Winter tires vs offroad tires.

Hi, all.

I'm thinking about picking up an older (beater) 4x4 for winter driving
and I'm wondering about tires. What kind of tires would be better for
winter driving in a 4x4 -- specific winter tires or aggressive
offroads?

If there is a real difference between the two, where would I notice it
most? On ice?


I have studded winter Hakapelitas on my 'burban and they made a huge
difference going to those from my all seasons.

Thanks,
Steve

Goldhawk wrote:

> Hi, all.
>
> I'm thinking about picking up an older (beater) 4x4 for winter driving
> and I'm wondering about tires. What kind of tires would be better for
> winter driving in a 4x4 -- specific winter tires or aggressive
> offroads?
>
> If there is a real difference between the two, where would I notice it
> most? On ice?
>
>
> I have studded winter Hakapelitas on my 'burban and they made a huge
> difference going to those from my all seasons.
>
> Thanks,
> Steve
what matters is the rubber composition. i drive a
93 YJ, and use BFG Mud-Terrain for my off-roading
and summer use. i switch to Mich Pilot Alpin inthe
winter or a set of studded Wild Country Radial
TXR. the BFG's are great because of their deep
treading and lug pattern, but because they are of
a harder rubber composition, (they get harder
inthe cold), they are not very good on slick surfaces.

i would stick with hakk 10's or Q's. they seem to
have pretty consistant lower prices, and they are
one of the best rated winter tires.

--
Ben Jerew
ASE Master Technician
New Country Lexus of Latham, NY
Amateur Off-Roader

Goldhawk proclaimed:

> Hi, all.
>
> I'm thinking about picking up an older (beater) 4x4 for winter driving
> and I'm wondering about tires. What kind of tires would be better for
> winter driving in a 4x4 -- specific winter tires or aggressive
> offroads?
>
> If there is a real difference between the two, where would I notice it
> most? On ice?
>
>
> I have studded winter Hakapelitas on my 'burban and they made a huge
> difference going to those from my all seasons.

They would be a real good idea for your winterbeater. With cheaper
tires, you risk bending your bones in addition to the sheetmetal.

Lon wrote:

> Goldhawk proclaimed:
>
>> Hi, all.
>>
>> I'm thinking about picking up an older (beater) 4x4 for winter driving
>> and I'm wondering about tires. What kind of tires would be better for
>> winter driving in a 4x4 -- specific winter tires or aggressive
>> offroads?
>>
>> If there is a real difference between the two, where would I notice it
>> most? On ice?
>>
>>
>> I have studded winter Hakapelitas on my 'burban and they made a huge
>> difference going to those from my all seasons.
>
>
> They would be a real good idea for your winterbeater. With cheaper
> tires, you risk bending your bones in addition to the sheetmetal.

Every tire on every vehicle is somewhat of a
compromise. You have to look at where you'll do the
majority of your driving and aim your selection towards
that. But don't completely forget about other
conditions as well. You don't want to pick really
great ice tires and then slide through a corner on that
one hot summer day.
Studded tires make sense for vehicles that get
driven exclusively on ice and snow. On wet (not icy or
snowy, just wet) or dry pavement you will get worse
traction than a decent all season tire.
An aggressive off road tire like a BFG Mud Terrain
will do really well in soft to packed snow. But they
tend to slip a lot on ice and wet, and are noisy on
dry. Siping them will really help traction.
A medium all terrain like the BFG All Terrain makes
an excellent winter tire. It does pretty well in all
situations, without serious degradation in any of them.
I use Michelins on my truck, as it's my year
'round daily driver. It does really well in all
situations: Ice, snow, mud, washboard, gravel, summer
heat, you name it. I've been really impressed with
this tire.

--
..boB
1997 HD FXDWG - Turbocharged!
2001 Dodge Dakota QC 5.9/4x4/3.92
1966 Mustang Coupe - Daily Driver
1966 FFR Cobra - Ongoing project

I'll second .boB's take. I have run mudders, and All Terrains.

