Snowy State Tundras...Best Tires in the Snow

BFG KO2 all the way. 7 months of winter here in WY. When I moved here I had Toyo AT2's on the truck and they were garbage in the snow. I had no traction or stopping power at all and I don't drive like an idiot in snow. I can get on the brakes hard on packed snow and barely bump the ABS with the KO2's where with the AT2 I'd about slide through an intersection, ABS engaging the second i started pressing the brake.

In fairness to the AT2, they where fairly worn down my first winter in Wyoming. I didn't have a ton of experience with them at full tread life in snow.

 

I've run KO2s ... they were great. Changed wheel sizes and my latest tires are Falken Wild Peaks ... so far so good, but we didn't have much of a Winter here last season ... hoping to put them more to the test this year

 

My Falken Wildpeak AT3W's have not disappointed.

 

Duratracs are greatly enhanced for ice by center siping them. They’ll obviously chunk more, but it makes a big difference.

 

I’m surprised by all the KO2 love in the snow. I think calling them average is being generous. They won’t be a choice of mine again and its taken me multiple sets on multiple vehicles to come to my senses. I think they just keep selling based on name recognition and looks.
YMMV.
I’ve now put the new Toyo OC on and I’m hoping they are much better. I’m confident they will be.
I live in CO. I see deep snow, wet snow, ice and everything in between.

 

I was between the Toyo ATIIIs and Falken AT3W...in anchorage I called every dealer and none had the Toyo's in my size and was told by multiple dealers they were on a national back order. I did a complete 180 and got the Toyo ATIIs over the Falkens because of a $500 savings. Coming off of fairly used BFG KO2s that I did get stuck in last winter but only because they were on their last leg. Would have gotten KO2s again but wanted to try something different. A lot of people run the Toyo ATIIs up here so I feel comfortable they will be a good tire.

 

KO2s do me solid in blizzard and icy conditions in Colorado. I usually hit roads and mountain passes early before plows come and do just fine.

 

Here’s your tally fore/against for your viewing pleasure. I really only counted the people that have personally used them including myself. I came from deathtrap Toyo OC xtremes to K02s and love em. Also, any winter driven tire with a mileage warranty is garbage. Just means the tire will last the warrantied mileage with no grip since it’s a harder compound.

K02 - 12/4
Falken Wildpeaks - 4
Toyo OC AT2 -4/2
Goodyear Ultraterrains - 2
Cooper Discoverer ATS 4S - 2
Nitto Exo Grappler AWT - 1
Duratracs - 3
Patagonia M/T - 1

 

Studded Firestone town and country on all 4 wheels.

 

I’ve had some good results with KO2’s in the past on a F150 in the snow. I was going to put em on the Tundra but with all the balancing issues I read about, I’m thinking Wildpeaks are the way to go.

 

I had KO2 in 275/70/18 on my Silverado 1500. Before them, I had Goodyear Wrangler Silent Armor All Terrain in the same size. I felt that the KO2 was average in the snow/slush/ice department and downright scary on wet roads. Unpredictable at times, even with weight in the rear. It felt like the tread compound was too hard.

 

There is always a trade off. If you put a lot of miles on your truck every day a softer compound tire won't get you over 30K -35K miles. I average 9 to 10K miles a year so I'm not worried too much bout tread wear. The harder rubber compound tire will give you much longer service. Of course the tire type comes into play. A lot of members here that drive in the snow a lot all winter usually will have a set of winter tires. Hard to beat any tires that are studded. Ha!

 

DURATRACs > Everything

I've had KOs, AT3s, and KO2s in the past and the DURATRACs blow them out of the water. I commute to Loveland over the winters everyday for ski patrol and I trust Wranglers with my life. Stopping in the snow and ice is 10/10 and I have 1100lbs in my bed.

Take it for what it's worth, this is just my experience with tires.

The bonus with the DURATRACs is if you feel like you need any more grip you can stud them out. Good luck with your decision!

 

Thanks for tallying up every ones choices. Anyone have experience with the Nitto Ridge Grappler in snow??

