Tread width vs tire width

[Curlymurt]

I'm back to shopping for tires. I've got 52k+ on my Falken Wildpeaks AT3W (not the OEM version) E rated for towing. I had upgraded the size to 275/75 r18. What I DON'T like about them is how wide they seem to be vs the original 275/65 r18 which was a road tire, so maybe that's the difference. But, are Wildpeaks wider at the tread than perhaps other brands due to the aggressiveness of the tire?

Currently thinking about Bridgestone Dueller Revo 3 (due to light weight vs Falkens) and Cooper AT3 XLT based on reviews...

I'm wondering if my tread width will be similar or skinnier because I felt like the width really hampered my snow traction. Father in law could get up snowy inclines in his Firestone Destinations AT much better than me, but they are a softer sidewall and skinnier tread (though I don't remember what his tire size is).

 

[Bt10]

Tread width is a measurement given on tirerack or discounttires, etc, websites. You can look for that measurement on most tires. 275 is the sidewall bulge width on the listed measuring rim width. Tires like BFG AT's have a very wide tread width compared to bulge width, while a scorpion atr has a very narrow tread width within the same listed nominal size.

 

[CHeYeNNe71]

I ran AT3W in a 11.2 wide tire with no issues and loved them in the snow. Not sure why you would have issues. They get great reviews from a lot of people for snow/rain.

 

[mikeru82]

I recently saw a video which discusses tread width in snow. The video basically said that tread width makes very little difference in snow, at least under the conditions tested. I'm skeptical because the test conditions were more on hard packed snow. I've always been of the opinion that narrower tires work better, but the conditions where I live are mostly wet and slushy snow. And wider tires seem more prone to act more like skis and float on top instead of digging down to where there might be some traction.

 

[Darksteel165]

I recently saw a video which discusses tread width in snow. The video basically said that tread width makes very little difference in snow, at least under the conditions tested. I'm skeptical because the test conditions were more on hard packed snow. I've always been of the opinion that narrower tires work better, but the conditions where I live are mostly wet and slushy snow. And wider tires seem more prone to act more like skis and float on top instead of digging down to where there might be some traction.

It depends if you drive through or on top of snow.

Depending on the climate and the vehicle you might be driving through or on snow.
A wider width is better driving on top of snow and thinner tires are better for driving through snow.

On top a wider tire provides much more surface area and thus traction on snow, think riding a bike on snow vs a snowboard.

If you are somewhere where there is a ton of snow and you are always on top of snow (think up north) a wider tire will be better.
If you only sometimes get snow and have enough that your tires could hit the ground without your car\truck bottoming out you can essentially plow through the snow with your tires then skinny are better as it will cut through better as more weight will be on a smaller surface area causing you to dip through more inches of snow.

Hopefully that makes sense, hard to really put in words.

 

[Rick3478]

In my experience, on hard pack or ice the width doesn't matter much but lots of tiny sipes grip better. In slush or fluff, a narrow tire with big lugs bites better and doesn't have to push as much aside.

 

[Curlymurt]

This all makes sense. I've been researching to see what width the treaday end up being, but I'm guessing there's likely only an inch or so difference on the treads so maybe I'm putting too much stock in tread width... Could consider going down in width on the actual tire size, but that's less beneficial for towing, so I doubt I'm willing to do that.

 

[Darksteel165]

This all makes sense. I've been researching to see what width the treaday end up being, but I'm guessing there's likely only an inch or so difference on the treads so maybe I'm putting too much stock in tread width... Could consider going down in width on the actual tire size, but that's less beneficial for towing, so I doubt I'm willing to do that.

The brand and model of tire you get is more important then the size.

If you are driving through lots of snow you can remove air from your tires also to get even more surface area for traction just make sure to air back up when going on solid hard ground.