Home Forums Gear Hunting Trucks and Four-Wheel Drives Deep snow tires for a Deisel

I bought my first diesel pick-up last year, a RAM 3500 4x4. The OEM tires are OK on pavement and light snow, but proved bad in deep snow and mud of any depth and consistency. So I put on a set of Goodyear DuraTracs (never had before, but they seem well thought of for the application.) Better in the deep stuff. but still not great. I was thinking the cause is because of the heavy front end of the diesel, but I don't know since I don't have anything to compare it to. The truck with these on seemed to struggle and would move from side to side while it was trying to dig through deep snow. Not a good feeling on narrow mtn roads. On snow packed highway they would get loose in conditions my old 3/4 GMC gasser would stay locked up, but to be fair the GMC had auto 4. Also the old GMC would handle the deep snow better, but that was with Kelly Safari TSR's.

So my question, for the type vehicle I have is there a tire you have found that works well in the conditions described?

I run Bridgestone W965 Blizzaks on my 2006 Chevy 2500HD, Diesel truck in the winter time. They stop real well on packed snow and ice and get great traction. Not tried them in a real deep snow, but I can imagine they would do about as good as any snow and ice tire out there.

After I discovered that all season tires where useless on my 2500HD in the winter, I bought the Blizzaks and mounted them on an extra set of wheels that I bought from a guy. I run Michelin tires in the summer and switch out around October or so each year.

I have found out that these heavy Diesel 4X4 trucks are so much heavier than the Tacoma's, Colorado's and 1/2 ton trucks, they don't go as good in the mud and snow in my opinion.

I used Blizzaks on a car we had. Awesome snow tire. We do put a mud tire (Firestone Destination MT) we had siped on our 1/2 ton suburban. That has work great in all conditions, but again they are on a 1/2 ton suburban gasser not a 1 ton diesel.

Just looked at the W965. My problem with those type tires is we live 2 miles from the highway and get deep snow and I wonder how they would dig through the snow. The reason I went with a MT on the 'burb. But again they might be great. How are they wearing and handling?

Wearing good for a soft rubber tire, had them 3 or 4 years still great tread. They won't handle like a sports tire in the curves for sure, but they do well in the rain and snow. The rubber is soft and grippy and you can feel it in the curves. Sorry, I have not had a chance in deep snow to try them out but they are a very good tire for ice and packed snow. When I got them I was able to back up my driveway in 4 wheel drive way, (its steep) on packed snow and ice, never a slip.

Yeah to do a test with the Blizzaks we had on the car I got up to 25 MPH and hit the break going down hill. They stopped the car when I hit the breaks on sheer ice on the steep hill. They lasted 3 winters (I took them off in the summer) and the I gave them to a nephew after we sold the car, but don't know if he used them.

Reading the thread title, my first thought was the Duratrac but it sounds like that's a no-go. I'm running the Cooper STMaxx on my '06 Dodge 2500 deisel and thought they did great last winter though never got into any real deep snow. They have 3 sidewall plies and have a good reputation for wearing well and holding up off the highway. I have 18k on mine and am happy with them so far...

Thanks JGray

As much as I liked my diesel 2500, they definately are not the best vehicle in the snow. I had a toyota truck (predecessor of the tacoma) and put 100k on it up here, roughly 1/2 in winter driving conditions. I ran a/t tires year round and never had problems in the winter and could drive mostly in 2wd. When I got the ram 2500, the factory tires were terrible in the winter and I think I got stuck three times that first winter. After a terrifying incident on ice I got studded winter tires and they were much better, but I still had to use 4wd fairly frequently.

Definitely go with a dedicated winter tire with a full size diesel truck. You need all the help you can get.

Nokian Hakkapeliitta, I run a studded set on my Tacoma, was thinking about getting a set for my diesel, maybe next year. Great tire for the Tacoma though.

I put a set of Nitto Exo Grapplers on my '11 F250/6.7L PSD in Jan. They're fantastic in both deep snow as well as hard-packed snow/ice. I have them on a 2nd set of rims and took them off in May. I'll put them back on in Oct or so. I put about 5K mi on them last winter. They're superior to BFG KO 1 & 2, Nitto Trail Grapplers, and Dura-Tracs for winter performance in particular as I've had them all on either my current truck or my previous '06 F-250 diesel.

