Mud Terrains in PNW?

Like others have suggested, mud tres are not a good choice. You’ll be much happier with an all terrain tire.

 

Great question and lots of good recommendations, I've got Patagonia milestar M/Ts, looking for something more practical for my next tire

 

I've had Hankook Dynapro AT2 Xtreme for the past 6 months. So far, excellent on dry pavement and in heavy rain. Can't review snow performance yet, but they do carry the 3-peak snow rating.

 

I live in the upper midwest where there is plenty of rain, snow, ice, mud, sand, and rocks. My mud terrains are not terrible on snow and ice as others have said, but they are not as good as my set of all terrains. I'm not sure why people even worry about wet pavement. It's not even in the same category as snow and ice. Pretty much any tire in decent shape is fine on wet pavement in my experience.

The mud terrains are of course better than the all terrains on mud, dirt, sand, and rocks.

However the mud terrains kinda suck in general for daily driving. They are loud, stiff, and not especially wear resistant. That's why I have 2 sets of tires.

Note that my mud terrains are advertised as M&S (I know there is no official definition for that label like for the three peak designation). The tires also have more siping than some other mud terrains. That was part of the reason I choose them.

EDIT: although I haven't done an apples to apples comparison, I do think the mud terrains are better in deep snow and other types of snow found off the roads.

 

PNW native. MTs are NOT needed. Way better off with a good AT tire. I went Duratrac as they are quite highly rated for snow. Seem to be about as beefy a tire as you can get WITHOUT going MT. I didn't want to go back and forth from snow tires to AT tires, so went Duratrac. Been great for me on road and off.

 

Sounds like the hybrids are a good balanced option in the future - main concern was whether the MTs are ‘needed’ for these parts in the wet months since I haven’t been out in the back country in my 2 door Honda lol

 

On the west side of the PNW it rains a lot (Seattle area), it is also very hilly, with some very steep hills. With no weight in a pickup bed it isn't uncommon to spin MTs on wet pavement trying to get traction from a stop on a hill in the rain on the street. MTs are also more prone to sliding in the rain due to the large tread blocks. While snow/ice is a concern, we don't get a whole lot of snow days or days significantly below freezing vs the amount of rain days we get, so wet weather performance is important.

 

I’ve been to Seattle and have experienced a rain storm. However, wet pavement has a much high coefficient of friction than snow and ice.

 

But snow and ice is rare. Any typically when we get it, it is light, where an AT will still do significantly better than an MT in those conditions. The only time an MT has the advantage in snow is when it is super deep, which very rarely happens here. Across the board an AT has the advantage in almost all conditions in this region, as many others have commented on. I've done both and will never go back to MTs.

 

Drove the Coquihalla connector and the Coquihalla* today through a severe snowstorm. Spotted 4 vehicles in the ditches and spent part of both adventures going ~50 hm/h with the 4-way flashers on. Fun.

Anyway, that was all completed on Toyo MTs, albeit in 4WD whenever we were in snow. Studded tires might have been nice, and I would definitely get them if I drove that road regularly, but slowing down to suit conditions makes a huge difference.

*that’s the “Highway Thru Hell” featured for 11 seasons on the Discovery Channel.

 

Sounds like a fun trip. Fresh snow isn’t ice though. Most tires with any tread depth do well in snow. People don’t generally crash because of snow. Mud tires suck on ice. All terrains are bad on ice. Dedicated winter tires are ok on ice.

 

Sorry for the older post bump but you should show some pics of your setup! I usually run Wildpeaks but decided to order a set of the Patagonia X/T for the 3 ply sidewall and 3 peak rating. Plus they will be $718 installed for my size (LT265/70R17) after some good discounts.

 

I went up to Leavenworth over the last few days and tires were fine up and down the mountain passes in the wet. Didn’t get a chance to try them out in the snow much but glad it didn’t storm while I was up there.

I’ve had them for a few thousand miles now and have no complaints! Especially for the price (37x12.5)

 

Sweet mother of gawd your truck is a beast! Right on, good to hear it thank you! I need to make a Leavenworth trip again soon.

 

Very impressive truck!

 

Oh man 37’s on a taco is ludicrous haha. You can stuff those??

 

I bought it off another TW user last year. The shop that built it tubbed the firewall and did a cab mount relocate. That and it is long travel with chopped 6” flare fiberglass fenders

 

I personally think you should keep your stock tires. I think they should get you in and out of were ever you need to go. If you start having issue's with traction off road “ which I think you won’t “ then look at some other tires .

 

My Duratracs have 20k on them now. Still look great. I keep them rotated. Tread is wearing evenly. They’re not the quietest thing ever, but they sound exactly like I expected and wanted them to. They’ve been great in the snow and in the light to moderate 4x4 use I give my truck.

 

My Kenda Mt2s have been about the same on wet pavement as the RTs, doubted I have quite a bit of weight to the truck/the rear end so it’s hard to compare to a stock truck.