Best tire choice??

[Gnarvan]

I run a LT265-75-16 tire. It looks like the terra grappler is one of the few Nitto makes that would work for me. The tread on the Terra Grappler is similar to my tire of choice these days. The Les Schwab Open Open Country XTX Sport. One nice feature of the XTX Sport is its considered a traction device like some of the Blizzak ice and snow tires.

[E350]

Just an update.*

We went with the Michelin LTX® M/S2 LT265/70R17/E. **

Put them on just before our trip from Sacramento to Idaho and back in July.

I am very impressed with how they handled towing a boat, with the boat trailer and the van fully loaded for a week long camping/fishing trip.

They are very surefooted even at high speeds (neither Nevada nor Idaho seem to have a lower speed limit for towing like California).

They are a mud and snow rated tire which (at least on my wife's Dodge Dakota pickup truck) work great on snow and ice (Highway 50 two lane road 6000-8000 ft elev, Tahoe Area). I have separate wheels with studded snow tires for the van for Winter, but if we have a wimpy Winter like last, I will likely keep these on through Winter.

*(It always leaves me wondering when people ask their questions, get answers from others, but never update to state what they did and what their results were.)

** "NOTE: The LTX M/S2 Highway All-Season tire is NOT a dedicated winter / snow tire. It does NOT meet the severe snow traction requirements and is NOT branded with the mountain/snowflake symbol." From:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp ... e=Michelin

[depark]

Originally Posted by E350

We went with the Michelin LTX® M/S2 LT265/70R17/E.

I have to agree with you that the LTX's are a great summer tire. They are quiet and track well when the van is towing my 26' pontoon boat. I will caution you about their winter performance. In my experience/opinion they suck! They have little to no traction in snow and ice. I live in Kelowna, BC and there are many hills here in the area (Mountains). When I first got them I thought to myself "These look like they would be great winter tires". I couldn't have been more wrong. The first skiff of snow (less than 2") that fell I found out just how bad they were and couldn't get a set of winter studded tires. I have a small incline to get into the townhouse complex that I live in and could not make it up with those tires. Use them in the summer, dedicated winters are your friend in the snow.

Cheers
Darryl

[IheartDieselVans]

Originally Posted by Ford_6L_E350

Herb,

That's an interesting tire.

I'm close to replacing my Michelin LTX AT's and that Nitto is a possibility. Thanks for the heads up.

Mike

What did you end up replacing those with? I bought the LTX AT2 partly on your recommendation and I've loved them. They're quiet, don't seem to have impacted my MPG and offer a decent amount of traction.

In AK I run carbide studs on all my vehicles in the winter, many of the roads are packed now/ice for 5 months or so, and it's well worth it, especially once you talk about towing. In fact, that's why I sold my sprinter and went with a Ford/4x4 conversion. If I was staying down here in Utah, I think the AT2s would be fine all year, they seem to do pretty well in the snow. Once I get up north I'll be in the market for some teflon Mojave wheels and 4 carbide studs....yikes that's going to cost.

If you spend a lot of time in the snow, especially with hills and/or towing, I highly recommend studs if you've never tried them. They're 'almost' like driving on pavement.

[Ford_6L_E350]

For now, I'm still running AT2's. And, I still like them.

Mike

[E350]

Darryl: Kelowna, eh? Been to Rossland, Nelson, Trail, Castlegar, Ymir, Kamloops, Fernie, Golden, Revelstoke (not in order of travel) and a bunch of other absolutely beautiful towns in BC and Ainsworth and Radium and Fairmont hot springs . . . So been all around Kelowna but never there. Until then, More Beers to You!

IHeartDieselVans: Carbide studs! For years, I have been running the Hercules Trail Digger MT (they've got premolded holes for studs). Their open tread doesn't clog up with powder and turn into a slick like a true East Coast studded ice tire does in my area. They are soft, so don't expect a lot of mileage from them. Thanks for the suggestion, if I can find them, my next set will have carbide studs!

