Ok, the Duratracs come with hundreds of sipes. A tire store can "install" thousands thenAlso, for anyone considering it, the store where I get mine done will only do new tires. Pebbles or any kind of debris is very hard on their machine.
Daily Driver Snow tires (1 Viewer)
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Having your tires siped will not make them a winter tire. Prime example were my siped KM2's, that still SUCKED in the winter. Tread compound is key, it's not just the sipes that allowed the Duratrac to be winter rated.
Also having lived in Grand Forks, ND for two winters I would say a true ice tire or studded tire is the best bet up there. The roads were just a sheet of ice all winter long. Tahoe conditions are bit off from ND conditions, Duratracs will be a great tire for the OP.
Also having lived in Grand Forks, ND for two winters I would say a true ice tire or studded tire is the best bet up there. The roads were just a sheet of ice all winter long. Tahoe conditions are bit off from ND conditions, Duratracs will be a great tire for the OP.
I have Cooper S/Ts (siped) on my 80 and Goodyear Duratracs on my 100. This year will be the first winter where I can compare the two. The Coopers have been AWESOME in the snow, but tend to be a bit louder on the highway due to the large gaps between the lugs. The Duratracs are quieter and I am hopeful that they perform just as well in the snow.
I run up to Tahoe all the time on my Subaru I run Yokohama ats and on the 80 I run cooper stt both of which kick butt in the snow.
fishjunkie
grasshopper
On my second set of Bridgestone dueler revo 2's. First set went 40k and would have gone for another 5k+ had I been more attentive to alignment and rotation. Never failed me in snow 1" to 2' and good on ice. I don't do much on rock -- trail to Bowman and surrounding area is about it, but have never had any issues. Very good in rain and for daily driver mileage.
...you have quite the conundrum here! You use the truck seldom, and you need something that will do well in Tahoe snowstorms AND during the summer for light off roading. Tough combo.
Here's some perspective to help you out with this. I live in the central Colorado mountains. When it snows here, the road gets really icy really fast. We're not too concerned about deep snow, because it just doesn't happen here
eek: yeah I just said that), so legit snow tires with winter compound and studs is a good option here over a tire that will dig deep into soft, deep snow to gain traction. Most dedicated snow tires, or severe snow service rated tires, work on the principle of snow-on-snow contact, which means the siping on the tire is meant to retain snow crystals in the siping to aid contact on a snow- or ice-covered surface. As we all know this changes when the snow is deep and you're stuck in a hole. Then you need chains, which are a good thing to have in any vehicle driving around Tahoe during the winter.I have dedicated snows now, Cooper Discoverer M+S, studded, LT 265/75/R16, 6 ply. I got 265/75 instead of 285/75 for snow tires on purpose, it wasn't about the money, I wanted more pressure on the pavement. They've been great so far with the daily commute over Vail Pass and after parking one Land Cruiser into a guardrail avoiding an accident in progress in front of me years ago, the peace of mind knowing I can stop with dedicated snow tires and studs means I'll likely never compromise on winter tire performance again. For the summer I'll purchase a tire like the Cooper Discoverer S/T or similar that will wear well, be quite drive-able on road and provide stellar traction in all but the most muddy situations.
If I lived in a climate that gets huge snow and therefore deep snow is an issue, I'd be looking at a tire with larger tread blocks (more spacing) to help get the tire to clean out from snow instead of packing it in. I think Tahoe qualifies more in this direction than Colorado. So the tread pattern of the Duratrac is likely a great example of a tire that works well. Or maybe a studded Cooper Discoverer S/T. Or studded Duratrac. I'd be interested to know what size tires the guys are running who are having bad experience with the Duratrac in snow; I suspect they are running very oversized tires that are decreasing load per square unit and therefore the tires are not engaging as well as they should with either "normal" sizing or "snow tire" sizing (typically on the smaller side). Of course studs are not really a 12-month solution on any tires pretty much everywhere, so maybe studs aren't in your best interest. I wouldn't be so hot on studs if it weren't for the weight of the 80 series Land Cruiser. They're not great on cars where they keep the cars off the pavement too much, but a heavy truck seems to be a different story and my experience so far on dry roads with studs has been pretty much the same as not having studs (also probably due to running a 6 ply tire with a snow compound, they're gripping great all the time on dry pavement).
I have a dear friend who drives a Sportsmobile Ford E350 van fully converted with 3 locking differentials and rides on 35s. He drives it to and from the houses in Squaw and Berkeley in all weather. He swears by BFG A/Ts, every vehicle in the family gets a set for the winter in CA. Certain sizes in the BFG A/T do have the severe snow service rating and the temps that get the burly, long lasting BFG rubber a hard knock for winter service (the rubber gets too hard to grip) in places like high country Colorado, Canada, Idaho, and Montana are not present in CA.
My conclusion from this information? Look at the Goodyear Duratrac or BFG A/T. Neither are a slouch off road in the summer, though the wider spaced tread blocks of the Duratrac are at a slight advantage for softer soil.
Good luck!
