I know it's summer right now, but... Winter tires?

First off, I live in an area with mountains, and we get snow in the mountains during the winter. I have driven on logging roads with 2" of ice, and 12-16" of snow on top of the ice, so running AT tires is most likely not an option here. We also don't get much snow on the ground, but ice, black ice, and freezing rain, and while I understand that AT tires are amazing in snow, I don't think they're amazing on ice.

There are two general philosophies on snow tires: Wide tires that float on snow for traction, and skinny tires that cut through snow to whatever is under it. I personally like the skinny tire better, and I have run some super skinny tires in the past on Subaru's, but I have no experience running snow tires on a 4X4 truck.

The other consideration is that I have to make it in to work, on time, every day. Not just because I enjoy being gainfully employed, but my job can (and last September, did) turn into life-or-death for disabled people in the event that any kind of evacuation is required, so being able to get in to my job during winter is a priority.

So, in general, is the wider, floating tire better on a 4X4, or a more skinny tire? I'm looking at stock size 265 vs 245 tires, but I'm not above doing bonkers sizes, if they make sense (I ran 195 size tires on a 15" wheel on my WRX, that was a lot of work).

I'm planning on buying a set of stock Taco wheels and getting dedicated, non-studded, snow/ice tires for winter, and keep the other set of Taco wheels with AT tires on them for summer.

 

Look into Nokian. I run their AT tire year round.

 

If it’s more ice than snow, pass on the skinnies

 

Nothing is great on ice unless it has studs.

 

You have hit upon one of the questions that will spark debate with no clear answer. Skinnies or fat tires. Other examples: Covid vaccine or no, change auto transmission fluid or no, synthetic or conventional oil.

I’ve always leaned to more rubber on the road (fat). Do you carry chains?

 

235/85 16 Falken AT3 - I run these and really like them In snow but I can tell they are not as good as they were brand new. They are not a great ice tire. I agree if you have to get through on Ice studded is the way to go. I like Nokians as well. My wife’s CRV does great with the Blizzaks and they are wearing very well. If you can find a soft rubber and/or studded tire in a 235/85 16 that is a good setup. They seem to be the harder/silica tread compound from what I’ve seen.

 

P-metric (non LT) Bridgestone Dueler Revos are pretty soft and grippy. I ran them year round and they didn't last very long because of how soft they are but if you only use them in winter they should last longer

I've been on LT Duelers for a while now and they've been great although a little harder tread compound. I ski 2-3 times a week in the winter, lots of white-out blizzards and sketchy, icy drives.

I hear good things about Michelin Defender LTX

Realistically I think you should end up on a A/T or dedicated snow tire though. They're the ones that will have the siping and soft tread compound. Anything M/T or with bigger, more aggressive tread blocks won't help on ice or compact snow.

 

This ^^^. If studded tires are legal in your state then get a set of studded snow tires. You’ll have to have another set of tires to run after winter.

 

Stock size is fine. I like the skinny tire more. They handle better in all on-road conditions (in my opinion) and most off-road as well. They track better and are way less likely to hydroplane. It cost is not a concern go for Nokian unstudded ice tires, but blizzaks are also terrific. Any modern ice tire at all will outperform an all season or AT tire even if it does have a mountain snowflake symbol.

you ran skinnies on a Subaru and I bet that thing was a tank. Do the same with your truck but you’ll have higher ground clearance. Understand the mechanics of how your 4wd system works (locker / no locker / limited slip, yellow wire mod, etc) and make sure you’ve got SAFE weight in the back. nothing that will come through your back window if you go nose first into a ditch or snowbank.

also, carry a good pair of v-bar chains if you really need to be able to make a trip in any conditions. If you’re running good heavy v-bars you need to be running LT rated tires, so skip the P rated options.

Safe travels.

 

Michelin X-Ice + 3-400 lbs in the bed.

Stay with your stock tire size.

Don't worry over the skinny vs wide tire debate. The width difference is small potatoes.

Traction comes down to friction between the tire and the surface its on. Shifting from a 265 to a 245 tire gains roughly 8%. You can get more with a dedicated winter tire, Michelin X-Ice, and weight in the bed. After that, it becomes driving skill and experience on winter roads.

There are no magic solutions.

 

I've lived where we average 100" of snow each winter for all of my 65 years. I've tried about every kind of tire you can get and I'll offer my 2 cents here for what it's worth. If you want to get up on top of the snow and float over it, buy a wide tire. An AT type tire actually works pretty well here. If you need traction on hard pack and ice, buy a narrow dedicated Ice & Snow rated tire. If you want the ultimate in traction, add studs. (Just be aware that they will tear up your driveway eventually.)

So what do I run after all these years? Four narrow Blizzaks - no studs - on each of my vehicles.

Want another data point? What do World Rally Car (WRC) drivers use when they run in the winter? Narrow studded Ice & Snow tires. You'll never see them run wide tires in the snow.

 

Thanks for all of the feedback. I'm going to go with the stock diameter in a 245mm width, which is what, 245 75R16? Probably going to do Nokian tires, but it gets up over 115°F here in the summer, so I'll just swap out tires for the appropriate season.

 

I’ve had great luck with the Bridgestone DMV2 for winters. The truck feels really solid in bad conditions here in B.C.

 

Well, nothing is currently available in stock, and I don't have the money right now for a set of wheels and tires, but I'll keep my options open.

I ran blizzaks on my Subaru, as well as other high performance snow and ice tires. The T100 has never had anything but highway or really light duty AT tires on it. It occasionally would have to go off road, but those days are long gone, so it's got highway tires now. It's nearly impossible to drive in the snow, even thinking about touching the brake pedal will cause it to spin. It has no ABS, and even with weight in the back, it's just not happy on low grip surfaces; The Taco has ABS, which I've tested in safe places on gravel, and I intend to run weight in the bed, plus I have the resources to get snow tires for winter, and intend to use them.

 

Hankook DynaPro AT/M's.. I run these on my 4runner, I have been constantly surprised at how well they've performed year round but especially in the ice/snow mess that we seem to get in the Mid-Atlantic region. They wear well and stay balanced, I have no complaints about them, they just don't seem to get much "love" because they don't have an aggressive look.