Got a bead on a set of GX470 stock wheels on the cheap. My question is what's the best stock size rubber with a winter rating that'll also highway and do some mud work? Obviously, would go a bit narrower. In short- best tire for a 700 mi ski trip?
Yet another tire question... winter rubber
- Thread starter dagibby
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General Grabber A/TX should accomplish all those goals for you
Personally for dedicated winters I always buy Michelin X-ice or Blizzak, slight preference to Michelin.
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Don't need dedicated winters- would like something that is 3 peak rated (can skip the chains where allowed) that does highway and mud reasonably well too. It doesn't snow too much where I live- and Blizzaks, which I loved in the white, wore too quickly. Basically looking for something that I can swap on in late Oct. that will go hunting (Northern MO gumbo mud), handle a couple 4"-6" snows annually, and do 2-3 750mi ski trips to the southern Rockies without killing milage or eardrums.
Blizzaks were the best dedicated snow tire I've ever used. Hands down. They turned my old Civic into a mountain goat in the snow.
Tires that are "good" on the highway are rarely good in the mud and vice versa.
I've run Goodyear Duratracs that were good in the snow and ok off-road (weak sidewall for rock work). BFG KO2 All Terrains are popular. The KO2s have the snowflake rating I think. I have Cooper ST Maxxs right now. Great in mud and in the snow. They're heavy as hell and s*** on the highway. It's a give and take.
Tires that are "good" on the highway are rarely good in the mud and vice versa.
I've run Goodyear Duratracs that were good in the snow and ok off-road (weak sidewall for rock work). BFG KO2 All Terrains are popular. The KO2s have the snowflake rating I think. I have Cooper ST Maxxs right now. Great in mud and in the snow. They're heavy as hell and s*** on the highway. It's a give and take.
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I concur, Blizzaks on my Denali made it unstoppable in feet of snow. In warmer weather they wore like erasers. How were the Duratracs for chewing up highway miles? I suppose I'm looking for a 3 peak rated tire that can handle a rutted, muddy farm road on occasion. Not worried about rock work at all- got a rig for that.
Haha yes. My father-in-law left snow tires on their RX last summer and they looked awful after 3 months. Had to throw them away.
I put about 35k on my Duratracs over 3-4 years and they still had a lot of life left when I sold my truck. They were C rated. 265/75r16. They were a bit spongy and noticeably increased the body roll of my Tacoma until I lifted with stiffer suspension. They did really well on the highway. I made a few long trips from PA to North Carolina and several from Pittsburgh to Philly. They did great in the sand at the beach and dirt roads in the north east. They were soft and had good siping, so they did really well in the snow/slush also.
They were relatively quiet at first and got louder as they got older like every AT tire does, but nothing like as loud as my E rated ST Maxxs have with less mileage. They did start to chunk minimally as they aged, but nothing detrimental to performance.
Falken's AT3W have the 3Peak designation if I recall. I can confirm that they work well, but only based on our Outback as I have not run them on the GX. I am thinking about it, though. Honestly, I also have been eyeing the Klevers and just stud them in the winter.
MTs are awful in snow, snow tires are awful in mud. Hard to say. I like KO2s, Wildpeak AT3s for all around use but the mud we see here in CO isn't really that bad.
Duratracs are supposed to be decent in both snow and mud.
Duratracs are supposed to be decent in both snow and mud.
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MO mud is a whole different animal than CO mud. CO mud is for patina, Missourah's is structural.
Studding/de-studding sounds harder than chains, which is what I'm trying to avoid.
Wildpeak AT3W's work good on snowy roads and in snow <6 inches or so deep. If you get off of a paved road and into some deep stuff (e.g., snow wheeling), they don't work well with the ATRAC system on the GX unless you air the tires down. The same can be said for muddy conditions - ATRAC and AT3W's don't play well together and you'll get stuck if you try to wheel at 30+ psi. If you air down to 15-20 Wildpeaks and ATRAC work well together. I've gotten stuck in one mudhole and almost stuck in the snow several times when not aired down.
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