Winter rated AT tires vs dedicated winter tires?

[Mushroom_Cap]

Was shooting the s**t today at work with some guys about the above topic. Naturally there was some disagreement! I have my own opinion, which could totally be wrong. Hoping to set the record straight here.

Alright, so while most AT, SUV/Truck tires, are not winter rated (snow flake on the tire) there are a few that do have the snowflake. For example, the current Cooper Discoverer AT3 tires on our 4Runner do not have the snowflake. Whereas the two tires I am looking at to replace the Coopers, the Goodyear Duratracs and the BFG KO2s, do have the snowflake.

The debate that arose was...are winter rated AT tires as good for winter driving as dedicated winter tires?

A couple guys who have either the Duratracs or KO2s on their SUV/truck said the tires are awesome in the snow/ice/slush, and are likely just as good as your average winter truck tire.

I argued that while these tires may have passed the tests to get the snowflake stamp, they are unlikely to perform as well as a tire specifically designed for winter driving.

One contributor to the discussion said that a "snowflake" AT isn't any different that a non-snowflake AT, and it's more about marketing. More specifically, the Duratracs and KO2s are being marketed to buyers considering buying separate winter tires. Whereas the truth is they (the tire maker) paid a lot of extra $ for this snowflake stamp, and if other AT tires manufacturers wanted to pay the $ for the testing they too would have the stamp.

I have no idea if the above statement is true. Do all AT tires get tested for winter suitability? And only the ones who pass get the snowflake? Or, do only some tire makers choose to design their tires for solid winter performance, submit them for testing (pay extra $?), and then be "allowed" to put the snowflake on their tire?

I am assuming that the tire maker can not just choose to put the snowflake on their tire; rather, their tire must pass some tests, and then they can slap it on their tire.

For what it's worth, my opinion right now is that while winter rated AT tires may have "passed the test" to get their snowflake, they are unlikely to be as good for winter driving conditions as a dedicated snow tire. If they were, why would anyone buy all-season tires and snow tires, when they could just run AT tires with the snowflake?

I plan to buy the Duratracs and try them out next winter. I am hoping they will impress me and I will not want to buy separate winter tires. However, if they suck like the AT3s do, then unfortunately I will have to buy separate winter tires like the Nokian Hakapaletia.

 

[Drunner97]

For what it's worth, I have the Duratracs, and I was the only one out of 5 rigs that didn't have to air down to climb hills in 3-4" of snow that was somewhat icy as well.

 

[JB.]

Dedicated snow tires are better in snow than an AT.

The presence of a snowflake on an AT is more informative than the lack of one. A snowflake indicates the tire is at least decent in the snow. It doesn't necessarily mean it will outperform a given AT that doesn't have the snowflake.

There are branding and other reasons a manufacturer might not want to include a snowflake, but there's no reason to believe that the snowflake logo is a scam and tire makers "buy" access to it.

 

[bdubbin]

I have the Duratracs and I bought them specifically because I was hoping I could run them year around. The KO2 I can't speak to because they weren't around 3 years ago, but I read everything I could in determining that the Duratracs were my best bet for an AT winter tire.

I've run all manner of winter tires over the past 20 years and currently have some on the other vehicle.

When my Duratracs were brand new they weren't as good as my 3 year old winter tires. However, they did and do perform admirably. They do dig well into the snow but they lack where there is ice. The sipes tell the tale. They are what act like suction cups on the ice. The Duratracs have decent siping, but compared to a dedicated winter tire they are lacking.

That all said, this is my 3rd winter on these Duratracs and I still haven't felt it necessary to buy dedicated winters. As the Duratracs wear down (and the siping becomes less effective) my current plans are to buy a new dedicated set of Duratracs for winter and stud them.

I'm no expert but that's been my experience.

My driving in winter is 90% city and 10% plowed highway.

 

[wcjeep]

Here is some info on the snowflake and tire comparison

Tire rack info

Second link is Winter tire vs All Terrain. YouTube winter comparison

 

[Mushroom_Cap]

Thanks for that info guys. Those are some good links wcjeep, thank you.

Well, it seems the consensus is some AT tires, and certainly AT tires with the snow flake, will be decent snow/ice. However, dedicated snow tires will always come out on top.

Where we do 99% of our daily driving AT tires with or without the s/f are more than sufficient. However, we occasionally drive the Coquihalla highway in the winter to ski Sun Peaks Resort. This highway is famous for treacherous winter driving conditions. We last drove it in the winter a couple years back when the Cooper Discoverer AT3 tires were pretty new. We hit a bit of a storm and it was sketchy to say the least! Don't think I wold want to chance that highway again without proper winter rubber.

I would prefer just to run one set of AT tires year round, but I think I'll just bite the bullet and buy a dedicated set of snow tires for next winter.