Best AT for midwest winter use??

I would totally love those and know they are an awesome tire for winter use. But........I don't want to have a second set of tires for my truck, that is the only reason I am looking for an "all around tire" that is aggressive looking and performs well in most conditions. I know it won't compare to the compound and design of a winter tire, but I suppose there is always some type of compromise. My wifes car on the other hand, she has two sets of tires and thats ok with me. I know when I get new snow tires for the wife's car next season it will be Nokians. I don't want my garage looking like a tire store! haha

 

Yeah, just re-read your requirements My bad, but if ever you decide to get 2 sets, those are no-brainers to get!

 

No problem man!! I do the same thing sometimes, some posts on here you almost have to read the whole darn thread to see whats going on....too much for me! haha

 

Personally i do not care much for the duratrac. We run them on our company vehicles (because we get a discount through goodyear) and they seem to wear down very fast, and after about 18,000 or so miles they really tend to lose their grip. But that is just my personal opinion on them. I had considered on getting them when i first seen them, but after the first set wore down in just 29,000 or so miles, i decided against them. These were also the 10-ply, because we cant put anything but 10-ply on them.

 

I live in BC, have tried both of those tires in winter on Tacomas and FJ's (work, personal, family) and I thought they pretty much sucked.

OP I really strongly recommend Michelin LTX Defender or the old MS2 if you can find any. Their winter traction is way better than the AT2 because of the zigzag sipes and they are amazing tires all around. Guarantee you'd love them. Order a size up from stock and you'll like the way they look on your truck.

 

This is about the only complaint I have read about the durtracs is wear, and it seems to be very hit and miss. This is probably the first time I have read about poor performance though. I usually put about 8k-10k miles on the truck a year anyhow, so that would last me about 3 years or more even if it was that quick of wear.

 

Another vote here for the Michelin Defender LTX. I live in KC and we get all the similar weather you're talking about. Yes they look like grandma tired but they're pretty amazing in all conditions. Even while purchasing them I almost went with the AT version. But glad I decided on the Defenders.

 

Thats a clean looking truck!!

 

That is a very good looking truck! I haven't seen many of the LTX out and about here.

But I have decided on the Goodyear Duratracs. I was able to find a set of 4 mounted and balanced for a touch over $800. I'll be getting those on Monday. Sooooo, I'll be also keeping this updated slightly with my thoughts and experiences. I want to focus on the winter driving of course since that is mostly what this thread is about!

 

I'm looking at tires again and have run the Grabber AT2 for my last two sets. I am only getting around 60k out of them and they tend to feather at the end. I came across this article on tire rack that basically said the all-season tires are better: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/testDisplay.jsp?ttid=210

The caveat is they didn't test in deep snow or discuss the sidewall

 

going to be real sorry not getting one of the Michelin LTX tires, either the MS2 or the AT2 are the best daily driver all weather tires you can buy

 

I just picked up a set of the Michelin Defender LTXs for my truck for about $625 from that Discount Tire Ebay special. can't wait to get them on before the snow hits. I can't wait to ditch the Cooper A/TWs on there right now.

 

that's a good deal, I had the AT2 ltxs they were some awesome tires will get the MS2 next, worth every penny

 

Just got my winter setup about a week ago.

 

Didn't like em in winter or didn't like em period? I love my MS2's (good choice) but I found those Coopers to be pretty good for the price. They were about 60% the cost of my MS2's.

 

They're fine for most conditions, but they do not deserve the "winter" name nor the snowflake designation. They were worthless in any amount of snow or slush. I really hope the Michelins do better. We'll see.

 

I'm curious if anyone has compared the Cooper AT/W and the Cooper AT/3. I had the AT/3 on my old f150 and was not super impressed. I never got stuck or went out of control, but I never felt very confident in the tire at least in the snow. I mainly just knew the limits of the tire and tried not to over drive the tire. Packed snow performance was terrible, but that is sometimes as bad as ice.

 

How do the LTX tires handle on rocks/mud? I occasionally use a 'road' that is primarily large rocks with mud and has pedestrians on the side. The road is a fairly steep hill.

 

they handle all terrain very well as far as im concerned, but the tread pattern is considered mild as compared to TKOs,AT3 others but I think the overall performance and longevity prevails for the Michelin, its an AT that performs and has the comfort of an All Season tire, IMO it has the comfort level and handling characteristics of the MS2 tire. a big win IMO

 

also have the snowflake logo:

Toyo Open Country C/T
Falken Wildpeak A/T3W
Nitto Exo Grappler ATW
Cooper Discoverer A/TW
General Grabber AT 2
Goodyear Wrangler SilentArmor

BFGoodrich All terrain KO2
Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac