Best dedicated winter tire?
- Thread starter FCR112
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J
Jaynelson
Well-known member
I ran those same tires in a similar size for a couple winters and they worked great for me. I am lazy and got sick of swapping/storing extra sets of tires, so I just run BFG A/T's year round now. But the Hankook winter's in the narrower 245's were noticeably better in the snow. I never pulled huge trailers with them like the poster who said he hated them for whatever it's worth. Just a 2 place open + 1 sled in the truck. I think mine were just D rated.
D
Drifter
Well-known member
At the risk of being labeled blasphemous in some circles ...
I am not impressed with Cooper tires. I've run several sets of them over the years, from A/T tires, to mud tires, and last winter a pair of studded dedicated winter tires ..... and the rubber compound they use is just flat out not as good as thing premium brands.
You get decent tread life out of them and they are a lot more affordable which is why they sell so well, but IMO the traction is not as good as it is with a Michelin or BFG of the same tire class ....
With that said .... I just priced out what I want my next set of tires to be for my new truck .. 305/65/17 BFG A/T's .... and they are $300 a tire.
I bet I can get something in Cooper or Nitto trim in that size at a lot less, but I'd trust those BFG tires with my life .... Same goes for the Duratracs, but I can't get them in that particular size.
IDK, I'm just not a huge fan of the Cooper tires on slick roads
BFG a/t are the worst bang for your buck tire you could get. They wear horrible and have horrible traction in the snow. My Michelin MTX have better traction in the snow.
I had a set of Hakka 5, studded for 3 seasons of winter. They lost 1 stud total over those 3 seasons. They are the ONLY winter tire I'd buy again. They held up well, didn't cup at all, and provided great traction. They are well worth the money. Cheap tires are useless.
Jon
ps. Mine were on a car, but I use it like a truck or try to.
pps. The hakka 5's turned into 7's and then into 9's.. They evolve into a higher number every season it seems like.
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What about the nokian hakkapeliitta?
IMHO the best specialized tire available.
Like the rest of you, I have tried various tires over the years and have had good and so-so experiences. One of the hardest to predict is the tire that starts out great and when 30% worn becomes a not so good tire (Dunlop Rover and BFG Commercial T/A).
After all is said and done my experience with the Goodyear DuraTrac is excellent in all respects. The tip to air up is correct as well.
Agreed that mud tires are no good for snow and skinny(er) tires are better for the subject we are discussing. For 8000 feet in CO on ice: Studs are the only solution. 3/4 of stud users do not need them due to less severe conditions.
Its all in the eyes of the beholder, as witnessed in a Canadian bar: Two beautiful girls are kissing and my buddy says, "I think I have it figured out! I am a lesbian too!"
IMHO the best specialized tire available.
Like the rest of you, I have tried various tires over the years and have had good and so-so experiences. One of the hardest to predict is the tire that starts out great and when 30% worn becomes a not so good tire (Dunlop Rover and BFG Commercial T/A).
After all is said and done my experience with the Goodyear DuraTrac is excellent in all respects. The tip to air up is correct as well.
Agreed that mud tires are no good for snow and skinny(er) tires are better for the subject we are discussing. For 8000 feet in CO on ice: Studs are the only solution. 3/4 of stud users do not need them due to less severe conditions.
Its all in the eyes of the beholder, as witnessed in a Canadian bar: Two beautiful girls are kissing and my buddy says, "I think I have it figured out! I am a lesbian too!"
F
FCR112
ACCOUNT CLOSED
Ended up choosing the Duratrac's studded...
The salesman offered up that they will wear better on a non deisel truck as well, like observed by somebody above here. I didn't mention anything just listened to his pitch. He's said they are a perfect for steep pavement and that most folks around here were getting 35-40,000 miles on them running them year round, which I'm not going to do.
The slightly harder tire compound than some of the "real" winter tires is going to help me out with wearing them out quickly on the dry interstate. Always a compromise somewhere.
We'll see how it goes.
Thanks for all the excellent input and opinions everybody.
It's supposed to get wintery here Thursday!!! WOO HOO!!!
The salesman offered up that they will wear better on a non deisel truck as well, like observed by somebody above here. I didn't mention anything just listened to his pitch. He's said they are a perfect for steep pavement and that most folks around here were getting 35-40,000 miles on them running them year round, which I'm not going to do.
The slightly harder tire compound than some of the "real" winter tires is going to help me out with wearing them out quickly on the dry interstate. Always a compromise somewhere.
We'll see how it goes.
Thanks for all the excellent input and opinions everybody.
It's supposed to get wintery here Thursday!!! WOO HOO!!!
