Oddmodman Posted September 18, 2012 Share Posted September 18, 2012 Hi guys, I live in Alaska, just a little north of Anchorage. My question for you all is; does anyone know a good brand and size of tire to use in snow, keep in mind I'm looking for skinny, aggressive tires to use, preferably good in deep snow, and preferably studded. I run a paper route in Eagle River, and a couple times per winter it likes to snow 2+ feet of snow in a few hours. My truck has a 4.0 5spd, and will have a 3in lift by winter. I know some of you are super fans of skinny tires, so I thought you might have a clue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vaquaro Posted September 18, 2012 Share Posted September 18, 2012 Go for the original ......Hakapalita aka Nokian .... the Finns were the first to make "snow " tires , check out their Rally selection :thumbsup: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mountainman Posted September 18, 2012 Share Posted September 18, 2012 BFG KM2. While ive heard some complaints about this not being a good snow tire, i just havent seen it myself. many i know run them in snow and have great reviews for that. what i like about them is they are tall and skinny. You can get them in 33x10.5 which many others don't offer. I myself am a big fan of tall skinny tires. :) I have one set of KM2s now and will be putting a set on my jeep soon. :yes: TOYO Open country M/T which is another thats avail in 33x10.5 (that being my fav size) Interco Narrow S.S (another dope choice) Interco TRXUS MT. interco TRXUS STS Maxxis M8090 Creepy crawler Maxxis MT762 bighorn Yokohama geolander M/T+ i could prob go on forever, but this is what i had time to type up off memory and looking at charts for a refresher. I'm a tire nutjob so i want the best tire i can get on my jeep cause one thing ive learned about wheelin... tires make a HUGE difference. Almost as big as the driver mod. ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mvusse Posted September 18, 2012 Share Posted September 18, 2012 I have had good luck with Wintermark snow tires in size 235/75R15. I used to have 2 on my F100, and I have a set of five I now use on the Purple People Eater in the winter, but were originally bought for Wilbur when it was stock. Very agressive, never go me stuck in snow yet, and they can be studded. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted September 18, 2012 Share Posted September 18, 2012 I love the winterforce tires I have on the van :thumbsup: (cheap as heck and stud-able too). but then I kinda figure that all snow tires will be awesome. :dunno: you just need to find the tallest one that's also stub-able. tirerack might be of help. I bought mine through them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted September 18, 2012 Share Posted September 18, 2012 found 245/75/16 is popular: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/TireSearchResults.jsp?skipOver=true&width=245%2F&ratio=75&diameter=16 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richasco Posted September 18, 2012 Share Posted September 18, 2012 http://www.gislaved-tires.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
com_mako Posted September 20, 2012 Share Posted September 20, 2012 nokian tire !!!!!!! I live in Quebec and those tires are the best !! :thumbsup: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naterenfo1 Posted September 22, 2012 Share Posted September 22, 2012 I would NOT get a mud tire if I were you. A mud tire is great if your only concerned about the snow, when it comes to ice a mud tire is junk. If ice is any concern at all, I would suggest the BFGoodrich All-Terrain TA/KO. Its siped really well so it holds the snow into the tire, and uses the snow trapped in the tire for traction. The outside lugs throw snow, so basically only the center of the tire holds the packed snow in. A 235/75/15 is what I ran on my 2wd Ford Ranger and they did really well in the snow and ice. I drove on alot of packed snow, and alot of fresh stuff and the TA/KO did excellent. Rotate them alot though, they wear quickly! I've been through the snow a couple times, I'm from MN :thumbsup: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sinkrun Posted September 22, 2012 Share Posted September 22, 2012 I run these on my go to winter XJ in truck tread only down side is there not cheap unless they have some ebay blems and they need run in time to get the carbide showing. http://www.greendiamondtire.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oddmodman Posted September 22, 2012 Author Share Posted September 22, 2012 Those Green Diamonds look pretty fantastic. I'll have to check in to them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oddmodman Posted September 22, 2012 Author Share Posted September 22, 2012 Alright, this is driving me NUTS!! I've come across the term 'C/T' tire, and have no idea what it stands for. Google doesn't help. What kind of tread is this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timeless Posted September 22, 2012 Share Posted September 22, 2012 Get something with lots of siping, not mud terrains, and the narrower the better if you're looking to do street driving and need the tires to slice through the snow/slush to get to pavement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Incommando Posted September 22, 2012 Share Posted September 22, 2012 235/85/16 is a nice tall/narrow tire size that works out to about 32x9.5. Nokians rock. I have also had Trxus M/T's in the winter. Nice tire but pricey. Had winterforces on the ol' minivan and they worked very well on icy & snow covered roads in that app. Never had it out in more than 3"-4" though...that's what the jeeps were for! :thumbsup: Nothing like the basic super swamper mud tread design is worth anything unless you are in mud-like snow. Hard packed slick snow or ice makes renders them pretty useless from my experience. If ALL you see is very deep snow they may be a good option. Treadwright has a great reputation and the offer a cheaper version of the greendiamond concept called kedge grip. great reviews. www.treadwright.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Comanche County Posted September 23, 2012 Share Posted September 23, 2012 Studdable MTs would be fine, but studded ATs or any other winter tire with lots of edges would be better. Ice is ice, doesn't matter what you have, if you hit the brakes too hard, you're gonna slide. When I lived in Fairbanks, I ran a set of siped 30"x9"x15" BFG ATs on an XJ. I took it just shy of DeadHorse in late October on a Caribou hunt, went up Atigun Pass without a problem. Great tires all year around. If I were living up there now or anywhere there's ice on the roads all fall/winter/spring, then I'd have a spare set of studded winter tires and some chains in the back just in case,,,,even though I despise chains. Carry a bunch of sand bags in the bed of the truck too, a couple hundred pounds. I agree with the above post. The walnut embedded Treadwright ATs are probably worth a look. