You make very good points and I agree with slot of what you say. I have been running dedicated summer/winters/track setups on my cars since 2005 and same for the wife’s SUVs. I am a strong believer that dedicated winters perform superior in cold and any things which comes with cold. I would be at a stoplight in the snow with my M3 and f150’s in 4x4 next to me would be slipping and sliding and could barely get going and I just would take off and go. Not to mention the stopping and superior maneuvering abilities of dedicated winters. I have years and 1500 laps on the race track so I am not worried about how to handle a car and need the snows as a crutch. I feel comfortable *** stepped out at 75. They are just great for avoiding all other idiots.
That being said….…. You have to have an appetite to have multiple sets of tires and dare I say comprise the look of your truck for ultimate performance. I for one never put winters on my trucks because I don’t need yet another set of wheels in my garage but I just know it will be less aggressive and more cautious in snow. Yea A/T may not be 100% in snow but if the tire is 70% compared to a tire which is 50%, you can understand why people are concerned. And……. Like in Chicago we get say 20 days a year where snow in the roads is an issue. So focusing on a tire for such short % of days also makes you re-evaluate
All that also makes sense until you drive a tuned raptor on studded Nokian snow tires in a bad winter….then you feel like a “secret ninja”
Who’s one of the only mofos on Or off the road who doesn’t give a F what comes you’re way & you can just drive “as if” there is no winter period, on the street.
Normally I wouldn’t even bother trying to convince people, but so many forum members are willing to fork over $$$$$$$ on mods that are just a fad/aesthetic/don’t do much or that they won’t really use/enjoy that often. The raptor’s wide footprint isn’t really ideal for hard pack snow/ice & REAL cold conditions…the KO2s are ok for what they are, but not great. Your story about the M3 shows you def know what I mean- I had a cammed/stalled G8GT I ran studded blizzaks on @ one point lol…
If you get really aggressive knobby AT/MT tires for the rest of the year, running snows will help keep the tread on those tires fresher longer. And while the Nokians def aren’t aggressive looking as an AT or even stock KO2, they’re still 35”s, & w/ the studs- which are noticeable- pull up next to a guy rocking Baja boss tires struggling to get moving….tell me what looks more purposeful lol
Good luck either way these are rich guy problems
