Looking for some Studded Snow Tires/Off Road.

Size; 245/70R17 or less wide.

I like these so far;
http://www.maxxis.com/media/486036/mt-762-3ply.pdf

Any thoughts?

 

I've never run(or really wanted to) a studded mud traction tire. I have had the best luck with an AT and "snowflake rated" if possible. The 2 more aggressive that come to mind are the Goodyear Duratrac, General AT2 and BFG AT KO2. I've driven a lot of winter roads and never wanted studs, but I run tires year round.

 

Mike, thanks for the response.
Seems in Newfoundland the Studs have proven themselves over the generations. I will say that last winter, I could not get up the hill (approx 30-40deg Grade) with my Cooper D AT3’s, non studded, My year rounds.

The problem was the snow pack was in between the treads, and would not clean out, all 4 just spun, then I slide back down a bit.

Basically, the Winter/Snow tires they sell there, are crap for winter roads, so the studs help make up for the crap tread patterns, they have they snowflake, but they look like all season tires, that can barely negotiate a few snowflakes. But the issue is really the Grades I need to negotiate.

So I’m looking for something that will clean out better, that’s why I’m looking at more gap between threads. The KO2 & Grabber have the same snow packing issue.

Now I like the look of the Dura Trac tread pattern, so I will take a look at those, thanks for that.

 

Copy that. Back when I used to go up into the snowy mountains of the PNW for 4x4 adventures, we all ran mud tires. Cooper MT and Toyo MT were some that I remember owning. They always did great and I can see where in your situation tires like that would be worth a try. Since the MT's loose all the little sipes and grooves that the "snowflake" tires have, the studs make sense to gain back some of that needed traction. My recent experience is on snow covered paved roads of up to 12" and nothing that steep.

 

2 crazy hills to get in and out of the village. Most resort to their ATV's, with some super swamper type tires to get up and down. Park vehicles on the other end of the 8km road, where it gets more normal. But, some, retired just plan to be in there for a while as well. No kids in the village, so no school bus, so no priority on plowing. Week/s can go by during heavy snows before the 8km gravel road sees a plow.

I'm determined to beat these 2 hills. But once you get out, you need something to run on normally snow packed/iced roads.

 

I am picking up Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac with studs tomorrow for the '95 Bronco. Will report back as to how they do in the snow.<br /><br />My previous Hercules Trail Digger M/T's with studs which were stolen were great for a cheap Chinese tire but didn't wear all that well and apparently aren't made (or imported?) anymore.<br /><br />We run Michelin LTX M/S2 on our Bronco, E350 4x4 and Durango 4x4 and the Michelin Defender on our Corolla for Summer and they are a great Summer tire and do o.k. on snowy roads but if you get off road they slick up in the snow. That is where a bigger lugged tire with big spaces between the lugs to clean out the powder work really well. That is why I am going with the DuraTrac studded.

Update: Driving on our off road blown but sloped and packed snow and icy driveway, the Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac studded are great. Two thumbs up!

 

In my opinion the best "on road" studded tire is the Cooper Discoverer M+S. That said it is a light off road tire. When I need more deep snow / off road capability and am willing to compromise some of the on road performance then I run the Cooper Discoverer S/T MAXX. I did once have dedicated off road rig that I ran year round. My choice for winter tires for that application would be a set of Cooper Discoverer STT Pro's or comparable off road mud tire that were then drilled, double-studded, then microsiped. Not many tire shops still offer add-on studding and microsiping. That would produce an "off Road" optimized winter tire. Back when I did that I used a 33 x 12.50-15 General Grabber MT with good results. Today I like Cooper tires as they are USA owned. Good Luck, Russ

 

This is an old thread with recent replies...

On my Super Duty I have had good luck with Firestone Winterforce LT studded tires. I have them mounted on separate rims, I try to have them on just when I need them. My prior set ran for many winters, they still have usable tread for a summer use, but the studs wore down so I replaced them. I have a dirt driveway with a serious incline. They do not pack full of snow, the tread clears nice.