Tests have shown that all seasons are nothing more than glorified highway tires. For one thing, to get decent life out of them, they have to make them from the same hard rubber that highways use. Winter tires need soft rubber to have traction.
There are millions of cars out there in the snow that have less than perfect traction because of all seasons. The best thing is to do what you did...buy an extra set of wheels and have good quality snow tires on them. I have a set of studded snows for our van. It's a different world on snowy roads with those. While studs don't help in soft snow, you still do a lot of highway driving in the winter and they really pay off for that.

Thanks for all the replies. The DuraTracs I have are studded so I have to take them off June 1. The shop that studded them did a bad job however. Some of the studs are buried so deep they are useless. I did see a tire that has big lugs with lots of siping not just the one through the tread so many come with. That might be interesting. I'll have to look into those Nittos.

Look how useful those new studs will be when the tires wear down to them.

Ha. There is that.

I also like the Coopers. I tried the Dura Track on my 2500 Ram Diesel, and they have too soft a side wall. Even at max pressure, with a heavy load,you can feel the side wall roll on curves. Without a load ,I could not see them doing any better than any other snow tire.The Coopers are not as expensive and a better tire IMHO.

I suspect your claiming the truck goes from side to side is the posi-traction/limited slip. An empty bed pickup is about useless in snow if you don't have 4wd. If I put 1500 pounds or so in mine,it will push about any amount of snow until it high centers

Several years ago we made a Christmas trip from Idaho to SW Oregon. On the way back we got caught in a major storm and ended up driving 400 miles on ice and snow. We had my 3/4 diesel pickup but I'd put 4 bales of hay in the back before we left to smooth out the bumps. That was only about 400lb but it still made a big difference on the slick stuff.

saddlesore and Rock Chuck

I think that may be the problem. The front is so heavy as compared to my old gas pick-up and the back is having trouble pushing the front through the snow. May have to add additional weight this year to balance it out some.

Yep,I had a 1970 Dodge 3/4 T, 2wd. On really bad days, I would stop at the gravel yard and have them put a ton of gravel in the back.That truck would go anywhere then.

Not sure about snow but I just put a set of BFG Mud Terrain KM 3s on the ole 2000 Dodge diesel and I'm very impressed with this tire, very quiet, good in rain, excellent in mud and rocks and they ride very good for what they are. I would imagine they will do well in deep snow as well.

for the most part the diesel trucks suck in mud and snow, just too much weight up front, like these guys are saying, throw about 5-800 pounds in the bed and it's a different animal.

Having my 1000lb RZR in the back sure makes it ride nicer.

as does a 3x3 or 4x4 square bale....

Deep snow? Any tire rated for the truck of the stock size. With good Chains on them. The front has limited clearance so you must prefit the chains and use extra binders. Rear has plenty of room. I run Skid steer type chains on rear and very tight fitting V-bar on front. But the front can use other types of chain. S-type with built in adjuster, Heavy cable, Even the Skid steer type in an emergency.

The stock size for my pickup is 265 70 17. I use 245 75 17. They're the same height and load rating but a couple inches narrower. That gives a lot of extra room for chains.

I have a 14 crew cab long bed duramax. I run studded lt245/75/17 10 ply cooper discover m&s. They are straight up snow tires. I plow with my truck also. These tires are awesome. 2 years ago we got hit with a 32" storm. I pushed and drove through it with no problems. I do use a western mvp v- plow. Here in Se Pa we get a lot of ice and they do well in that also. They drive and wear nice also.

My sentiments almost exactly. I have a 2500 RAM diesel now and been driving a diesel since 2007. First let me say the diesels chew up tires like a new puppy and leather boots. I get maybe, maybe 20,000 miles out of a set of tires, and I've tried Michelin, Good Year, Firestone, Cooper, and Arctic Claw. The firestone highway tires that came with the truck sucked. Like couldn't even get me out of wet grass. The Good Years were all mud type tires, DuraTrax/MT/R and the AT3 (more all terrain). They were OK, but damn if I could get even 12,000 miles out of them. The DuraTrac was studded. They all were bad in the snow and the DuraTracs just a little less bad, but the truck I had them on didn't have limited slip and in 2 wheel drive, would spin the drive wheel with the lightest touch of the gas on a snowy road - even with studs. Michelin was stock tire and just as bad as the firestone. Been using Cooper for about six years now and really like them. Still don't get more than 15-20K out of them though. On my second set of STT pro's and they are awesome in the summer. I'm on nasty construction sites, hard gravel, rock 4x4 roads, mud, and obviously pavement. They are louder than I'd like on the pavement, but their summer performance off road is so admirable, I deal with it. Add snow to the mix though and they are like Firestones on wet grass. Forget it. Last year I bought a dedicated winter tire and put them on some used wheels from Craigslist. Literally day and night difference in snow. The Arctic Claws are better than the the studded GoodYears by 100x. I seriously couldn't believe what a difference a dedicated winter tire made. Deep or light snow, doesn't matter. Slush, all good. Seriously impressed. Super quiet on the road too.