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gogmorgo Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 Any thoughts on General Grabber AT2's? I've seen good reviews but mostly for much heavier trucks. Right now I've got a line on new 235/75-15's for $120+tax&balancing a corner, installed. They are studdable, but I don't know if I'd go for that since I'd have to get new tires again in May (what's on there right now is pretty well unusable in the wet...). Anyone running them year round? What are they like? I'd definitely be seeing 6"+ of snow on the roads, and then some of them don't get plowed. Usually the roads around here develop a pretty slick snowpack unless they're really well travelled. I'm tentative about it though, since the 235 sections aren't snow-peak rated, even though the 225's are. And as a result of that the 225's run $60 more (from the same place) which means that ultimately I could get six 235's for the price of four 225's. Snow's flying in Saskatoon, so I'm definitely needing tires in the near future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 is the AT2 a snow tire? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gogmorgo Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 Not really, it's an m+s, and studdable, so it checks out on the "this is what a snow tire should look like" front, but the snow-peak rating is an actual perfomance standard, and while the 225/75-15 gets it, the 235/75-15 doesn't. I don't really know if the snow-peak system is used outside of Canada, but in Quebec, they're fazing in a law requiring passenger vehicles to have snow-peak tires in the winter. Nothing like that in Saskatchewan yet, or Manitoba, where my truck is plated, but I've already had issues of low traction under the drive wheels, hence the desire to have decent performing tires. Likely I'll be throwing a couple hundred lbs of dead weight in the bed, too. If that was a rhetorical question, I assume you're advising against them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 all I'm saying is that only snow tires act like snow tires in the snow. :thumbsup: I've had decent all season tires in winters past, but snow tires are just awesome. :D But they do give a shorter life span. in a perfect world, you'd have a spare set of rims to swap around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gogmorgo Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 Yeah, I'm well acquainted with the benefits of snow tires. I'm just not sure I'd count a snow tire as a snow tire unless it has the snowflake rating. But then I'm starting to suspect that the only reason they don't get the snowflake-mountain thing rating is because the 235's are light truck tires, and as such don't need the rating, while the 225's count as passenger tires, and thus get the rating. But I haven't been able to confirm that yet... Right now I'm thinking of studding them, then leaving them on the stock rims and getting a new set of rims for the summer, since my wheels are a bit trashed. The reason I'd stud them is because they don't look that well siped, and ice is likely to be an issue, too. I suppose I can get them without studs and then stud them later if I feel I need it... decisions decisions... I'd jump on it now, but my source only has four left, and I want a full set of five, so I've got more time to let it stew until they get another shipment in. I was also hoping someone who'd run them might chime in... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 could be a difference in rubber compound used too. :dunno: you might have a better chance of finding someone who's used them by starting a new thread. :thumbsup: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Comanche County Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 Those 235s sound like a pretty good tire for your needs. I'd get them siped first, most tire shops can do it, or you can do it by hand yourself. If you're still uncomfortable, then get em studded. No matter what tire you have, its still the driver's skill and prudence that prevents wrecks and spin outs. A good guitar player can play any guitar, a good pool shooter can use any cue, etc. Sorry if that sounded cheesy. :cheers: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gogmorgo Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 So yesterday when I said there was snow flying, it was just a few small wet flakes until the evening, when they started sticking, but there was only a half inch or so when it stopped. Then I woke up this morning to two more inches and it was like a wall of white in the air... needless to say I've got an appointment tomorrow to get them installed. I looked into studding and siping, but being almost $800 (with tax and balancing) into the $600 I set aside for the tires, I decided to wait and see on the studs and siping, at $20/$30 per tire respectively at that shop . If I feel the need, I likely can pull some money from something else to get it done, but we'll wait and see. I also can likely find another shop to do it cheaper. Don't really have the time or location to sipe them myself, though... Got the world's strangest look from the kid behind the counter when I told him I needed a full set of tires and then corrected him when he put four into the 'puter :shake: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gogmorgo Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 So this morning I get a call at 6:21AM saying my tires are in so I should come get them installed... needless to say I took my sweet time getting there. But to make a long story short, went from the above to the below. Whether it's the slightly bigger tire that slightly reduces the torque at the wheel, or the warm tires from the shop, or just the fact that these are waaay better tires, I felt much better in the slushy caca on the roads after putting them on. The last tires were bad enough that the fronts would slide sideways when I was parking in the muddy slushy swamp of a parking lot unless I put it 4x4. Now there's no issue. Also, the tracks I left were incredibly well defined, nothing really left in the tread. Seeing them irl the siping looks much better. Also worth noting, I now have green valve caps. Strange, since I expressly told them not to put nitrogen in them because I didn't want to pay for it... but I didn't... so... well... green valve caps ftw? And maybe N2? :dunno: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oddmodman Posted October 28, 2012 Author Share Posted October 28, 2012 What's the benefit of using Nitrogen? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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