'22 F350 6.7L: Never been to any mountains (live in MN) but will be taking extended trips this summer Aug-Oct through CO, and next year July-Oct to AK and back. I've read winter tires or chains are required in some mountain areas beginning Oct 1. I've researched about 3 mountain peak tires and snow tires. But it's a bit confusing about how those would hold up in summer conditions. I do not want to haul a full set of extra wheels/tires in order to put them on at the end of September. I was thinking about investing in a set anyway because the stock tires don't seem to do very well in areas where there is a foot of snow that hasn't been plowed yet; they seem fine on the main roads. If I put snow tires on before heading to AK in July, would they hold up until I get back to MN in late Oct? Or, would I be better off investing in a set of chains which may never get used again?

 

I'm running the Mickey Thompson Baja AT tires. They are Three Peak rated. Basically look like most AT tires. They have been quiet and seems to be holding up very well. I'm 15,000 miles into them and they look almost new. I buy 3Peak tires and run them all year. I do not pull them off in the summer. They are year round tires for me. Here in Utah, Most roads to ski resorts require Snow tires, Chains or 4x4. So having a 4x4 with AT tires won't even get a second look from the cops in the canyon.

Buy a good set of 3 Peak tires before your trip and enjoy. You'll be fine

I will add that I have been stuck hauling my trailer over 10,000 foot passes in October and needed chains to get over the pass. One trip in particular, I had to unhook, because I had no chains, and a friend hauled my trailer over the summit with chains and I drove my empty truck just fine with out the load.

 

If you're going in the areas that require chains, I'd bring chains. The snowflake rated A/T tires will hold up to road driving just fine, they're just A/T tires at the end of the day.

 

Below is the rule from the CDOT website. For the time period you're planning to be in Colorado, you're unlikely to get hit hard with snow. It certainly can happen though. I run the OEM Goodyear Wranglers, which are 3 Peak rated, and they do OK. Not great, just OK. I do carry chains because I get into the backcountry pretty far. I've had to chain up all four tires twice since I've owned this truck. I have the traditional ladder type chains (set of four) as well as a set of cable chains (set of two). If the truck is unloaded and not towing, I'll use the cable chains.

If you're not planning to get into the backcountry, go with the cable chains. If you buy chains, test fit them before you leave town! My ladder chains were a bitch to install at first. I finally ended up using extenders to get them on without airing down.

Quote:

Know Before You Go

 

Watch the weather and adjust your travels accordingly.

You REALLY! dont want to be on mountain pass roads in winter storm conditions with all the aggressive truck drivers clogging the roadway, getting sideways, vering out of control, sliding backwards into your vehicle, etc etc.

You may have the best traction on the road that day, but still end up in a nasty tangle between tractor trailers.

Not worth it!

 

The semi trucks are the least of my concern in the winter. It's all the maniacs in pickups that I worry about. They think 4x4 makes them invincible.

 

I'd run mountain snowflake AT tires (I run Duratracs usually) and carry chains. Yes, pure winters are better but the expense of 6 extra tires (and rims) plus the fact that they wear very quickly when the temps rise are negatives I avoid with the compromise of the snow rated AT's

2 cents,
Dave

 

Thanks for all the responses. After reading @HRTKD 's post with the rules, I think I previously misread them. I thought it was "either" 3 mountain peak tires "or" chains. Looks like either way I'll need chains just in case. I do like the idea of snow rated AT tires and then just bite the bullet on chains that I hope never to need. I neglected to mention that I do have 4WD, but will also be towing a 28' travel trailer. Will definitely be watching weather forecasts and adjusting travel as much as possible when needed. Main concern will be coming back from AK. These are bucket list trips and if we push it too far into the season I want to be prepared. Thanks again!

 

Many jurisdictions require "drag chains" on the trailer as well.....sometimes only on one axle.

Dave

 

I believe good all season highway tires like the Michelin Agilis CrossClimate that are 3PMSF are superior to 3PMSF all terrain tires for driving on even terrain that's snow covered.

 

I should have mentioned that there are multiple levels of winter travel requirements. The first level is the 4x4 or winter rated tires (first bullet in the quote). The second level is when the roads are terrible and the state requires chains (second bullet in the quote). In your case, you're unlikely to be on the road when the second level is declared.

I have chains for my RV trailer. They're the basic cable chains and I have them for both axles, just to be safe. I have used the chains on the trailer, but it was in the backcountry on BLM roads, not paved roads.

 

live in VT - i've run Duratrac, Nitto EXO studded, Arctic Claw studded, and now Nokian studded. the Nokian are in a class of their own...

 

For someone who has never had to deal with this stuff if sure seems complicated. Where I'm from, I put it in 4WD when I need to and recognize that 4WD does nothing to help in slick conditions so I drive conservatively; never gone in a ditch or been in an accident with that approach. I'm re-thinking a bit. If I were to ensure that we were out of the Rockies by mid-October (whether CO or coming back from AK), is there a fairly certain chance that we wouldn't run into conditions that require chains?

I would still replace the Michelin LTX AT's that came on the truck with something a little more aggressive as I think that would help with the unpaved roads we'll be taking. But if getting back through the mountains by mid-October would avoid serious weather (where waiting it out several days won't help), then I will consider leaving a couple of weeks earlier in the summer to come back a couple of weeks earlier in the fall. We just prefer fall camping and hoped for the best chance to see Northern lights, etc.. But don't want to be sorry we pushed it too far. I just can't really tell from reading online whether snow comes in Oct and stays or if it snows and melts after a few days.

 

CDOT does a good job of keeping the interstates clear of snow. I-25 and I-70 are very busy corridors and they get lots of attention. There are times when the snowfall is so heavy that they can't keep up. In many of those cases, they simply close the interstate. That does happen.

Keep in mind that the rules I posed earlier are there to address the stupid people that are most likely to cause accidents and traffic jams due to getting stuck. I was going up to Eisenhower Tunnel (aka the Ike Gauntlet) a couple years ago and there was a 1970's vehicle, one of the land yachts, stuck in the middle lane. They had insufficient traction to get up the hill. When the Highway Patrol got to them, the driver of the car most likely was issued a ticket with a heavy fine for being unprepared for the conditions. Plus they probably had to pay for a tow.

I hunt in October and pull my RV trailer to hunt camp. In the past 10 years, only twice have I been snowed on in camp. In none of those situations did I need to be chained up after I got to a main road. Not the interstate, but a state road. Through October you're probably OK as long as you aren't at high elevations or in the backcountry.

 

Thanks, that helps. We'll be working our way around CO starting from the NE (Estes Park) working NW, SW, and SE. By the time Oct comes around, we'll be South in the Durango area and working our way east leaving from the Pueblo area by the end of the month. Maybe being in the Southern part of the state for October will help us avoid some of the weather before we leave. Coming back from AK will be a different story of course, but once I have CO under my belt at least I'll have some experience driving through high elevations before we tackle the Rockies in Canada.