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Great video Nate. Almost perfect and one I’ve been waiting for for ages. I say almost perfect, but did I miss the Baja Boss? I was looking to compare the Falken, the BFG and the MT to see which suited me best. I’m erring towards the Falken, but the Boss seems like the boss. However, I’m not sure it’s available in the EU. Having said that, neither are the KO3 or AT4W yet. Anyhoo, thanks again. One final thought. What do you think of as ‘Light’, ‘Medium’ or ‘Heavy’ Truck? I run a classic Land Rover Defender (so pre 2016, not that horrible, modern SUV blob). Its kerb weight is approx 2055kgs/4530lbs. Loaded up for daily driving, (permanent roll cage, roof rack, spare wheel carrier, 1 x pax) it’s probably closer to 2500kgs or 5600lbs. It’s not hugely powerful, in fact the opposite at about 175bhp from a lethargic diesel engine. It has a rear load capacity of 1000kgs/2200lbs, and a towing capacity of 3500kgs/7700lbs, both of which I occasionally use. So, when thinking about how you describe trucks in your videos, does that come under medium or heavy? Keep up the great content. Never thought I’d become a tyre nerd. Ta. 👍
It would help a lot to have a sign posted so we would know the brand of tire you are talking about. If you miss the introduction of each tire of forget it just by looking at the screen we won’t know. Thanks for all you do. Peter
I have the MT Baja Boss ATs on my truck for a year now, also in Idaho, and they have been awesome in snow and ice as well as rock. I'd buy them again if given the opportunity.
Been running the Mickys for the last year, and they have shown to be the BEST tire I've ever had. I used to love the Duratracs (for nearly 20 years), and absolutely hated the Ko2s after a couple years. I'm absolutely sold on the Baja Boss, and will most likely buy the same again.
@@Owens_Racing So, I'm going to preface this with the fact that I can only refer to my experience with the original Duratracs, pre-Duratrac RT. The original Duratracs (DT) were freaking awesome tires. They were great in the snow, in the wet, and on the trail. They were a bit weak in the mud department, especially clay-based mud. I drove and "raced" on DTs for nearly 20 years. DTs were known for sidewall failures, but I never once experienced that with the C-ply. When I made the switch to the Mickey Thompsons (M/T) it was because of tire technology. The DTs had been around for a LONG time but had not seen an upgrade. I liked what I saw in the Baja Boss tread pattern and could recognize the similarity to the DTs with siping and block design. The M/Ts came with the addition of a couple decades of upgrades in rubber compounds, block support, stone ejectors, and more. The Baja Boss ATs are built on the same carcass as the Baja Boss MTs, so I knew the sidewall was also strong AF. The only difference between the M/T mud terrain and all terrain is the tread surface. After about 15k miles on the M/Ts, I might argue that the wet performance of the DTs is better, but only slightly. If the M/Ts are an 8 in the wet, the DTs are 8.5. In the snow, if the DTs (original, w/o studs) were and 8, then the M/Ts would be an 8.5. The two tires are absolutely are on my list for the two best tires you can buy. I went with the M/Ts because the new DT RTs are still not available in a 35. Stepping down to a 34 (or 295/70R17) today I might go to the new DT RT to save 10lbs per corner and regain some fuel mileage. I not certain how they can be so much lighter, but I suspect the missing weight is in the sidewall. That said, I've still not stuck a sidewall, so I think I'd be OK with that. My use is all over the board. Year round use City Driving (PacNW, so it's WET), trail runs, overlanding, wee bit of rock crawling, and chasing rally cars down stage at speed (Ken Block, Travis Pastrana, etc). Duratracs were great. M/T Baja Boss ATs are great. (and i'll never run Ko2s ever again) I suspect the difference with modern Duratrac RTs and Baja Boss ATs is splitting hairs. The downside to DT RTs might be sizing. The upside is unsprung weight. Neither are exactly cheap. It's a tough call. I wish I hadn't bought new wheels at 9" wide, because I think the 255/85 M/Ts would be dreamy for my setup. But, again, this size isn't in the DT RTs...
@@the_nothing I have mounted two sets of M/T Baja Boss A/Ts in 255/85R17 in the last month. One set on a Duramax Dually and the other on a Ram 2500 on a new set of 9' wide wheels. Don't be afraid of the 255 on a 9" wheel, they looked great mounted, but I had to use a bead seater to seat the beads on every tire, but not a big deal. I questioned being able to run these tires on a stock dually wheel set up without spacers, but I ended up trying it and it worked!! There was still about 1/2 inch of clearance between the duals with the weight of the truck on them, about the same as my other 255's on my dually. My next set of tires for my dually will be the Baja Boss A/T because I really can't get excited about the Falken AT4W or the Toyo RT Trails that I have now. The Baja Boss A/T really out shines the Duratrac in the Mud!
I've tried so many tire brands over the years and now I only run General tires on my vehicles. Grabber ATX on my Suvs in summer, General Altimax Arctics in winter and Grabber X3s on my Jeep. Best tires ive ever ran.
So far I’m loving my ATXs. Seem more durable and wear longer than my Toyo AT3s. However, I feel the toyos did better in the winter here in the Rocky Mountains. ATXs are not as good on the hard pack and ice
I run Nokian Outpost AT on my truck, and they are stellar. Slightly short on mileage rating, but no tire I've ever had comes close to acheiving their wear rating anyways. The Nokian Outpost AT do great on-road, do pretty well on snow, and not being studded, ice performance is... just... passable, but short of chains, ice is the bane of anything
I have Duratracs too. Been using it for 8 years (2 set). It doesn’t perform well in the rain. Deep snow not bad, dirt road very good, mud okay, icy road not so good unless you drive very slow. With that said it never got flat and always performed well. The thread depth is very good. Always looks new. I heard the side wall is not that thick, but have not had any issues.
@@PocketMangathe duratracs are known for getting flats, my brother and friend had them and lots of flats, I was in the oil industry up north a few weeks back and a work truck had a flat,, when my brother and friend went to the ko2s they never got a flat..
I’m blown away that you rate KO2s so well for snow wheeling. I’ve driven tens of thousands of miles in all sorts of snow in Scandinavia and the US. I can’t think of a worse winter tire than the KO2. They’re outright dangerous on snow/ice and wet conditions. I’m on my second set of KO2s on my 5th gen 4Runner, and they are wonderful tires for off roading. Strong, durable, and dependable. But snow and ice? Outright dangerous.
Ko2 is rated low from me on Wet conditions for sure... ice it is average (KO3 is much better) but for snow wheeling I think maybe we are talking different things... I am talking in 3-5 feet of snow where your mission is to float and maintain snow on snow contact... a 39" BFG running at 2-4 PSI is a remarkable Snow wheeling tire.
Ok it makes more sense, I can’t comment on deep snow wheeling but on snowed in road with packed snow I agree with Henri they are just down right dangerous. I had to switch to dedicated winter tire for commuting. To me they don’t deserve their 3 snow peak rating at all
I also have KO2 for summer - they are very, very bad in rain, snow etc. For winter I use Yokohama's BluEarth Winter tyres that are far, far better. Given my 2.5 years experience with BFG K02 I shall replace them in the spring with Falken AT4W.
I’m sick and tired of putting on winter tires and then switching back to summer tires. I chose Falken Wildpeak AT4W 265/75/16 for my 23 Tacoma TRD Off Road, double cab, 6’ bed for year round use. We live in the mountains 5 miles from town on a private road that we have to plow and maintain ourselves. We get 5-7 feet of snow every winter here in north central Washington state. During the summer months im usually in the mountains getting firewood, or taking the truck to load up with topsoil, gravel or whatever we need for our 1/4 of a mountain property. Yes they took down my fuel economy but for what I use my truck for, it simply is what it is.
I live at 8600' altitude in Colorado so we get a good deal of snow. I bought a set of the Nokian Outpost nAT for our 1500 RAM in early October. My observations thus far is as follows: Road noise is a minimum increase over the Eagle Touring tires they replaced. Fuel MPG loss is
I too have NAT's on my Tundra and live in Colorado. In the ice/snow I have encountered, they seem to do pretty darn good. Wonder if it has a lot to do with the rubber compound? I am thinking of siping mine to get some added ice traction. Not sure if that is a good idea or not...
@@c3realestatesolutions528 You NATs are already siped so are you thinking of doing more? I had debated with myself between these NATs and the Faulken AT4s but Faulken changed the design from the AT3s and the rubber compound. The AT4s weight about 8 lbs more than the NATs but have a longer tread guarantee. My guess is the NATs are softer rubber compound which helps in the snow and ice and the lighter weight is definitely better on MPG.
@mtjag3138 Yes, considering more siping. Les Scwab does it for $17-20/tire. I too compared weights of tires, and the Nokians were much lighter than many others. Liked the look of the Baja Boss but those are really heavy for my half-ton, under-powered Tundra. Love the sidewall strength and load rating on the Nokians as I haul a 24' enclosed snowmobile trailer.
I too live at a similar altitude in CO. I've ran just about every tire you can think of on my hotshot truck (ram 3500 dually) I typically haul heavy loads 25k+ to remote mines in MT, ID, and WY. By far the best winter tires I've run are the Toyo open country AT3 CT. If you have a heavy truck they are amazing. I have the regular AT3s on my taco and they are great in the snow but are wearing really fast. I might try the Falcon wildpeaks next.
For AT tires hands down Mickey Thompson tires are amazing and they look so good because of the aggressive design. But then we pulled a bs check on expedition overland and bought x3s and now I can’t stop buying them 😂 pro4x Titan and 224runner running them now and when my sidexside needs new dot rated tires I will buy them for it also
I drive a promaster service van in the mountains of Alberta. At least 250 kms a day down to -40. I used to swap and have a specified winter tire for winter and I used the Hakkapeliitta. Recently I changed my summer tire to an outpost NAT since I’ve been having to climb some back roads to get to remote buildings. I left them on to try them for winter…they’re amazing. The most dangerous part of my driving is the snow planning I like to call it, when you get those huge dumps on the highway and your have those lanes you have to stay in or you get sucked around when you have to change lanes. The Outpost NAT is waaaaay better than the Hakkapeliitta at moving snow. Maybe I’m losing it but I can’t seem to see that much of a difference in the ice as well, and that’s going from two sets of Hakkapeliitta’s used just for winter, to Outpost Nat. I’ve used the Outpost Nat’s for now the second winter, and I’ll never go back to Hakkapeliitta’s. I’m also running around 8000lbs and it’s a front wheel drive. Just for reference.