Sounds like you have a problem with the truck. I have an '08 Ram diesel. It had new dealer installed BFG Rugged Trail A/T's when I bought in in '12. They lasted 50k and I now have them on my horse trailer. They should be good for maybe 10k on it.

I wish it was the truck. Been that way for every diesel I've owned and every tire brand I've tried. It's up and down mountains here to get to town with switch backs at 50mph. Do about 3000+ miles of towing an 8000lb trailer each summer as well. Probably 1000+ miles of gravel roads each summer and fall too. Maybe those are the issues? Not sure. Tires are rotated and balanced regularly. I don't drive it hard either, just cannot get tires to last with the diesel.

nitto exo grapplers are made for diesel trucks and their extra weight.

Blizzaks are hard to beat if you are talking about a dedicated snow/ice tire

Cooper,s ran a plow truck in Anchorage with them, Got stuck one time plowing uphill, had to crawl out the truck window,
could not open the door. Pretty impressive snow tire!

I saw those tires at the tire shop and was thinking they looked like a good snow tire, but didn't otherwise know anything about them. How do they hold up?

I had those on a car. Great snow tire, but soft. Do they old up well on a diesel?

Doesn't really matter as long as the chains fit!!!!!!

But narrow tires work better that fat tires in the snow.

Get the tallest skinniest tire size.

First let me say this, I usually put my Blizzaks on around November and run them til late April or May. I originally bought those tires on 01/13/2010, so they are over 8 years old. I don't drive my 2500HD many miles, but if I had to guess the Blizzaks have from 22,000 to 25,000 miles on them now, tread is still real good.


Yelp they are a soft rubber tire that's why they get good traction, they are kind of squirrely in the curves, but there again I don't expect them to handle like a high performance tire I want them to get me where I'M going in the snow. I have towed a camper more than 245 miles one way with no issues since they are load rated for it. My truck is mainly used for hunting trips and general transportation in the winter when the Blizzaks are on it. I don't know how they would hold up if a man had them on a work truck towing hard everyday.

I loved Blizzaks on the car. After I got them I attempt to stop on ice going down a steep hill. A gravel road, but this day was covered in ice. I got up to 25 and slammed on the breaks. I stopped in short order on the hill. Barely slid. I have gone with bigger lugged tire for the old pick-up (no longer have) and Suburban because we quite often have to dig through drifts to get to the highway.

The Blizzaks were run from Nov-May and last 3 years.

My old pick-up had narrow tires on in the winter. Did great. Chains fit great on them, but they were rarely needed.

I run narrower than stock tires on my Dodge Diesel. They have the same diameter and weight rating. They handle great. With stock size, I can only use the smallest chain size. With the narrow ones, I can put on tractor type chains if I need to as the tires leave an extra inch of space on either side. Some modern vehicles can't run chains on the front at all. Narrower tires might allow for it.

The coopers hold up really well. I only run them in the winter. They are way to soft to run in the heat of the summer. I've had this last set for 4 years and they still look new.

I had Coopers on a 3/4 ton Chevy for several years ((I don't remember which ones.) Great on snow and ice, but only lasted 2 years each time.

There doesn't seem to be much or any difference between the KM2 and KM3 tread pattern. Had a set of 35" KM2's on a lifted Ford Expedition and from brand new they absolutely SUCKED in the snow. Good lookin tires...……...but friggin WORTHLESS in snow.


Any tire you can find with the original BFG Mud Terrain KM tread pattern will take you places in the snow you got no business being.

That's similar to the Firestone Destination MTs we have on our suburban. Never got stuck with those, but they are not made anymore.

