Dedicated winter tires, so much better

So just experienced the beginning of winter here in quebec for 2 months,i had some brand new falken wildpeaks at3w in 265/75/16, we had 3 or 4 big storms with 20 inches of snow or more, lots of cold and then warm with ice everywere, today we had some heavy snow which turned to ice and a thick layer of snow on the road, almost crashed my truck 3 or 4 times today, and on 4wd i could barely turn and almost hit a sidewalk, i was running 34psi in them. Anyways got tired of it so i switched to my winter tires my dunlop wintermax sj8 in the 245/75/16, then i went for a drive and oh boy what a difference, keep in minde these are not studded tires, and still they have way more traction in snow and ice. Even tried a trail before with my falkens and then went on that same trail 2 hours later with my dunlops and wow way more traction. Im just writing this for those thinking about running an a/t tire in the winter, they might be good for light winter but still allot more dangerous, and i also had the duratracs 2 years ago, falkens are better on ice for sure but still nothing is better then a dedicated snow tire, they are way way safer and drive almost like your on pavement, even for off road use, when hitting icy sections in hills the truck slides alot less and it has allot more traction. Would like to hear of peoples opinion on this

 

Hell yeah man!

Last snow storm we had here in WA
I ran my toyo AT2s and they were pretty badass until some thick snow like half way up the wheel.
Still waiting to see how my mastercraft mxts will do in snow.

 

There is nothing like purpose built winter tires for winter conditions. Its all in the softer rubber compound and massive amount if siping.

Going on 20 years of driving in Canadian winters, and will ALWAYS use a dedicated winter tire.

 

Dont know how your winters are but over here tires like the mastercraft mxt are really not good in winter, i have tried some m/t style tires that are snowflake rated and they were really dangerous when temps get cold and snow gets hard and slipery, the rubber just gets reaaal hard on these.

 

agree with you, winter tires are better than any AT tire if you live where winter hits hard.

 

Agree, no comparison to full-on winter tires!!

 

Yup just went out for a ride in the snow and wow what a difference it makes

 

Running the narrower 245/75R16 alone can make a world of difference.

 

That and add the amount of sipping on them, of course they are going to grip everything better.

 

Yes, my next winters will be 235/85/16 or 255/75/17,i like them narrower

 

Yep

 

I would say for your next set, get studded. I am not sure where in QC you can use studded winters. They are amazing.

We put a set of studded General Altimax Arctic 12 on our Honda CR-V this winter, omg it is now a rally car.

The end of my street is a very steep uphill with a stop sign part way up the incline. I watch many cars struggle with much skinny pedal, then back down to turn around on a regular basis.

The CR-V does not even flinch

 

Most folks don't realize that there's a difference between Mud & Snow (M&S on the sidewall) and Ice & Snow (little snowflake on the sidewall) tires. If you're doing any serious driving on hard packed snow and ice (like I do), then you want Ice & Snow rated tires. As has already been said, the later have a much softer tread compound (and shorter life) as well as significantly more siping. Combine this with a narrower section and tread width (I run 235s) and you get some serious traction improvements.

I just keep my winter tires mounted, balanced and ready to go on a spare set of wheel.

 

Winter tires can make all the difference in the world. I've been using them with different vehicles for five years now and I will always have a set of dedicated snow tires as long as I'm driving. As already mentioned, the softer compound and siping are the gamechangers. When it comes to the safety of you and your family, snow tires are a must if you live in a northern climate.

Conversely, don't get lazy and run them in warmer seasons! You can ruin the compound and wear them down dramatically.

 

I live in magog, quebec right close to the vermont border about 20km, here its required by law to have tires that have the winter snow flake on them, the thing is there are lots of A/T tires that get winter snow flake approved, like my wildpeaks for instance and my duratracs and even the k02s, but having driven them in several winters they are just not worth it for winter here, they have no traction at all on ice, maybe in snow but still allot less than real winter ice tires and im talking the non- studded ones. I had studded tires before but they are too noisy for me, my next winter tires will be the 235/85/16 or get some 17" rims with 255/75/17, they are p rated and lighter

 

Probably would like to try these next year

 

These i am more interested in for next year, will need to find me some 17inch rims though

 

My observations on studded snow tires:

I've had multiple types of snow tires on many different vehicles over the years. I've learned that studded snow tires will give you the best traction on snow and ice (especially ice) and really cannot be beat. Oddly enough, they don't provide much grip on dry pavement because they have a tendency to "skate" across the surface.

The other downsides would be increased noise while driving on pavement or concrete, and also the fact that they dramatically wear away those surfaces and hasten the deterioration of our roads. Think about it - you've got something close to two tons rolling on tires that have high-carbon steel spikes in them. The wear-and-tear to our roadways is something to think about when you're choosing your snow tires.

With that in mind, I have mine mounted on a set of separate rims so I can switch them out depending on the forecast. It takes me less than 20 minutes to lift the rear axle (my Taco is 2WD) and swap out the wheels/tires. In other words, if I see snow and ice in the weather forecast, I will toss on my studded snow tires for the duration, and then take them off again when it's supposed to be clear for a while.
It sounds like a lot of work but it goes fast when you have the wheels/tires staged in the garage right next to the floor jack and jack stands. The peace of mind knowing that I'm not unnecessarily tearing up the road surfaces makes it all worth it.

 

Just noticing my Blizzak Vm1 getting slippy - it's been 8 seasons of amazing grip so I'm happy.
Next winter I'll be replacing them, those Blizzak LT look great.