Blizzard 2005 tire test!

As many of you may know we in the north east got hammered with a blizzard on saturday . Here in upstate NY we got around 18-20" of snow.This presented an awsome opportunity to do a little deep snow tire testing . I have 3 XJ's , an 87' with 6" Skyjacker RR kit with 33x12.50x15 Swamper ssr's, a 91' with 6" Teraflex Grand up kit (with rear coils) with 33x12.50x15 Goodyear MTR's and a 94' that is still stock with 30x9.50x15 BFG AT's.At different times through out the day I drove each one through some really snotty snow on trails and seasonal roads. I had some really suprising results! I found of the 3 tire combinations the Swamper ssr's handled the snow the worst, they were great for some of the deep stuff because of the size but did slide around alot and I never felt like I was in full control of the vehicle. Next was the MTR's I will say they handled much better in the snow but tended to try and float over much of it I liked the way they felt but if you werent paying attention they would break through and get a little squirrley I did get hung up once with the MTR's but after a little back and forth I got out. Next was the stock 94' with the BFG's this is were I became really suprised .The BFG's out handled them all I never got stuck and felt in total control the whole time with them I was able to go through the same stuff that I did with the other 2 and made it back fine this was truly impressive!
I know that these results are not accurate because the test was done with 3 different rigs with completly different suspentions and gearing , the only rig with a locker is the 87' . I know this will be a very contraversal discussion but I hope I may have helped to shed some light on these different tires for anyone making a tire choice who lives in the snow belt. Thanks.

You should also consider the size and width of each tire. That will definitely make a difference. I take my 33x12.5's mud terrains off in the winter in favor of snow tires because, in my opinion, I often felt unsafe on those icy days. Like you said, though, in the deep snow (and just snow) and slush they were great, but sucked in the ice and packed snow.

This is just my opinion. I know there are alot of people out there that swear by their mud terrain tires in the winter, and good for you if you do.

I just removed the 235/75R15 Cooper ST's off my 90XJ and replaced them with 32X11.50 Cooper STT's...the 235's were WAY better in the snow. The STT's are great at low speed...they dig in and act fine but at highway speeds they tend to ride on top of the snow and pull hard if you get caught up in the crap at the side of the road. They make a drive kinda hairy. With the ST's I could pull out and pass with no problem...now it's a fight to get over the centerline mound and a fight to get back over...not what I want to do while passing someone.
None of this was terribly surprising...thinner tires work good if there is a bottom to the crap you're driving in/on, where the thicker ones can dig in and pull you foward while riding higher if there isn't a bottom nearby.

I got in an argument with a guy at work who said the bfg A/T suck. I run 33' 12.50 A/T's on my rig and i i love them in the snow. He said he had the same size on a full size blazer and said he kept geting stuck. They dont slide around, spin, or feel like i never have no control. They get more traction than the set of 31' bridgestones i have on my stock cherokee.

I've got 30x9.5 Bridgestone Dueler MT's and they performed great. Dug through the top layer and kept chuggin' through all the crap we go. Didn't slide on packed stuff, didn't get caught in the ruts and didn't float. Then again, it's not like I was bombin' my way through the streets, I value stopping as much as accelerating. Doing the speed limit around town (30-40) before the plows were out, laughing at the Infinity and Lexus "SUV" idiots trying to get traction with their street tires was pretty comical.

The new ram hemi's or the chevy SS's with the 20's are fun to watch in the snow with there "performance street" tires

I got to really play with my 98, BFG AT/KO in 235 size, great in the snow and with the auburn it is just sweet.
We have a massive water flow problem on our street from the torrential rains we have gotten for the past three months and in dec and most of january with killer runoff. There is now about 1ft to 18" of ICE that has frozen solid, problem is that the cars and trucks driving thru it left the normal 4 trails thru it befor it froze solid. My sons friend with his 4" lifted TJ, 35's and new 9000i made $180+ yesterday pulling people out who got highsided by following the ruts including a lincoln town car, a brand new H2 and a bronco that ripped out his transfer case trying to baja the road section leaving gears and oil all over the place. I felt like throttling him for not running over here for the camera while he had the H2 on the cable, it coulda been a classic :rattle:

I dont think its so much as the tire at fault, more likely than not it is the driver of the vehicle.

....you aint wheelin if you havent been stuck! But people that get stuck frequently need to address their driving skills. As for higher speeds in snow and ice with bigger tires....are they really made to perform at 50 to 70 mph, i dont think so.

Cory

csr_011 said:

I dont think its so much as the tire at fault, more likely than not it is the driver of the vehicle.

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Cant agree more!! I know guys that would get a tank stuck in 6" of snow. Can't always blame the tires!!

I went out in my '87 with 235 Firestone Destination M/T's and had no problems with anything.

3"+ mix and match lift, Stock gears, no lockers..

I was movin' slow and enjoying the peace and quiet. I took it through one 6' drift (after carefully prodding it with my brrom handle to make sure no kids were playing "fort" in there) and came out the other side like it was June in Georgia.

And I was thinking about getting new tires...

Beauty..