Winter Tires
- Thread starter FranktheTank
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Ricki Bobby
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My point being is I have tried a lot of different tire brands and when you run into really bad icy roads, it doesn’t matter what tire you have on, just need to be easier on the skinny pedal. Are some tires somewhat better on ice, for sure, but don’t expect them to keep you on the road like you’re driving on dry pavement.
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FranktheTank
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I think I posted awhile back in that the 1 ton tire thread, but..here again..
I had a set of the General Tire Arctic Altimax studded on a GM 3/4 ton diesel. Used the factory rims for winters, 265/70-17LT. They were fantastic for everyday driving, highway & city. Similar issue as the Hakks in deeper snow…. But if its that deep, I’m not sure what else would be any better (had buddies with mud terrians that didn’t get around in the snow any better, and scary as ch!t down the highway). We always carry tire chains, and once they’re on, no tire is going to compete with that.
Looks like the newer Generals have changed a bit, but probably better than the previous design. They make LT winters, but doesn’t look like a lot of sizes?
GRABBER ARCTIC LT - Durable and robust winter tyre for your truck needs. | General Tire
Studdable winter tyre for light trucks and SUVs in LT-metric sizes.www.generaltire.ca
Also, general is a continental company and these are made in Europe… I suspect those pesky Northern Europeans are way ahead in winter tire development. I’ve never priced Hakks, but the Generals are probably more reasonable size for size.
Lastly… I have a set of Duratracs on my 1/2er company truck… sure wish I had more choice. They dig… but also throw rocks, are not lasting very long, and the “out of round”/unbalanced issue is driving me crazy. Been back to fountain tire twice, and the dealership once for balancing. Was finally told to live with it… “they’re Goodyears man, what did you expect….?”
I think I posted awhile back in that the 1 ton tire thread, but..here again..
I had a set of the General Tire Arctic Altimax studded on a GM 3/4 ton diesel. Used the factory rims for winters, 265/70-17LT. They were fantastic for everyday driving, highway & city. Similar issue as the Hakks in deeper snow…. But if its that deep, I’m not sure what else would be any better (had buddies with mud terrians that didn’t get around in the snow any better, and scary as ch!t down the highway). We always carry tire chains, and once they’re on, no tire is going to compete with that.
Looks like the newer Generals have changed a bit, but probably better than the previous design. They make LT winters, but doesn’t look like a lot of sizes?
GRABBER ARCTIC LT - Durable and robust winter tyre for your truck needs. | General Tire
Studdable winter tyre for light trucks and SUVs in LT-metric sizes.
Also, general is a continental company and these are made in Europe… I suspect those pesky Northern Europeans are way ahead in winter tire development. I’ve never priced Hakks, but the Generals are probably more reasonable size for size.
Lastly… I have a set of Duratracs on my 1/2er company truck… sure wish I had more choice. They dig… but also throw rocks, are not lasting very long, and the “out of round”/unbalanced issue is driving me crazy. Been back to fountain tire twice, and the dealership once for balancing. Was finally told to live with it… “they’re Goodyears man, what did you expect….?”
General makes my size 275/65/20 will look into them thanks
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Caper11
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Lol, yah right, I’d rather run a good studded winter tire on my truck than a set of all seasons.
My studded duratracs are 100% better than the all seasons that came on my truck. They are way heavier and louder, but they work.
The Factory AS are strictly a summer tire.
My new F450 factory AS tires are absolutely junk in snow and the ice. They got changed out to a proven XDS2 Michelin tire that works in all conditions.
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My studded duratracs are 100% better than the all seasons that came on my truck. They are way heavier and louder, but they work.
The Factory AS are strictly a summer tire.
My new F450 factory AS tires are absolutely junk in snow and the ice. They got changed out to a proven XDS2 Michelin tire that works in all conditions.
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I run the Firestone Destination MT2 in that size. Mud tire that’s studdable. Ran them all winter to BC
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WinchBreaker
Active member
Not sure if you can get them for a HD truck or not but i took a chance on a set of Sumitomo Encounter AT's from Kal Tire. I have had them for about 3 years now and I am very impressed. Awesome traction, and very quiet considering the aggressive tread. The price was very decent too. I run them on a 1/2 ton so can't comment how they would be on a heavy diesel.
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FranktheTank
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FranktheTank
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A mud tire that's studdable? Never heard of that before. Always leary of a mud tire for winter purposes. Ive tried Toyo MT's, GoodYear MT's, and BFGoodrich MT's all were noisy and were okayish for the first winter and horrible the second... but will check it out. Thanks!
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Stompin Tom
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I ran a set on my Duramax 2 winters ago before selling the truck, I was very happy with the traction and price. Sumitomo is a very underrated tire maker.
SUMMIT TREE
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I ran a set of studded dura tracs this winter and had 700 lbs of weight in the box. Just some 24” sidewalk blocks and sand bags. I think driving skill and habits are probably more helpful. Sure the tires probably help, but When the roads so slippery that a light touch of the brake causes the wheels to instantly skid without abs kicking in, no tires are going to excel. Short of tire chains you just have to drive to the conditions.
Pulling my 27 foot enclosed to Sicamoose in some nasty weather I had to run 4X4, I was loosing speed trying to climb some of the hills because the tires just kept breaking loose. Crappy tires? No. Just crappy roads. No tires would have excelled in those conditions over what I had on.
Would I bother studding them ? I dunno. Hard to tell but they don’t really seem to help. And really when you think about it, there is like maybe two studs actually touching the ground at any one time. On the dura tracs anyway. I always wonder when guys say a certain tire sucks on ice, what the heck they actually expect out of a tire?? I mean…. Its ice, its really slippery. I have work boots with glass embedded in the rubber that would absolutely shred your skin if you scrapped it on your arm, but still slip around sometimes on ice, even with my 265lbs holding them down. Lol.