Mudders are great off road, in dirt, mud, rocks, sand and uncompacted snow.

However they hate wet roads and icy conditions.

AT's will serve you better on wet and ice, and they do ok (but not great) in
dirt, sand and rocks. They aren't so good in loose snow and they suck in
mud. However they are better in loose snow than mudders are on ice and the
4x4 means you can deal with the snow.

Match the tire up to what you will do the most, and then drive accordintly
to what your tires can do. I just drive slower in the winter when I'm on
ice and my problem is solved...most of the time...



".boB" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Lon wrote:
>
>> Goldhawk proclaimed:
>>
>>> Hi, all.
>>>
>>> I'm thinking about picking up an older (beater) 4x4 for winter driving
>>> and I'm wondering about tires. What kind of tires would be better for
>>> winter driving in a 4x4 -- specific winter tires or aggressive
>>> offroads?
>>>
>>> If there is a real difference between the two, where would I notice it
>>> most? On ice?
>>>
>>>
>>> I have studded winter Hakapelitas on my 'burban and they made a huge
>>> difference going to those from my all seasons.
>>
>>
>> They would be a real good idea for your winterbeater. With cheaper
>> tires, you risk bending your bones in addition to the sheetmetal.
>
> Every tire on every vehicle is somewhat of a compromise. You have to
> look at where you'll do the majority of your driving and aim your
> selection towards that. But don't completely forget about other
> conditions as well. You don't want to pick really great ice tires and
> then slide through a corner on that one hot summer day.
> Studded tires make sense for vehicles that get driven exclusively on
> ice and snow. On wet (not icy or snowy, just wet) or dry pavement you
> will get worse traction than a decent all season tire.
> An aggressive off road tire like a BFG Mud Terrain will do really well
> in soft to packed snow. But they tend to slip a lot on ice and wet, and
> are noisy on dry. Siping them will really help traction.
> A medium all terrain like the BFG All Terrain makes an excellent winter
> tire. It does pretty well in all situations, without serious degradation
> in any of them.
> I use Michelins on my truck, as it's my year 'round daily driver. It
> does really well in all situations: Ice, snow, mud, washboard, gravel,
> summer heat, you name it. I've been really impressed with this tire.
>
> --
> .boB
> 1997 HD FXDWG - Turbocharged!
> 2001 Dodge Dakota QC 5.9/4x4/3.92
> 1966 Mustang Coupe - Daily Driver
> 1966 FFR Cobra - Ongoing project
>

>>>>> "Renegade" == Renegade Knight <[email protected]> writes:

Renegade> I'll second .boB's take. I have run mudders, and All
Renegade> Terrains. Mudders are great off road, in dirt, mud,
Renegade> rocks, sand and uncompacted snow.

Renegade> However they hate wet roads and icy conditions.

Renegade> AT's will serve you better on wet and ice, and they do
Renegade> ok (but not great) in dirt, sand and rocks. They aren't
Renegade> so good in loose snow and they suck in mud. However
Renegade> they are better in loose snow than mudders are on ice
Renegade> and the 4x4 means you can deal with the snow.

Renegade> Match the tire up to what you will do the most, and then
Renegade> drive accordintly to what your tires can do. I just
Renegade> drive slower in the winter when I'm on ice and my
Renegade> problem is solved...most of the time...

Hi,

Same thing here (east of France, 1200m altitude), AT is definitely
your best friend because it does reasonably match all possible
conditions (-15C ice, wet snow, mud-like snow-water-mix, deep cold snow ...).

Only exception I can see is if you leave in very cold areas where
winter never goes above -5C ...

--

Herve Regad-Pellagru

barf [ba:rf] 2. "He suggested using FORTRAN, and everybody barfed." -
From The Shogakukan DICTIONARY OF NEW ENGLISH (Second edition)