The few posters that stated go with a narrow tires are right on the money. Those big wide tires are fine for summer use, but in deep snow you want a narrow tire to cut through and not plow and build resistance. That is a wide tires fault in snow, its width. Just think if you had tires that are 20 inches wide. Do you think they will work in any depth of snow? Tall and narrow studded tires are the best. Add chains to the front tires next. If you need more traction add rear chains. Adding chains turns a truck into a traction beast. And yes in a pickup you need weight RIGHT over the rear tires. I place about 500 pounds in a 2500 crew cab Chevy bed. Good luck.

I agree and have studded Dura Tracks for winter. They just don't work as well or maybe it is the Diesel pick-ups differences from a gas engine that caused me to ask. This is my first diesel so maybe it handles enough differently that tires are not the problem, but getting used to it.

I have two sets of wheels for my 2500. My driveway is 1/2 mile long all up hill. Pure mud tires are all that will work in deep snow. And as abilene said the narrower the better. When I put my winter wheels on the truck I go ahead and put the chains in the tool box. IF you get stuck with the chains on your are really stuck. I have pushed fluffy light snow till I had to turn on the wipers on to see. If you run the mud tires in winter only they will last several years. They don't last long on the highway though. That is what the summer set of wheels if for.

God Bless, Louis

Update. Just spent 9 days running 3300+ mi on the Exo's. Our 10 day elk hunt turned into 3-days as we both got our elk. So, my buddy and I spent 4 days driving different parts of MT neither of us had ever hunted just exploring new country and how to access (or not) it. We have deer tags, didn't expect to fill them, mostly just exploring so we drove a ton and hunted very little. We didn't run any deep snow or mud. We did however drive a LOT of gravel and 2-tracks. I've got just short of 9k mi on 285/70/18's @ 65PSI on the truck listed above. 133k total on my truck. The traction these things provide on loose gravel/rocks is truly amazing. I ran in some very steep country and 1st gear/4-low allowed me to just crawl and creep along up anything I had the guts to try. More amazing to me was the places (steep and loose) I was able to travel in 2WD. I don't have any chunking or slicing of the tread at all after running over 1k Mi of gravel/2-track this week. They don't really pick up or throw a lot of rocks, however, when they do, they throw them HARD and far. If trailering much with them I'd say a rock-guard of some sort would be mandatory unless you don't mind beating up whatever you're pulling.

The rear tires have 14 and 16 32nds, fronts are both @ 15/32 and worn very evenly, no cupping presently.

These tires cost me ~2MPG vs. the Continental Cont-trac that came from the factory but virtually nothing in MPG vs. BFG ATKO2, Nitto Terra-Grappler, and are ~1MPG better than Nitto Trail Grapplers all of which I've had on this very truck.

The 2 questions left to be answered by time and miles are:

1. Will the good traction remain as the tires wear?
2. How many miles will the tires have acceptable tread and traction?

I should get ~10K more on them by next spring and have an idea regarding longevity and somewhat worn-traction.

I run the Goodyear Duratrac's on both of my trucks.

One is a '07 Ram 1500 QC SB, 4x4, 5.7L gas, auto, 3.92 LSD w/7.5' Fisher SD Plow (little over 500 lbs. w/mount) with 480 lbs. of ballast weight against the tailgate. Wife drives it and it's my back up plow truck.
The other is a '15 Ram 2500 RC LB, 4x4, 6.4L gas, auto, 4.10 LSD w/8.5' Fisher XtremeV v-plow (about 1,000 lbs. w/mount) with 600 lbs. of ballast weight against the tailgate. It's my daily driver and main plow truck.

I need a tire that's good in mud and snow. I go off road in the warmer months and hunting season and of course I plow in the winter. We average 125" of snow here and 200"+ 30-45 miles north of me on the Tug Hill. The Duratrac's have worked great for me as far as traction go's.

The problem I'm having on my '15 2500 is every time I have them rotated (every 5,000 miles) I have to have them rebalanced. Then after about 1,000 or so miles I get a vibration from them again. Plus they wore down fairly quick. Some guys have said they have the same issues with their Duratrac's on 3/4 and 1 tons.

So I've been thinking about going with a milder AT tire mid April-mid Oct. and a dedicated snow tire mid Oct.-mid April. I just don't know which snow tires to get. I've pull guys out that were stuck with dedicated snow tires including blizzak's in places I had no trouble going through with my Duratrac's. I don't want to take a step backwards as far as winter traction go's.

NYH1.

Studded Toyo M55

I loved Duratracs on my last F-150, hated them on my '06 F250.

