• If you currently own, previously owned or want to own an Avalanche, we welcome you to become a member today. Membership is FREE, register now!

Winter is coming - Tire thoughts?

Bassman Z71

Full Member
Joined
Feb 1, 2012
Messages
453
Location
Canada - Mississauga
Hey,  
My Continental Extreme Winters have been great for winter driving and pulled me through impossible situations. Looking for a more aggressive tire look such as Blizzak or Cooper Discoverer M&S (LT version). Any suggestions or experience?
 
I can say that the Cooper Discoverer M+S was on my Avy last winter. Let's just say I made it to work when no one else could.  My Avy actually became the taxi to get everyone from the main office to their respective ranches, because, of course, they plow the dirt roads last.  The road crews had to bring graders and some special equipment to clear the roads.  So I stand by the coopers.
 
I've been studying those tires and I'm impressed with the tread depth and design. Thanks for the feedback. I think maybe that's the way to go. Anyone else?

 
I can't speak to the Coopers, but I did buy Blizzaks for both our '09 Ford Flex and '01 Suzuki XL7 last year.  First time I've had snow tires in decades.  WOW!  What a difference.  We had the second largest snowfall totals for a season last year and these things cut through it like no tomorrow.  My wife who is usually very timid driving in the snow was much more comfortable. 
 
I have run Coopers for years.
http://www.nokiantyres.com/
A few years back I bought a set of Nokian Hakkapeliitta LT for my 73 4X4 to run in the snow and ice now run them on the AVY as needed I have yet to chain up. They are also very quiet for a studded tire. Also have a set of Hakkapeliitta studded for my daughter?s car. 
Just My .02
 
I use the Goodyear wrangler duratrac. They are awesome in snow and on ice. Check out tire rackS website and look at how they are rated for snow and ice.
 
I went for a budget tire, and picked up a set of Firestone Winterforce tires.  They have been flawless.  I don't see why I'd spend more money.  I elected to stud mine as well, but I'm not sure I'd do it again.  Pretty noisy.
 
I put on a set of General Grabbers AT2's last fall.Drove through everything last winter.Very happy with them.I have about 10,000 miles on them now with very little wear.And the price was right.580.00 balanced and mounted.
 
I've run Firestone Winterforce tires the last few winters and have been happy with them.
 
Running a dedicated "winter tire" may be unnecessary.  An all-terrain or mud-terrain (even better in the snow) may be all you need.  It seems like "winter tires" are more for cars, while on a truck/SUV you can pull off a good AT/MT with no trouble.

I had a bunch of different AT/MT's on my truck over the years and made it through countless snow storms trouble-free.  And only used 4WD a few times, all of which were entirely my fault.  A good set of tires and a proper winter driving technique and you will be fine.
 
there are a set of Hankook *Pike RW11 for 20" wheels in the shop at work and we no longer have a work rig with 20's. I'm thinking of seeing if I can swipe them and throw them on my old wheels for the winter.
 
Roody650iAvy said:
Running a dedicated "winter tire" may be unnecessary.  An all-terrain or mud-terrain (even better in the snow) may be all you need.  It seems like "winter tires" are more for cars, while on a truck/SUV you can pull off a good AT/MT with no trouble.

I had a bunch of different AT/MT's on my truck over the years and made it through countless snow storms trouble-free.  And only used 4WD a few times, all of which were entirely my fault.  A good set of tires and a proper winter driving technique and you will be fine.

Winter tires are superior on ice.  On snow they are about the same as a good mud tire.  So it depends what your roads look like.  Here we can get several inches of ice at times, so the winter tire is superior (studs are even better yet).

My dad runs a studded Goodyear Wrangler, and he has good results.  Best of both worlds I guess... but even noisier than what I run.
 
jej826 said:
I put on a set of General Grabbers AT2's last fall.Drove through everything last winter.Very happy with them.I have about 10,000 miles on them now with very little wear.And the price was right.580.00 balanced and mounted.

I ran a set of Grabber AT2's on my last truck and was very pleased with their performance on and off road. They are severe weather rated (Snowflake symbol) and are super quite on pavement. 60,000 mile treadwear on P-metrics, 50,000 on LTs.

Just a great all around tire at a great price.  (y)  (y)
 
A good winter tire is typically sipped so it is good on ice. Most all terrains are not sipped, and not real good on ice. I ran the Goodyear wrangler AT/S tires for about 16 years and they were a good tire choice. Three years ago I switched to the duratracs and there is no comparison. In slippery, icy conditions the duratracs grip where the AT/S tires would have been slipping and slideing. In the winter around here (Chicago area) the cars quickly pack the snow to form a glaze ice surface unless they are applying salt. The duratracs also have the snowflake symbol on them. For a winter tire at least use something that has the snowflake symbol.
 
We ran two consecutive sets of Hercules Terra Trac A/T's on the 02 and they were great.. A heavy 10ply tire for the price of a 6ply. Excellent tread depth and never left me stuck or with a flat. 20k miles on the set we had when we traded it in. We took the good tires off and they still looked and performed like new.
 
Need4Speed said:
A good winter tire is typically sipped so it is good on ice. Most all terrains are not sipped, and not real good on ice. I ran the Goodyear wrangler AT/S tires for about 16 years and they were a good tire choice. Three years ago I switched to the duratracs and there is no comparison. In slippery, icy conditions the duratracs grip where the AT/S tires would have been slipping and slideing. In the winter around here (Chicago area) the cars quickly pack the snow to form a glaze ice surface unless they are applying salt. The duratracs also have the snowflake symbol on them. For a winter tire at least use something that has the snowflake symbol.

