting a dedicated set of snow tires, i wouldnt however recommend studs, as studs can be worse than a regular tire on just wet roads, the steel will slide on wet pavement easy. the snow tires i ran were the Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V1, and i loved them, those things were amazing.

but if you dont want to buy a dedicated set of snow and ice tires, then yeah the Goodyear duratracs, or the BFG A/Ts, or the Yokohama Geolandar A/T-S

the only all season tire i would look at is the Michelin LTX M/S2, guys seam to have good results with those even in the snow.

 

[tyr0981]

Duratrac's are specifically designed for the snow / ice! they are excellent at it!!

They are only slightly more expensive than other brands listed, and give you everything you could ask for! Good Year is the only tire manufacturer i'll ever recommend again! for 4 wheeled cars that is....

 

[goro]

I've got the Bigfoot's and I'd probably stay away from 'em. Not sure if it's just my front end, but mine are wearing hard in the inside for the fronts and just overall weird all around. Spend a couple extra bucks and get some name brand tires.

 

[JB.]

I am a newbie, and have just moved to Casper from So Cal. I have never driven in snow, and I'm looking for A/T tires that won't let me down in snow and ice. While I realize that all tires lack performance when it comes to ice, the whole snow driving thing frankly freaks me out, just a little.

As mentioned, dedicated snows are the best if you're willing to run two sets of tires.

As for ATs, most of them can be considered good in the snow (I'd forget about the bigfoot). The bigger difference, compared to dedicated snow tires, is performance on ice. Here are two ATs that both received a score of "good" on ice in Consumer Reports AT tires tests. Most of the rest received "fair" with a few receiving "poor". The two tires are Kuhmo Road Venture AT KL-78 and Hankook Dynapro ATM.

Find some parking lots or other clear areas and practice. Regardless of what tire you end up with, that may help you more than anything.

 

[Youngerarlaw]

Did consumer reports test BFGs and Goodyears? Thx (I know, "go buy consumer reports.")

 

[AlphaEcho2k5]

I went with Duratracs 265/75/16 and thus far they've handled the WY storms great.

 

[dude5x]

Firestone Winterforce UV

Firestone Winterforce UV, highly suggest these..

 

[Cheese dog]

Hey trauma your on the right track and these guy are giving you great recommendations.
I think the duratrac would be great, thats the tire i wanted but the cooper at3s i bought were to good of a deal. honestly you cant go wrong with a brand name all terrain with good siping. I have 265 75 16 6 ply at3s ( same as ozark above), there great. We have had ice here in arkansas for the last two days and wow i am surprised. They are a good mild at tire. I was driving 50 mph on 3 inches of ice today and never lost confidence. the siping is great, cleanout is ok, but overall a great tire. i have 28,000 on mine and the have half tread exactly. But a true winter tire would out perform them no doubt on snow and ice, Thats what winter tires are for. Also Put some weight in the back of your 4runner, I did some test today and two bags of quickcrete is my go to traction, and if your get stuck just make your your own traction with them.

 

[19963.4lsr5]

I have 4 cooper dedicated snow tires with studs I put on my Cummins at first snow. They are good enough that I can drive through 2 1/2 to 3 feet of snow and the trans skid plate packs the snow so hard I can stand on the snow between the tires and not leave a shoe mark.

Here is our 4runner with the AT3's

 

[JB.]

Did consumer reports test BFGs and Goodyears? Thx (I know, "go buy consumer reports.")

I presume you're talking about AT KO and Duratrac. No, all the tires tested were P-metric. Those two tires are LT only.

With the aggressive treads, they are both no doubt good in deep snow. There's no reason to believe they'd offer any extra advantage on ice though.

 

[tyr0981]

I presume you're talking about AT KO and Duratrac. No, all the tires tested were P-metric. Those two tires are LT only.

With the aggressive treads, they are both no doubt good in deep snow. There's no reason to believe they'd offer any advantage on ice though.

i can tell you the Good Year Duratrac's are excellent in ice, nothing will give you better traction on sheer ice better than studs, but that's where the advantage of studs end. in every other circumstance studs hinder rather than help, and usually when the road has glare ice on it, DOT / State police will close the road, only place i've seen them not close highways for sheer ice is AK and Canada...

 

[dphflytyer]

I second the Cooper's. Good ride and wear and they work great in the snow. I live in the northeast and the winter"s here can be just as rough.

 

[Super-G]

I put Cooper Discoverer AT3's on my 4 Runner last weekend. With the expected snow today I insisted that my wife take my 4 Runner when she went out to do some Christmas shopping this morning. She came out of the mall to about 2-3 inches of snow and said that the 4 Runner made it home flawlessly.

I'll be very interested to see how it rides tomorrow on my drive to work after it snows most of the night.