Don't know how deep you're talking about. During winter I if there's even 6" of snow around the house I can't get back up the grade to the shop with my Duramax. Not with highway treads. Winters the Duratracs go on and work fine in even 12" deep snow, which is about all the deeper it gets around the house. They work well on the road too. I like them.

What abilene said.

Go Narrower, little taller if can (usually go down 20-30mm width and up one aspect ratio size as available). Put 6-8 sand tubes in back over axle. Always having chains available reduces the chances of needing them. Wheel size will dictate offerings of course - best for mine thus far has been center-siped, studded maxxis bighorns (285/75r16 iirc). Country road, forest road truck not my commuter vehicle. Nose-heavy ‘67 f260 highboy. Had poor luck with bfg km in snow fwiw though granted they were older tires

Performance/traction wise I'm more then happy with the Duratrac's on both of my trucks. It's the other issues with the ones on my 2500 I'm not crazy about. I have to figure out pretty soon what I'm going to do. Our snow season isn't to far off.

NYH1.

My issue w/Duratracs on my F-250 was squishy sidewalls even when running empty. I didn't leave them on long enough to determine their traction level.

I've had no issues driving through snow up to 18" and no issues with traction in packed snow and ice with Duratracs on my '11 F150. I liked them so much I put them on my new to me '14 F150 when I recently traded up. A lot of the ranchers/ farmers, USFS and Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks trucks are running Duratracs around here.

Running BFG TA/KO2’s on my ‘16 F250 Diesel and love them. Had them siped at the tire shop. Ran the same tires on my F150 when we lived in NM, not much snow but some nasty rocks in the backcountry, and they held up great. Son has that truck in WNY now and loves the tires. Yes it snows there, but we get 2x here.

I had a set of BFG ATKO2's on my current '11 F250 PSD, ran them ~40Kmi. The NItto Exo's are better in snow whether it's deep, packed hard/icy, or slushy. They pick up/throw fewer rocks and so far are more resistant to slicing/chunking than were the BFG KO2's. The Exo's have better traction on rocks/gravel than did the BFG KO2. The Exo's are louder on pavement and ride a bit rougher due to I assume the stiffer side-walls.

I have no affiliation with Nitto or selling any tires. It's pretty rare that something impresses me to the degree that those Exo's did last week.

Have had great luck with Blizzaks and also good luck with the Firestone Wintermaster

Those NItto Exo's look like a decent tire.

NYH1.

Good to know, will keep it in mind when I need new tires.

I have had similar issues with my '11 F250. The dealership was very good about trying to diagnose anything/everything mechanical. Steering stabilizer, shocks, tie-rods, etc, etc, etc. Finally came down to some tires just don't have enough sidewall rigidity to run @ the 65PSI recommended. We fiddled with tire pressure a bit and found that BFG ATKO2's needed to be run @ 70PSI and Nitto Trail Grappler @ 75PSI to avoid the "death wobble". I ran 3300Mi last week from rolling @ idle to bumping the limiter @ ~95MPH. Interstate speed limit here in ND is 75, and 80 in MT, I set the cruise @+5 for hundreds of miles at a time. While the tires certainly have some highway noise, there is virtually 0 feedback through the wheel until you intentionally steer. They've been that way from day 1, have 8500+Mi on them now with no re-balance and able to run @ 65PSI.

On my 2500 the recommended tire pressure on my truck is 60 psi front and 80 psi rear. If I get more then a few psi under the recommendation pressure I get a light on the dash.

So in the summer I run 60/62 psi front and 80 psi rear. Winter with my plow on (plow and mount is about 1000 lbs.) I run 66/68 front and 80 psi rear. If I don't add air pressure to the front with the plow on it handles weird. 6 to 8 psi really makes a difference.

My 1500 calls for 35 psi front and rear. I run 40 psi all year long. Anything under that it doesn't handle right. They're D rated tires so a few more psi is ok. Been on the truck since Nov. 2012 and are wearing pretty good.

NYH1.

I’ve owned two 2500 Ram Diesels and have driven both with the low air pressure warning light on in the dash the whole time I owned them. This federally mandated tire pressure bullsheet is annoying as hell. If I’m not hauling a heavy load there is no reason to have the tires aired up to support 7700 lbs in the rear when I’m only hauling 3300, that’s just stupid and the truck rides like sheet with 70-80 psi in the tires. I run 55 in the front and 50 in the rear 90% of the time. If I’m hauling a heavy load or my camper in the bed then I air them up to 70-80 psi. Those high pressures with no load will make the tires wear prematurely as well as deteriorate traction capabilities. Plucking Govt!

