WNY Winter snow tires or

I prefer a true winter over an M&S tire because of all the rain we get. I ran M&S on previous vehicles that I owned. Man they would be squirrely in the rain. My Hakkapeliitta r2 SUV's are way better in the rain, and overall nicer in various conditions.

 

I agree. With two sets you can get several years out of both. M&S rated just don't grip on the snow and ice as well after two to three seasons if most of the driving is on highway wearing off tread, as in my case. But, we can get snow by the foot here, so it depends how much winter you get.

 

My duratracs and St.Maxx only were good in the snow for about the first 20k. I live in an area that we have to drive steep passes to get in/out of town and the change was always noticable especially when weaving around stranded vehicles on off camber roads. I now run blizzaks during winter and St.Maxx the rest of the year. Both tires last a lot longer.

 

From everything I have read about snow tires I can’t disagree that they are better. But for me living down here in TN where we are very lucky if we see a 6” snow storm once a year. I don’t think I can see spending the money on a set. I have family south of buffalo so an AT does just fine for the times I’m up in the winter. How well an AT tire does in the snow is a big factor for me, both because I go to WNY and for when we get snow. That’s also a huge reason I would never look at a truck/suv that wasn’t 4wd.

 

Damn straight!

 

Correct me if I’m wrong but in western New York you’re dealing more with lake effect snow dumps than constant cold cold temperatures? I’d get a set of 3 peak snowflake rated all terrains and call it good. My Cooper AT3 4S were great in their first Alaskan winter but now that they’re half tread their winter performance is slipping (literally) but I’d honestly run them in just about any lower 48 winter without hesitation, even half worn, because it’s usually so warm that true winter tires are complete overkill. Unless you spend a lot of time well below freezing (like we do in Fairbanks) or deal with lots of ice it’s a lot of hassle for not a lot of gain.

 

Oh man, night and day in slushy crap too. Stock Wranglers vs my Hakka R2s is such a welcome change.

 

It's usually both. Lake effect for sure, we certainly don't get the deep freeze like you do but it's not unusual to go a couple weeks straight with sub-freezing temps.

December thru February days above 45° are generally pretty limited, so there's definitely a benefit to winter compound tires.

Honestly if it were up to me they would take all the money they spend on salting the roads and subsidize/require snow tires for everyone. It's ridiculous how much salt gets put down so the morons with bald all-season tires can get out of their driveways and still crash into shit.

 

I'm in Rochester and planning on dedicated snows this winter on my stock OR wheels, and will get a new wheel/tire set in the spring when they need to come off. Always ran snows in the past on other vehicles, and tried a couple winters without, but miss having that extra traction when you need it. Looking at Blizzak DM-V2, or maybe the heavier General Grabber Arctic LT.

 

Hope it’s mild yet I’m old enough to plan for worst I’m new to this forum. Appreciate the help

 

This place can be great for getting help about stuff.

 

Thank you. Age 65 this may be my last truck/vehicle......

 

65? man you got AT LEAST 25 to go. enjoy it!!!

 

That’s the goal with 15+ years of driving

 

Haha I love winter driving. I hope we get a ton this year.

 

I ended up going with 265/75r16 Toyo Observe GSI-5. Got them for $552 shipped, taxed and installed through simpletire.com. Wanted Blizzak DM-V2s, but couldn't justify the addition $250. Sizing up from 70 to 75 is noticeable; they're about an inch taller. Tread looks nice and deep with plenty of siping and much softer rubber than stock Goodyears. These should do the trick. Just in time too; looks like chance of snow tomorrow!

 

They work! Snow tires FTW.

 

Indeed! Firestone Winterforces with studs

 

Cooper AT3 4S are very good tires all around

 

I’m trying out some KO2s that I got used with a lot of tread left. So far they have been good but it was only a short drive in the snow. My ST Maxx were really good last season so we’ll see if these KO2s do well too.