 

Im in Colorado too. I see you are down in Castle Rock. I am in Parker so we both see are fair share of snow. I work in westminster so I have like a 70 mile round trip drive everyday. Still really can't chose a tire. Still waiting to get my suspension set installed and looking at aftermarket wheels and tires so I wanted a decent tire in the snow.

 

hahaha I sell a ton of Ling Long tires. Great off-brand and I can blow Wal-Mart out on the budget tire category. Silly name though for a tire in the NA market.

As for snow tires, I don't screw around. To me, there's no such thing as a year-round tire that is good in the snow. I use my Tundra to haul my sled up north and the lake effect can dump 6 inches an hour at times. I have General altimax arctics studded on rock warrior wheels that I switch out. It allows me to have a super beefy sidewall and they handle absolutely amazing in the snow/ice. I do not have the luxury of running an all-season and for anyone who lives in a snowy climate, I would never recommend an all-season.

 

I ordered Bridgestone Blizzaks for my truck. Will mount them on steel wheels and swap between those and the stock tires spring and fall. The Bridgestone Dueller H/Ts were terrible for the ~two months I drove this truck last winter despite being brand new.

 

A lot of front rangers here. I live in breck and it's a whole different ball game living in a mountain town with lots of hills that have short roads with stop signs, meaning lots of stopping and going, etc. After trying both KO2's and Duratracs, I prefer how the Duratrac does in deeper snow. I can't say the difference in ice was huge between to two for me, although I always felt like the Duratrac would bite a little quicker to get going at a stop sign. I feel like no matter what kind of tire thread you make you're going to hear the love for KO2's, mostly because 90% of people who buy them just buy them because they're marketed well.. haha

As mentioned before in this thread too, you can always stud the Duratrac. It's a win win!

 

KO2's on my Tundra for 4 years. I was one of the lucky ones that didnt have balancing issues. They are 3 peak / Snowflake rated and work as advertised. Be leery of any review of any tire that says they can stop on ice. Kind of clouds the rest of the review.
55K miles. I'll probably try the Toyo AT3s this year in a 29570r18 since that size isn't avail in the KO2 and I want to maintain 3PeakSF.

Falken WP AT3W's on the wife's 4R for 4 years. Also 3peak, Snowflake rated and work as advertised. Slightly heavier that other ATs in their size. Aggressive sidewall and 18.5/32 tread likely responsible.
60K miles. Also moving to Toyo AT3's for weight reduction (maintaining 3peakSF).

 

For what it’s worth, I put about 25 to 30,000 miles a year on my work truck. I drive in a wide variety of conditions, including some severe snow and ice in hilly terrain. Some good points are raised, on ice, studs are ideal. Studs also have their drawbacks if you have freeze thaw, Then you have dry pavement. Some of us can’t afford to drive studs because of that, in which case a severe snow rated tire will serve the purpose. I’ve used Duratracs, KO2, Grabber ATX, Cooper AT 3, ST Discoverer. They all have their pros and cons based on your individual needs.

 

For my wife's 4Runner I went ahead and got her a 2nd set of wheels with Blizzaks ... really wasn't necessary last Winter, but we'll see what this year holds; she commutes daily on shitty roads while I work at home most of the time. I've thought about dedicated snows for the Tundra but I just don't drive enough to justify it. Blizzaks are the shit ... Pikes are pretty good too.

 

Alaskan here, snow / ice conditions half the year.

Have KO2’s on my work Tahoe. They are hard to balance, too loud, but have to say they do well in snow / ice (along with amazing tread life).

Cooper AT3 XLT’s on my Tundra. Fantastic all around tire. Wasn’t blown away by the winter performance, but I think that was my fault as the tire shop aired them up to 45/48 and I didn’t air them down last winter. Am curious how much better they will perform this winter being aired down to optimum PSI. Which I did this summer, ride quality improved quite noticeably, MPG dropped by about 1mpg, wear is still consistent.

On my 4R Pro I am amazed at how well the stock Nitto Terra Grapplers did last winter. May also be a function of how well the truck itself does on snow / ice.