Anyway. Thats my opinion, you know what they say about those….
Pulling my 27 foot enclosed to Sicamoose in some nasty weather I had to run 4X4, I was loosing speed trying to climb some of the hills because the tires just kept breaking loose. Crappy tires? No. Just crappy roads. No tires would have excelled in those conditions over what I had on.
Would I bother studding them ? I dunno. Hard to tell but they don’t really seem to help. And really when you think about it, there is like maybe two studs actually touching the ground at any one time. On the dura tracs anyway. I always wonder when guys say a certain tire sucks on ice, what the heck they actually expect out of a tire?? I mean…. Its ice, its really slippery. I have work boots with glass embedded in the rubber that would absolutely shred your skin if you scrapped it on your arm, but still slip around sometimes on ice, even with my 265lbs holding them down. Lol.
Anyway. Thats my opinion, you know what they say about those….
Stompin Tom
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I disagree. I spend my winters dealing with ice, snow, slush and bad conditions every day with my logging trucks and pickups. With ice its all about the tire compound. The great winter tires have quality rubber compounds which dont get hard as the weather gets cold. Studs help with ice, no doubt, but the rubber compound and sipping are more important. A good way to check is wait till its about minus 20 and slide your bare hand across the top of your tires. A good compound will still feel sticky, a poor compound will feel like a hockey puck. Rubber compound is expensive. That is where tires like Nokian and Toyo excel, their high end winter tires are expensive, but worth it. A tire like the Toyo Open Country WLT1 seldom get mentioned on these threads is because of the price and poor longevity, but if your looking for strictly a winter tire, they can not be beaten.I ran a set of studded dura tracs this winter and had 700 lbs of weight in the box. Just some 24” sidewalk blocks and sand bags. I think driving skill and habits are probably more helpful. Sure the tires probably help, but When the roads so slippery that a light touch of the brake causes the wheels to instantly skid without abs kicking in, no tires are going to excel. Short of tire chains you just have to drive to the conditions.
Pulling my 27 foot enclosed to Sicamoose in some nasty weather I had to run 4X4, I was loosing speed trying to climb some of the hills because the tires just kept breaking loose. Crappy tires? No. Just crappy roads. No tires would have excelled in those conditions over what I had on.
Would I bother studding them ? I dunno. Hard to tell but they don’t really seem to help. And really when you think about it, there is like maybe two studs actually touching the ground at any one time. On the dura tracs anyway. I always wonder when guys say a certain tire sucks on ice, what the heck they actually expect out of a tire?? I mean…. Its ice, its really slippery. I have work boots with glass embedded in the rubber that would absolutely shred your skin if you scrapped it on your arm, but still slip around sometimes on ice, even with my 265lbs holding them down. Lol.
Anyway. Thats my opinion, you know what they say about those….
Compounding is not as important in snow, there you need something which will dig and clean.
There is no doubt that driver skill plays a big part in the winter, some have it, some just cant figure it out, but a quality winter tire does make a huge difference.
fj40
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I have older factory studded Nokian Hakk's, they worked great the first 2 to 3 years on ice.
Almost as good as driving on dry pavement.
Then the studs started to wear down even though they still have alot of tread left.
Now they are still better then my BFG AT on ice not so good in deep snow.
Almost as good as driving on dry pavement.
Then the studs started to wear down even though they still have alot of tread left.
Now they are still better then my BFG AT on ice not so good in deep snow.
FatGuy
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Absolutely it’s all about the compound. Stomping Tom is bang on.
I once ran Toyo open country M/T’s fawk them things were like driving around on banana peels.
I once ran Toyo open country M/T’s fawk them things were like driving around on banana peels.
TROLLCAT
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I have had good luck with Hankook KC-11 and I Pikes run with studs and for a winter tire soft compound they wear good
I do run 2 sets of rims and tires on me ford junk
I do run 2 sets of rims and tires on me ford junk
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100 % agreed. My Toyo WLT1's studless tires were very pricy, in cold weather they are soft and have major sypes. You can hear them on very icy roads when going slow, they sound like suction cups on the ice and have excellent traction on icy and snow covered roads. My duratracks are hard as a rock as soon as there cold and have 1 or 2 large sypes through each lug, there all season radials with winter snowflakre. They still have summer rubber and performance degrades with temperature and conditions. Winter rubber, Major sypes and treads are the key.
ferniesnow
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Speaking of studs..............I have found that “factory installed” studs are way better than those installed at a tire shop. I hear the salesmen telling people that they do a great job of installing the studs but they have to be done before they are driven on. They last just as long as the ones that are factory installed.
What do you guys think? Or what have you noticed?
What do you guys think? Or what have you noticed?
Dragonalain
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Studs are like anything else you buy in life. There’s good ones and shitty ones. I have been using BW studs for years now other than in my studded Hakka lt3 as those come studded from factory. The BW studs are damn good. On the Wife’s car the tires are bald (25%) and the studs are still aggressive. My supplier recent stopped selling BW as the price skyrocketed. I said if these new studs are ch!t I’ll never be back. Buddy got some studs installed at the local tire shop years ago and they lasted the winter.
Edit; studs need to be installed before any Little Rock make it into the holes.
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Caper11
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If the stud is installed properly, I cannot see them being any different, than studs installed at the factory. Studs have to be installed on brand new tires, they should not be done after they have been driven on.
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Stompin Tom
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If you want a quick tip to see if a tire might be good on ice, look at the siping. If the siping is in the tread but doesnt go all the way to the sholder, than it is only in there to help improve treadwear by keeping the heat down. If the sipe goes all the way to the edge of the lug, and even better if you can see it on the edge of the tread, it is in there to help improve winter traction.
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