Little late but cooper AT3 ARE GREAT WINTER TIRE
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Has anyonerun the Toyo Open Country WLT1`s I thought of giving them a try this year on my dodge . 285`s
thoughts
thoughts
Figured I'd update - 43k on my studded Duratracs, a little over half gone. Most studs are worn out/carbide tips have vanished.
I just replaced them with Michelin LTX M/S for summer/towing use, will buy another set of Duratracs in the fall, with wheels, swap back and forth.
I absolutely love the Duratrac. They hurt MPG a bit, compared to the LTX, but we had a great snow year, I got out a lot, zero issues. They still work well in snow - they're not DONE, but they'd be done-enough to be not snow worthy by next season - so, I'll sell these for a couple hundred, save some fuel over the summer, etc.
+ a lot on Duratracs, for me. I _did_ find them squirmy for the first 100 miles. They started getting louder halfway through this season, but those are minor complaints - they worked flawlessly, still do. They're a great do-everything tire, aside from the mpg hit.
I just replaced them with Michelin LTX M/S for summer/towing use, will buy another set of Duratracs in the fall, with wheels, swap back and forth.
I absolutely love the Duratrac. They hurt MPG a bit, compared to the LTX, but we had a great snow year, I got out a lot, zero issues. They still work well in snow - they're not DONE, but they'd be done-enough to be not snow worthy by next season - so, I'll sell these for a couple hundred, save some fuel over the summer, etc.
+ a lot on Duratracs, for me. I _did_ find them squirmy for the first 100 miles. They started getting louder halfway through this season, but those are minor complaints - they worked flawlessly, still do. They're a great do-everything tire, aside from the mpg hit.
rhall, you aren't going to try the Nokian Hakkos next winter? Word on the street is they are the best, especially studded.
Dogmeat, you recommend the Duratrac, isn't it a mud tire? Maybe not
I have ran the Michelin AT2's and they are awesome on ice. However, they glaze up in the parking lot and don't have enough bit pulling a trailer in deep snow.
The BFG AT is an awesome tire in the summer. I thought it was worthless in the winter. Seemed too hard and no bite on ice. However, this was on a Wrangler which has a short wheel base.
I'm still leaning on Toyo AT2's. I agree that I don't want the MT's. I think for me it is Toyo AT2's vs Nitto Terra Grapler. I've had the Nitto's and they were solid. Some better but they were priced right, lasted and did everything just fine.
Anybody with Toyo AT2 comments?
I don't think it's a good tire for the diesel guys. Too much torque for that soft of a tire. I can only afford tires for year round as well. But I agree, damn good tires in the ice.
V
volcano buster
Well-known member
I've got Toyo AT's on my work truck. Currently 34K on them and am not excited about running them out this winter without the trailer in tow.
I was coming through Portland this afternoon and it hasn't rained for months, well it rained today. Crossing one bridge we had stop and go traffic and I went to accelerate and wiped the tires for quite a ways before they would hook up.
They worked good when new, but the second half isn't awarding the traction I would like.
I was coming through Portland this afternoon and it hasn't rained for months, well it rained today. Crossing one bridge we had stop and go traffic and I went to accelerate and wiped the tires for quite a ways before they would hook up.
They worked good when new, but the second half isn't awarding the traction I would like.
Volcano, are your Toyo's AT or AT2's? I'm not sure of the difference other than some sidewall grip on the 2's. But thought I would check.
V
volcano buster
Well-known member
Sorry about that. In my haste I left off the "2". I had the originals in about 2005 on my '03 Lariat and now the AT2's on my '12.
The AT'2's have a larger void in the tread blocks so they do give better off-road traction and fair enough in the snow/ice when new. Now that the black top is getting wet and the tires are wearing down I'm finding myself scooting a bit more than I would like just running empty. If I run them through the winter, I will be bolting my General Altimax snow tires on to keep the rubber on the road when towing.
My AT2's were about $1100 from Les Schwab and the 10 ply General Studded snow tires were barely over $800 from Sears, studded/mounted/balanced. I mounted them on some aluminum rims I picked up off CL for $100.
The AT'2's have a larger void in the tread blocks so they do give better off-road traction and fair enough in the snow/ice when new. Now that the black top is getting wet and the tires are wearing down I'm finding myself scooting a bit more than I would like just running empty. If I run them through the winter, I will be bolting my General Altimax snow tires on to keep the rubber on the road when towing.
My AT2's were about $1100 from Les Schwab and the 10 ply General Studded snow tires were barely over $800 from Sears, studded/mounted/balanced. I mounted them on some aluminum rims I picked up off CL for $100.
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