As far as deep snow tires, what works for deep snow will not work on icy roads. Deep snow you need deep lug channels to move the snow a lot like a mud tire, but if your on icy roads those same tires will suck. I ran Bridgestone Blizzaks E rated on my ram 2500 during winter in Alaska and there is no comparison on slick roads, they just stick to the ice compared to anything else including studs. Throw chains on the blizzaks for deep snow and you have the best of both worlds.

When I had my new tires installed on my 2500, for some reason the guy only put about 50 psi in all four tires. When I picked it up I told the counter guy my tire pressure warning light was on and that there was only about 50 psi in each tire. My warning system tells how much psi is in each tire. He told me I had to drive it for the system to reset (which is true).

I went down the road about a mile or so and it didn't reset. Went back and the guy that change them said he only put 50 psi in them when he mounted them and forgot to top them off. He said why, I can't remember. Anyways, with 50 psi in them it felt like driving a water bed. Was terrible.

Plus I have a 1000 lbs. plow on it most of the time 5 to 6 months a year. I run 66/68 psi in the front when the plows on. Even at 60 psi it handles weird with the plow on, did the same with factory Firestones. I only put 600 lbs. ballast weight against the tailgate Nov. through Apr. (plow season). That doesn't effect the rear at all.

I haven't aired my tires up from the pressure I run in the summer yet. So the fronts have been in the mid 50 psi range and the rears are in the mid 70 psi range. The air pressure system warning hasn't gone off so I'm going to leave them alone until it go's off or I get my new tires in the next few weeks.

Chains aren't an option for me. Like I said, the Duratrac's have been great from a performance stand point. However, there's a few things I don't like about them.

NYH1.

In deep snow or slush, you want to get the narrowest tire you can. Modern deisels can be hard on tires just because they produce so much torque. Pull a trailer up a hill at 70mph and you have to be putting some power through those tires. My 91 Dodge deisel gave great tire life but it also had only 160 hp and under 500 pounds of torque. My new 3500 is hard on tires because it's just too easy for me to be hard on them. By working harder to ease up on the throttle a bit, I'm getting much better tire life. GD

My DuraTracs have been on 7 months total. Dec-May last winter and the beginning of Oct this fall. I had a flat 10 days ago having a rock work its way though the tread either from the gravel I had been on or the pavement I had been on for awhile after the gravel. The only tires I had do similar things were P rated tires. Ruined the tire so bought another DuraTrac. Comparing the new to old I was surprised how much the old have already warn. Many of the sipes are gone and the tread is round off. They might have 12,000 miles on them. I think once these wear out I'll get something narrower to see how the diesel does on snow after that. If I get another flat I may do it sooner.

Horse, do you run those Exo's in the summer as well? I'm in the market for a new set of summer tires and those sound like they have everything I want.

No, I don't. I run a much milder AT for the summer. My summertime driving is mainly pulling my boat down paved highways, I just need something that holds air and doesn't hydroplane when it rains.

Well, I got back from hunting today. The DuraTracs are not the greatest mud tire from my experience this week. The tires are not that wide, but they almost left me stranded several times where Kelly TSRs just seemed to dig through. I did make it, but with a lot more trouble. I'll use them until I need a new set, but I don't see me buying anymore DuraTracs.

Toyo M55 is what most guys in the oil patch use.

I've heard good things about the M55. The only problems I hear is they are hard and create a rough ride and really expensive. How are they on ice and packed snow?

They are not the best on ice and hard pack snow because they are so hard. Because they are hard they have good abrasion resistance and long life. On a 2500 or 3500 series truck there really isn't a lot of difference in ride.

Thanks

We call those "hockey puck tires". slide and glide like a puck on the ice.

MT's are junk on ice and snow.

BFG KO2's are mountain snowflake rated. They came out with a new version, the KO2 DT which is designed to last longer on HD trucks. It isn't snowflake rated. I think the tread compound is harder, but I bet it is still pretty good in the snow.

Heck. It was a Minnesotan that convinced me to try Firestone Destination MTs and have them siped. They have been great tires set up that way. Without the siping they are terrible on ice and packed snow though.

Same but different?



Like when I talk to people at car shows. Be standing next to a turquoise 64 ford galaxie, random guy walks up... "Yeah, my uncle had one just like this. Except his was green... and his was a 4 door.... and a 62...... and a 6 cylinder.... and a dodge...."

lol dave. But other than that...

