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Dry/Wet/Snow Tire Reccomendation

4K views 6 replies 7 participants last post by  Xteski 
#1 ·
I have BFGoodrich Radial Long Trails on my 2008 Xterra S 4x4 that have 50,000 miles on them and have performed well despite only being rotated 4 times. I am looking for tires that performs well on pavement (wet or dry) as well as in snow and are not extremely noisy at highway speeds. I don't drive in dirt, rocks or sand at all, not counting a gravel road. I will also put my chains on the front tires if the snow is heavy, mostly so I can avoid other cars sliding on the road, but I don't want to have to put them on in just a few inches when I am driving around town.

I have been doing some research and have looked at BFG Rugged Trails and Rugged Terrains, Bridgestone Dueler Revo 2's, Nitto Terra Grapplers and Kelly Safari ATRs as well as a few others. The main problem I am having is that most of the reviews I have looked at say they don't perform well in snow or on wet roads even though they are advertised as all-terrain tires that are excellent in wet/snow conditions. They either slide easily in the rain or the tread patterns fill in with snow making them perform as if they were bald.

Does anyone have any recommendations on what to get or what to stay away from?

Thank you all for your help,
Cheers
 
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#2 ·
Check out the Cooper Discoverer ATPs. Basically what you are looking for is something with a lot of siping. Most tires can be additionally siped for an extra fee, but I don't think that you want that extreme. The siping allows for evacuation of water in wet conditions, and it also becomes clogged with snow in snowy conditions, giving better grip in the snow. It is much easier for snow to grip snow than it is for cold rubber to grip snow. I have the BFG AT KO and while they were alright in snow and rain, I will not be getting them again due to their poor balancing ability. Also check out the Hankook Dynapro ATM. Staying with an AT tire will get you better siping. Stay with the stock size tires also if you are wanting to fit chains on the truck.


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#3 ·
Duratracks don't have a ton of siping but I've had them for two NE winters and feel they are amazing in our conditions. We get shosh, heavy snow, ice, and powder and never seemed to have a problem. They are designed for 'sever weather conditions' in mind.
 
#6 ·
More "this is what I have" but I've had the Hankook Dynapro ATMs and BFG ATs (not those BFGs you were looking at- go for the AT KOs) and they both do great in the snow. Duratacs are also a great choice, they'll do better in deep snow because of the bigger voids.

Also, never had an issue balancing my BFG ATs. They ride super smooth and quiet and last forever. Have 11,000 on mine and they've worn about 1/32".
 
#7 · (Edited)
I am looking for tires that performs well on pavement (wet or dry) as well as in snow and are not extremely noisy at highway speeds. I don't drive in dirt, rocks or sand at all, not counting a gravel road. I will also put my chains on the front tires if the snow is heavy, mostly so I can avoid other cars sliding on the road, but I don't want to have to put them on in just a few inches when I am driving around town.

I have been doing some research and have looked at BFG Rugged Trails and Rugged Terrains, Bridgestone Dueler Revo 2's, Nitto Terra Grapplers and Kelly Safari ATRs as well as a few others. The main problem I am having is that most of the reviews I have looked at say they don't perform well in snow or on wet roads even though they are advertised as all-terrain tires that are excellent in wet/snow conditions. They either slide easily in the rain or the tread patterns fill in with snow making them perform as if they were bald.
I'm piling on late to this thread, but figure it may help someone down the road (as I presume you have already made a tire decision at this point...). The best tire that I have experience with that fits your intended use is the BS Dueler Revo 2. The worst was a Toyo Open Country (slippery in wet snow and less than confidence inspiring when towing a trailer). But, in fairness to Toyo, they have a newer version of that tire now that may be improved. Now, I'm new to the Xterras so the lighter weight and smaller wheel base of these vehicles may not place the same demands on a tire that my experience provides. See below for more background so you can compare use cases for applicability to you, if interested...

I live in the PNW where the roads are wet as often as they are dry for about 6 months a year. I have 30 years experience driving in wet and snowy mountain terrain, and have owned 3 Chevy Suburbans, several pickups, a Ford Excursion, and an Explorer - most of them 4WD. I needed the larger vehicles while the kids were home to haul everyone to the mountains and tow a 30' toy hauler. We are avid skiers so spend almost every winter weekend in the mountains (dodging inexperienced drivers ;)). The snow in the PNW is not typically of the dry variety found in UT and CO (driven throughout ID, MT, UT, CO many times). Because our temperatures hover around freezing, the snow tends to be very wet, and very slippery. In these conditions the Revo 2 is my all-time favorite. I haven't driven on the other tires that you asked about, so can't comment on those (but FWIW, the service mgr at my local Nissan shop has owned a couple Xterras and he swears by BFGs for all around on- and off-road performance and drivability). Also, even though I love the Revo 2s, I doubt that I will install them on my Xterra because I need a more aggressive tread pattern that will expel mud more readily on the sloppy logging and approach roads around the Northwest. But for predominantly wet, dry, gravel, and snowy *road* driving my experience with them has been great. And they are relatively quiet on the road. The Open Countrys and other AT tires I have used were not... Hope this helps.
 
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