Driving Snowy Environment

[Snowhunter11]

Depending on your vehicle of course.. Generally on ice leave your traction control/stabilatrac whatever your manufacturer calls it on. In deep snow or mud I personally turn them off. In ice it will send power or braking to individual wheels and work to keep your vehicle “under control”. I am sure there are vehicles that tc doesnt work well also. My experience is with 2000+ Toyotas, Chevy, gmc, ford etc.. hunting and working on wet,muddy, and icy roads for 5+months a year. My 2c

 

[Poser]

Depending on your vehicle of course.. Generally on ice leave your traction control/stabilatrac whatever your manufacturer calls it on. In deep snow or mud I personally turn them off. In ice it will send power or braking to individual wheels and work to keep your vehicle “under control”. I am sure there are vehicles that tc doesnt work well also. My experience is with 2000+ Toyotas, Chevy, gmc, ford etc.. hunting and working on wet,muddy, and icy roads for 5+months a year. My 2c

Same conclusion: keep TC on for typical maintained road conditions, turn off when it gets gnarly.

 

[Q child]

Bring a tow strap so someone can pull you out if you crash. Use the 4 wheel when you need it. I drive most winters only engaging my 4 wheel occasionally. Studs are nice, but all terrains can usually get it done.

 

[schmalzy]

Bumping this one to the top. Falken Wildpeaks still the choice over BFG k02?

Going on a 2500 Silverado in Colorado.


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[Jason Snyder]

Bumping this one to the top. Falken Wildpeaks still the choice over BFG k02?

Going on a 2500 Silverado in Colorado.


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I probably would.

Toyo AT3 are my current tire and are also very good.

 

[UncleBone]

Bumping this one to the top. Falken Wildpeaks still the choice over BFG k02?

Going on a 2500 Silverado in Colorado.


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I ran ko2s for a while last year. absolutely terrible tires compared to the new toyo at3s, which I am currently running. They are better than the wildpeaks imo as well. But the wildpeaks are still better than the ko2s.

 

[schmalzy]

I ran ko2s for a while last year. absolutely terrible tires compared to the new toyo at3s, which I am currently running. They are better than the wildpeaks imo as well. But the wildpeaks are still better than the ko2s.

Appreciate it.

Any thoughts on duratracs?


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[UncleBone]

Appreciate it.

Any thoughts on duratracs?


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We have them on one of the work trucks. They seem like they do pretty well also. I think they are all "3 peak rated". From what I remember the toyos and the wildpeaks were about the same price when I checked, and the duratracks were maybe 50 or 75 per tire more.

 

[schmalzy]

Toyos look pretty solid and in stock locally in the size I want.

Cant believe truck tires are basically 2k now.


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[Jason Snyder]

Appreciate it.

Any thoughts on duratracs?


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The Duratracs are really good in the snow, probably better in loose snow than the Wild Peak or Toyo, but they are also louder. I think my Toyos are better on compact snow than the Duratracs were. None of the three are bad choices in snow.

 

[def90]

My stock 2002 jeep wrangler sport with BFGoodrich All Terrain TAs have gotten me everywhere I needed to go in Colorado. Had the same tires on a Dodge Dakota and got over Cameron Pass during a blizzard driving from FtCollins towards Walden through 3 ft drifts only to find the road closed in Walden when I got there.

Had to sleep in a church that night. Somehow I made it through from the East before they closed the gates on each end

 

[Mattys010]

Bridgestone blizzaks are amazing in the snow. Read some of Wes Siler’s articles in outside magazine. There’s a lot of bad information on this subject out there.

 

[spike camp]

For what it’s worth, I put 10 ply Ko2’s on my 2104 trd taco and while they’re ok off trail in snow, they definitely don’t grab as well as other tires like cooper, on hardpack snow roads.

 

[BBob]

Bridgestone blizzaks are amazing in the snow. Read some of Wes Siler’s articles in outside magazine. There’s a lot of bad information on this subject out there.

