Tire Advise for Fall/Winter weather

I'm looking for suggestions on good tires for our PNW fall and winter. I have the stock firestones and while I haven't had any issues in the past, I just started having traction issues in the rain at 46,000 miles.
This is my everyday driver and I have a 75 mile RT commute, so I don't want anything too aggressive (aka decent MPG's).
Any recommendations would be appreciated!

 

Most high quality A/T or M/T tire will serve you well, meaning something from BFG, Yokohama, Nitto, Goodyear, or Falken and not much else. I grew up in Wisconsin were you learn real quick how to be a good winter driver and what good winter tires are. Most people change into true winter tires there. Not necessary here, obviously.

I have Nitto Ridge Grapplers on my Taco right now only because that's what came on my used truck and there were pretty much new. I don't care for them in dry or really any conditions to date, but i have not driven in snow/ ice with them yet. Compound hardness will make a big difference. Look to strike a balance between durability (durometer-harder is better) and cold weather grip (soft is better). I had a set of Goodyear Wranglers on my last truck ('96 Land Cruiser) for 3 years, drove a ton in the mountains all winter long for snow shoeing, skiing, etc. They were amazing. Others were sliding around on ice, I didn't budge. Great great winter tire for out here.

Last bit of the rant- M/Ts are actually worse in the winter except for deep non-hard packed snow. This is due to the amount of surface area that contacts the ground. More surface area=more purchase=grip on ice and hard pack snow.

 

Goodyear Duratracs are amazing in rain and snow... Everything pretty much sucks in ice other than Blizzak’s or some other form of dedicated winter tires.

 

Michelin makes some great tires for your kind of driving. Had a set of their LTX's on an old blazer years ago and they wore like iron but were great on dry, wet, or snowy roads. This was in VA and WV, so more snow than here. They're expensive, but great tires.

 

Also consider the rating/weight of the tire you will be looking at. Some 16s are over 60lbs each. I went witl wildpeaks, super happy.

 

Thanks everyone for your input! Super appreciated!

 

I’m giving these Coopers a try this winter. They have actually surprised me on how well they do on dry pavement. An improvement over the Duratracs for sure. I’ve read some reviews of people running them year round and getting decent mileage out of them. Got them on sale for $465 OTD with certificates from Discount.
If you’re staying strictly on paved roads I would probably spring for a more modern studless snow tire.

 

I’m also not sure where your from. PNW has a massive climate spectrum. My advice was based on East of the mountains. The coast is much more mild.

 

Western WA - Olympia
I need mostly traction in wet pavement. The roads over here are awful.

 

I would tend to lean towards the Falken AT3w in an SL load rating. Lots of good reviews on their wet performance. I had Duratracs and they sucked on wet roads. The Falken SL uses a silica compound in the rubber that is supposed to help with wet conditions. The E load use a different rubber compound and will likely provide less traction on wet roads.

 

I’ve also heard a lot of good things about the Cooper AT3 4S. Also available in an SL rating.

 

I live in Puyallup, lives in PNW my whole life.. BFG KO2 all the way. Great tire on and off road and especially in the rain