Ouch, looks like im going to be the only BFG hater in here. A true mud tire will never be "great" in the compact stuff. Syping can definitly help, but potential is low from the get go. Ive ran a bunch of differnet crap in the snow, from my Rockers with lockers, to Xterrains on the superduty, BFG A/T's, Grabbers, and a couple others, you just cant compete with a descent winter tire. Can you get by with blocky tread mud tires, yeah...but if i was hauling a kid around, or letting the wifie drive the rig, i wouldnt take the chance. I was a tire weasle for a bunch of years, so i got to see alot of crazy things people run for winter.
Yeah. I took a course in tire technology many moons ago. Always leaned towards a dedicated winter tire but have been thinking in a lot of situations an a/t or Mud tire seems to perform as well. Which is why I asked this question as I've seen comparisons between the Mud vs All Terrain in snow but none of those tests involved a dedicated winter tires.
I've never quite gotten around to building an off-road truck. One day. Right now, my priority is when we get "mobile" again to get a family hauler which is why I lean towards RWD with an LSD.
As for winters, well, I know that difference from say all seasons.
My old Crown 'Vic on the icey backroad i lived on a decade or so ago would get "squirrelly" as I peaked a hill with all seasons at 70 km/h. With 4 Good year "Ice" radials, I could peak the same hills at 130 rock steady. I know one year even here in Toronto one hill where I drove up before and after putting the winters on. With the all seasons, it was sideways and backing off the gas at 20 km/h and with the winters on the next day it walked that hill with no wheelspin at all. LOL.
Used to love walking the FWDers and SUVs off the line in deep snow. Heeheehee.
I know the F250 I drove had all seasons but they had a pretty agressive M&S style tread. I also know what it's like to try to start from a stop on a hill here in Toronto in an unloaded pickup and getting tirespin and the idiot behind is 3" off the back bumper and moves 1" everytime I do!! And I know the difference a set of snows makes on that same truck on that same hill when again, it walks up that hill and leaves the same turkey (different car! LOL) sitting there!
So yeah, you could say I'm a big believer in winter tires. I'm a bit anal with tires and also opinionated on the subject of winter driver. Like I firmly believe these "chain reaction accidents" on the 400 series of highway would drop dramamtically if the cops charged EVERY vehicle involved with careless driving! I also believe stability control should be banned, not legislated IN as they're trying to do because I believe that it's making dangerous drivers.
People NEED that "Oh Sh**" moment, even myself, to remind us to slow down. Unfortunately, many newer vehicles have taken that away and between that and traction control the salespeople at the dealers are brainwashing people into "You don't NEED winter tires with this". Uh huh.......
There's a BMW M5 up the street from me. I've saod to my wife, "When he crashes driving on Summer Performance rubber, is he going to blame winter conditions?"
Sorry. I done gone on a tangent. LOL. But I get sick and tired of people blaming their own stupidity on "weather".
Keep the info coming as I am curious to people's experiences.
