Tire Chains

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

Wha? The AT3's great on the FWY haulin' major bootay... and do "Ok" in normal offroad stuff that's not soft... but they leave a lot to be desired the moment there's any appreciable amount of soft stuff ya gotta go thru. Next time I gotta get new tires, it's either gonna be BFG KO2's or even a more aggressive tire with wider spacing tween the lugs for less risk of dig-in in soft sand. Being only 2WD it's even more critical sometimes to have that help of wider spaced lugs in the soft stuff.

Agree to disagree. I didn’t want an MT as IME they’re loud and unnecessary in the places I drive. Tons of guys in here recommended the AT3s and they’ve been awesome.

Two weeks ago in WY we got 10-12” of fresh snow on day 2. It persisted through the end of the trip. The AT3s dug and plowed through the flats and drifts, maintained excellent grip on ice, and plowed through 2’ deep mud and slush holes with ease. The dry traction on the rocks and boulders was solid as well. Absolutely no complaints here…

Not sure what size you’ve run on your 2wd, but on a 275/70/18, there’s more than enough space between the lugs. There isn’t a tire made that’s gonna do what you want in a 2wd rig.

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

Did you notice your in-town ride getting rougher and more rigid when you first switched over to the KO2's? The wife has a Jeep w/ like 33" KO2's I wanna say? And when we cross these two dips exiting our neighbor hood it seems too harsh in her car. I feel it should be that harsh on those dips. I hand go thru em pretty damn fast in my F-150. While researching future replacement tires for my 2WD F-150 I noticed the KO2's are 10-ply rated, so then that got me wondering if that's the reason her ride is soo much less supple over things like those sharp dips. Cause my AT3's are apparently like 4 or 6 ply rated so I got to thinking maybe that's why my ride feels more cush over that obstacle perhaps? Because the tires are just more giving to sidewall flex perhaps? So figured I'd compare notes with you there, on if you noticed a similar changed when you first went over to the KO2's?

The AT3 XLT are 10 ply rated.

 

[Big Ern]

I always have a set of chains in the truck for snow or mud….along with other recovery gear (including a shovel).

 

[BLJ]

I appreciate the comments on airing down your tires. What is a safe level without breaking the bead?

IMO, if you get a little sidewall bulge that will help a bunch. I usually don’t even put a gauge on them. That would apply to an 09 4 cyl. X can Tacoma with 10 ply tires. I’m gonna guess 20 PSI’ish. Again, IMO.

 

[Weldor]

We had chains all the way around on our rig, with vbars in the rears. 2018 2500 dodge. Not sure if it was the chains or all the snow or what, but the ABS and traction control systems were really screwed up and alarming like crazy. Ended up trashing some wheel speed sensors.

Same with mine sensors going crazy, also found loose brake line fitting. Don't know if it was from the vibrations or just not torqued correctly from the factory. stopped by the local dealer they would'nt touch it without going through the whole brake system. I just tightened it until I got home and interwebbed the torque spec and did it myself 2018 Mega 2500 18 thousand and change.

 

[Dust Rider]

I was running 40 in front and 45 rear since we had a pretty good load back there. I will remember to air down in the future if we get in sticky spot

Buy a good duty air compressor too. ARB and Viair make fast cycle pumps for quick air up. They are compact and efficient.

 

[Jethro]

We had chains all the way around on our rig, with vbars in the rears. 2018 2500 dodge. Not sure if it was the chains or all the snow or what, but the ABS and traction control systems were really screwed up and alarming like crazy. Ended up trashing some wheel speed sensors.

Same with mine sensors going crazy, also found loose brake line fitting. Don't know if it was from the vibrations or just not torqued correctly from the factory. stopped by the local dealer they would'nt touch it without going through the whole brake system. I just tightened it until I got home and interwebbed the torque spec and did it myself 2018 Mega 2500 18 thousand and change.

Either of you guys try it with the traction control turned off? Just curious.

 

[Choupique]

Either of you guys try it with the traction control turned off? Just curious.

I tried mine with traction control off, and both traction control and ESC off. Didn't matter.

The ABS system on these trucks is a known piece of shit. Mine had to be totally replaced (new HPU and new computer) at like 800 miles from brand new. Likely will have to replace the HPU again since it doesn't look like the wheel speed sensors were the only problem. Whole thing went ape again about an hour ago on smooth blacktop.