If I was getting new tires tomorrow, I would be getting the Toyo OC AT3’s. Basically all the good of the proven AT2’s, but improved snow, ice, and wet weather performance.

Duratracs are a great winter tire as well. They are very popular up in the oil fields in northern AK. So see lots of guys running them on their personal trucks as well.

One of my employees has the Cooper AT3 4S on his F-150 and loves them in the winter. But he also hates parking next to me since they look far too tame and vanilla compared to my XLT’s.

 

This is a great option for a dedicated highway driver. We did this on my wife’s Honda CRV. Blizzaks in the winter are really, really, really hard to beat.

For a pick up that sees off-road use throughout the winter, it has its drawbacks.

 

Had KO2s on my ram. They did great on anything that wasn't wet. Rain, slush, melting snow or ice, and they just lost all grip. As long as it was cold enough the snow wasn't melting they would dig through it, but I wouldn't do them again.

Work trucks have Goodyear Wrangler Duratracs with studs and they are pretty solid all around. Every set gets studs and we drove them in all conditions on a regular basis, besides mud. Mud wasn't avoided because the tires couldn't do it, but the Bureau of Land Management doesn't like ruts. Best record for mileage was 68k miles. Not the greatest in snow or ice, but certainly capable as long as you kept the speeds down. Every truck had chains as well, and we used them plenty. Price was the hard thing to swallow for my personal rig, and that was why I did the KO2s. Wish I had spent the money on the Goodyears.

Currently have Falken Wildpeak AT3W tires on the tundra, and we've had about 8 inches of snow at one point this year. They did great in it. Not a lot of ice experience with them, but as long as you drive an appropriate speed I don't for see a problem. I am looking forward to seeing how they do once winter really sets in.

 

Coming from Montana winters, my vote would be Duratracs. I put Blizzaks on my wife's GX470 and they are great! Although I don't think I'd put them on my tundra because of wear life isn't long with heavier rigs I don't think. I put Ridge Grapplers on the wife's old 4Runner years ago and wasn't really impressed with them in the winter, but I did like them the rest of the time. I am going to try the Toyo OC AT3's next.

 

As someone who lives in Colorado and runs BFG Ko2 and blizzaks I just want to confirm, but qualify what others have stated. KO2s haven’t been balanced correctly after multiple attempts and wobbles from 53-60. Not awful, but annoying. KO2 will get you through the winter, but anyone who thinks they are “good” on slick cold days either follows the mag chloride trucks / traffic, isn’t on ice, or hasn’t experienced a winter tire. Not everyone needs a winter tire and I’m not trying to convince you otherwise, but for those who aren’t aware of the dramatic difference between all terrains and winter tires, please don’t assume you should be keeping up with winter tire’d vehicles on ice covered roads or that you’ll be able to stop, turn, evade when others are.

 

Another Alaskan here. I wish I could say I’ve had success with an all-season tire as I’ve really been wanting to get the Toyo OC AT3 for my 2020 DC....but living in rural Alaska with tons of snow and unpaved roads without the benefit of a municipality plowing them often, it’s pretty much a must to have a dedicated snow & ice tire. Lots of people up here have studless Blizzaks but I’ve always preferred studded tires. Not to mention I live on 100 acres and my unpaved driveway is nearly a mile long.

What makes Blizzaks pretty successful is their tread pattern and really soft rubber, however, this is also a major downside in my opinion. The soft rubber wears like crazy and they don’t last very long at all.

That being said, in my experience from a performance standpoint, nothing beats studded Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8’s or the newer 9’s. I used them on my Tacoma before my Tundra and there wasn’t anything they couldn’t handle. They definitely aren’t cheap though. The best price I’ve been able to find for the 9’s are $355/tire (275/65R18).

I’d love to see more use cases of the Toyo OC AT3 in the snow and ice but probably won’t before I need to purchase a new set of dedicated snow and ice tires (i.e. Nokian’s).

 

https://www.tundras.com/threads/first-snow-blizzard-nittos-in-snow.34324/