Winter tire advice

[WRCRaptor]

Lower tire pressure will generate more heat but I think the lager contact patch is a negative. I would be careful going down in rolling diameter as the stk calibrations for abs and traction control may not like the difference, the electronics nannies may come on sooner which would suck.

The tread compound used for most MT tires is to hard for temp below 32deg so those tires get slick even on dry cold pavement. AT tires make a compromise but are still only adequate below 32deg. In the stk size for the raptor the duratracs are the only tire I found last year when I was looking that had the triangle mountain snow flake symbol on the sidewall. They are better the stock for me but still not as good as a blizzak or a Hakka true winter tire if I could I would stud them but studs are not legal on the street.

In a perfect world a true winter tire in a stk rolling diameter that was a bit narrower is what I would love to have for the winter. If you go with a blizzak please let us know how it works since I am not sure anyone has tried it yet.

 

[Glo]

Lower tire pressure will generate more heat but I think the lager contact patch is a negative. I would be careful going down in rolling diameter as the stk calibrations for abs and traction control may not like the difference, the electronics nannies may come on sooner which would suck.

The tread compound used for most MT tires is to hard for temp below 32deg so those tires get slick even on dry cold pavement. AT tires make a compromise but are still only adequate below 32deg. In the stk size for the raptor the duratracs are the only tire I found last year when I was looking that had the triangle mountain snow flake symbol on the sidewall. They are better the stock for me but still not as good as a blizzak or a Hakka true winter tire if I could I would stud them but studs are not legal on the street.

In a perfect world a true winter tire in a stk rolling diameter that was a bit narrower is what I would love to have for the winter. If you go with a blizzak please let us know how it works since I am not sure anyone has tried it yet.

I think I might end up trying the Blizzarks. I was actually just starting to research programers, to see if I can find something to edit the tire size for the ECU/TCU to correct for a smaller tire size. I totally agree with you on the Hakka's or Blizzarks. For me personally, my winter tires also have to perform "reasonably" well in other conditions and studs are not an option ( I think studs are legal in Utah and Nevada as well? Correct?).

BTW Blizzarks are awesome in the rocks too! Took them thru Death Valley once as well after coming back from Tahoe in late spring! - so comfy compared to heavy AT/MT tires.

What size Duratracs are you running?


Check out the Top Gear expedition to north pole - nicely setup rigs too! Big fat tires with lots of contact patch...but I totally agree with your opinion!

Really all depends on the conditions. In my opinion the advantages of warm and soft rubber outweigh the disadvantages a larger contact patch can cause with AT and MT tires.
The Icelandic approach is to run ballons. Those look fun!

 

[SuperRaptor]

Maybe it's just because I live in the pacific northwest where I have to deal with a lot of wet/heavy snow and 99% of the time I never see temps below 10* even over in the Idaho but BFG A/T's have always done a very fine job in compact snow/slush/fresh snow for me. I've never ran 'premium' snow tires because I've always had 3/4 tons so this was an interesting read.

 

[Reptar]

I've been itching to get a set of duratrack's and stud them. They're legal in NJ between Nov 15th and Apr 1st. I had a set of studded snow tires on my '94 Stealth RT which was only FWD, and the car turned into a BEAST in the snow and ice as soon as I put them on! Although it sounded like I was driving on bubble wrap when it was dry out lol. I can't imagine the massive tires of the Raptor how noisey it would be haha but I'd really like to give them a try.

 

[WRCRaptor]

Glo

I am running stk size 315/70/17 duratracs. A wide tire like the glacier/ tundra tires suck in snow that is not deep enough to float and they make for a very soft and vague ride.

The stk BFG AT is a good tire and worked better then my previous BFG ATs because the raptor specific tire has a softer compound then the reg ones.

Let us know on the programmer to reset the tire size that is something I would be interested in.

 

[Glo]

Just picked up my truck and found some nice solid patches of ice to play with in near Flagstaff - was surprised how bad they did - however I was on highway PSI - not sure if anything would have helped.

I would have imagined that the softer compound of the Raptor BFGs actually would fare better than the standards on snow and ice - but my experiences with standards BFG were not with a raptor and only in 305/65/18 - so a tad bit smaller.


Nice that the Duratracs come in the perfect size! Hopefully after the holidays I can get some feedback from some of the vendors of programmers. Traction control already gets on my nerves - need to figure out how to totally de-activate it with the switch.

I am on the same page with you on the big ballons - just wanted to point out to anyone else reading this thread that different conditions can require different tires or sizes...

Maybe it's just because I live in the pacific northwest where I have to deal with a lot of wet/heavy snow and 99% of the time I never see temps below 10* even over in the Idaho but BFG A/T's have always done a very fine job in compact snow/slush/fresh snow for me. I've never ran 'premium' snow tires because I've always had 3/4 tons so this was an interesting read.

I spend a lot of time in the southern Cascades in Idaho every winter, and often run into roads/mountain roads which slope off sideways. Early winter/spring you often have pure ice in some spots. I have ended up in the ditch one too many times - where even when stopped - all you would do is slide sideways. Now I prefer getting a tire that allows me to drive on the street (gently!) and protects me from the worst winter conditions instead of doing AT/MT tires in snow. I would guess that 95% of time ATs are more than good enough - I try to always focus on the 5%...the premium being my family ( actually I am just getting to lazy to have to get myself out of the ditch...but kids are a good excuse too?)

Good thing is that winter tires can last quiet a bit if you take good care of them. I blew 2 DM-V1 last time coming back from Lake Tahoe...decided to drive thru Saline Valley / Death Valley back in spring...lol

I've been itching to get a set of duratrack's and stud them. They're legal in NJ between Nov 15th and Apr 1st. I had a set of studded snow tires on my '94 Stealth RT which was only FWD, and the car turned into a BEAST in the snow and ice as soon as I put them on! Although it sounded like I was driving on bubble wrap when it was dry out lol. I can't imagine the massive tires of the Raptor how noisey it would be haha but I'd really like to give them a try.

I am curious to see how this combo would do, especially how well the studs would hold up with the Raptor and some hard driving! Should be a great all year combo if you can live with the studs. But generally speaking I don't think that the studs would do well if you have to drive them on a dry / wet road a lot.

 

[Reptar]

Yeah I wouldn't leave them on year round, they'd be for a winter-only set of extra rims. Nov 15th to Apr 1st is the NJ laws, but I've usually put on my winter tires in late Dec and taken them off mid March and it's been pretty good. My Stealth and my HD I had winter tires for. The Raptor I'm just using the factory BFG's this winter and I miss having dedicated snow tires, the performance is night and day different.

 

[Wilson]

your opinion don't count if all you've ever had are the om tires!

 

[Glo]

your opinion don't count if all you've ever had are the om tires!

what opinion?

 

[Madcowranch]

Your opinion doesn't count if you've been sniffing E-30.