Huh? Actually, most every name brand AT tire made today are siped. Firestone, Goodyear, BFG, Grabbers, Nitto's, Toyo's, Coopers,...all siped. A guy would probably have to search for a bit to find a quality AT tire that isn't.

 
What I was thinking of was not sipping but the small air pockets that are in the good ice rated tires like the blizzard (multicellular). The small air pores allow the water on top of ice somewhere to go so the tire gets better traction on ice.
 
These Michelin's were sure nice last year.  I never anticipated how well they would stop on the slick stuff.  Even came with a 40k warranty.  These happen to be in a 235.



 
I put a few of the tires mentioned above into tire rack, then sorted by the best on ice. I used the 265/75R17 tire size my 2002 Z71 uses:

Brand        Model                                   Light Snow   Deep Snow    Ice
Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V1                               9.6        9.4       9.1
Firestone        Winterforce LT                         9.6        9.3       8.6
Firestone        Winterforce UV                          9.5     9.2       8.5
Michelin        Winterforce UV                            9.5     9.2       8.5
Michelin        Latitude X-Ice Xi2                       8.5     7.8       8.1
Goodyear        AT adventure pro-grade               9        8.6       8
Goodyear        Wrangler Duratrac                      9.1     9.1       7.9
Goodyear        Silent Armor                            8.8        8.6       7.8
General        AT 2 (not rated for severe snow)      9        8.8       7.8
General        Grabber AT 2                                 9        8.8       7.8
Michelin        LTX A/T 2                                    8.4        8       7.5
Goodyear        ATS 7.4 7.3 6.3
Cooper       none in 265-75R17 on Tirerack
Nokian        none in 265-75R17 on Tirerack
Hercules        none in 265-75R17 on Tirerack
Hankook        Pike RW11 not on tirerack
Hercules        Terra Trac A/T not on tirerack
Michelin        LTX Winter

I liked the Duratrac since they have a very open, large tread, good for off-roading as well as snow and ice. I just don't know how well the Blizzaks will work in a foot of snow or more, they don't seem to have a very open lug design......
 
Need4Speed said:
I put a few of the tires mentioned above into tire rack, then sorted by the best on ice. I used the 265/75R17 tire size my 2002 Z71 uses:

Brand        Model                                   Light Snow   Deep Snow    Ice
Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V1                               9.6        9.4       9.1
Firestone        Winterforce LT                         9.6        9.3       8.6
Firestone        Winterforce UV                          9.5     9.2       8.5
Michelin        Winterforce UV                            9.5     9.2       8.5
Michelin        Latitude X-Ice Xi2                       8.5     7.8       8.1
Goodyear        AT adventure pro-grade               9        8.6       8
Goodyear        Wrangler Duratrac                      9.1     9.1       7.9
Goodyear        Silent Armor                            8.8        8.6       7.8
General        AT 2 (not rated for severe snow)      9        8.8       7.8
General        Grabber AT 2                                 9        8.8       7.8
Michelin        LTX A/T 2                                    8.4        8       7.5
Goodyear        ATS 7.4 7.3 6.3
Cooper       none in 265-75R17 on Tirerack
Nokian        none in 265-75R17 on Tirerack
Hercules        none in 265-75R17 on Tirerack
Hankook        Pike RW11 not on tirerack
Hercules        Terra Trac A/T not on tirerack
Michelin        LTX Winter

I liked the Duratrac since they have a very open, large tread, good for off-roading as well as snow and ice. I just don't know how well the Blizzaks will work in a foot of snow or more, they don't seem to have a very open lug design......
Not surprised by the rankings.  Our Blizzaks were awesome last winter.  Like I said above, my wife, who is normally very stressed out driving in snow and ice, felt comfortable after I put them on.  And we had our second "worst" winter on record last year.
 
JohnnieMo said:
Winter tires are superior on ice.  On snow they are about the same as a good mud tire.  So it depends what your roads look like.  Here we can get several inches of ice at times, so the winter tire is superior (studs are even better yet).

My dad runs a studded Goodyear Wrangler, and he has good results.  Best of both worlds I guess... but even noisier than what I run.

Good point.  We don't get much ice in the Northeast, or at least we haven't recently - winters have been either very cold or warm, so there isn't much of the awkward in-between times when ice storms usually happen.

I tried the DuraTracs on ice once and in 4WD, moving slowly and using very deliberate motions with the steering wheel and gas pedal, they did fine.

That being said, for how infrequently there's a full coating of ice, and for how ridiculously frequently we get measurable snow, I'd take a tire more geared for the snow any day of the week.  DuraTracs fit this bill perfectly.
 
I have a bit of a rant here so I apologize in advance.

I think guys with trucks prefer knobby tires for the look. Just like loud exhaust or lift kits, it's not about performance in 90% of cases. It is for looks/stigma. 

True winter tires work best in winter. Mud tires/offroad tires work best offroad. Street tires work best on asphalt.

If you drive on the roads and you drive in winter, get a winter tire. They aren't sexy but they sure work well.
 
Willow LS said:
Sorry for my ignorance, but what exactly does sipped mean?
Sipping was done mostly by tire shops now a lot of manufactures offer it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siping_(rubber)
 
Back
Top