I had a set of studded M55s on a F150 that I drove up the Alcan towing a 8K trailer in December/January. They did ok.

I'd much rather have have BFG AT KO or KO2.

I should mention, I don't give 2 shcits about ride quality. I care about the tire's ability to carry a load, longevity, and traction, in roughly that order.

Well, the Firestones look pretty much like those BFGs. Maybe compound is a bit different, I don't know. But when the Firestones are siped they are a go anyway tire no matter what the season.

Nitto ExoGrapplers have better traction everywhere than do BFG KO2's. Was using the bumper and step tubes/running boards to move blown-in drifts today.

Eastern MT uses larger rocks on their gravel roads than does Western MT or anywhere in ND. The Exo's impressively toss the bigger rocks such that it sounds like little things are falling off your truck, like the running boards, shocks, or maybe the whole flippin' tranny! BFG KO2's are bad for that as well.

The sipeing is what I was getting at.

Well, I ordered 4 of those Nitto's off amazon, and they claim they will be delivered today. So... hope they don't suck. Grin.

Did you get them on yet? I'll be taking mine off this week and going back to my "summer tires".

Quite a few kudos for Duratracs but they don't come in the size I like. Stock on my pickup is 265-70R17. I run 245-75R17. They're the same diameter and load rating but 2" narrower. They handle better, especially in snow, and leave a lot more room for chains. They do have them in 70's but they're shorter which messes with the speedometer.

People running them on1/2tn pickups or some sort of SUV love them, as did I on my last 1/2tn. I don't personally know anyone who's purchased a 2nd set of Duratracs for a 3/4-1tn diesel. Side-walls are squishy and on a heavy pickup they wear pretty fast.

Current set of Nitto Exo's are right at 20KMi. Still look great, and are wearing evenly. I'll measure them when I get home. They got me through some pretty hairy schtuff while ice-fishing last winter.

Pulled our 38' 9K# bumper hitch travel trailer over 300Mi in a 20-30MPH gusty crosswind yesterday. No EQ hitch, just dropped it on the 2 5/8" ball and hit the road. Set the cruise @ 70MPH and let the truck do it's thing. Truck was very predictable and felt firmly planted. Couple of wind-breaks caught me unaware but for the most part I saw them coming and could plan ahead w/necessary correction.

Still my opinion that they're the best set of tires I've owned on a 3/4tn diesel.

I can guarantee I won't be buying a second set of Duratracs for my 1 ton.

Yes. They seem great so far. Haven't towed with them, but they are 100x better than the same size/load range Coopers that I run in winter. They toss some rocks, but I guess I'm used to that. Might have to get some real mud flaps to complete the "old man truck" look I've been going for.



That seemed wrong the last time you said it. 20mm = .787", not 2". I ran 245s for a while on my 08 dodge, and I agree... they do handle better, all things being equal. I'd like to see more load range E tires offered in 245 and 255 widths.

I would not put duratracks on a diesel ever again, and I predict you will hate them if you do. I'm speaking from experience on an 04 Dodge 2500 diesel.

Right at 20K on my Exo's now. 14/32 left on the fronts, 12/32 and 13/32 left on the 2 rears (single-drive w/ELD). The VAST majority of that mileage is running empty (not towing) and highway speeds. Per the website they start wit 18.4/32. Should get another 20-30K out of them I'd think.

I maintained a small fleet of OshKosh and Kenworth and Ford 350's plow trucks for twenty seasons, ski lodge contract. My take away on tires is, sales talk is just talk. If at all possible, observe tires on packed snow at relatively low speed, 20-35 mph, if you see a 'roostertail' of snow cleaning off the tread right behind the rolling tire...you have an effective snow tire. Faster speeds don't count, as centrifugal force cleans the tread. Tread pattern has little to do with actual effective traction. Under inflation can help a marginal tire's effectiveness. Unfortunately, squishy sidewalls and relatively soft tread layer rubber often make the best tire, for snow but not for longevity. In the plowing business, it ain't so much about going as it is stopping. About the first time you take off the top of somebody's speeding little suv with a wing plow that won't go up fast enough, you got yourself a lawsuit. Lesson, tires are cheap.

My mistake. I was typing ahead of my brain. I meant to say 1", rounded off.

I've done that! Good luck with whatever you end up with.