Tacoma DCSB Winter Driving:Is there a significant difference in the snow between M/T and snow tires?

I lived in San Diego and surrounding areas for awhile. And I now live in the northeast. I know you think you know what snow is because you go play in big bear from time to time, but you don’t. At all.


Your credibility, if it wasn’t before, is officially shot.

 

Not all places are legal to run studded tires.

 

For what it's worth, I've never understood why people claim KO2s are complete garbage in the snow. I've got tens of thousands of miles on them and on the original KO a/t's in the Tahoe area and the Colorado Rockies driving skiing hundreds of times in complete crap weather. In my experience, they are predictable at the limit and offer good traction over a wide variety of surfaces - deep snow, light snow, ice, slush, hardpack. All I can tell you is in 265/65 or 265/70r17 on a double cab short bed if you don't live in an area where dedicated snows are a requirement, KO2s would get my vote as the next best option. Keep in mind, whether your truck is AC or DC matters, as does your level of comfort driving in snow, as does tire width - wider is not better when it comes to snow and ice.

Other tires I've run are Toyo Open Country AT, Yokohama Geolandar AT, Michelin LTX ATs and IMO the KO2s are the most predictable. There are also big differences in snowpack from region to region. The wet/freezing rain layer driving up through Tahoe presents a different driving challenge than driving up I-70 to the ski resorts from Denver. I've found the KO2 to be the most reliably consistent tire across all conditions that I've owned.

I agree 100%, though, if you live in an area where the weather is that extreme, there is no substitute for dedicated snow tires. Period, the end.

 

Are we still debating this?

There has been lots of information. At this point either you agree or disagree with the points made. Go make your decision and either buy tires or be ready to pay your deductible.

I just don’t get it. People get all horny about CAI’s, this mod, that mod, getting a TUNE or whatever their stupid mod of the day is. We are taking REAL PERFORMANCE here. No BS this will actually be performance you can actually feel without a dyno chart or lies your supplier told you. Yet some still want to argue against snow tires. I will say this again - if you have never run full on snow tires you have no opinion in this discussion. Trying to think you have an opinion on snows without ever driving with them is like trying to speak about having a vagina. I have never experienced a vagina as an owner. So WTF can I really say about having one?

 

I don't think anyone is arguing AS/AT/MT tires are better than snow tires. If they are, then you are right--they are misinformed. The debate here pertains to a specific scenario, so there is no clear cut winner. Is the expense of buying snow tires justified, only to use them for a few weeks? Or simply use what he's got until he moves? Personal decisions, I think. We all want to be safe, but we each have our own lines drawn where that threshold of personal safety is. i.e. When you bought an Access Cab, did you consider Double Cabs are more structurally sound? Better yet, full-size trucks are rated much safer. But we all made our decisions based on many different factors, including our own comfort level of risk.

I'm sure the OP is well-informed now and will have to make his own decision.

 

I love reading tire threads lol!

 

I'm from Washington and family still owns property on Mt Rainier, bitch I was born for snow

Have you ever even been in a 20ft snow dump?? I mean I know you'll spend a depressing ass winter in freezing cold with a few inches here and there... that's miserable and I feel for ya but its still nothing like being in a proper storm at 8,000ft+. I think you're just salty cuz you had to leave san diego

 

Sorry, not sorry. Pnw or west coast doesn’t know snow like this. I hear you. You drove in snow. You experienced Washington because your fam has property. And now you think you’re a snow pro. I thought I was too. I feel like you need to google snow... the perspective of a Southern Californian on snow (regardless how much property his or her family own someplace else) is as useful as Kim kardashians perspective on oil reserves.

 

False. Rainier is national forest

I wouldn't say they are complete garbage. The original KOs were our defacto tire. I later had to replace them with Michelin LTX AT2 and realized that the KO's couldnt compete. They arent garabage but there are a lot of better tires out there.