Good info! I'm actually looking at those NATs as a possible next set of tires on my 4Runner. I went on a run a few months ago that was mostly gravel roads, the van in front of me was running them, they threw this neat little rooster tail of gravel out from the center of the tread. I asked the driver later about them, he said the van felt completely planted, meanwhile, my 4Runner felt a little squirrely at speed on the gravel, it took a concerning amount of time for it to actually respond to steering inputs.
I'm sliding around on my studded hakkapeliitta LT3, really curious if an all weather all terrain would be better, I do have a Baja boss AT for summer but been too chicken to try it for winter
Canadian here. I have Nokian Hakkas LT3 and nothing is comparable. I've even had studded Duratracs before, and those were beasts in the snow, but on ice, nothing literally beats Nokian. For all the Americans stating the Falken and all other AT tires, etc. are "winter tires," you guys have no idea what you're talking about. You'e comparing a dedicated winter tire (Nokian) with random AT tires so you can go "rock crawling" in Utah from California.
You are absolutely correct. The tipping point is how frequently the snow falls and how efficiently it gets cleared. I have gone with winter-rated ATs the past several winters in southern WI because I rarely face frequent heavy storms and the inability for road crews to clear snow. They're not as good, but adequate and the investment on pure snows hasn't been worth it for my 4runner. I always did on passenger cars, the 3 peak ATs have been good enough for what I need.
I have brand new LT3, and was disappointed in how much I slide and struggle in only 2-3" of snow, this is on a 1500 Silverado with at least 300lbs in the bed. Although my only comparison is on Subaru's best AWD car on blizzaks that never slide, 80k km 12year old bald blizzaks at that.
Alaskan here, drive a Montero with AT4W in 4wd on dirt, snow, ice, rain and hard-packed ice/snow and it performs fine. I break trail often and have been through 16 inches of fresh snow prior to the plow truck cleanings. My older Tahoe runs BFG KO2's without issue. I don't mind slipping a little here and there but every once in awhile the "black ice" will surprise you.
Excellent review! In any discussion of tires for use in winter, I don’t think you can ever emphasize enough the HUGE difference between a dedicated winter tire like the Nokian LT3 and the rest. I use this tire, and like his wife, it’s the one I trust to keep me and my family safe when regularly driving in snowy/icy conditions. It hooks up in packed snow and ice almost as good as a regular tire in the dry. While 9 of the tires reviewed have what you might call “acceptable” packed snow performance for All-terrains (and better than anything else out there), and the studded versions give 2 of these legitimate winter snow/ice performance, only the LT3 has excellent cold/snow/ice performance (and in the stud-less version excellent cold/snow, good ice). He aludes to it, but it’s also worth highlighting that all-weather and winter tires are not just for snow. They are designed for cold weather where temps are regularly below 45°F (7°C). The rubber compound in the tires are specifically formulated to stay soft and maintain their performance at colder temperatures. Where a summer or all-season or regular all-terrain tire will get hard as rock.
Love this content! Winter driving is some of the most fun driving you can do in my opinion. So I'm pretty passionate about good snow and ice traction. It's good to see a mixed comparison of typical truck tires along with non typical like the Nokian Hakkapeliitta. Those are very common in Sweden, unsurprisingly.
I’m glad you brought up the Boss AT. Absolutely the best tire I’ve ran the past couple decades. I’m on my 5th set to date & being I also live in ID, needing the ice/snow that also behaves in gravel/mud/street is very rare. I just wish they’d come out with a 37x12.5 18 in a 125+ load index for my Ram Cummins. Now just imagine if they made them studable!?!
Something I’ve always wanted to see was deep snow testing on a dedicated snow tire like the Nokian Hakkapelitta LT3. Testing always seems to be based on road maybe dirt road winter conditions but what happens in deep snow testing against something like a ko2 or ko3
That's a good question, I'm curious about that too. There's a channel called Truck King out of Canada, and when they get test vehicles in the winter, they're always on snow tires per Canadian law. They do actually seem to do pretty well on their off-road course with the snow tires, so I would be interested in seeing a dedicated test of that.
I'm getting my wife a pair of dedicated winter tires for her truck. We live in North Dakota. Roads are ice covered most of the time. Getting some 275/60R20 Blizzak DM-V2's this next Wednesday. I liked the AT3WA's we had on the ram. We got 65k miles out of a 50k mile tire. I'm probably going to put AT4W's on it in the spring. I bet we get over 75k miles out of them.
@@MontanaDirtRoads The usual answer of someone who doesn't know anything about driving in cold climates. Enjoy driving at half the speed limit and ending up in the ditch because the second it hits -20 your duratracs are as hard as a hockey puck
recently installed the Baja Boss's on my 5th gen 4runner, reside in midwest. Just had snow packed/icy road conditions and these did well, far better than KO2's that I ran on my last 4runner on road anyway. Looking to get these off road soon to keep trying different conditions. Definitely a dedicated winter tire for packed ice would be better but like it was stated there's always a compromise. Heavy tire, little more noise, still a decent ride but I bet they'll shine in almost any off road condition.
You mentioned Nokian tire being hard to get. They are being made in Dayton TN. I use Rotiva and Hakkapellitta LT2 in WI, my son uses Outposts on his 4wd F150. I have no problem sourcing Nokians.
S.E. Michigan here and I will say that 255/85R17 Mickey Thompson Baja Boss A/T on my 2022 Jeep Gladiator Mojave are BY FAR the absolute BEST on-road winter driving setup on vehicle I have EVER owned. Narrower is BEST for on-road winter driving… period. No, they’re not winter specific tires (Blizzaks, etc.) and I understand this, but definitely my all time favorite A/T tires.
I hope more companies start making 35/10.00 tires. I have the 255/85R17 Baja Boss on my XJ build. I’d like to see some 37/11.00’s for HD trucks, too! FYI, tread width on the 255/85 Baja Boss tires is the basically a typical 285 tread width. The 255’s just don’t have much side wall balloon (section width), which is great for suspension clearance on certain vehicles, or duallies.
First trip with my Nitto grappler G3 my mileage was down 20%. I was pretty disappointed. Called Nitto they suggested 36psi on my 265/70r/17 XL G3's on a 2020 Toyota off road 4Runner. Aired up to 36psi again I'm at 20+ mpg. Very happy! Quiet comfort and noise is great. Can't wait to run them in snow here in Minnesnowta
Great video. Longtime nokian hakkapeliitta fan here for dedicated winter tire. Its surprisingly good on forest service roads gravel/mud. Run 235/80r17 in '18 4runner for winter
Great choice. Been using the Nokian LT2s for the longest time myself up here in Norway, now running LT3s on the same truck(Studded 235/85R16 on a '06 Defender). They shrug off anything in the winter, well worth the money if you are running on anything that looks like a road. Also, happy to see proper winter tires included in a review.
Agree with your assessment of the Nokian outpost. Ran it for a year and a half on my 200 series. Great in deeper snow, rode well, quiet at speeds, but poor poor performance in hardpack snow and ice. After one too many letdowns in the CO high country I bought some actual winter tires. General grabber artic LT. I’d never run a true snow tire before. It’s like cheat mode. It’s ridiculously good in those hardpack snowy/icy situations. Just wish it came in larger sizes. Did not opt for studded as I see a variety of conditions, but you can stud them. I can only imagine how crazy good those hakkapelitas are! I also share the same experience with KO2s in deep snow.
The outpost is basically Nokians first true AT, which is confusing becasue with the name nokian on it I just assume it is great in snow and Ice... but this one is targeting the true AT market... it isn't bad in snow but obvioulsy they have better.
Hey man I love your videos and learn so much from them and this is going to help me with my own tires for the future and I can now teach others! Awesome video thank you for putting in all the effort
I winter in eastern Idaho where I drive the two tracks in a 2014 tundra hunting. Used your recommendations of the past. Tried to get Mickey Thompsons for winter but tire store couldn't find a whole set. They did have falken arw 4's though. $150 less for the set. So far I like the way they drive on the hwy. Only December 2 so haven't had any real snow & ice off-roading yet, but they have held up great on the lava rocks. Much better tire than the previous KO2's I had. Thanks for the review
Here's something I would really love to see from you; Actually put them on your rig and do some real world tests in them. Because you can talk all about them but you'll never really know how they actually perform unless you go and drive them. They can even be simple test in your driveway or something (I don't know how long of a driveway you have), or a county road. Just some simple breaking and acceleration tests would do a huge job of showcasing the tires.
I have driven all these tires… a lot… you are hearing the conclusions… showing me drive down the driveway isn’t going to prove anything. This video is already 30+ minutes without me adding time of me driving all these tires
Also why would a RUclipsr do breaking and accelerating tests? There are no less than 20 independent organizations that do this for all tires in closed tracks, controlled environments… pre set variables, professional drivers… if that’s what you want use one of those outlets… despite all that information being available to the public we still have people buying dry traction speciality tires for the PNW where it always rains, we have people buying Mud tires cause the think they are (better at everything) the problem isn’t lack of a guy slamming on his brakes and measuring with a tape measure… the problem is a complete lack of understanding tires and what a specific set is made to be good at… those are the videos I make and will continue to make… if you want braking distances subscribe to consumer reports or one of the other organizations that does all that testing in far more scientific capacity then I can.
I live in Nova Scotia and we get a tone of ice every winter, I have dedicated winter tires on all my vehicles and I run the General Grabber's on my F150 and Jeep JT, they do perform very well with the studs. I tried the KO2's but found that they had very poor traction on ice and wet snow, everyone I know says the same, I have not tried the KO3's because the General Grabbers with the studs are so good.
When I was a kid, snow tires all had studs, or chains on trucks and cars. When these were banned snow tire development improved quite a bit , and I think a top end winter snow tire for snow is pretty good, However nothing beats a studded snow tire. We were up in the subarctic and the roads are frozen for the entire winter and without studded tires driving is a challenge. Most of the serious truckers in these places have dedicated winter studded tires and install them in December and remove them in March/April. I’ve driven with all different types of tires, and for snow and ice the addition of studs is very superior.
