Snowy State Tundras...Best Tires in the Snow

Calling everyone who lives in snowy states. I am in Colorado and we get our fair share of snow and am looking for advice on which tires everyone is running and their experience in the snow with them. I don't want a "snow tire" I'm looking more at the best hybrid tire ie Toyo Open countrys, Nitto Ridge Grapplers, BFKO2, ect. Thanks in advance!

 

Your best bet is to buy something that is "severe snow rated", i.e. 3 Mountain Peak symbol on the sidewall.

 

i have been loving my KO2s.
Only "complaint" I have is they don't look like they are going to last long. Summer road trips at 85mph seems to eat thru them rather quickly. I bet i'll only get 30-35k out of them.

 

BFG KO2s are also my vote.

I have 35k on mine (285/70R18 load range E) and they look fantastic. 80% tread left. That includes probably 8k miles of towing, 5k of road trips not towing, and the rest a mix of highway and town driving.

 

I have been pleased with my BFG KO2 as well on trips thru NE PA during winter last year to visit family/ friends.

 

I just got a set of the Goodyear Ultraterrains from DT. They r 3 peak rated and all the reviews I have read they r awesome in the snow. They took little weight to balance and ride super smooth.

 

KO2 always been good to me in the snow.
Falken AT3/W another contender.

 

They look perfect, especially for a 3 Peak.

 

I went with the Cooper Discoverer ATS 4S in a 255/75/17. I'm sure it will meet my needs driving through Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah this winter.

 

The 4S is a great choice too.

 

I'm pretty well set on the Nitto Exo Grappler AWT, if you're looking for specific suggestions.

 

I am hoping to have some luck this year with 295/70/18 Cooper Discoverer AT3 XLT. I just got them put on 2 weeks ago. I ski a lot in the winter, so I am hoping for a solid tire.

 

Fingers crossed my falken will rock the snow like the reviews say. Toyo AT3 also a solid contender with the new design.

 

My brother just put Toyo AT2s on his truck. Will keep an eye on how he likes them.

 

Remember, snow and ice are 2 different things. Not much will stop the heavy tundra except driving as the conditions dictate.

 

I have them and they are alright in the snow. The KO2 are better imo.

 

I have run BFG KO2s and Toyo Open Country ATIIs, about equal in the snow but I prefer the Toyos, the sets I have had balanced with less weight, and had less wear and cracking over the period of 4 years and 40k miles, I just ordered a set of Toyo ATIIIs, looking forward to seeing how they perform. The Toyo LTs also have a 50k mile warranty. I also wouldn't go any wider than 285s for best traction/handling in the snow.

 

My ko2’s suck in the snow and on ice. I won’t be getting another set. I had duratracs on one of my trucks and they did way better. Duratrac gets my vote. I also heard the Toyo a/t2 xtream were way better then the ko2’s as well.

 

complete opposite experience for me..lol

 

I had DuraTracs on my 09 Taco when I drove up to AK. Great tire in snow and a great all around tire. Those new Goodyear Ultraterrain's look real good.

 

I’m running falken at3w. They are 3 peak rated. They’ve been awesome in all conditions

 

Lol. Ya just what I heard. I won’t believe it till I myself prove it.

 

My brother says Duratracs are really hard so they're good on gravel but not very good if you do lots of stop and go in the winter.

 

There seems to be two camps for the KO2s- they are 3PMSF rated but I’ve read too many reviews on how they just weren’t that good in the snow so I passed on them.

I had it narrowed down to the Duratracs or the Falkens until the Toyo ATIII came out. I read a number of reviews saying the Duratracs had weak sidewalls and the Falkens were heavy and hard to balance. Went with the Toyos as they had great reviews and they were considerably lighter than the Wildpeaks. So far I’m really liking the Toyos, snow will be here soon enough in northern MN so I’ll see how they do in the white stuff.

I don’t think you really could go wrong with what has been suggested, as long as they are truly snow rated. All good tires with plenty of fans, just splitting hairs for the most part on what is better or best.

 

I’ve had my toyo open country A/T 2 for 2 and a half years and live in The snow belt of Ohio. They have served me very well in deep snow and work well in overall snowy/slushy situations.

 

To quote my brother:

I kind of really hate ko2s. They aren't good in mud, snow, or on ice. I'm not sure what they're supposed to be for.

 

My only issue with my Dura Tracs was that the rubber compound was a bit soft actually. Not a bad thing. Tread wore down a bit too quick but they were exposed to all kinds of conditions. I did lots of stop and go in AK winter. Lots. Zero chunking unlike my hard rubber compound Nitto Trail Grappler's. They did poorly in snow and chunked badly on rocky roads here. My almost 8 months old m&s rated Patagonia M/T's have a softer rubber compound and do quite well in the snow. Surprisingly so. I don't expect to get super mileage out of them but a darn good tire in all conditions, very quiet for a M/T. Great tread design. No tread chunking in rocky conditions either. Deep siping too. E and 3 ply sidewall armor. A great tire for Colorado conditions! Especially if you like to go off road in the snow. Lower the psi and you are good to go. I'm a Cooper Tire fan but I think I scored with these Patagonia's. They are more of a hybrid AT/MT tire actually. Easy on the wallet. Not US made but not Chinese either. Indonesia.

 

The only place bfg's really shine r in the sand from my experience with them. The rubber compound is to hard for the snow and ice. Goodyear using a little softer compound really shines in the winter but they wear out faster. I just got the Ultraterrains from DT and so far they r awesome

 

I had several sets of KO2 and absolutely loved them on snow and ice.

 

IME the Duratracs run a softer compound and wear a little faster than some of the other ATs and hybrids I’ve owned. (Had a couple sets on a previous pickup.) They are fantastic snow tires- deep powder or wet pack- but not awesome on ice, in real cold. IE; -20C or lower. But that can be said for any AT I’ve owned, they just aren’t good on ice, in the cold.

That said, I just put a set on my truck for winters. (Replacing a set of worn TOYO ATIIs, which were great, but got slippery as they wore down.) But had this set of Duratracs studded to improve their manners on ice, the only thing I really disliked about my previous sets. Time will tell, but I’m expecting to like running them this winter.