 

[Weldor]

Either of you guys try it with the traction control turned off? Just curious.

I tried mine with traction control off, and both traction control and ESC off. Didn't matter.

The ABS system on these trucks is a known piece of shit. Mine had to be totally replaced (new HPU and new computer) at like 800 miles from brand new. Likely will have to replace the HPU again since it doesn't look like the wheel speed sensors were the only problem. Whole thing went ape again about an hour ago on smooth blacktop.

Same here.

 

[Poser]

I appreciate the comments on airing down your tires. What is a safe level without breaking the bead?

With a 10 ply tire, you can go low. I routinely do 15-20 psi on my 4Runner, but I wouldn’t Jesus tate to drop to 10 psi if the conditions warranted so. You just have to expect to be crawling when you drop below 15 psi.

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

With a 10 ply tire, you can go low. I routinely do 15-20 psi on my 4Runner, but I wouldn’t Jesus tate to drop to 10 psi if the conditions warranted so. You just have to expect to be crawling when you drop below 15 psi.

Roger that. I have a 110 volt plug inside the Rambox to run a compressor potentially too.

 

[BLJ]

Roger that. I have a 110 volt plug inside the Rambox to run a compressor potentially too.

I would research what that is capable of running. I believe the capacity of those is generally not very high. The start up load of a compressor can be quite a bit.

 

[InteriorAKPopsicle]

Going to northern Colorado on a DIY backpack hunt. Plan on parking at a trailhead and walking in a good distance. Should I bring tire chains for the roads leading up to the trail head or should I be fine? I'm driving a 2022 Ram 2500 Offroad.

bring chains - why not?

 

[Poser]

There are many CO units where you are taking a lot of risk going in without chains. Freeze, thaw, snow, mud, conditions change fast. Often easy to get in when its frozen and impossible to get out when thawed. All but the burliest of off-road setups can get into trouble. Most new trucks can't fit front chains, but rear chains are still a big help. I pulled out two stuck trucks this year on a snowy road that was fresh and grippy during the day and turned slick as soon as the sun went down. Chains are cheap insurance against some potentially bad situations.

Edit: skip the cable chains. Those are for getting the family wagon home from christmas dinner.

I ran into these conditions coming out yesterday (the gate is supposed to be locked today). In the shade, it was slick ice and frozen snow. In the sun it was an absolute mud bog. I was driving a 4Runner in 4 low with Cooper mud tires and the rear differentials locked. I was coming down in 1st gear and truck was sliding sideways on every downhill switchback. I came close to sliding into 45 degrees against the grade which would have been a rollover. I was able to steer into the turns just enough to escape this but any less traction would have failed. That was without touching the brakes. It was fairly terrifying. After navigating a few of those, I finally hit a flat where I could air down and it was fine from there, but it was bone dry when I drove in there. The technical crux was a section of Blasted out rock that would require removing chains if one were using them.
A long bed pick up would be screwed. There were a couple of trucks back there and at least one frozen tread pattern suggested they were going to have major issues coming out.

From what I’m reading this morning, there are a bunch of hunters stranded in CO right now for this reason. The volunteer off-road recovery network is backed up for several days with recovery requests. A lot of FS gates are scheduled to be locked today (11/15). Not sure how that goes.

 

[Steve300xcw]

. Often easy to get in when its frozen and impossible to get out when thawed.

That gets me a few times every year. Drop into a hole first thing in the morning without any issues. And then its a full on rodeo that afternoon on the way out.

 

[Steve300xcw]

A lot of FS gates are scheduled to be locked today (11/15). Not sure how that goes.

So they shut down public roads because of snow ?

 

[fmyth]

So they shut down public roads because of snow ?

In AZ the NFS closes and locks the gates on most of the FS roads above the Mogollon Rim when the roads get too muddy or have a significant amount of snow. I got locked behind a gate in the middle of nowhere with no phone service a few years ago. Whoever locked it could see my camp and truck from the gate.

 

[Steve300xcw]

Use the Milwaukee gate key to get out?

 

[fmyth]

Use the Milwaukee gate key to get out?

I was fortunate to have my old friend Dewalt with me.

 

[Poser]

So they shut down public roads because of snow ?

Many of the FS roads are closed seasonally for winter and/or for wintering habitat. 11/15 is a common closure date around these parts. Some lower roads get closed on 11/30. The 11/15 date often overlaps with 3rd rifle, as it does this year.