I just got my Nokian Hakkapelitta LT3s based on your discussion and these sure seem beefy! The stud layout on the tire must have a scientific pattern but I don't understand it, however, I trust Nokian's expertise. Now I'm ready to tackle the black ice and backroads in southern Oregon!
I've Run the KO2s for 50 000kms, down to 12/32 from a new of 15/32nd. The KO2 when new is good in the snow, but ONLY deep snow, it is down right terrible on packed snow or ice. I mean absolutely awful, impossible to get out of my driveway in 2wd on and F150 on hard icey snow. It's deep snow traction will also last only one year. Since then, I've run the Good Year Duratrac, and Toyo AT3, both for now 60 000km each. The Duratrac is definitely the best AT tires I've ever used in the snow, however i am now on year 5 and while there is lots of tread left (13/32) ,but they have gone hard, and snow traction is getting bad, but still better than the KO2. The KO3 looks to be a very marginal improvement and the Tires sales reflect that, Toyo and Falken have taken all of BFGs' market share. The Toyo AT3 has been good all around , except damp, cold roads. Im tempted to try the Falken AT4s, however their weight is a fuel economy kkiller and I daily drive 75km of pavement. I am also a Tire retailer, with 10 years of experience , articularly in truck tires. If price is no issue, The Duratrac is by far your best choice. If Fuel economy and overall performance are both considerations. The Toyo AT3 is the best AT out there.
I have seen the test results from multiple 3rd part companies that only test tires and none of them reflect TFL's results... so my hunch is TFL isn't using a ver scientific method of testing braking.
@OutdoorAuto , yeah they run the truck down the same stretch of road and slam the brakes on. The second tire is running on the ice created by the first tire. Nothing scientific about it. Those guys are just out screwing around trying to create content.
TFL don't have a clue. That was an absolute unscientific test that doesn't line up with any other published test results. Rather than accept that fact and not publish, they put out the bs video for clicks. Lost a lot of credibility from that.
The Pacific NW crew loved the at3w for decent winter traction, but more for superior wet traction vs ko2. The ko2 was pretty much better everywhere else. The at4w is worse for winter traction vs the at3w, but better in other areas. The ko3 improved winter traction, which is why it provided notable improvement vs an at4w. But the Falken fan boys are really butt hurt for some reason. Im not sure why people cant just look at a bunch of tires and buy based on what they prioritize. Neither the ko2 or the at3w was a top winter AT, if winter traction was a priority, those 2 tires are not it. It seems the ko3 is trying to get closer to the winter performance of some of the top 3 peak AT tires.
@@getinthespace7715nope. They moved over to fresh snow. I watched the video. I had BFG K02s and they are superior to the sucky slippery Fakem Wildsliders.
Yokohama Geolander AT-XD. I don't expect it to be best but its a commercial HD tire. Just put them on my 19 power wagon after having the X-AT's for 55k miles and loving them.
Me too, I think I’m getting the Mickey Thompson Baja Boss AT. They offer the best of everything. People often agree they are the most aggressive AT tire on the market
Good information, I have run Coopers and Toyo tires and are great mud tires but lacked in the snow. I have stepped over to the KO3's and hope they perform good in the snow for my snow camping trips.
I know this is apples to oranges, but 12 years of winter driving in my Subaru, plowing snow with my front bumper, towing and hauling way over 2,000lbs on a untouched snowy logging road with sipes worn bald left with only big treads on my blizzaks and never struggled, little tire spin at times and it pulls out. Got a 1500 Silverado, slapped on brand new hakkapeliitta LT3 studded tires, and I slip on 3" of snow, had to throw it in 4WD to slowly crawl out. Went off-road once and was STRUGGLING HARD in 6 inches of snow, had to forward reverse multiple times to move down the trail. this was in 4WD and locked rear axle at 20psi, but I had no steering, kept plowing straight no matter what steering angle, this was with at least 350lbs in the bed. I can't imagine people offroading in these trucks/SUV with non-true-winter all terrains
@@OutdoorAuto I heard the Baja Boss can be difficult to balance. Do you have any experience with this? Additionally I would be running them on my F350. I’m a little concerned about them being a D rated tire. I wish Mickey Thompson would release a 37/12.50R17 E rated tire.
Really appreciate your reviews. Thank you for taking the time to do them. Can you consider a review of the Yokohama Geolandar A/T4 G018 sometime? Can't find any good reviews out there for them!
I've hand sipped (angle grinder) and studded a set of 40% worn out Trail Grapplers 37's... well, I can say that now I'm able to drive them, it's a huge difference, braking distance reduced from infinite to pretty acceptable. Anyway, I'm downsizing to a set of 35" true winters, it's just not worth the risk.
My bar is low for tires. I’ve run a tire on my 13 ram I never see on top lists. A cooper at4s for the last 4-5 years. It’s good in the snow, ok on ice and bad in the wet. It wears ok-ish. But I got them $99 each so I couldn’t pass up the deal. My next set will probably be a duratrac rt unless I get another great deal somewhere
Love the assessment! Like others I wish there was a head to head battle but also understand how that would really just blow the scope of the test out of proportion. Living in Central Oregon I have a 4x4 for trail use, wood cutting, winter conditions and occasionally hauling long distance. This makes it difficult to find a tire that really does everything well without going to dedicated tires. The Mickey Thompson comes close but without studs no way it will grip on ice as I am used to. Would love dedicated sets as extreme winter weather is one of it's primary purposes but hard to justify the expense given it would probably only be used for maybe 2k miles a winter given most miles are on a winter tired FWD with double the MPG of the 4x4. Decisions, decisions, decisions...
I appreciate all your tire reviews! They’re very thorough and in depth. Would you mind doing a tire review over the Cooper Stronghold AT? Possibly a comparison with the Falken AT4W?
Awesome video! I too like the General Grabber ATX with studs as a winter tire and installed a set last year on my wifes Yukon Denali for winter use with studs because she likes the confidence they instill. I had also installed a set of the Generals on my daughters 2003 Duramax pickup a few years ago with the prior set being Goodyear Duratracs. Hands down the Generals were much better than the Duratracs especially after the Duratracs had worn a bit because the sipes were not full depth. I used to have access to Nokians and they are great tires, but my warehouse discontinued them. Another great choice is the General Altimax artic that has a tread design similar to the Nokians, directional and pinned for studs. The Hankook I Pike was another great winter tire in normal tire sizes but they haven't been available for the last two years, so I am not sure of the issue with them. Fireston Winterforce is another directional studable winter tire that perform well. My favorite all terrain tire for everything is the Mickey Thompson Baja Boss A/T, I have many sets on customer's trucks and they all love them with the exception of mileage loss due to the weight. I am intrigued by the new Nitto, it looks good, but I have had bad luck with Nitto tires holding up on Wyoming roads due to the chip seal on the asphalt, they just don't seem to last well. I am interested to see how they hold up for you! Right now I am testing two different sets of tires on my personal 23 Duramax Denali Dually, one set of the Falken A/T4 in 255/80R17 and another set of Toyo R/T trail in 255/80R17. First experience with the Falken A/T4 is that I have rebalanced them three times in about 5,000 miles. They are much noisier than I expected at slow speeds but quiet down as I go faster. They don't seem to be wearing great, as they have gone from 17/32 to 14/32nds on the rears and 15/32nds on the fronts. The Toyo's probably aren't doing any better with about the same wear on the rears with similar mileage, but the Toyo's have much better off road traction in this size. Most of my miles on this truck are towing heavy. Hopefully we get more snow this year than last year for some good comparisions, because last year we had very little snow.
From Alaska: any “all season” or “all terrain” will suck on ice/ packed snow compared to a true winter tire. They are a compromise. On my daily drivers and wifes Sequoia: Blizzaks or Studs. On my JT Rubicon: show me a true winter tire in 35” or 37” and I’d take it over any A/T for winter.
You can get the Hakkas in 315/70-17... I'm running 37" MT's on my Rubicon and now moving to a true winter set, basically the only options are the Hakkas 315/70 or the "New Mutant Arctic" on 35" but... who know if they're any good. Both studded, I'm in central BC and we have some nasty icy roads on -40c.
I put the Hakka LT3 (non-studded) in 315/70R17 on my Yukon last winter and while they don't cut through slush like the 235/80R17 Blizzak W965 I previously had on my Sierra, they are at least equal (and perhaps superior) to the Blizzak in every other measure of traction. The only other negative is they are loud on some wet surfaces, which I suspect just reflects how much water they are moving to keep a 315 in contact with the road.
Big miss by not having the new Bridgestone A/T Ascent, they look to have the most potential for winter/snow capability of any A/T tire. Great review though!
I've been using the Toyo Open country dedicated winter tire. A great all-terrain design with dedicated winter compound and siping. Comes in a 10 ply 80 PSI tire for full capacity on a one ton truck.
i put the trail terrains on my f150 because i mostly stay on the road and maybe go on a occasional dirt road and last winter they performed great drove in the snow and ice and worked amazing for what i expected
The biggest thing preventing me from looking at the Duratrac RTs is how shallow the sipes are. While most others use full depth sipes, Goodyear does not. What use is great winter traction if you lose it after 20,000 miles?
overall the goodyears issues is related to wear... it gets really loud, it had issues with uneven wear... I think as a dedicated snow/winter tire it is good because it essentially date codes out before it wears out... but for a tire you will wear down to the wear lines... there are better options.
@@OutdoorAuto yeah, I mean I won't run my tires below like 6/32nds. Still, I just need the winter performance to be great throughout the life of the tire because I use my truck to get up to the Colorado mountains for skiing/snowboarding and also winter camp a lot. If not for those sipes I might have tried them.
Do you plan to test any of the Cooper brand tires? I would like to see how they stack up against these others brands as well in Offroad and winter and whatever else you have planned in the future awesome tire comparison videos to help my buy decisions!
