Winter weather driving.

A little information first, I have a 2007 Double Cab TRD 4x4 which I bought new. I had a second pick up, a 1998 Tacoma Regular Cab 4x4 which I sold a few months ago, deciding to go to a single truck.

Here in Ohio we got a little bit of the big storm pounding the East, and I was driving to work in what I would describe as 1-2" of snow/slush and the roads had not been cleared yet. The 07 was sliding around worse than any Tacoma I have ever owned and I have had several over the years. I ended up slowing down considerably more than I ever had too in my 98, not implying that the 98 could run a speeds unsafe for the conditions.

So my question is, are the stock tires, BFG Rugged Trails a bad tire for snow? They have been ok for normal driving, and they have about 20K miles on them, but still have plenty of tread. I am ready to replace them, if I get some input on them being part of the problem.

Any input would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

I ditched the stock tires for the winter. I used them in one mild storm and decided that I needed a good set of snow tires. I used to do a lot of winter driving in my truck with my old job so I would usually only go to work when it was bad weather. My only downfall is that I spend $$ twice a year to swap my tires around.

 

My Rugged Trails handled the storm down here rather well...better than I would've expected actually. In 4hi, it was almost like normal driving, albeit with understeer and I still had to be careful about braking/stopping distances. But control felt normal.

The ass end of 2nd gens goes crazy in 2hi in slick stuff with these BFG Rugged Fails. 4WD is a must.

 

my stock tires weren't the rugged trails, they were the bridgestone dueler h/t. i did notice though a huge change in the snow performance when i swapped out for the nitto terra grapplers... i don't have to use 4 wheel drive nearly as much, so yes, the problem is most likely your tires.
for some perspective, i'm in northern virginia, and we just got 20+ inches, and i was one of the only vehicles that could drive last night

 

I have an 08 DC with rugged fails on it and Im not impressed with them in slick conditions either. My last truck had BFG radial long trail t/a and they were the best all weathers I ever owned. I am thinking of changing tires too, which sucks because the truck only has 12,000 miles on it.

 

Oh I'm definitely changing tires as soon as these Rugged Trails are dead...but dammit, I paid for them, so I WILL use them up!

Don't get me wrong - I wouldn't call the Fails a good tire. I was just surprised they weren't worse than they were in the snow.

 

My ole man lives in Dayton, OH and removed his all season rim protectors and installed his winter tire set. I'm a firm believer in snow tires and run Blizzaks on all my vehicles. My usual routine is to install winter tires on the stock wheels and buy a nice wheel/tire combo for the other 3 seasons.

Here's a demonstration of the differences between snow, summer, and all season, provided by tirerack, a picture is worth more than thousand words.

http://www.tirerack.com/videos/index.jsp?video=26&tab=winter

What better demonstration than on a hockey rink. Tire compounds, and construction are totally different between all season tires and snow tires. The most obvious differences are the number sipes per tread block and soft compound, which at room temperature can be easily compressed/moved with your thumb.

It doesn't matter if you own a 4x4 or not, 4hi will let you accelerate better but the braking and turning performance is still compromised using all season, all terrains, and mud terrains.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqyiy6Dt_Ck

thats me

 

I sold my "Rugged Fails" at 900 miles, and replaced them with Big O Bigfoot AT's...

Did the same thing with my last Dodge that came with "Rugged Fails"...

Makes a HUGE difference in all conditions...

 

With less than 3000 miles i got rid of the stock tires and got these goodyear wrangler Duratracs. They are snow rated a 10 and after a couple good snow falls here in buffalo i agree. used to run the BFG AT but would say these are much better AT tire.

 

I would have put those on, but they weren't out yet... I still may... Looks good...

 

swap out the rugged trails for some michelin x-ice's they are a very good snow and ice tire

 

i just got the duratracs friday night as the snow began to fall. complete night and day as far as traction. no problem driving in the deep snow or slushy stuff. love em

 

Mine came with the dunlop AT20 junk and swapped them out with 400 miles on them, wasnt going to even take a chance and wait for the first snowfall. BFG Rugged trails are junk tires so Im sure thats the problem. I got the nitto terra grapplers. I hate to admit but my wife is the main driver since she lost her job and company car. So I sold the 09 F-250 and got the tacoma for her to be more comfortable in and I wanted tires that she would be safe with as well. I was torn between the duratracs and the nittos but the dura may have been a bit much for her daily driving. I just love the evenings and weekends as then she drives my company car and I get my truck back. Good luck with the tire issue, just remember safety first, tires cost a bit but you can replace them, you cant replace yourself or anyone else

 

I bought my truck many winter ago. I had the 17" Dueler H/T's. It sucked. Any older truck with narrower 15's or 16's handled much better.

2 weeks later I bought 16" snow tires, problem solved.

 

As others have said, I use a dedicated winter tire ... actually run two sets, one summer rim/tire pkg and a dedicated winter rim/tire pkg.

I did, for one season, use a snowflake-rated all terrrain but drive a lot on dirt roads and see too much hardpack/ice & decided go with a studded, narrow 245/75/16 snow tire. Not necessarily a solution for everyone but works for me & the road conditions I drive. My stock Dunlop AT20s I gave away on CL.

 

This is a good thread to unleash my first mod - The bfg rugged fail tire mod!

 

This old Cracker handles winter traction issues by making sure I don't go any farther north than Gainesville between October and May. It works well year after year after year.

 

We've gotten more snow than usual this year in Reno and I must say, with the Dunflop AT20s, my truck would be useless without 4x4. I need better tires bad. Tires are so important when it comes to winter traction.

 

Like many others I run a set of winter tires. I put on General AT2 (with studs) but I have a buddy that runs the AT2s year round and he is very happy with them in snow and ice, they have the Mt Snowflake symbol.