AT or winter tires for truck in snow??

[prae]

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You will see negative reviews on every tire because everybody has different expectations, environments, driving styles, preferences and so forth. Generally I tell people make negative reviews not because a product is bad, but more because it was not the appropriate product for their personal use and driving needs. That is the fault of a sales person not asking the right questions or knowing their products and applying that knowledge correctly. The consumer only knows it didn't meet their expectations rather than the actual reasons why it didn't meet their expectations, so they just say "bad", and that really is unfair tom the tire itself.

When that Toyo came out it got a lot of good press so you get guys going away from more aggressive tires to try it and it is not quite as aggressive, so maybe that guy was disappointed, but for the guy who is lots of highway without serious hardcore off-roading, they may love it.

My point being is it all depends. I rarely get people come back complaining about anything I have sold them, not matter what the tire is, and that is because I try and assess their needs properly before making recommendations. The only real times I get complaints is from those people who don't listen and go by and believe all the online reviews without questioning things. I mean sometimes even the tire that is hatred by most is the absolute perfect tire for someone else's needs.

Appreciate the sage advice @tirebob . I've just sent your shop a quote request for a set of rims wrapped in some A/T3s

[r3ccOs]

Picked up a set of studded Sailun Ice Blazers WST2 for my F150 in standard ply (116) and sizing 275/65/18.

I'm always on the fence between going to a more aggressive AT tread and sizing up to a 70 ratio and eply.. .but through the years, I found that mix doesn't work well on ice.

I've pretty much have had everything on the truck and have to say that in the winter its best to get away with as light of casing as you can, for comfort and compliance and then the tire is to your preference.

OF all the Winter tires and AT I've had on the truck to help get me to backcountry skiing, ice fishing spots and the 15+K kms I drive in the winter these are my favorite:

Winter on-road:

1. Nokian Hakka 7 studded
2. Nokian R3

Winter off-road:
1. Nokian Rotiiva
2. Goodyear Duratrac
3. Cooper ATw (now AT3 W)

Though all the tires I've ran have been snowflake rated, the best overall Winter tire for off/onroad manners was the Rotiiva, as even its on-road mannerisms were not awful, just at best maybe 65-70% of the R3 in icy conditions. With that said, they were also fantastic tires in the summer as well.

This year, I wanted a pure Winter. Just with my other vehicles, I wanted that. With the Hakka7s, its rare, but I've been caught in conditions overwhelming them after being snow'd in a couple feet on a long over-nighter in Yoho. Thats where the big self-cleaning >12/32lugs and channels provide benefit over a normal on-road winter pattern.

After talking to a few folks, they recommended me to look at Sailun's ICE Blazers... Saving money isn't the goal of buying winter tires, however I needed a chunky truck based tire pattern that had the siping of a winter tire AND a decent winter compound. Surprisingly I think Sailun hit those three categories and also fit the bill.

Though we are talking a chinese brand, we kinda are scraping the bottom of the barrel, but I do believe this one stands out reputationally as being on-par with most 'Western' brands, as compared to some of the BS stuff like Goodride, Minerva, Westlake etc.. I think its rare, but I have heard this one, along with Nexus are somewhat climbing out of the stigma and actually do whitelabels for in-house brands (i.e. Certified)

The long and short... I've only driven about 3K on them, and they drive as expected... which is great because it met expectations. Fantastic in snow, deep snow (though I had to look for somewhere accumulated), not half bad on ice... substantially better than any AT I've ever owned, and still highly competent in icy conditions.

Not only for the price, but I reckon if you drive to and on lease roads in the Winter, I think these (Prolly LT eply) are about as good as you can get for that type of purpose.

[JRSC00LUDE]

I am in the midst of trying to decide to throw the stock wheels with the stock all-seasons on my Tundra for the winter or to get one of the two dedicated options the tire shop has in my size at the moment - Firestone Winterforce or Nokian Hakkapalalalapaela LT3.

Hmm.

[r3ccOs]

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I am in the midst of trying to decide to throw the stock wheels with the stock all-seasons on my Tundra for the winter or to get one of the two dedicated options the tire shop has in my size at the moment - Firestone Winterforce or Nokian Hakkapalalalapaela LT3.

Hmm.

nice wheels aren't that expensive, TPMS kinda is, but its worth the investment to get about 3 years out of a set of LT winters.

Also, seriously look at the Sailun Ice Blazers WST2... I'm very surprised how good they are. I think they're better than the winterforce.

[ExtraSlow]

Secret life hack for TPMS is to buy take-off wheels on Kijiji.

[JRSC00LUDE]

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Secret life hack for TPMS is to buy take-off wheels on Kijiji.

I have take-off wheels, they're good enough for winters. I just don't know if it's worth bothering with dedicated winters for running on the all seasons.

[r3ccOs]

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Secret life hack for TPMS is to buy take-off wheels on Kijiji.

100%

[redline]

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I have take-off wheels, they're good enough for winters. I just don't know if it's worth bothering with dedicated winters for running on the all seasons.

dedicated winters are always the answer...

[r3ccOs]

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dedicated winters are always the answer...

100% and unless you're in need of something that can paddle out of muck, get some good rolling all seasons for the summer for fuel economy and comfort.

[civic_stylez]

"All season" compounds are not engineered for the sub zero temperatures that we see here. Pliability of the tread blocks and sipes are what allow for traction. Frozen tread blocks do not perform on ice, period. AWD and 4WD are great tools for moving your vehicle forward but do not play a strong role in STOPPING your vehicle. There is also a big difference between snow and ice... it always seems to be overlooked. Why do we wear different shoes and clothing during winter months? Its engineered for cold, winter climates.... tires are no different. Silica is important in the winter and dedicated winters have more of it. (yes, I am a nerd and yes, I work for a tire manufacturer.)

[r3ccOs]

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"All season" compounds are not engineered for the sub zero temperatures that we see here. Pliability of the tread blocks and sipes are what allow for traction. Frozen tread blocks do not perform on ice, period. AWD and 4WD are great tools for moving your vehicle forward but do not play a strong role in STOPPING your vehicle. There is also a big difference between snow and ice... it always seems to be overlooked. Why do we wear different shoes and clothing during winter months? Its engineered for cold, winter climates.... tires are no different. Silica is important in the winter and dedicated winters have more of it. (yes, I am a nerd and yes, I work for a tire manufacturer.)

I'm surprised about these Sailuns... whats your thoughts on this company?

[tirebob]

Sailun is a solid tire in the more cost effective end of the scale for sure. I would go as far as saying it is the best of the heap in that regard. I have sold them forever and have thousands of them out in the wild and I never have issues with tires from the line. I won't pretend they are as good as the more premium quality brands, but they certainly perform well above their station!

[B20EF]

I ended up getting studded Toyo G3's for the taco. Finally put them on a few days ago after we got some snow. They are significantly better than stock AT tires - but that's not really a surprise.

Next I want to test them in deep snow to see how they perform.

[r3ccOs]

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Sailun is a solid tire in the more cost effective end of the scale for sure. I would go as far as saying it is the best of the heap in that regard. I have sold them forever and have thousands of them out in the wild and I never have issues with tires from the line. I won't pretend they are as good as the more premium quality brands, but they certainly perform well above their station!

don't know about deep cold yet, but from 3-6 inches of snow on some fireroads and the slush/icy accrued on highway 93, no complaints yet.

[OTown]

Toyo AT3s are pretty awesome in the snow so far for an AT