Toyo ATIII is a good tire, I have run through a full set of them but they are not close to #1 on most of the winter stats... they aren't bad... but there are 3rd party, independent organizations with controlled environments, professional drivers and the Toyo is just middle of the pack on a lot of scores... I am not a big fan of opinions... I tend to look up the stats and am a big advocate of using a tire for what it was actually designed specifically for....
Unfortunately, no studs in WI, so being new to winter driving (moved up from FL) I looked for a good snow/ice tire for my 1/2 ton. In the 265/65-18 size, choices were slim. I rolled the dice with the new Toyo Observe GSI-6 which seems to be new, but look at that siping and directional tread. *oops, can't attach photo* They did quite well in the one day of snow and slush we've had so far. Strangely, after 2000 miles, they still have the nipples on the outer lugs - at the truck specified 35 psi.
I live in the midwest and travel coast to coast in all seasons. Something I have learned in trying to select a tire to fit my needs. Every tire is a compromise on performance in many different facets of conditions. I just do not have to money or space to keep an extra set of tires, so I put safety on my first pillar in selecting the best tire. I drive in heavy rain, heavy snow, icy and black ice, dirt gravel, and lots of dry. I also tow an enclosed trailer that can wear softer compond tires quickly. I was fond of Michelin tires for ride comfort, but I kept having problems in light mud. I am using K02's now, but they suck holding traction on wet pavement, but surprisingly, they are decent in fresh snow as they pack well holding on snow. I am now looking to replace K02's soon. More to consider and research.
Im glad you went over the baja boss at's bcuz i dont see alot of info on them or ppl really running them. I purchased a set for my 4x4 suburban i use as a daily and overland/hunting rig. I had the wildpeak at3ws and it honestly is hard to match them but i was pleasantly surprised with how good these mickeys are! Dry traction and rainy traction are great, they are fairly quiet to be honest, and offroad im in love with how confident i can drive and move around off the beaten paths. The only condition i havent had them in is snow/ice and im hoping to experience that soon. Honestly a great all around tire
In coastal southeast VA we rarely get snow, but having a good all around tire is crucial. We get snow further west, I like to play in it with my Ram 2500, and your reviews help significantly.
Driving a Wrangler in Canada I thought I could get away with a BFG Trail Terrain in the winter. That tire is dangerous on compressed snow and ice and I had to get dedicated winters. Nokian Hakkapeliitta. Very happy now. 4x4s still need winter tires. Maybe not if you're only dealing with deep snow all the time.
What about the Hakkapeliitta lt3s stuffed on a daily driver that goes to the mountains on the weekend? I would like to do studded but it think it might be overkill. They have a non studded that might work
I am putting the LT3's on My wife's vehicle because she is a big skier, so it is all about maximizing safety for her and the kids... so Yes, I definitely think that is a good use case for those tires... studded or non studded
Good timing on this video. My gladiator I’m on 37” ko2’s and I snow wheel occasionally and often in deeper than a foot of snow, I really don’t like the winter highway performance. The Nokian is tempting but it’s small. I like the duratrac rt as well but again small. The general atx might be worth looking into. I’m way into the far north of B.C so we get-40 temps and blizzard dry snow and lots of really hard ice
Yukon here. Spent years running AT tires in the winter until I drove a buddy's 3500 with actual studded snow tires on FSR's and mining roads. Proper snow tires are a game changer but from what I've gathered, more fragile so you gotta be on top of when you change them if you run on sharp, rocky roads as the sidewall protection isn't as good as on AT's.
@ I get the advantages of good winter tires. But I also snow wheel in 4-6 feet of snow and go places most others don’t , often with kids with me and there’s no replacement for absolute tire size. That’s the dilemma
Try the new KO3s. Just put a new set on my F150. Excellent wet traction performance. Reinforced center for high torque. Better cornering and handling. Easy balancing and good in the snow here in Indiana. I'm really impressed by them and I highly recommend them. To each his own. 🤣
I really like my KO3s in the snow, but last week they completely broke free on black ice and I was driving slowly. I just went whole hog and got the Nokian Hakka LT3s with studs. I'm looking forward to not being surprised on ice again.
The absolute best Alaska all season tires I ran on my 3/4 and 1 ton pickups was discontinued by BFG. Those were the BFG All Terrain Commercial TA Traction. They were studable, but I never studded them. The BFG AT K02s suck in the winter.
I'm glad your WildPeaks held up well. Mine have less than 15000 miles on them and they are 2/3 gone. Ram 1500 70% road . Also they are the worst snow tires I have had. Not even as good as the Goodyear all seasons that came on it brand new.
I used a Hakkapeliitta LT 3 on my 06 Silverado and they were phenomenal on compact snow and ice in Montana. KO 2 were great in deep snow, the Nokian allowed you to not use 4x4 most of the time and I ran them studless. Love Nokian. I also use the Nokian R5 on our SUV.
Just put on a set of Rubitechs which have a little more noise than the Kumos we just put on other 1/2 ton. , nittos worn to quick, hated duratrac for noise, Ko2 my last 2 sets was king but but saved about $550 not going with them this time.
I run stock size standard load Grabber ATX on my 4Runner in southern New England, I can't say enough good things about them. They are surprisingly good in winter conditions even without studs, as well as the off-road conditions I put them in (except deep mud). Also extremely sure-footed in the wet. Treadlife has been fantastic, I have over 72k on mine with usable treadlife remaining.They will be getting replaced before the snow flies, but if it was spring I could probably run them all summer. Also, I haven't worried too much about the two-ply sidewall because the shoulder has a lot of rubber on it, which I feel protects the sidewall a little bit. I would run another set of these, except they do not come in the size that I want to run next.
The kuhmo is awesome for winter driving. Way better than falken and bfg. I owned them all and it's my favorite all around. Best tire I've had on my tundra.
Always a very good informative video. I wish the Hakkapeliitta LT3 came in a 37" x 11.5 or 12" wide, be great for my lifted Gladiator that I run 37" Baja Boss AT for the summer and 35" Toyo winters for 3 months in Ontario, Canada.
Where did you get your "fishing reel" style air hose kit? I've got on-board air in my Yukon XL and have been suffering trying to deal with twisting my hoses up by hand and storing them.
Looking to replace my stock third GEN Taco tires, and looking at the Nitto Terra Grappler G3’s because of their light weight. Most third GEN’s I see on the road have KO2s or Falcon AT3w’s. The only off-roading I do is in the months between November and January during the hunting seasons and those are on Ontario logging trails primarily, that do get sloppy sometimes. Any thoughts?
Just got the toyo at3 this summer on my Avalanche as recommended by the shop so far is great in snow but it just started in my area (Quebec) Canada we got pretty rough winter hopefully made a great choic as you didn't mentioned them
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Great video Nate. Almost perfect and one I’ve been waiting for for ages. I say almost perfect, but did I miss the Baja Boss? I was looking to compare the Falken, the BFG and the MT to see which suited me best. I’m erring towards the Falken, but the Boss seems like the boss. However, I’m not sure it’s available in the EU. Having said that, neither are the KO3 or AT4W yet. Anyhoo, thanks again.
One final thought. What do you think of as ‘Light’, ‘Medium’ or ‘Heavy’ Truck? I run a classic Land Rover Defender (so pre 2016, not that horrible, modern SUV blob). Its kerb weight is approx 2055kgs/4530lbs. Loaded up for daily driving, (permanent roll cage, roof rack, spare wheel carrier, 1 x pax) it’s probably closer to 2500kgs or 5600lbs. It’s not hugely powerful, in fact the opposite at about 175bhp from a lethargic diesel engine. It has a rear load capacity of 1000kgs/2200lbs, and a towing capacity of 3500kgs/7700lbs, both of which I occasionally use. So, when thinking about how you describe trucks in your videos, does that come under medium or heavy?
Keep up the great content. Never thought I’d become a tyre nerd.
Ta. 👍
It would help a lot to have a sign posted so we would know the brand of tire you are talking about. If you miss the introduction of each tire of forget it just by looking at the screen we won’t know. Thanks for all you do. Peter
Completely agree. If I look away from the screen for one second while doing something else I couldn’t determine what tire he was talking about
Please edit and rerelease!!
A rating chart like Project Farm would have been helpful. A link to the tests would be helpful as well.
I have the MT Baja Boss ATs on my truck for a year now, also in Idaho, and they have been awesome in snow and ice as well as rock. I'd buy them again if given the opportunity.
Have you had the same vehicle on true winter tires as comparison?
Been running the Mickys for the last year, and they have shown to be the BEST tire I've ever had. I used to love the Duratracs (for nearly 20 years), and absolutely hated the Ko2s after a couple years. I'm absolutely sold on the Baja Boss, and will most likely buy the same again.
Can you go into detail on why you like it better the Duratracs. Did the Duratracs offer anything over the Mickey’s?
@@Owens_Racing So, I'm going to preface this with the fact that I can only refer to my experience with the original Duratracs, pre-Duratrac RT. The original Duratracs (DT) were freaking awesome tires. They were great in the snow, in the wet, and on the trail. They were a bit weak in the mud department, especially clay-based mud. I drove and "raced" on DTs for nearly 20 years. DTs were known for sidewall failures, but I never once experienced that with the C-ply.
When I made the switch to the Mickey Thompsons (M/T) it was because of tire technology. The DTs had been around for a LONG time but had not seen an upgrade. I liked what I saw in the Baja Boss tread pattern and could recognize the similarity to the DTs with siping and block design. The M/Ts came with the addition of a couple decades of upgrades in rubber compounds, block support, stone ejectors, and more. The Baja Boss ATs are built on the same carcass as the Baja Boss MTs, so I knew the sidewall was also strong AF. The only difference between the M/T mud terrain and all terrain is the tread surface.
After about 15k miles on the M/Ts, I might argue that the wet performance of the DTs is better, but only slightly. If the M/Ts are an 8 in the wet, the DTs are 8.5. In the snow, if the DTs (original, w/o studs) were and 8, then the M/Ts would be an 8.5. The two tires are absolutely are on my list for the two best tires you can buy.
I went with the M/Ts because the new DT RTs are still not available in a 35. Stepping down to a 34 (or 295/70R17) today I might go to the new DT RT to save 10lbs per corner and regain some fuel mileage. I not certain how they can be so much lighter, but I suspect the missing weight is in the sidewall. That said, I've still not stuck a sidewall, so I think I'd be OK with that.