 

hahaha at first I thought we were just talking some friendly shit, now I realize you're actually emotionally invested in this lol.... Ok I'll play! West Coast doesn't snow huh?? Interesting... Google the following:

US Record seasonal snowfall (you'll learn it was on the west coast)
US Most snow in 2 day (you'll learn it was on the west coast)
Most snow from single storm (you'll learn it was on the west coast)
Greatest snow depth ever recorded.... yup you guessed it!! Right here in CA


The difference is we get to live in amazing year round climate where I can surf one morning in 63 degree water then drive 6 hours and play in the trail of record breaking snowstorms, and if I feel so inclined I can even hitup the desert and dirtbike in 80 degree weather on the way home. Whereas where you live the winter is everywhere, there's no escaping it, its not exciting or record breaking or fun its just a relentless bitter cold for months on end.... and you're probably right in the middle of it which explains your soggy attitude

 

I think you are completely missin his point and US records snow falls are irrelevant to be honest.

Your last sentence pretty much sums up why hes even debating you. You live in 63 degrees and have to drive 6 hours to play in snow... Some of us live in snow for 6 months out of the year. Snow thats 20 feet high...

You pretty much just proved his point and I dont think you even realize it.

 

You familiar with the area?? Know Mt Haven resort?? My dad literally built that place by hand in the 70s... And you didn't ask for it but I'll tell you anyways... I was conceived there

 

I am sort of, regularly climb the cascades every year. OK small seasonal business at the base of the mountain is a bit different that saying we own property ON Rainier. Tons of campgrounds

but I may have to hit you up to rent a cabin

 

I just think you’re confused. As usual. And figured I would steer you straight, except that’s not working and I’m gonna have to be satisfied with you not knowing what the fuck you’re talking about. I’m ok with that, surprisingly.

 

And you're missing mine.

I've spent a winter in Minneapolis and plenty in the PNW, I know exactly what its like living in bitter cold for months on end... it sucks and its miserable. But its not NEARLY as extreme or as dangerous as being in a real storm, at elevation, in a place that doesn't use salt... its not even close.

I drove around in a Prius in Minnesota on AW tires in the middle of winter and did just fine.... But I'd be a fucking idiot to tell someone to do that in the mountains, which is what people are inferring here "I did it on a groomed street in a city that made for it so you can do it anywhere!!". And being from Maine isn't a qualifier, their highest "mountain" is like 5,000 ft lol.

 

So do you deny any of the above facts I posted?? Are all those records not on the west coast?? And how does that fit your "west coast doesn't get real snow" bullshit??

Yeah... thought so

 

I actually rather enjoy it. Colorado is currently having one of its warmest winters and it completely sucks.

 

I honestly wasn't trying to make it sound like that but yeah its technically in Longmire (I think). Anyways we don't actually own Mt Haven anymore sold it 10 years ago, we still have a place like 1 mile west behind by the local convenience store which I'm honestly not sure is even there, guy who owned it died last time I was there a few years ago.

 

I tl,dr’ed your last (because you) and I’m not gonna fact check you. I’m sure the families property your pops built that was hand hewn out of granite using a framing hammer sees record snowfall 365. But let me frame this in another way- I doubt (could be wrong) that YOU have put in the daily drive during northeastern snowstorms for seasons. Like you say, I came here and was quite smug about how weak the vertical rise was on the “mountains”... and I still am. But the height of the local mountains here has nothing to do with how much snow I have to deal with daily. And unlike you, I like it. I grew up in the deserts of Nevada and lived in San Diego for a chunk of my life, I wanted to adventure to a place where I had seasons. None of this is miserable. Just last weekend I made a camp on top of a “mountain” to try out a little camp furnace I made. So apparently I was built for this as well, I just sought it out instead of running away from it. Long story short, you experienced snow on occasion and continue to experience snow on occasion recreationally. Others like myself hone our skills living in it daily. There is a difference.

 

I'm hating it. We had an epic ski season last year and the forecast was looking REALLY good this year and right after I bought my season pass.... freak high pressure ridge across the whole western half of the US. They're now calling it "the ridiculously resilient ridge", went to backcountry ski bloody mountain (Sierras) last week and the snow was this thick slushy dirty bullshit. Didn't even make it all the way up it was like hiking through molasses. And more high pressure ridges forecast for next month so looks like this whole season might end up being a dud

Might come join you out in CO and hitup Breckenridge if its any better