Winter Tires for Gravel

smackitsakic

smackitsakic

New member
Question - i'm putting winter tires on our 07 this year. My wife drives on the highway and i simple feel safer with this being the case. Unfortunately, about 7 miles of her travels are on gravel roads each day. We only put roughly 8,000 miles per year on it so it's not a heavy use vehicle for us, but i'm concerned about winter tires and gravel as i know they're going to get chewed up.

So, what's my best option? I got quoted today on Nokia Norman 5's and also a cheaper Arctic XSI option, but i also like the look of the Hakkapellitta R2's, which will end up being $400 more than the Arctics that are on the low end. Is it worth me spending extra on nicer winter tires, or should i just go with cheapest option realizing that they're probably going to get destroyed every 2 or 3 seasons?
 
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Food for thought since you only doing 8k a yr. Tires are recommended for replacement every 5-6yrs due to rubber compound breaking down...

So, on your driving, 40-48k mile tire to get full life.
 
I've been running 265/75r16 avalanche xtreme winter tires (studded) for 3 winters already. 2 seasons on my 3rd gen and last year on the 4th gen. Put a lot of miles on gravel during hunting season, and then to the ski hill 2 or 3 times a week for the rest of the winter. They still have all the studs in place and at least 70% tread left. Great tire for the money, nice deep lugs for slushy slop and winter offroad. Even did well aired down to 10psi in the deep stuff!
I do swap back to the 255/85r16 Toyo m/t's once the snow melts though!
 
I have the the new Cooper A/TW 265/70/17 available at Canadian Tire. I drive in very similar conditions up here in the Yukon and these have been great so far. I put them on in Jan last year. Not that expensive, they seem to get great reviews and are rated for high mileage. Similar design to the popular Cooper AT3. They go on sale often and are a good bang for your buck.

I also have the Toyo Open Country WLT1 on my work truck... These are great but are softer.. Cut up more on the gravel and have much lower mileage rating.
 

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I'd put in a vote for the bfg at t/a ko2 for duty on the gravel and the snow. Nice on the highways and 3 ply sidewalls :)
 
I vote for the Nokian Nordman 5.

I have run Nokian winter tires on my vehicles since 2004 and have been pleased with the performance and wear durability.

Nokian Tires cost a little more, but they are worth it.
 
KidVermicious said:
Duratrac is quite possibly the most overrated tire out there. They're decent, but aren't any better than any other decent AT tire on the market and aren't worth the premium.
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They might be over rated, but not all ATs have the snow/ice rating either. These and Grabber AT2s are both snow rated ATs, although I think the Grabber is only snow rated in the E load range whereas the Duratrac is rated in the P load range which makes a big difference in handling and weight.

That being said, I don't have any experience with my Duratracs in the snow yet, but they're fine in gravel. I have noticed that small rocks tend to get stuck in the tread, but they've been great in the rain and mud.
 
I have BLizzak DM-V1s here in Alberta and drive in similar conditions, you have nothing to worry about!
 
Drunner97 said:
They might be over rated, but not all ATs have the snow/ice rating either. These and Grabber AT2s are both snow rated ATs, although I think the Grabber is only snow rated in the E load range whereas the Duratrac is rated in the P load range which makes a big difference in handling and weight.

That being said, I don't have any experience with my Duratracs in the snow yet, but they're fine in gravel. I have noticed that small rocks tend to get stuck in the tread, but they've been great in the rain and mud.
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The issue with those recommendations is that where he lives get crazy cold and unless they are dedicated winter tires the A/T tires will just turn to rocks.
 
smackitsakic said:
Question - i'm putting winter tires on our 07 this year. My wife drives on the highway and i simple feel safer with this being the case. Unfortunately, about 7 miles of her travels are on gravel roads each day. We only put roughly 8,000 miles per year on it so it's not a heavy use vehicle for us, but i'm concerned about winter tires and gravel as i know they're going to get chewed up.

So, what's my best option? I got quoted today on Nokia Norman 5's and also a cheaper Arctic XSI option, but i also like the look of the Hakkapellitta R2's, which will end up being $400 more than the Arctics that are on the low end. Is it worth me spending extra on nicer winter tires, or should i just go with cheapest option realizing that they're probably going to get destroyed every 2 or 3 seasons?
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No way around the compromise necessary to have a tire like that.

I presume you'd rather lean towards top notch winter tire abilities with a little gravel toughness thrown in, and I don't blame you, but I can't help you there.

From a reverse weighting perspective (very strong gravel toughness, reasonable winter competence) the BFG AT KO2 is probably unmatched in combining those properties but that doesn't mean I'm recommending you go that route.

This guy might have some useful advice for you.
 
I second to Cooper Discoverer AT/W. Best tire out there if you live in area where winter is 5-6 months a year. I chose them for reason that I would not have to change to dedicated winter tires every season and they still very capable on wet or dry pavement, gravel and mud!
 
paraordnance said:
I second to Cooper Discoverer AT/W. Best tire out there if you live in area where winter is 5-6 months a year. I chose them for reason that I would not have to change to dedicated winter tires every season and they still very capable on wet or dry pavement, gravel and mud!
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How's the treadwear on those?
 
I am running studded Nokian Hakkapelita 7's. No issues with tire wear from gravel roads. This will be my 4th winter on them, great tire.
My son has the Hak 8's on his Taco and that's what will replace mine when it's time.
 
KidVermicious said:
How's the treadwear on those?
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Too early to tell for me, its only been 4 months since I installed them. But I know they have 100k km tread-wear warranty so I'm sure they capable of getting there or close. Better than Duratracks for comparison. My friend loves Duratracks but they usually worn out by 50-60k km mark.
 
strathcona said:
I am running studded Nokian Hakkapelita 7's. No issues with tire wear from gravel roads. This will be my 4th winter on them, great tire.
My son has the Hak 8's on his Taco and that's what will replace mine when it's time.
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Those are awesome tires :thumb:
 
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