My use is all over the board. Year round use City Driving (PacNW, so it's WET), trail runs, overlanding, wee bit of rock crawling, and chasing rally cars down stage at speed (Ken Block, Travis Pastrana, etc). Duratracs were great. M/T Baja Boss ATs are great. (and i'll never run Ko2s ever again)
I suspect the difference with modern Duratrac RTs and Baja Boss ATs is splitting hairs. The downside to DT RTs might be sizing. The upside is unsprung weight. Neither are exactly cheap. It's a tough call. I wish I hadn't bought new wheels at 9" wide, because I think the 255/85 M/Ts would be dreamy for my setup. But, again, this size isn't in the DT RTs...
@@the_nothingthank you for the detailed reply.
@@the_nothing I have mounted two sets of M/T Baja Boss A/Ts in 255/85R17 in the last month. One set on a Duramax Dually and the other on a Ram 2500 on a new set of 9' wide wheels. Don't be afraid of the 255 on a 9" wheel, they looked great mounted, but I had to use a bead seater to seat the beads on every tire, but not a big deal. I questioned being able to run these tires on a stock dually wheel set up without spacers, but I ended up trying it and it worked!! There was still about 1/2 inch of clearance between the duals with the weight of the truck on them, about the same as my other 255's on my dually. My next set of tires for my dually will be the Baja Boss A/T because I really can't get excited about the Falken AT4W or the Toyo RT Trails that I have now. The Baja Boss A/T really out shines the Duratrac in the Mud!
@@davecamilleri9411 I'll keep that in mind the next time.
I've tried so many tire brands over the years and now I only run General tires on my vehicles. Grabber ATX on my Suvs in summer, General Altimax Arctics in winter and Grabber X3s on my Jeep. Best tires ive ever ran.
So far I’m loving my ATXs. Seem more durable and wear longer than my Toyo AT3s. However, I feel the toyos did better in the winter here in the Rocky Mountains. ATXs are not as good on the hard pack and ice
Finns know what's up when it comes to winter tires.. 💪
I run Nokian Outpost AT on my truck, and they are stellar. Slightly short on mileage rating, but no tire I've ever had comes close to acheiving their wear rating anyways. The Nokian Outpost AT do great on-road, do pretty well on snow, and not being studded, ice performance is... just... passable, but short of chains, ice is the bane of anything
General Grabber AT/Xs do
@@braaaaaaaaaaapdo what?
I've run the Duratracs in Canadian winter, climbed 14,000ft trails in Colorado, and driven the Baja. They work for my needs.
Good to hear. I just got a set for our Michigan winters.
I have Duratracs too. Been using it for 8 years (2 set). It doesn’t perform well in the rain. Deep snow not bad, dirt road very good, mud okay, icy road not so good unless you drive very slow. With that said it never got flat and always performed well. The thread depth is very good. Always looks new. I heard the side wall is not that thick, but have not had any issues.
Ran them before. Switch to Ridge Grappler and regret it. Going back to Duratracs on my next tire purchase.
I’m glad they worked for you, could never get mine to balance and they wore out in 25k
@@PocketMangathe duratracs are known for getting flats, my brother and friend had them and lots of flats, I was in the oil industry up north a few weeks back and a work truck had a flat,, when my brother and friend went to the ko2s they never got a flat..
I’m blown away that you rate KO2s so well for snow wheeling. I’ve driven tens of thousands of miles in all sorts of snow in Scandinavia and the US. I can’t think of a worse winter tire than the KO2. They’re outright dangerous on snow/ice and wet conditions. I’m on my second set of KO2s on my 5th gen 4Runner, and they are wonderful tires for off roading. Strong, durable, and dependable. But snow and ice? Outright dangerous.
Ko2 is rated low from me on Wet conditions for sure... ice it is average (KO3 is much better) but for snow wheeling I think maybe we are talking different things... I am talking in 3-5 feet of snow where your mission is to float and maintain snow on snow contact... a 39" BFG running at 2-4 PSI is a remarkable Snow wheeling tire.
Ok it makes more sense, I can’t comment on deep snow wheeling but on snowed in road with packed snow I agree with Henri they are just down right dangerous. I had to switch to dedicated winter tire for commuting. To me they don’t deserve their 3 snow peak rating at all
I guess you’re running bead locks if you can air down to 2-4 psi. With non bead locked 32” tires, I can’t go down that low.
I also have KO2 for summer - they are very, very bad in rain, snow etc.
For winter I use Yokohama's BluEarth Winter tyres that are far, far better.
Given my 2.5 years experience with BFG K02 I shall replace them in the spring with Falken AT4W.
@@codincoman9019 I’m going to have my first winter in AT4W. I’ll report back but I’m worried by the measured findings from Tyre Reviews and TFL
I’m sick and tired of putting on winter tires and then switching back to summer tires.
I chose Falken Wildpeak AT4W 265/75/16 for my 23 Tacoma TRD Off Road, double cab, 6’ bed for year round use.
We live in the mountains 5 miles from town on a private road that we have to plow and maintain ourselves.
We get 5-7 feet of snow every winter here in north central Washington state.
During the summer months im usually in the mountains getting firewood, or taking the truck to load up with topsoil, gravel or whatever we need for our 1/4 of a mountain property.
Yes they took down my fuel economy but for what I use my truck for, it simply is what it is.
Ya I drive from Canada to Florida every winter so I can't be constantly swapping tires. All terrains that are great in winter are what I need.
We don't even get snow where we live, I just enjoy your tire videos. Good watch.
Thanks 👍 Appreciate the support.
Great video. No snow or ice here but wet traction video would be right up my Alley
Same here 😂 just love learning the details that he provides on these videos
I live at 8600' altitude in Colorado so we get a good deal of snow. I bought a set of the Nokian Outpost nAT for our 1500 RAM in early October. My observations thus far is as follows: Road noise is a minimum increase over the Eagle Touring tires they replaced. Fuel MPG loss is
I too have NAT's on my Tundra and live in Colorado. In the ice/snow I have encountered, they seem to do pretty darn good. Wonder if it has a lot to do with the rubber compound? I am thinking of siping mine to get some added ice traction. Not sure if that is a good idea or not...
@@c3realestatesolutions528 You NATs are already siped so are you thinking of doing more? I had debated with myself between these NATs and the Faulken AT4s but Faulken changed the design from the AT3s and the rubber compound. The AT4s weight about 8 lbs more than the NATs but have a longer tread guarantee. My guess is the NATs are softer rubber compound which helps in the snow and ice and the lighter weight is definitely better on MPG.
@mtjag3138 Yes, considering more siping. Les Scwab does it for $17-20/tire. I too compared weights of tires, and the Nokians were much lighter than many others. Liked the look of the Baja Boss but those are really heavy for my half-ton, under-powered Tundra. Love the sidewall strength and load rating on the Nokians as I haul a 24' enclosed snowmobile trailer.
I too live at a similar altitude in CO. I've ran just about every tire you can think of on my hotshot truck (ram 3500 dually) I typically haul heavy loads 25k+ to remote mines in MT, ID, and WY. By far the best winter tires I've run are the Toyo open country AT3 CT. If you have a heavy truck they are amazing. I have the regular AT3s on my taco and they are great in the snow but are wearing really fast. I might try the Falcon wildpeaks next.
@@c3realestatesolutions528 we tow a 5800# camper is about all we tow, but that NAT sidewall guarantee was another sell feature we liked too.
I just dropped cash on the Mickeys, and I can't wait for the snow to hit. So far, I'm totally impressed with the wet traction.
It's the new king of A/T tires. Too bad so many BFG fanboys will never know how good an A/T tire can actually be.
For AT tires hands down Mickey Thompson tires are amazing and they look so good because of the aggressive design.
But then we pulled a bs check on expedition overland and bought x3s and now I can’t stop buying them 😂 pro4x Titan and 224runner running them now and when my sidexside needs new dot rated tires I will buy them for it also
I put them on my Suburban back in the spring and honestly rain, mud, sand, rocks I love these things.
I drive a promaster service van in the mountains of Alberta. At least 250 kms a day down to -40. I used to swap and have a specified winter tire for winter and I used the Hakkapeliitta. Recently I changed my summer tire to an outpost NAT since I’ve been having to climb some back roads to get to remote buildings. I left them on to try them for winter…they’re amazing. The most dangerous part of my driving is the snow planning I like to call it, when you get those huge dumps on the highway and your have those lanes you have to stay in or you get sucked around when you have to change lanes. The Outpost NAT is waaaaay better than the Hakkapeliitta at moving snow. Maybe I’m losing it but I can’t seem to see that much of a difference in the ice as well, and that’s going from two sets of Hakkapeliitta’s used just for winter, to Outpost Nat. I’ve used the Outpost Nat’s for now the second winter, and I’ll never go back to Hakkapeliitta’s. I’m also running around 8000lbs and it’s a front wheel drive. Just for reference.
Good info! I'm actually looking at those NATs as a possible next set of tires on my 4Runner. I went on a run a few months ago that was mostly gravel roads, the van in front of me was running them, they threw this neat little rooster tail of gravel out from the center of the tread. I asked the driver later about them, he said the van felt completely planted, meanwhile, my 4Runner felt a little squirrely at speed on the gravel, it took a concerning amount of time for it to actually respond to steering inputs.
Good thing hear.
I'm sliding around on my studded hakkapeliitta LT3, really curious if an all weather all terrain would be better, I do have a Baja boss AT for summer but been too chicken to try it for winter
Canadian here. I have Nokian Hakkas LT3 and nothing is comparable. I've even had studded Duratracs before, and those were beasts in the snow, but on ice, nothing literally beats Nokian.
For all the Americans stating the Falken and all other AT tires, etc. are "winter tires," you guys have no idea what you're talking about. You'e comparing a dedicated winter tire (Nokian) with random AT tires so you can go "rock crawling" in Utah from California.
I'm so ready to be happy on ice with my studded Hakka LT3s!
