Snow vs. All-Terrain tires?

[NorskieRider]

Bridgestone Dueler AT Ascents once again doing exactly what they should in the fresh snow today...
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Didn't slip or slide..on acceleration or braking (no ABS, no skid).
Performed flawlessly..they amaze me every time it snows..I look forward to as much snow as possible this winter..FUN!

Good to know for when the H/L's need to be replaced. The H/T's have significantly less 'blocking' and siping in the tread area:



which explains why they perform so poorly in slush.
If I Were King ... I'd put region-appropriate tires on vehicles when new.

 

[Ready Go]

The AT Ascents are extremely confidence inspiring..I still haven't wrapped my head around how great they are!

 

[HSKR R/T]

Bridgestone Dueler AT Ascents once again doing exactly what they should in the fresh snow today...
View attachment 210403View attachment 210404View attachment 210405
Didn't slip or slide..on acceleration or braking (no ABS, no skid).
Performed flawlessly..they amaze me every time it snows..I look forward to as much snow as possible this winter..FUN!

Where's the fun if they don't slip or slide.

 

[Ready Go]

Where's the fun if they don't slip or slide.

It's the "2WD" button..and the Paddle Shifters locked in 1st gear,
yeehaa ️️️

 

[Quint]

I live in the Twin Cities but routinely drive out onto lakes to ice fish and haul my snowmobile trailer on unplowed roads up on the Iron Range. I've run Duractracs and Falcon Wildpeak A/T3W on my two 5th gen trucks. My brother-in-law manages several Discount Tire stores, so is my new tire connection. The last time that I needed tires (fall 2022) he talked me into buying Goodyear Ultraterrain AT tires. He had been running them on his trucks, so I begrudging tried (I'm not a Goodyear fan).

I've got 36k miles on these tires and can't say anything bad. They are fine in the summer and in the snow are as good as any other all-season tire that I've had on a truck. I've never run snow tires.

 

[NorskieRider]

Goodyear Ultraterrain AT

So ... Goodyear Ultra Terrain All-Terrain?
I sometimes wonder if the marketing people think before they come up with names like that.

 

[tinfoil_hat]

True winter tires will have the "three peaks/snowflake" logo on them. I ran BFG Trail Terrain T/A for years and they were excellent in the snow. Very sure footed. 60k/mi warranty. That's what I'll switch to when the stock tires wear out.
Stock size:

https://www.bfgoodrichtires.com/auto/tires/bfgoodrich-trail-terrain-t-a

 

[Granite Goat]

Dunlop Winter Maxx SJ8 - Dunlop Winter Maxx SJ8 Review - Truck Tire Reviews

Mainly because they were on sale ($127/tire) and had good reviews. I've got a set of 18" rims to mount them on and can swap them in my garage per seasonal requirements.

Have you gotten the Dunlops mounted yet? I'm about to pull the trigger on the same set, but wanted an opinion on them before I order. I am primarily concerned with handling while turning as the reviews say these are great for braking/accelerating but are prone to side slippage. I drive a lot of twisty highways in the winter.

I do have to say I'm pretty impressed with the stock Bridgestone Dueler H/L Alenza in snow (under 2"), but I'm sure a lot of that has to do with the fact that they are brand new tires with deep tread. I am guessing their capability will diminish greatly as they wear a bit.

 

[NorskieRider]

Have you gotten the Dunlops mounted yet? I'm about to pull the trigger on the same set, but wanted an opinion on them before I order. I am primarily concerned with handling while turning as the reviews say these are great for braking/accelerating but are prone to side slippage. I drive a lot of twisty highways in the winter.

I do have to say I'm pretty impressed with the stock Bridgestone Dueler H/L Alenza in snow (under 2"), but I'm sure a lot of that has to do with the fact that they are brand new tires with deep tread. I am guessing their capability will diminish greatly as they wear a bit.

I'm getting the Dunlops mounted tomorrow. I'll let you know.

Here in MN we don't get much snow - maybe only 50-60 inches a year - and the plows get out early so there is rarely a time we have even have an inch on the roads. The bigger issue is packed snow, ice, and those days it's too cold for salt be the effective and everything gets "greasy".

I spend 2-3 days a week on straight 2-lane highways outside town, which are usually windswept and (especially in the mornings) there are occasional icy patches.

So, where I live and how I drive, true "snow tires" with compounds that get more flexible and grippy when cold are much better than deep lug treads, or even all-season tires which have the 3-PMSF symbol.

The issue I have experienced with the Dueler H/L is when braking and turning on slippery surfaces there is much more understeer than experienced with dedicated snow tires (on admittedly lighter vehicles). I also don't (yet) have confidence that when the Duelers lose grip it'll be a gradual loss with a chance for recovery, or if it's "straight in the ditch" (or worse).

The additional benefit of dedicated snow tires is that I have them on 18" rims, and they are 'standard load' which helps to maintain some comfort when the cold brings out the frost heaves. Then in the summer, when I tow more, I'll have the benefit of replacing the 20" Dueler's with 10-ply tires for better towing (the truck isn't my summer daily driver).

And yes, I have often been that I overthink things and suffer from "analysis paralysis".

 

[tinfoil_hat]

See, if I lived in those conditions, I would run studs. Keep them on a set of beater rims and swap them myself.

 

[NorskieRider]

See, if I lived in those conditions, I would run studs. Keep them on a set of beater rims and swap them myself.

Except you wouldn't because they're not legal.

 

[tinfoil_hat]

Except you wouldn't because they're not legal.

Well that's no fun.

We had 3" of snow last night and it was about 25° on the drive to work. Flatlanders spun out everywhere on the freeway. We don't get a lot of snow in Reno but when we do it's pandemonium.
The Ram did just fine on the OEM tires in 4X Auto.