All right guys. Heres the deal. I have been looking for different tires for my 2002 FX4. I have posted questions on here about certain tires. I asked about Goodyear MTX's, Mickey Thompson Baja Radial MTX, and BFG A/T. I have also been hearing about the Michelin LTX AT & MS.

I need a tire that is going to handle very well in SNOW!! I am moving to Alaska soon. As most of you know, that state gets a large amount of snow. So, I need a tire that can handle it.

Any suggestions? I do want good tire wear, some what quiet ride, and good traction in all weather conditions.

I know this is a lot to ask for, since all of us have different opinions about what we put on our rigs. Can you help me out?

2002 F-150 FX4
265/70R17

 

I prefer Nokians (Finnish tires, excellent in snow, limited availability, see:

http://www.nokiantires.com),

Otherwise, here is a good site for owner surveys of other tires based on their experiences:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyresults/index.jsp

 

Also check out epinions.com and carreview.com.

In their tire sections you will find lots of user comments- very helpful.



I would ASSUME tires with big open voids will do well in heavy snow, like they do in mud but you're better off getting the story straight from those who have used the tire in question before you buy.

Generally, tires with tight, narrow tread patterns tend to "fill up" with mud or wet snow very quickly and your traction goes bye- bye in a hurry.

Case in point- I got stuck in mud with brand new Cooper Cobras (all-seasons) which were great in dry and rain and probably would have been fine in a few inches of snow on the road. But in mud, they filled up and looked like big brown racing slicks!

I switched to Cooper Discoverers (the original model, with the wide open lugs) and blasted right through the same muddy area a few weeks later. I expect these tires to do fine in the snow this winter but time will tell...

Good luck.

 

Thanks BigHog,

I really appreciate the info. It helps to get other peoples opinions about tires. Especially since we all have the same trucks on this site. I really do like the way the Big Open Tread looks on the Mud tires. I am just afraid of the wear! I am really partial to the BFG MT, but I heard the wear on them is terrible. Thanks again buddy

 

I can speak on two of your tire choices -

The BFG AT's are very good tires and a heck of a lot of people here swear by them. The price has always driven me off from them however. They seem to get good mileage a pretty good snow traction. Not a bad choice by any means.

I have the Michelin LTX AT's on my '88 Jeep Cherokee and absolutley love them. Excellent traction under all conditions (other than mud - haven't had a reason to test that out). They should get great mileage and a very quiet. Around here, these are probably the two tires you will be referred to most often.

As far as what style tire will do well in the snow, it depends a little bit. In general, while the voids can be good, be careful aboout the size of the tread lugs. If they are a single big block, they tend to not do very well in snow and particularly on ice. A variety of irregular edges and biting edges really help out here. If you look at most snow tires, they have a tread pattern with many different size lugs, mulitple biting edges, and vod spaces alrger than those on an all season tire. If you can afford it, the snow tires are the best way to go, if not, then a decent AT tire will do the job.

Good luck...