You are absolutely correct. The tipping point is how frequently the snow falls and how efficiently it gets cleared. I have gone with winter-rated ATs the past several winters in southern WI because I rarely face frequent heavy storms and the inability for road crews to clear snow. They're not as good, but adequate and the investment on pure snows hasn't been worth it for my 4runner. I always did on passenger cars, the 3 peak ATs have been good enough for what I need.
Someone needs to get Nokian making LT Hakks in 285/75R18s and such. E load
I have brand new LT3, and was disappointed in how much I slide and struggle in only 2-3" of snow, this is on a 1500 Silverado with at least 300lbs in the bed. Although my only comparison is on Subaru's best AWD car on blizzaks that never slide, 80k km 12year old bald blizzaks at that.
Alaskan here, drive a Montero with AT4W in 4wd on dirt, snow, ice, rain and hard-packed ice/snow and it performs fine. I break trail often and have been through 16 inches of fresh snow prior to the plow truck cleanings. My older Tahoe runs BFG KO2's without issue. I don't mind slipping a little here and there but every once in awhile the "black ice" will surprise you.
Excellent review! In any discussion of tires for use in winter, I don’t think you can ever emphasize enough the HUGE difference between a dedicated winter tire like the Nokian LT3 and the rest. I use this tire, and like his wife, it’s the one I trust to keep me and my family safe when regularly driving in snowy/icy conditions. It hooks up in packed snow and ice almost as good as a regular tire in the dry.
While 9 of the tires reviewed have what you might call “acceptable” packed snow performance for All-terrains (and better than anything else out there), and the studded versions give 2 of these legitimate winter snow/ice performance, only the LT3 has excellent cold/snow/ice performance (and in the stud-less version excellent cold/snow, good ice).
He aludes to it, but it’s also worth highlighting that all-weather and winter tires are not just for snow. They are designed for cold weather where temps are regularly below 45°F (7°C). The rubber compound in the tires are specifically formulated to stay soft and maintain their performance at colder temperatures. Where a summer or all-season or regular all-terrain tire will get hard as rock.
Love this content! Winter driving is some of the most fun driving you can do in my opinion. So I'm pretty passionate about good snow and ice traction. It's good to see a mixed comparison of typical truck tires along with non typical like the Nokian Hakkapeliitta. Those are very common in Sweden, unsurprisingly.
I’m glad you brought up the Boss AT. Absolutely the best tire I’ve ran the past couple decades. I’m on my 5th set to date & being I also live in ID, needing the ice/snow that also behaves in gravel/mud/street is very rare. I just wish they’d come out with a 37x12.5 18 in a 125+ load index for my Ram Cummins.
Now just imagine if they made them studable!?!
What country were your tires manufactured in?
Something I’ve always wanted to see was deep snow testing on a dedicated snow tire like the Nokian Hakkapelitta LT3. Testing always seems to be based on road maybe dirt road winter conditions but what happens in deep snow testing against something like a ko2 or ko3
That's a good question, I'm curious about that too. There's a channel called Truck King out of Canada, and when they get test vehicles in the winter, they're always on snow tires per Canadian law. They do actually seem to do pretty well on their off-road course with the snow tires, so I would be interested in seeing a dedicated test of that.
I'm getting my wife a pair of dedicated winter tires for her truck.
We live in North Dakota. Roads are ice covered most of the time.
Getting some 275/60R20 Blizzak DM-V2's this next Wednesday.
I liked the AT3WA's we had on the ram. We got 65k miles out of a 50k mile tire.
I'm probably going to put AT4W's on it in the spring. I bet we get over 75k miles out of them.
Duratracks, used them when I worked in the oilfield and never had a problem with getting around.
@@MontanaDirtRoads because you never tried proper snow tires.
Check out TFL where they tested the AT4W’s and they aren’t as good in winter as the AT3W’s, the KO3’s are now better.
@@GOLMINER2 no need if you know how to drive in the snow.
@@MontanaDirtRoads The usual answer of someone who doesn't know anything about driving in cold climates. Enjoy driving at half the speed limit and ending up in the ditch because the second it hits -20 your duratracs are as hard as a hockey puck
I was literally just going through your videos on this subject!!!!!!!! Cheers
Awesome
recently installed the Baja Boss's on my 5th gen 4runner, reside in midwest. Just had snow packed/icy road conditions and these did well, far better than KO2's that I ran on my last 4runner on road anyway. Looking to get these off road soon to keep trying different conditions. Definitely a dedicated winter tire for packed ice would be better but like it was stated there's always a compromise. Heavy tire, little more noise, still a decent ride but I bet they'll shine in almost any off road condition.
Always learn good stuff from your videos!
The Maxxis Razr AT is a beast in winter weather
You mentioned Nokian tire being hard to get. They are being made in Dayton TN. I use Rotiva and Hakkapellitta LT2 in WI, my son uses Outposts on his 4wd F150. I have no problem sourcing Nokians.
S.E. Michigan here and I will say that 255/85R17 Mickey Thompson Baja Boss A/T on my 2022 Jeep Gladiator Mojave are BY FAR the absolute BEST on-road winter driving setup on vehicle I have EVER owned. Narrower is BEST for on-road winter driving… period. No, they’re not winter specific tires (Blizzaks, etc.) and I understand this, but definitely my all time favorite A/T tires.
I hope more companies start making 35/10.00 tires. I have the 255/85R17 Baja Boss on my XJ build. I’d like to see some 37/11.00’s for HD trucks, too!
FYI, tread width on the 255/85 Baja Boss tires is the basically a typical 285 tread width. The 255’s just don’t have much side wall balloon (section width), which is great for suspension clearance on certain vehicles, or duallies.
I've been running the Milestar Patagonia A/T pros for the last two seasons and they work great in the snow!
First trip with my Nitto grappler G3 my mileage was down 20%. I was pretty disappointed. Called Nitto they suggested 36psi on my 265/70r/17 XL G3's on a 2020 Toyota off road 4Runner. Aired up to 36psi again I'm at 20+ mpg. Very happy! Quiet comfort and noise is great. Can't wait to run them in snow here in Minnesnowta
Psi is a big factor people forget, for MPG and traction.
I road raced motorcycle in the ama, learned all about many tires. These Nittos are very good I think, dare I say a bench mark.
Great video. Longtime nokian hakkapeliitta fan here for dedicated winter tire. Its surprisingly good on forest service roads gravel/mud. Run 235/80r17 in '18 4runner for winter
I was thinking some light offroading wouldn't be out of the question with them
Drive safe
Great choice. Been using the Nokian LT2s for the longest time myself up here in Norway, now running LT3s on the same truck(Studded 235/85R16 on a '06 Defender). They shrug off anything in the winter, well worth the money if you are running on anything that looks like a road. Also, happy to see proper winter tires included in a review.
Agree with your assessment of the Nokian outpost. Ran it for a year and a half on my 200 series. Great in deeper snow, rode well, quiet at speeds, but poor poor performance in hardpack snow and ice. After one too many letdowns in the CO high country I bought some actual winter tires. General grabber artic LT. I’d never run a true snow tire before. It’s like cheat mode. It’s ridiculously good in those hardpack snowy/icy situations. Just wish it came in larger sizes. Did not opt for studded as I see a variety of conditions, but you can stud them. I can only imagine how crazy good those hakkapelitas are! I also share the same experience with KO2s in deep snow.
The outpost is basically Nokians first true AT, which is confusing becasue with the name nokian on it I just assume it is great in snow and Ice... but this one is targeting the true AT market... it isn't bad in snow but obvioulsy they have better.
In Alaska, the Nokias are horrible after they see a couple of 6 month winters. Thru wear down too fast.
Love this! I’ve been researching and researching. This in depth review is excellent. Thank you
Hey man I love your videos and learn so much from them and this is going to help me with my own tires for the future and I can now teach others! Awesome video thank you for putting in all the effort
Love these tires reviews, keep them coming. Good information, I am leaning toward a set of AT4W for my next set.
Check out “the fast lane” they tested 3 tires and the Falken AT4 sucked in snow
@@davidstewart9669I was going to comment this too. It was surprising how the AT4W’s and KO3’s switched places from their predecessors.
I winter in eastern Idaho where I drive the two tracks in a 2014 tundra hunting. Used your recommendations of the past. Tried to get Mickey Thompsons for winter but tire store couldn't find a whole set. They did have falken arw 4's though. $150 less for the set. So far I like the way they drive on the hwy. Only December 2 so haven't had any real snow & ice off-roading yet, but they have held up great on the lava rocks. Much better tire than the previous KO2's I had. Thanks for the review
Here's something I would really love to see from you; Actually put them on your rig and do some real world tests in them. Because you can talk all about them but you'll never really know how they actually perform unless you go and drive them. They can even be simple test in your driveway or something (I don't know how long of a driveway you have), or a county road. Just some simple breaking and acceleration tests would do a huge job of showcasing the tires.
I have driven all these tires… a lot… you are hearing the conclusions… showing me drive down the driveway isn’t going to prove anything. This video is already 30+ minutes without me adding time of me driving all these tires
Also why would a RUclipsr do breaking and accelerating tests? There are no less than 20 independent organizations that do this for all tires in closed tracks, controlled environments… pre set variables, professional drivers… if that’s what you want use one of those outlets… despite all that information being available to the public we still have people buying dry traction speciality tires for the PNW where it always rains, we have people buying Mud tires cause the think they are (better at everything) the problem isn’t lack of a guy slamming on his brakes and measuring with a tape measure… the problem is a complete lack of understanding tires and what a specific set is made to be good at… those are the videos I make and will continue to make… if you want braking distances subscribe to consumer reports or one of the other organizations that does all that testing in far more scientific capacity then I can.
I live in Nova Scotia and we get a tone of ice every winter, I have dedicated winter tires on all my vehicles and I run the General Grabber's on my F150 and Jeep JT, they do perform very well with the studs. I tried the KO2's but found that they had very poor traction on ice and wet snow, everyone I know says the same, I have not tried the KO3's because the General Grabbers with the studs are so good.
Your tire reviews are awesome. Thanks so much!
Thank you. These are the videos that actually help.
i’ve been waiting for this one ever since the KO3 and AT4W came out. Love your videos
Forgot to mention... thank you for this video my friend. God bless
When I was a kid, snow tires all had studs, or chains on trucks and cars.