And I agree with both of you, an E350 4x4 conversion with the weight of a diesel engine in the front with open treaded studded snow tires is like a tractor when its in 4-wheel drive.

Any suggestions for other studded snow tires would be greatly appreciated.

http://herculestire.com/catalogHercules ... gerMT.html

[IheartDieselVans]

I've heard that some places don't allow carbide since they chew up the roads badly. In AK many of the highways develop trenches that require resurfacing every few years. I've heard that in these places, they'll sell you aluminum studs. You can imagine how long these would last. It seems silly to me, aluminum is so soft they'd be worn down by the time you got home! Make sure you find out what you're buying.

Admittedly, I've never tried Blizzaks or other non-studded snow tires. A lot of people swear by them, and make them sound quite good. They're really popular up north, since many people don't like changing their tires over twice/year. I've even had tire store guys tell me they're just as good as studs, but I find that hard to believe.

[Carl]

I recently switched from the Nitto Terra Grappler to BFG AT's. Went from 295/70/18 up to a 325/65/18. both E rated. I liked the Nitto's but found them real bad in any mud at all.(even wet grass) The BFG's run at lower pressures and I calculated for each the ideal pressure based on my actual weight front/rear. The BFG's are much better in any offroad situation so far. Sand, mud, and even rain, for sure. They also ride better and make less noise. (I realize partly due to being new vs. 10k on other set) they are also smoother feeling in the steering wheel. I plan to rotate the 5 tires every 5k. Based on my last set of AT's, they were the best "all around" tire I've had which is why they're the standard others seem to measure against.

[E350]

"I've even had tire store guys tell me they're just as good as studs, but I find that hard to believe."

I've been told that as well. In my experience it is simply not true. Highway 80 over Emigrant Gap into Truckee was so rutted that it was scary to drive. But it was not from studs. Studs get a bad rap. No one but emergency vehicles and me and a few others use studs in California. It is likely from snow chains. Snow chains put a lot more metal on the pavement (and thus likely do more damage) than studs do. Studs are just easier because you change tires in November and April and you are done. (They are currently repaving Emigrant Gap with concrete poured (it looks like) two feet thick.)

Pursuant to California Vehicle Code section 27454, the following is permitted:

"(e) Pneumatic tires containing metal-type studs of tungsten carbide or other suitable material and which are so inserted or constructed that under no conditions will the number of studs or the percentage of metal in contact with the roadway exceed 3 percent of the total tire area in contact with the roadway, between the first day of November and April 30. The commissioner, after consultation with the Department of Transportation, may extend the period during which studded pneumatic tires may be used in any area of the state for the protection of the public because of adverse weather conditions.

(f) Pneumatic tires used on an authorized emergency vehicle, as defined in Section 165, containing metal-type studs of tungsten carbide or other suitable material, if the studs are so inserted or constructed that under no conditions will the number of studs or the percentage of metal in contact with the roadway exceed 3 percent of the total tire area in contact with the roadway. Notwithstanding subdivision (e), authorized emergency vehicles are permitted the unrestricted use of studded pneumatic tires throughout the year."

(Although we do get snow ocasionally in June, I hear the Sheriff's vehicles driving around with studs well into July some years.)

I know my studs are steel so maybe they are already tungsten carbide. In any event, studs are not for everyone. You gotta be in the snow alot to justify the price. However, IMO unless you want to put chains on your 4x4, you can't get much better than a heavy vehicle with four wheel drive and a narrow studded open tread tire in the snow.

And driving around on a Winter set of tires for the half the year, makes my Summer tires last longer.

[Ultrasport12]

Studded tires are UNSAFE on any roads (especially wet) except ice or packed snow covered. Once the snow and ice are gone even a 10,000 pound van will slide much farther trying to stop under heavy braking with studs trying to hold the rubber up slightly off the road surface. Cornering is also diminished with the use of studs. More and more states are banning them because of safety and road damage issues.

If you are using studed tires please be very careful.