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I agree. I had BFG all terrains on an xj jeep a long time ago. I got to auburn just before they closed the road at 6:30 am. It was a crazy snow storm on the pass with over a foot of snow on Donner Pass. The tires worked great. I hydroplaned coming down the pass going about 45 mph. To fast and got up on top of the snow like a ski. I lost control and hockey stopped in the middle of the highway with metal railings on either side. Couldn't be happier withe those tires. On the same trip we came out of Alpine meadows to a road to Truckee with cars sliding all over. Pushed a suburban out of the way, then a Subaru. Short story, I was the only one to get to Truckee that night. When I need new tires, I will look at the BFGs and Duratracs, whatever is cheaper will be on the 80. My ride is for Tahoe trips. That's about it, other than some minor dirt trails. My advice is to go with what works. Newer tires with more tread will help as well, so some of the bad reviews about Duratracs and BFGs you can dismiss. They are both good tires that will stick to the road. Paired with a CDL switch you can't go wrong. It's an 80 series!
Azca
If there is a harder way - I will find it...
Any mud tire on the road in the snow is not a good choice. If you will be doing most of your driving in the snow there are several dedicated snow tires, such as the Michelin Latitude® X-Ice® Xi2 that are the way to go.
What makes a good snow tire? There is a lot of science to it, tread compounds and siping are the most important. The compound is VERY important (best example I can give is several years ago a major car magazine did a very intensive tire test and found that a slick racing tire with a very sticky compound actually outperformed a "rain tire" on the track. Tire siping are the minute grooves in the tire. In the rain these sipes give many more biting edges for the tire to grip with and also help to prevent hydroplaning. In the snow they allow the snow to actually "clog" up the sipes. The traction you gain on the snow is not tire to the snow, it is snow trapped in the tire tread to snow that gives you the traction. This is one area that you do NOT want the tire to "self clean."
Unfortunately snow tires are not good tires off road and do not wear well. In fact several manufactures use a special compound in the tread that only goes a few 32nds deep and is worn off in a rather short period of time. So what you need is a good compromise.
From all that I have read Pro Comp has an excellent dual purpose tire that really excels in the snow for an all terrain tire (the ALL TERRAIN RADIAL) that has a 50k mile warranty. It is a mild all terrain but much more aggressive than the michelins and less so than the BFG all terrains.
In the end all tires are a compromise in some way. Ride vs Longevity, Mud traction vs snow, etc. There is no real "all around tire". What I do now is have two sets of tires, one for daily driving one for the dirt. I have had pro comp extreme mud terrains and BFG all terrains for awhile. I also have had the revos and even the goodear wrangler silent armors (should be a great snow tire as well). I found that this was a good solution as I used up the cheaper street tires and my off road tires lasted years before replacement. The biggest trick is to be honest with the way you will use them and what sacrifices you will be willing to make.
FYI Link to the procomp: http://www.procompusa.com/productlines.aspx?catID=13&subCat=157&ptID=100806
What makes a good snow tire? There is a lot of science to it, tread compounds and siping are the most important. The compound is VERY important (best example I can give is several years ago a major car magazine did a very intensive tire test and found that a slick racing tire with a very sticky compound actually outperformed a "rain tire" on the track. Tire siping are the minute grooves in the tire. In the rain these sipes give many more biting edges for the tire to grip with and also help to prevent hydroplaning. In the snow they allow the snow to actually "clog" up the sipes. The traction you gain on the snow is not tire to the snow, it is snow trapped in the tire tread to snow that gives you the traction. This is one area that you do NOT want the tire to "self clean."
Unfortunately snow tires are not good tires off road and do not wear well. In fact several manufactures use a special compound in the tread that only goes a few 32nds deep and is worn off in a rather short period of time. So what you need is a good compromise.
From all that I have read Pro Comp has an excellent dual purpose tire that really excels in the snow for an all terrain tire (the ALL TERRAIN RADIAL) that has a 50k mile warranty. It is a mild all terrain but much more aggressive than the michelins and less so than the BFG all terrains.
In the end all tires are a compromise in some way. Ride vs Longevity, Mud traction vs snow, etc. There is no real "all around tire". What I do now is have two sets of tires, one for daily driving one for the dirt. I have had pro comp extreme mud terrains and BFG all terrains for awhile. I also have had the revos and even the goodear wrangler silent armors (should be a great snow tire as well). I found that this was a good solution as I used up the cheaper street tires and my off road tires lasted years before replacement. The biggest trick is to be honest with the way you will use them and what sacrifices you will be willing to make.
FYI Link to the procomp: http://www.procompusa.com/productlines.aspx?catID=13&subCat=157&ptID=100806
As probably previously mentioned, you can't go wrong with the DuraTrac as an all around good snow, all terrain tire. It's already siped and even has holes to mount tire studs.
This.
Winter #3 coming up on my wife's JK Unlimited with 33" DuraTracs - I don't worry at all with her driving in the heavy rains and (powder/slushy/icy) snow we get here in BC's Vancouver area.
As soon as I take delivery of my new (to me) 80-series, I'll be selling the BFGs and buying a set of Duratracs for it, too.
As soon as I take delivery of my new (to me) 80-series, I'll be selling the BFGs and buying a set of Duratracs for it, too.
I've had great luck with my km2's in the snow on both my Tacoma and lx
I run my steer axle at 28-30psi, drive 25-18psi
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Thanks all!
It appears the Duratracs have it.
Thanks for all input.
And thanks for playing.
New duratracs in my 80's immediate future.
Cheers
It appears the Duratracs have it.
Thanks for all input.
And thanks for playing.
New duratracs in my 80's immediate future.
Cheers
Are you asking about on or off-road in the snow? I'm going to assume on road, so in the winter I run 40psi on my 285/75/16E's. Summer time 45psi. I ran about 32 in winter on the 265/75/16C's I had on my Surf.
