snow tires

[Serveck]

this may have been asked before, but i could not find any threads regarding this. which offroad tires do best in the snow? i hear that BFG AT's do excelent, but are not so good offroad (constantly pulling my friend's wrangler out that had them).

right now i have 2 sets of tires, a set of uniroyals (235)which i use the majority of the time (better road manners) and a set of M/T's with about 50-75% (mal-aligned) tread left. what i'm wondering is, which does better in the white stuff? i live here in maine and this past monday we got dumped on (8-12"). i was using the allseasons and they were slipping pretty good, even with full time 4wd. should i dig my M/T's out of the garage? i was not planning on using them again until mud season this spring. btw. they are 31x10.5 and they are not siped as far a i know (how can i tell?)

 

[j99xj]

M/T tires should be better for deep powder.

But for packed snow/ice, the best tires are the A/Ts and dedicated snow tires.

All season tires are a joke for any kind of winter driving.

You mentioned that you were using full time 4wd. Although there is nothing inherently wrong with this, you really ought to use part time 4wd for deep stuff.

 

[Serveck]

i use the full time 4wd on the roads in the winter (better gas mileage and ALOT less wear) and i use part time if you cannot see pavement. but what im wondering is, will the M/t's be better overall in the winter? i know they dont like the slick stuff (ice or packed stuff) but then again.. what tire does (unless studded).

 

[j99xj]

Are M/Ts better overall in the winter? No.

The only cases where M/Ts are better than any other tire is on unplowed surfaces.

Once the roads are plowed and the snow gets packed, A/Ts own the road.

A/Ts are the best overall in the winter along with dedicated snow tires or people with chains.

 

[Serveck]

well, my question was never really answered, are they better than my all seasons? or am i better off just sucking it up and creeping along on them? this last storm we got dumped on (8-12") and i think i could have really used them then. they have descent road manners for when the roads are finally clear though.

 

[beakie]

BFG AT's in 33x10.5 flavour installed 3 weeks ago. Best $600 I have spent in years.

All seasons can't compare to a dedicated winter tire, or these AT's.
If you do any heavy snow driving you will really appreciate BFG AT's or other winter specific tires.

BFG AT's aren't dedicated winter tires, but they are siped more than many AT's I looked at, and there were a better price than I could find.

 

[philip_g]

I'm running hi tech retread ATD green diamonds, and they absolutely rock on slick stuff.

 

[theoriginalscion]

All I have to say is Nokian Hakkapeliitta LT's. Carried me through almost 2 feet of fresh powder plus some pack all the way to the highest point in th county. Got to love those State forest roads. The Nokians also put my old Dunlopy AT's to shame, in the mud.

Although it usually comes down to money, the proper pair of shoes for the conditions are a must.

 

[Serveck]

so i might as well put my M/T's on instead of my all seasons? i know the AT's do great in the snow, but im not about to dump even more money when i already have offroad tires.

 

[drouge]

You can drive just about anything in the snow/ice if you are patient and aware of your limitations but nothing beats a dedicated snow tire. My civic on Nokian snows far out performs my Jeep on BFG A/T's in all snow/ice conditions. They are about the same in acceleration( Jeep in 4wd) but there is no comparison in braking, or cornering. Considering you've got two sets two chose from give them both a shot and pick the one your more comfortable with.

 

[Serveck]

i just finished putting on my M/T's ( a real PITA in the driveway without my aircompressor) but i did some brake testing with them on an unplowed road and they were worlds apart, the MT's were much better than my streets. one con though, i cannot turn sharply as i have all the weight on the front end with the plow.

 

[wingnutooa]

plow?!!

i want pictures!

and the M/T's absolutely rock in the snow.

imo its the best snow tire out there.

i think the M/T should/ve been named the A/T and the A/T should've been named an all season

 

[Serveck]

pic of the jeep with the plow (all season tires installed)

the M/T's do much better than my all-seasons, while not the best, the just plow through deep snow (even without the plow on)

 

[wingnutooa]

thats awesome.

i wish we had some snow here to plow

 

[Serveck]

i just heard that we are getting 4" tomorrow night and up to a foot saturday night! woot! so glad i swaped the tires when i did. ill post pics when we get snowed on again. this is the most snow we have had in december in a LONG time.

 

[Slo-Sho]

which offroad tires do best in the snow?

So I take it you're not looking for dedicated snows? M/T's generally do well in fresh snow, not so well on surfaces that have been glazed over such as by a plow and forget about it on ICE. Now if you're looking for the most economical solution then I'd suggest the Winterforce 235/75/15. Plenty of sipes and being directional it expels snow and slush with authority.

They're cheap and last a long time. I've known people to run them all year round and they seem to last. If money is no problem then I'd go with the Nokians as suggested above.

 

[OFFRDR]

How much did it cost you to put that plow on there? I'm from Alaska and have always wanted a plow on my rig...

 

[Serveck]

we got the plow itself for free from a friends (so long as we plowed them out) because they were selling their XJ. it was maybe 100$ for the mount itself to be welded (can also be bolted on) straight to the body. it also doubles as a front tow point. but it hurts your approad angle. there are multiple different styles though.

 

[matt1994xj]

So I take it you're not looking for dedicated snows? M/T's generally do well in fresh snow, not so well on surfaces that have been glazed over such as by a plow and forget about it on ICE. Now if you're looking for the most economical solution then I'd suggest the Winterforce 235/75/15. Plenty of sipes and being directional it expels snow and slush with authority.

They're cheap and last a long time. I've known people to run them all year round and they seem to last. If money is no problem then I'd go with the Nokians as suggested above.

those winterforce tires work great in the snow. a lot of people use them up here in da yoop. i am very pleased with my bfg a/t's in the snow and for the wheeling that i do