When these were banned snow tire development improved quite a bit , and I think a top end winter snow tire for snow is pretty good,
However nothing beats a studded snow tire. We were up in the subarctic and the roads are frozen for the entire winter and without studded tires driving is a challenge.
Most of the serious truckers in these places have dedicated winter studded tires and install them in December and remove them in March/April. I’ve driven with all different types of tires, and for snow and ice the addition of studs is very superior.
I just got my Nokian Hakkapelitta LT3s based on your discussion and these sure seem beefy! The stud layout on the tire must have a scientific pattern but I don't understand it, however, I trust Nokian's expertise. Now I'm ready to tackle the black ice and backroads in southern Oregon!
They are pretty crazy tires … just looking at the tread design, it’s crazy the amount of science going into a tire like that…
Yay! I've been waiting for this video ever since I emailed you about winter traction a few weeks ago! Thanks so much!
I've Run the KO2s for 50 000kms, down to 12/32 from a new of 15/32nd. The KO2 when new is good in the snow, but ONLY deep snow, it is down right terrible on packed snow or ice. I mean absolutely awful, impossible to get out of my driveway in 2wd on and F150 on hard icey snow. It's deep snow traction will also last only one year.
Since then, I've run the Good Year Duratrac, and Toyo AT3, both for now 60 000km each. The Duratrac is definitely the best AT tires I've ever used in the snow, however i am now on year 5 and while there is lots of tread left (13/32) ,but they have gone hard, and snow traction is getting bad, but still better than the KO2.
The KO3 looks to be a very marginal improvement and the Tires sales reflect that, Toyo and Falken have taken all of BFGs' market share.
The Toyo AT3 has been good all around , except damp, cold roads.
Im tempted to try the Falken AT4s, however their weight is a fuel economy kkiller and I daily drive 75km of pavement.
I am also a Tire retailer, with 10 years of experience , articularly in truck tires.
If price is no issue, The Duratrac is by far your best choice.
If Fuel economy and overall performance are both considerations. The Toyo AT3 is the best AT out there.
12Ply BFG KO Series.
Just bought the 12ply KO3. 295/75/16 A/T
Last set of KO2s I bought in 2015 put 109K miles on them
1997 FZJ80
Lake Tahoe Ca.
TFL did a short test of the AT4W and KO3 in the snow. And on braking the AT4W braked 100 ft past the KO3. Pretty interesting result they got.
I have seen the test results from multiple 3rd part companies that only test tires and none of them reflect TFL's results... so my hunch is TFL isn't using a ver scientific method of testing braking.
@OutdoorAuto , yeah they run the truck down the same stretch of road and slam the brakes on.
The second tire is running on the ice created by the first tire.
Nothing scientific about it.
Those guys are just out screwing around trying to create content.
TFL don't have a clue. That was an absolute unscientific test that doesn't line up with any other published test results. Rather than accept that fact and not publish, they put out the bs video for clicks. Lost a lot of credibility from that.
The Pacific NW crew loved the at3w for decent winter traction, but more for superior wet traction vs ko2. The ko2 was pretty much better everywhere else. The at4w is worse for winter traction vs the at3w, but better in other areas. The ko3 improved winter traction, which is why it provided notable improvement vs an at4w. But the Falken fan boys are really butt hurt for some reason. Im not sure why people cant just look at a bunch of tires and buy based on what they prioritize. Neither the ko2 or the at3w was a top winter AT, if winter traction was a priority, those 2 tires are not it. It seems the ko3 is trying to get closer to the winter performance of some of the top 3 peak AT tires.
@@getinthespace7715nope. They moved over to fresh snow. I watched the video.
I had BFG K02s and they are superior to the sucky slippery Fakem Wildsliders.
I've plowed snow over 30 years and I've used them all. Cooper at3 is by far the best
Yokohama Geolander AT-XD. I don't expect it to be best but its a commercial HD tire. Just put them on my 19 power wagon after having the X-AT's for 55k miles and loving them.
I am a big fan of a lot of companies commercial tires for larger trucks... Toyo has a couple I really like.
You gave me all the info I’ll ever need and yet I still don’t know what tire I want! Lol so many things to consider for someone as picky as me 😅
Me too, I think I’m getting the Mickey Thompson Baja Boss AT. They offer the best of everything. People often agree they are the most aggressive AT tire on the market
Good information, I have run Coopers and Toyo tires and are great mud tires but lacked in the snow. I have stepped over to the KO3's and hope they perform good in the snow for my snow camping trips.
beast mode, this gonna be HUGE
Oh awesome, the exact content video I desire. Driving on snow is key for me in tire selection.
Any opinions on the nitto ridge grappler 38x11.5 instead of 38x12.5 on a Jeep?
I know this is apples to oranges, but 12 years of winter driving in my Subaru, plowing snow with my front bumper, towing and hauling way over 2,000lbs on a untouched snowy logging road with sipes worn bald left with only big treads on my blizzaks and never struggled, little tire spin at times and it pulls out. Got a 1500 Silverado, slapped on brand new hakkapeliitta LT3 studded tires, and I slip on 3" of snow, had to throw it in 4WD to slowly crawl out. Went off-road once and was STRUGGLING HARD in 6 inches of snow, had to forward reverse multiple times to move down the trail. this was in 4WD and locked rear axle at 20psi, but I had no steering, kept plowing straight no matter what steering angle, this was with at least 350lbs in the bed. I can't imagine people offroading in these trucks/SUV with non-true-winter all terrains
Good info. I run the Mickey Thompson Baja Boss AT, they are my favorite.
If I could only run 1 AT tire it would probably be the Mickey.
@@OutdoorAuto I heard the Baja Boss can be difficult to balance. Do you have any experience with this? Additionally I would be running them on my F350. I’m a little concerned about them being a D rated tire. I wish Mickey Thompson would release a 37/12.50R17 E rated tire.
Really appreciate your reviews. Thank you for taking the time to do them. Can you consider a review of the Yokohama Geolandar A/T4 G018 sometime? Can't find any good reviews out there for them!
I've hand sipped (angle grinder) and studded a set of 40% worn out Trail Grapplers 37's... well, I can say that now I'm able to drive them, it's a huge difference, braking distance reduced from infinite to pretty acceptable. Anyway, I'm downsizing to a set of 35" true winters, it's just not worth the risk.
My bar is low for tires. I’ve run a tire on my 13 ram I never see on top lists. A cooper at4s for the last 4-5 years. It’s good in the snow, ok on ice and bad in the wet. It wears ok-ish. But I got them $99 each so I couldn’t pass up the deal. My next set will probably be a duratrac rt unless I get another great deal somewhere
Love the assessment! Like others I wish there was a head to head battle but also understand how that would really just blow the scope of the test out of proportion. Living in Central Oregon I have a 4x4 for trail use, wood cutting, winter conditions and occasionally hauling long distance. This makes it difficult to find a tire that really does everything well without going to dedicated tires. The Mickey Thompson comes close but without studs no way it will grip on ice as I am used to. Would love dedicated sets as extreme winter weather is one of it's primary purposes but hard to justify the expense given it would probably only be used for maybe 2k miles a winter given most miles are on a winter tired FWD with double the MPG of the 4x4. Decisions, decisions, decisions...
Damn - this is the video I’ve been waiting for!! About to buy tires up here in the PNW
I’m surprised the Coopers are not included In this test, they are an excellent tire.
Yes, same here. I thought similarly about the Firestone Destination XT. He is paying out of his own pocket tho
They were, the Mickey T Baja Boss are Coopers.
I appreciate all your tire reviews! They’re very thorough and in depth. Would you mind doing a tire review over the Cooper Stronghold AT? Possibly a comparison with the Falken AT4W?
Awesome video! I too like the General Grabber ATX with studs as a winter tire and installed a set last year on my wifes Yukon Denali for winter use with studs because she likes the confidence they instill. I had also installed a set of the Generals on my daughters 2003 Duramax pickup a few years ago with the prior set being Goodyear Duratracs. Hands down the Generals were much better than the Duratracs especially after the Duratracs had worn a bit because the sipes were not full depth. I used to have access to Nokians and they are great tires, but my warehouse discontinued them. Another great choice is the General Altimax artic that has a tread design similar to the Nokians, directional and pinned for studs. The Hankook I Pike was another great winter tire in normal tire sizes but they haven't been available for the last two years, so I am not sure of the issue with them. Fireston Winterforce is another directional studable winter tire that perform well. My favorite all terrain tire for everything is the Mickey Thompson Baja Boss A/T, I have many sets on customer's trucks and they all love them with the exception of mileage loss due to the weight. I am intrigued by the new Nitto, it looks good, but I have had bad luck with Nitto tires holding up on Wyoming roads due to the chip seal on the asphalt, they just don't seem to last well. I am interested to see how they hold up for you! Right now I am testing two different sets of tires on my personal 23 Duramax Denali Dually, one set of the Falken A/T4 in 255/80R17 and another set of Toyo R/T trail in 255/80R17. First experience with the Falken A/T4 is that I have rebalanced them three times in about 5,000 miles. They are much noisier than I expected at slow speeds but quiet down as I go faster. They don't seem to be wearing great, as they have gone from 17/32 to 14/32nds on the rears and 15/32nds on the fronts. The Toyo's probably aren't doing any better with about the same wear on the rears with similar mileage, but the Toyo's have much better off road traction in this size. Most of my miles on this truck are towing heavy. Hopefully we get more snow this year than last year for some good comparisions, because last year we had very little snow.
From Alaska: any “all season” or “all terrain” will suck on ice/ packed snow compared to a true winter tire.
They are a compromise.
On my daily drivers and wifes Sequoia: Blizzaks or Studs.
On my JT Rubicon: show me a true winter tire in 35” or 37” and I’d take it over any A/T for winter.
You found any good true winter tires in 37” I want to know about them. The general grabber with studs is about the closest I’ve found.
You can get the Hakkas in 315/70-17... I'm running 37" MT's on my Rubicon and now moving to a true winter set, basically the only options are the Hakkas 315/70 or the "New Mutant Arctic" on 35" but... who know if they're any good. Both studded, I'm in central BC and we have some nasty icy roads on -40c.
