Mud tires in snow (i know.. i know)

[Shran]

I ran BFG AT's on a 2wd truck for many years in the snow. I've heard other people complain about those tires in snow but I thought they were great.

Driving in snow, especially deep snow, really takes a couple tactics. Big/wide tires requires a feather throttle. They will dig in and pickle you... I really prefer skinny tires in deep snow, they will allow you to skate through. Chains are really nice to have, they will get you out of a lot of stuff.

Chains and big mud tires are kinda funny, both will dig in, you'd think that mud tires would function similar to chains and pull you through but they really do not.

One of my favorite snow runs was when my buddy had 40" Gumbo Monster Mudders on his Early Bronco. It looked like it would be unstoppable but he was pretty much stuck the whole day. They definitely do not act like big balloons like you'd think they would.

 

[sgtsandman]

Thinner tires are better in snow than wider ones of the same make. I think it is because they float less on top of the snow and create a higher pressure point at the contact patch.

From my reading, according to tire experts, snow tires are designed to trap snow since nothing grips snow like snow. Thus all the small grooves and crannies in snow/winter tires. The softer compounds help with traction and flexibility in colder weather and help with ice grip. The sipes also help with ice grip.

Of course nothing grabs better than studs and chains. Thus why in certain areas, chains are required to access certain roads. I don't remember if snow/winter tires were a qualification or not. The same goes with studs. Studs might not play well with chains anyway. But if I were to be driving in conditions bad enough to require chains, I would want snow/winter tires on the vehicle as well.

I've never lived or had to go to places where the road access requirement during certain times of the year required chains. So I may be off base on some it.

If the people in the know are right that the sun id going into a solar minimum, we might just get to test that all out...

 

[Shran]

I own chains for 235-75-15 tires... have never had to use them, I've always gotten myself out with 4 wheel drive or a shovel or a winch. There are many places way back in the hills here that get snow early in the fall and it doesn't melt till spring...or that get a lot of snow all at once. Many of the forest service roads are under seasonal closures from Dec 15 - May 15 but many are not and we go play out there on occasion. "fun" as opposed to needing to drive somewhere... see how far you can get before everybody is stuck, take a break for lunch and get everyone back out.

One of the guys in my club has a Dodge 3/4 diesel truck that he's taken out on runs with us before. Last snow run was 1-2' deep snow and that thing was so heavy that it would just dig in and stop. He put chains on the front and it made an incredible difference...would just claw itself out of anything.

 

[bobbywalter]

Deeeeeep snow...my nearly flat 42,s work great.


My snow tires are too narrow for deeeeep. And kind of fat for pavement.... They bust through quick even aired down in deeeeep snow...and plane out on deep slush from being fat.

But for a 35 in tire. They are awesome.


But when the snow is that deep that I need the 42s... I prefer not to go into it at all .. if you fall through 3 or 4 feet off camber ...your fawked

 

[rusty ol ranger]

If I run under 10 psi ...the iroks are tolerable in regards to slick pavement.

On snow covered dirt they are fine....on pavement....scary.

i swore them off after the BFG M/Ts i had on my 83 F150, Like you said dirt bottom they were ok, pavement no. Deep snow they were ok IF it was fluffy. Wet snow they sucked.

I pretty much stick to BFG AT's although im curious what these general grabbers i just put on rusty will do when the snow flies. id run a dedicated winter tire but i hate swapping shit out and the AT's serve me well for how i use my trucks even in summer.

 

[snoranger]

I’ve found that 21’ of “get the hell off my road” (11’ main blade, 10’ wing plow), combined with 30K lbs of “don’t come back” getting flung out of the back really does the trick...

 

[rusty ol ranger]

Worse vehicle/tire combo ive ever had in the snow....

A 99 Crown vic riding on big fat pirellis off a mustang. I was stuck in like 1/2 or 1 inch of snow while my nephews 74 Camaro riding on douglas all seasons drove arounrd me in the yard without even slipping a tire lol

 

[DILLARD000]

Been running relatively cheap WestlakeSL369 tires (Mud+Snow\M+S rated) last 2 years.
They do surprisingly well here at 9kft elevation on narrow winding roads
with relatively deep snow December~March often, bad ice conditions not too often.
County plows are often a day or more late getting the roads cleared in my area.
Had GeneralGrabber(M+S rated) tires before these that also did well.
Keep a heavily loaded tool box in the bed, which improves rear traction.

 

[JohnnyO]

I believe snow performance is enhanced by having lots of small tread blocks and lots of “sipes” (the little slits in the blocks). Therefore, big clunky mud tires with huge blocks are not optimal. With that said, I have always had decent performance with BFG A/T’s and M/T’s. Never felt unsafe or unstable in snow. But I don’t get a lot of snow driving down here in SC. They work for me. Your experience may vary.

Exactly. For snow you want a large number of small edges in the tread, like an A/T, where MT's have a smaller number of large edges and most will ride on top of the snow and not bite in.
Where I live we do get snow but winter is more wet than anything else and I get around fine with A/T's on my trucks.
I got my wife a set of Blizzaks a couple cars ago and now she won't roll on anything else in the winter. My daughter's Fiesta gets cheap-ass Mastercraft snow tires and it's still a beast in snow. As mentioned, dedicated winter tires have softer rubber and grip better in cold temps and ice. I do not run studs because winter here tends to be wet and your traction is worse.

 

[rusty ol ranger]

Exactly. For snow you want a large number of small edges in the tread, like an A/T, where MT's have a smaller number of large edges and most will ride on top of the snow and not bite in.
Where I live we do get snow but winter is more wet than anything else and I get around fine with A/T's on my trucks.
I got my wife a set of Blizzaks a couple cars ago and now she won't roll on anything else in the winter. My daughter's Fiesta gets cheap-ass Mastercraft snow tires and it's still a beast in snow. As mentioned, dedicated winter tires have softer rubber and grip better in cold temps and ice. I do not run studs because winter here tends to be wet and your traction is worse.

The colorado i had i put those cheapo goodyear wrangler a/ts on that only come in 235/75r15. Even unloaded it went like hell in the snow. Id run those instead of the BFG's if they made them in other sizes.

 

[ryan]

The worst snow tires I ever had were the reds, generally terrifying if it's <40F outside

 

[Roert42]

Tried running General AT2s in the snow once, terrible, even with the bed completely full up past the window with snow.

The cooper discoverer AT I had did awesome in the same snow storm.

My mustang with mastercraft touring tires did better the. Anything, couple bags of sand in the trunk and I could get through anything that wasn’t up over the hood.

 

[Blmpkn]

I'm just super bummed out these kendas perform so crappy -__- oh well. At least I don't have to work when it's snowing.. so I can really keep my driving in the snow to a minimum. With as much is on my plate right now spending 1200$ on a set of wheels and tires just isn't in the picture unfortunately.

 

[bobbywalter]

Shop truck has the small ones...the 35s for the ranger.

 

[bobbywalter]

35s look tiny on my truck.