Most people have no clue how good real snow tires like Blizzak’s and Nokian’s are in snow and ice. No contest or even in the same world compared with all those regular tires on snow and ice

 

[Jason Snyder]

Most people have no clue how good real snow tires like Blizzak’s and Nokian’s are in snow and ice. No contest or even in the same world compared with all those regular tires on snow and ice

You guys are absolutely correct. We have Michelin Ice X on our Rav 4 and it’s unstoppable in snow. That said, snow tires do have their drawbacks. A midwinter warm spell with mud can render them pretty useless or some rocky Jeep trails with no snow cover can really tear them up.

Life is all about trade offs.

 

[49ereric]

Locker is fine on the road but easy on the throttle and slower driving. Lockers behave better with equal length axle shafts as well. Understand which way the vehicle will move under throttle as well if you have unequal axle shaft lengths. (My old bronco would go to the right under throttle and left when you took your foot off the throttle. My K20 has equal length shafts and behaves very well).
Helps to have synthetic gear lube as well for real cold. Manual transmission will always be better for making the locker behave. auto tranny torque converters 2:1 torque transfer will spin tires quick in poor traction conditions and that is what you don’t want to do. Lower psi in tires helps but so many tires have nitrogen in them today that makes that a non starter cuz can‘t be replace it easily.
i carry an air compressor to air up tires when roads are clear.
Drove my ford focus thru countless major storms in Minnesota just with road radial tires and low air in the tires driving slow. Have not had snow tires since I was a kid.
chains can’t be beat in hills

 

[Nykki]

I've been driving in Alaska for 50+ years, I run Blizzak's in the winter on my truck. My wife has got Bridgestone Dualer H/T on her 4 runner and they do well but she runs in 4x4 all winter. I've gone skating on several other manufacturers winter tires. You need a soft compound tire, but that makes them wear faster on dry pavement. I'm driving a Dodge 3/4 ton diesel with an open rear diff and get around very well in two wheel drive with the Bizzak's

 

[BBob]

You guys are absolutely correct. We have Michelin Ice X on our Rav 4 and it’s unstoppable in snow. That said, snow tires do have their drawbacks. A midwinter warm spell with mud can render them pretty useless or some rocky Jeep trails with no snow cover can really tear them up.

Life is all about trade offs.

Nokian makes a lot of AT snow tires and in large sizes if needed. I had some of them on spare wheels when I was running up into Canada. Had to have real snow tires to be legal up there fall to spring.

 

[Jason Snyder]

Nokian makes a lot of AT snow tires and in large sizes if needed. I had some of them on spare wheels when I was running up into Canada. Had to have real snow tires to be legal up there fall to spring.

I was going to buy a set of the Outpost nAT but they aren’t available yet.

 

[Marbles]

Bumping this one to the top. Falken Wildpeaks still the choice over BFG k02?

Going on a 2500 Silverado in Colorado.


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Appreciate it.

Any thoughts on duratracs?


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Duratracs perform pretty poorly on snow, I did not even feel comfortable running them on my first 1st gen Tacoma during shoulder season. I ran Falken Wildpeaks on my 3rd gen Tacoma (which is 1000 pounds heavier) until mid December and they are serviceable for anyone who cannot justify a dedicated winter tire (I have ice and snow on the pavement form mid November until mid March, or longer). They defiantly do not compare to the Nokian Hakkapeliitta 10s I run for winter tires on that truck, but they are passable.

Road conditions where the Duratracs are uncomfortable at 45 mph will be comfortable at about 55 with the Wildpeaks, and those same conditions will be rock solid at 75 with the Hakkapeliitta.

Duratracs suck for acceleration, lateral stability, and breaking. Wildpeaks accelerate well, have ok lateral stability, and are mediocre for breaking, they feel good until you need to stop or maneuver. Hakkapeliitta (with studs) feels almost like driving on dry pavement, cannot quite corner as hard, and need to add a car length or two to breaking distance.

Wrangler Kevlar's are absolute garbage in every category. Nokian Nordman 7 with studs are better than the Wildpeaks, but the 3rd gen Tacoma is a touch heavy for them and breaking suffers, they were great on the lighter 1st gen.