@@OutdoorAuto Venom Ice Hunters on 37... good? Apparently nobody knows
I put the Hakka LT3 (non-studded) in 315/70R17 on my Yukon last winter and while they don't cut through slush like the 235/80R17 Blizzak W965 I previously had on my Sierra, they are at least equal (and perhaps superior) to the Blizzak in every other measure of traction. The only other negative is they are loud on some wet surfaces, which I suspect just reflects how much water they are moving to keep a 315 in contact with the road.
Big miss by not having the new Bridgestone A/T Ascent, they look to have the most potential for winter/snow capability of any A/T tire. Great review though!
I've been using the Toyo Open country dedicated winter tire. A great all-terrain design with dedicated winter compound and siping. Comes in a 10 ply 80 PSI tire for full capacity on a one ton truck.
i put the trail terrains on my f150 because i mostly stay on the road and maybe go on a occasional dirt road and last winter they performed great drove in the snow and ice and worked amazing for what i expected
The biggest thing preventing me from looking at the Duratrac RTs is how shallow the sipes are. While most others use full depth sipes, Goodyear does not. What use is great winter traction if you lose it after 20,000 miles?
overall the goodyears issues is related to wear... it gets really loud, it had issues with uneven wear... I think as a dedicated snow/winter tire it is good because it essentially date codes out before it wears out... but for a tire you will wear down to the wear lines... there are better options.
@@OutdoorAuto yeah, I mean I won't run my tires below like 6/32nds. Still, I just need the winter performance to be great throughout the life of the tire because I use my truck to get up to the Colorado mountains for skiing/snowboarding and also winter camp a lot. If not for those sipes I might have tried them.
Glad I found your channel.. Great info, well presented. Thanks for the time and effort you put into these.
Thanks for watching and for the feedback.
Do you plan to test any of the Cooper brand tires? I would like to see how they stack up against these others brands as well in Offroad and winter and whatever else you have planned in the future awesome tire comparison videos to help my buy decisions!
Mickey Thompson is Cooper.
@@fishinguns4975 Ya wouldn't mind seeing some Cooper St Maxx or pros as well tho
What do you think of copper SST MAXX. I have had great success on my Dodge 3500 Diesel 4x4. Just had them sipe and studded . Bullet proof
Another great video, thank you!!
Great content as always. 1 level up would be adding chapters to your videos
Love my Toyo ATIII’s - interesting everyone I talked to had them at #1. Always love different peoples opinions
Toyo ATIII is a good tire, I have run through a full set of them but they are not close to #1 on most of the winter stats... they aren't bad... but there are 3rd party, independent organizations with controlled environments, professional drivers and the Toyo is just middle of the pack on a lot of scores... I am not a big fan of opinions... I tend to look up the stats and am a big advocate of using a tire for what it was actually designed specifically for....
Unfortunately, no studs in WI, so being new to winter driving (moved up from FL) I looked for a good snow/ice tire for my 1/2 ton.
In the 265/65-18 size, choices were slim. I rolled the dice with the new Toyo Observe GSI-6 which seems to be new, but look at that siping and directional tread.
*oops, can't attach photo*
They did quite well in the one day of snow and slush we've had so far.
Strangely, after 2000 miles, they still have the nipples on the outer lugs - at the truck specified 35 psi.
FWIW I think you made a good choice
I live in the midwest and travel coast to coast in all seasons. Something I have learned in trying to select a tire to fit my needs. Every tire is a compromise on performance in many different facets of conditions. I just do not have to money or space to keep an extra set of tires, so I put safety on my first pillar in selecting the best tire. I drive in heavy rain, heavy snow, icy and black ice, dirt gravel, and lots of dry. I also tow an enclosed trailer that can wear softer compond tires quickly. I was fond of Michelin tires for ride comfort, but I kept having problems in light mud. I am using K02's now, but they suck holding traction on wet pavement, but surprisingly, they are decent in fresh snow as they pack well holding on snow. I am now looking to replace K02's soon. More to consider and research.
What one of these is the best snow tire? Mtn. Roads deep snow?
I just put Toyo Open Country at3’s on my SUV. Great on snow imo. 👨🏻🦳👍🏻
Im glad you went over the baja boss at's bcuz i dont see alot of info on them or ppl really running them. I purchased a set for my 4x4 suburban i use as a daily and overland/hunting rig. I had the wildpeak at3ws and it honestly is hard to match them but i was pleasantly surprised with how good these mickeys are! Dry traction and rainy traction are great, they are fairly quiet to be honest, and offroad im in love with how confident i can drive and move around off the beaten paths. The only condition i havent had them in is snow/ice and im hoping to experience that soon. Honestly a great all around tire
In coastal southeast VA we rarely get snow, but having a good all around tire is crucial. We get snow further west, I like to play in it with my Ram 2500, and your reviews help significantly.
Driving a Wrangler in Canada I thought I could get away with a BFG Trail Terrain in the winter. That tire is dangerous on compressed snow and ice and I had to get dedicated winters. Nokian Hakkapeliitta. Very happy now. 4x4s still need winter tires. Maybe not if you're only dealing with deep snow all the time.
What about the Hakkapeliitta lt3s stuffed on a daily driver that goes to the mountains on the weekend? I would like to do studded but it think it might be overkill. They have a non studded that might work
I am putting the LT3's on My wife's vehicle because she is a big skier, so it is all about maximizing safety for her and the kids... so Yes, I definitely think that is a good use case for those tires... studded or non studded
The ATX served me well even without studs. But now that my truck getting heavier I might convert to Load range E. Firestone Dest XT looks appealing.
Be good to know how the Falken RT manages in snow and all around, as that is generally lighter than most other RT tires and seems a decent choice.
I love the RT for offroad but it is not great in most winter conditions
Good timing on this video. My gladiator I’m on 37” ko2’s and I snow wheel occasionally and often in deeper than a foot of snow, I really don’t like the winter highway performance. The Nokian is tempting but it’s small. I like the duratrac rt as well but again small. The general atx might be worth looking into. I’m way into the far north of B.C so we get-40 temps and blizzard dry snow and lots of really hard ice
Yukon here. Spent years running AT tires in the winter until I drove a buddy's 3500 with actual studded snow tires on FSR's and mining roads. Proper snow tires are a game changer but from what I've gathered, more fragile so you gotta be on top of when you change them if you run on sharp, rocky roads as the sidewall protection isn't as good as on AT's.
@ I get the advantages of good winter tires. But I also snow wheel in 4-6 feet of snow and go places most others don’t , often with kids with me and there’s no replacement for absolute tire size. That’s the dilemma
Try the new KO3s. Just put a new set on my F150. Excellent wet traction performance. Reinforced center for high torque. Better cornering and handling. Easy balancing and good in the snow here in Indiana. I'm really impressed by them and I highly recommend them. To each his own. 🤣
I really like my KO3s in the snow, but last week they completely broke free on black ice and I was driving slowly. I just went whole hog and got the Nokian Hakka LT3s with studs. I'm looking forward to not being surprised on ice again.
The absolute best Alaska all season tires I ran on my 3/4 and 1 ton pickups was discontinued by BFG. Those were the BFG All Terrain Commercial TA Traction. They were studable, but I never studded them. The BFG AT K02s suck in the winter.
I'm glad your WildPeaks held up well. Mine have less than 15000 miles on them and they are 2/3 gone. Ram 1500 70% road . Also they are the worst snow tires I have had. Not even as good as the Goodyear all seasons that came on it brand new.
I used a Hakkapeliitta LT 3 on my 06 Silverado and they were phenomenal on compact snow and ice in Montana. KO 2 were great in deep snow, the Nokian allowed you to not use 4x4 most of the time and I ran them studless. Love Nokian. I also use the Nokian R5 on our SUV.
It really is a ridiculously good tire if you can manage having a dedicated winter set of tires....
Just put on a set of Rubitechs which have a little more noise than the Kumos we just put on other 1/2 ton. , nittos worn to quick, hated duratrac for noise, Ko2 my last 2 sets was king but but saved about $550 not going with them this time.
I run stock size standard load Grabber ATX on my 4Runner in southern New England, I can't say enough good things about them. They are surprisingly good in winter conditions even without studs, as well as the off-road conditions I put them in (except deep mud). Also extremely sure-footed in the wet. Treadlife has been fantastic, I have over 72k on mine with usable treadlife remaining.They will be getting replaced before the snow flies, but if it was spring I could probably run them all summer. Also, I haven't worried too much about the two-ply sidewall because the shoulder has a lot of rubber on it, which I feel protects the sidewall a little bit. I would run another set of these, except they do not come in the size that I want to run next.
The kuhmo is awesome for winter driving. Way better than falken and bfg. I owned them all and it's my favorite all around. Best tire I've had on my tundra.
Makes sense… the other two are designed to be all around tires including off-road… the Kimho is pretty specific to winter.
Always a very good informative video. I wish the Hakkapeliitta LT3 came in a 37" x 11.5 or 12" wide, be great for my lifted Gladiator that I run 37" Baja Boss AT for the summer and 35" Toyo winters for 3 months in Ontario, Canada.
That would be awesome... Oversized snow tires are rare
Where did you get your "fishing reel" style air hose kit? I've got on-board air in my Yukon XL and have been suffering trying to deal with twisting my hoses up by hand and storing them.
I got it from here www.apexdesignsusa.com/?srsltid=AfmBOopTpk4z65TA5z2dJIp0cg8cnP3Eo1I4hfytGOSdYSTDW8Q_4dAj
Love my Hakkapeliitta LT3 on my fulltime 4WD FJ Cruiser during the winter months.
Personally I’ve only have experience with one of those brands that you’ve mentioned, but I think the Kenda klever at2 is arguably a great winter tire
Looking to replace my stock third GEN Taco tires, and looking at the Nitto Terra Grappler G3’s because of their light weight. Most third GEN’s I see on the road have KO2s or Falcon AT3w’s. The only off-roading I do is in the months between November and January during the hunting seasons and those are on Ontario logging trails primarily, that do get sloppy sometimes. Any thoughts?
Just got the toyo at3 this summer on my Avalanche as recommended by the shop so far is great in snow but it just started in my area (Quebec) Canada we got pretty rough winter hopefully made a great choic as you didn't mentioned them