Looking for all seasons that don't suck in snow

[SnowDrifter]

My tires are due for a replacement come winter. I don't have the means of storing a second set of winter tires, so I'm stuck looking for a set of all seasons that can function in the snow and ice.

I've heard good thinks about nokian but they don't seem to have any offerings in my size ; 265/70r17

Whats out there? My Google fu has turned up only inaccurate information, manufacturers shilling their own product, and telling me what I already know - that winter tires are better than all seasons in the white stuff

 

[drakon543]

mastercraft axt, falken wildpeak at3w, trailfinder all terrain
that last one i know is a cheaper tire i picked up off discounttire. i picked it up as it was cheap and i needed tires quickly and wasnt expecting much from them. they are much softer than the falkens and dug through the snow just as good. they dont look very "cool" but im happy with them

 

[swathdiver]

Michelin Defender LTX

 

[ladorn45]

Good year Wrangler Duratrack. Live in nj but drive up to vermont in snowstorms to ski, Tires have good grip and rarely use 4x4 in snow. Also pretty light tires compared to others

 

[drakon543]

my friend runs the duratrack on his pickup and loves them. i ran them on a ram and they didnt hold up. he has been running them regularly past couple years so im assuming my experience was flawed by something.

 

[bluebear15]

BF Goodrich All Terrain KO2! They work great in the snow here in WI.

 

[mooman]

Firestone Destination AT. Great light/deep snow traction. Wet traction suffers a little bit but still pretty good. Sadly, the tire performed the best from new 12/32 to about 8/32. Anything after the tire is complete junk.

Michellin LTX Defenders are okay, but really expensive. Great all season, great wet traction, decent in light snow, but effy in deep snow. Current tire, 20k and about half life.

BFGoodridge TKO2 have been the best winter set, without going an actual winter tire. Really short life IMO. I got 24k miles and they were toast.

Nitto 420 is a tire I tried based on price. you get what you pay for. Brand new, the tire was okay. Only okay. Fast wear and decent/bad winter traction.

I hear good things about the wrangler terrain Kevlar. Actually going to be my next tire after the Defender wears down a bit more.

 

[swathdiver]

Michellin LTX Defenders are okay, but really expensive. Great all season, great wet traction, decent in light snow, but effy in deep snow. Current tire, 20k and about half life.

BFGoodridge TKO2 have been the best winter set, without going an actual winter tire. Really short life IMO. I got 24k miles and they were toast.

What air pressure did you run in the BFGs? Mine were wearing fast until I listened to BFG and put them at 50psi. If I'd taken their advice sooner, they might have lasted 60k miles.

 

[Scottydoggs]

i was getting 50,000 out of BFG A/T's. lot of hwy, and snow plowed with them.

you must run them at max psi, 50 works well. and you must rotate them every 5-6,000 miles. or they will never make it to 30,000 miles.

 

[Dlayne]

What ever tire you get, I would highly recommend having them siped. It is usually pretty cheap and will help on the ice. Also helps on the wet and on the boat ramp.

 

[swathdiver]

What ever tire you get, I would highly recommend having them siped. It is usually pretty cheap and will help on the ice. Also helps on the wet and on the boat ramp.

What's that? KO2s are awesome in the rain.

 

[HiHoeSilver]

What's that? KO2s are awesome in the rain.

Siping is the little cuts in the blocks for traction. Look at a general grabber red letter, not siped. The KO2 is siped. Aftermarket Siping can be done to improve traction on water and ice.

 

[mooman]

What air pressure did you run in the BFGs? Mine were wearing fast until I listened to BFG and put them at 50psi. If I'd taken their advice sooner, they might have lasted 60k miles.

40psi. I never assumed to max out the air pressure on tires. Interesting, I might have to do that again. I really liked the tko2's.

 

[bluebear15]

What air pressure did you run in the BFGs? Mine were wearing fast until I listened to BFG and put them at 50psi. If I'd taken their advice sooner, they might have lasted 60k miles.

I got almost 80,000 miles out of my last set of BFG's and looking to get at least 60,000 out of this new set I put on this past fall. I rotate every other oil change so about every 6,000 miles.

They work great in all conditions! Mud, rain, snow, ice.

 

[mooman]

What's that? KO2s are awesome in the rain.

Siping is where a tire shop will make slits cross direction on the tire. It increases traction by introducing "biting edges". I see it benefiting wet traction and snow traction, but at the expense of dry traction.

 

[swathdiver]

40psi. I never assumed to max out the air pressure on tires. Interesting, I might have to do that again. I really liked the tko2's.

I called BFG and also figured out the max load per psi of air pressure. 42 psi exceeded the axle capacity with the same margin as the P-Metric tires. Still they wore too fast. They actually ride better at 50 psi too.

I knew about sipes but not the act of adding sipes to tires. The BFG sipe design is what makes the tires perform so well in the rain. Even the famous Radial T/As are awesome in the rain, in fact what sold me on the KO2 is that the C-block of tread on the edge of the tire is very similar to the Radial T/A which I used to use extensively. Both tires also provide excellent dry traction, I used to make 1.76 60' foot times on them with a best of 1.72 when drag racing on street tires.

 

[Dlayne]

I called BFG and also figured out the max load per psi of air pressure. 42 psi exceeded the axle capacity with the same margin as the P-Metric tires. Still they wore too fast. They actually ride better at 50 psi too.

I knew about sipes but not the act of adding sipes to tires. The BFG sipe design is what makes the tires perform so well in the rain. Even the famous Radial T/As are awesome in the rain, in fact what sold me on the KO2 is that the C-block of tread on the edge of the tire is very similar to the Radial T/A which I used to use extensively. Both tires also provide excellent dry traction, I used to make 1.76 60' foot times on them with a best of 1.72 when drag racing on street tires.

I should clarify my previous post about siping. If you can get a good siped tire from the factory / manufacturer that is usually preferable. As someone else pointed out dry traction will suffer some but in these vehicles it might be hard to tell. It’s like a “sports sedan” there are trade offs when trying to find a one quiver anything.

Good luck.