Hello all,

I got my used 2002 F-250 7.3L crew cab about a year and a half ago. The previous owner had done a lot of upgrading, but after my first winter, I was not impressed with the performance on snow here in the Virginia Blue Ridge. I thought my 4x4 would be our go-to vehicle in bad weather, but it turned out my wife's Honda Pilot AWD handled snow much better.

Before this winter hits, I'd like to do what I can to improve handling. Currently the truck has (I think) about a 3" lift on it, and it's got Nitto Terra Grappler LT315/75R16 tires.

One option would be to get dedicated winter tires on new wheels. TireRack.com's recommending downsizing all the way to 225/75R16. That advice is for a stock F-250 -- would it likely still apply to one that's been lifted (and who knows what else) to handle these 315s?

Another option would be to go with a different year round tire, like maybe a Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac. If I go this route, I'd be looking at a narrower tire and possibly shorter tire, for better snow performance. I'm new to all this, though, so what would I be giving up, other than appearance, going down to a smaller tire or even taking out the lift?

Appearance isn't a priority for me. I just want the truck to take me where I want to go especially on steep gravel roads and in bad weather.

Thanks

 

You can go down in size with no problems. Your Speedometer will be effected, but if the previous owner didnt change it for the current tires, it may just get more accurate.

I recommend talking to people in your area and getting recommendations on snow tires. Narrow and tall is my recommendation. The reason I recommend talking to people in your area is everyone on the internet has their opinion, but often times where you are makes different tires perform better.

California mud is different than Georgia mud for example.

 

Well the nitto terra grappler are your major problem with poor snow performance, those things are only good on dry pavement. Good winter tires will fix your problem

 

I agree with getting some snow-optimized tires and dropping the pressure down to 40 - 45 psi. You'll be good. Truck are not really very good deep snow vehicles compared to modern, light 4wd cars, but they can do OK.



Brian

 

If you only want to have 1 set of tires I would go to the same size BFG AT. They are great all around tires. Quiet, good wear, a little spendy but well worth the money. I have run them on my h2s and my Super dutys in 33s, 35s, and 37s. They do great in our SD snow, ice and mild offroading. Best tire Ive had. I had to opt to dick Cpek Fun Countrys due to the size Im running. DCs are good but Id still prefer BFGs!!

 

I just put the new TOYO ATII's on my wife's Ex,,, first snow we had just last week, she said they were AWESOME, it was a mixture of hail/snow nasty and she was very happy with them. I highly recommend them with the wife's seal of approval! And yes, the Nitto's sucked royally in the snow and mud/slop. And as a side note, I would not downsize, 315's are a good size, just get a good tire and you will be much happier, also,,, add some weight to the bed of the truck, there are many different options for that, one year I had bought a bunch of straw for spreading around on the fresh dirt I had dozed all over the yard, and ended up with extra, I just left them in the bed, worked well when I was up in the high country and came across a stuck truck, we busted out a bale, spread it all around his tires and were able to get him out.
Open Country A/T II | Toyo Tires