It all depends on the person driving, tires and weight of your truck. My ol 97 s10 4.3 v6 4x4 i had to have weight in the back for the winter, and on the lake when it was iced over. Tires wernt the best on that truck, but with my portable ice shack, auger, and gear the weight was perfect.

 

I had 285/70R17 Toyo AT before and seriously, i hated them during winter.

Not alot of traction in snow or ice. Now i have 315/70R17 Mickey Thompson MTZ and they work great.

 

I had my 325/60/18 Nittos on during the first snow this year, they where very bad in the snow. The width is part of the problem, but the bigger thing is the tread pattern IMO. I have 33X12.5 Khumo M/T's on my 94 F150 and they are great in the snow, and since they are basically the same width as the Nittos that is the reason that I am guessing is the tread pattern that is the biggest problem.

 

I put 400lbs in the back of my truck. In the form of 80lb bags of morton softener salt. I rotate those out with new ones every year and use the "used" ones for filling the water softener. It feels to me that the added weight gives the truck a bit better traction...especially in two wheel drive. There's many days that the roads are snow covered or slushy, but not quite bad enough for 4 wheel drive and that's where I feel this helps the most.

 

yeah same here, too much of a hassle unloading the box when its needed. being aware of road conditions is the major issue, if its snow covered you can't go 55, some people think 4x4 means they can ho however fast they want, some people learn the hard way. just take your time and plan the road ahead of you, just be smart while driving. i live in northern wisconsin and we get our share of white gold