2WD 2nd Gen Taco in Snow / New tires help!

I have a 2008 2wd prerunner taco and need some advice for the snow. No I don't have 4wd so please do not suggest that!

1) Deciding between these 2 tires, need something all season so I don't have to change back and forth. I was opting for the Hankook ATM but the guy at the shop said it really won't make a difference. Any help on deciding between the 2?

- Hankook Dynapro HT (http://www.mavistire.com/tire-brands/item.asp?id=47313&frb=B)
- Hankook Dynapro ATM (http://www.mavistire.com/tire-brands/item.asp?id=34828&frb=B)

2) How much weight of sandbags do I need to put in my bed for it to make a difference?

Thanks everyone!

 

He also mentioned he could get me these Cooper tires for the same price as the Hankooks. Would these be a better option?

- Cooper Discoverer SRX (http://www.mavistire.com/tire-brands/item.asp?id=63758&frb=B)
- Cooper Discoverer A/T3 (http://www.mavistire.com/tire-brands/item.asp?id=29503&frb=B)

 

2wd w/all season tires is going to be unsatisfactory in any conditions, no matter what. If you don't want to hear "get a 4wd" then i'll just say you need dedicated snow tires and dedicated summer tires.

all seasons are a master of none, and your 1wd truck is going to handle like garbage in the snow unless you get the right tires.

 

I've heard the Cooper AT3's are pretty good. I have BFG KO2's and they work pretty well in the snow, granted I have 4wd but nonetheless they work well. For sandbags, I usually fill up 4 sandbags but I have a camper shell so I'd estimate you'd probably want like 6 sandbags to be safe.

 

All season tires aren't. At the very best they are 3 season.

A set of winter tires, or a bus pass, are in order for snow days.

 

300 pounds anyway

 

I run winters on my 4wd and it still sucks at times in 2WD with 250lbs in the back.

I hate driving customers trucks with all seasons haha.

If you see snow, you need winters, I run Hankook ipikes in the winter and they are dirt cheap.

You can get the AT3W but they seem to only come in LT rating, and you want soft spongy tires for winter, not hard 10 ply.

 

Mine handled very excellently in the snow with General Grabber At2's. http://www.mavistire.com/tire-brands/item.asp?id=7319&frb=B

 

You can get Cooper ATW's in metric ratings. I just ordered ATW's 265/70 17 in 115 Load Rating (almost a C load) S speed rating

 

if you are looking for a tire that will be the best tire you can get in ice / snow and then keep it on the rest of the year.... Michelin MS2 (which is being phased out for the new version called the Michelin Defender LTX MS).

Seriously... you WILL NOT find a better "all season" tire than that for the icy and light snowy roads (which is what you are going to only be able to do with 2wd).

I have hankook ATM RF 10's on my 4x4. And while they do pretty dang good in ice an snow, im 100% certain the MS2 / Defender MS would do better, as I had MS2's on my old truck and rarely had to put it in 4x4 in similar conditions. That stated the ATM RF 10's are going to do better than the michelins off road in the dirt etc due to more aggressive tread.... but seriously, you are 2wd.... look no further than the Defender .... the next step up would be a dedicated set of winter tires, no joke.

 

Real snow tires and 300 pounds

 

Thanks everyone for your opinions will check it out this weekend.

Would you guys definitely go all terrain over highway if I were to go the all season route?

Honestly I only drive 3-5k miles a year since I live in NYC. I just hate when it snows but it's what I gotta love with. I think I'll get a set of snow tires as back up when I go to the mountains in the winter.

 

I hate my ATm's in snow , my Hankook MT's were better

If you're going to just run an AT , get a snowflake rated set at least

 

To second what nd4spdbh said, the michelins are great tires. Check out this thread; https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/michelin-ltx-m-s-2-initial-thoughts-now-ltx-defender.371951/ . They've made such a big difference in my truck. I don't need my ABS turned off in the snow anymore. These things grip.

 

X2

 

My Toyo M55s kick ass in all conditions!

 

I dont have any weight in my bed, but I cant imagine calling this truck in 2WD 'excellent' in the snow in any condition. And I have duratracs.

 

I've owned both AT and snow tires. And I drive a PreRunner. So I can comment on the subject.

It depends on your snow needs. If you're talking deeper snow, the Duratracs are every bit as good and in some cases better than dedicated snow tires.

In more shallow stuff and/or compacted snow I would give the edge to the snow tires.

I've had no issues running the DTs in deeper snow. Our last decent snow of 15" gave me no challenge. Plus the DTs have a much better wear rating than must snows. Either way...spend a few bucks and find yourself a cheap set of wheels to run in the winter. They don't have to be pretty.

 

Yeah I agree, just add some weight in the back, recommend some sandbags or what ever you got in the back or some snow haha. Then throw on some Steel wheel they're pretty cheap like 50 to 60 a pop. I got a 4wd but I never had to use it and I live in a place where we get 300 inches of snow a winter.