Need a snow tire recommendation

[Doug Ram]

Nokian Hakkapaliita studded with a set of extra wheels. The Hakks are the the cream of the crop when it comes to snow tires. I run two sets, summer and winter. I picked up a set of extra wheels on craigslist with winter tires for my 1500 for $750, 20” fuel aluminums, freakin steal. I see them pop up all the time.
But for true off road snow travel, chains are the best option.

Without a doubt the Hakka's are the best and longest lasting snow tires I've ever put on a car or truck. Our Solara has a stud-less set on all four wheels. Without studs they are amazing but they are NOT cheap. We live on a very steep country road... and the Solara goes up and down it as well as my Ram in 4wd. Most impressive is how well the Hakka's stop a vehicle.

On our other car I've got a set of Cooper winter snow tires. No studs. They are far better than all season radials, but they don't last.

 

[Doug Ram]

Those Nokians look like a decent all-around tire. But they don't look like they'd be all that great in the snow ....w/o the studs. Yeah, studs make all the difference in certain circumstances (but not all).

You guys can run studs in NY!??? (what are the rules for that?)

So do you use a fork lift to put truck tires on? LOL

NY requires the studs be off from about April 15 to October 15. I don't use studs anymore for on normal road/highway driving. The new tire compounds for winter tires grip ice with suction and softness far better than your Dad's studded snow tires ever did. And they don't look anything like snow tires used to. The tread is less blocky and they have "sipping" -- they look like thousands of zig zag slits or cuts in the treads, that grip the ice instead of metal studs.

 

[Doug Ram]

I’m in northern VA. Dedicated snow tires are not a thing here. All terrain are perfect for this area. Falken AT3 have not disappointed in any condition.

And when I lived in NOVA I never had winter tires either. Who cares?

 

[Doug Ram]

Falken Wildpeak AT3! I'll be buying my 3rd set by next winter.

They are GREAT tires.

BUT they are not as good on snow and ice as even the cheapest stud-less winter tires made today. No matter what Falken claims.

 

[ppine]

I have had good luck with Toyos and Coopers, BF Goodrich.
In snow country, most people have pretty narrow tires. Using wide tires because they look cool is a big mistake in snow.

 

[bcbouy]

the wifes Tesla has winter hakkas.great snow tire in our area.we have 2" of ice over blacktop with dry powder snow over top of that,every year. my Powerwagon has ridge grapplers on till the first frost then they come off and my oem duracraps go back on.they suck in snow/ice but are still better than the grapplers.i tried to have the duracraps studded but no tire shop will do it if they have been driven on before i try to take them in.the quicker i kill them the quicker i can install studdable hakkas on the truck.

 

[healthyrx]

Throwing in my .02 for cooper discoverer St Maxx. 3PMSF rating- lots of sizes, big tread blocks and aggressive look if youre into that, the shoulders of the tires are studdable if you needed it. I had them on a 4runner living in northern maine and whether the road was hardpack snow on a forgotten stretch of US1 or 6" of fresh powder on i95 before the plows came I was comfortable driving.
Have them on my ram as well. My one gripe is they like to pull right and they absolutely have to be rotated every 5k miles or they start to cup and make a nasty vibration.
FWIW I love them but I dont always have time to do 5k rotations so my next tires will be 37" falken wildpeak at3w

 

[star_deceiver]

Studded Hakka 10 SUV. Put them on the truck in mid-October and take them off in mid-March. Best tires you can get, hands down

 

[LouM]

Throwing in my .02 for cooper discoverer St Maxx. 3PMSF rating- lots of sizes, big tread blocks and aggressive look if youre into that, the shoulders of the tires are studdable if you needed it. I had them on a 4runner living in northern maine and whether the road was hardpack snow on a forgotten stretch of US1 or 6" of fresh powder on i95 before the plows came I was comfortable driving.
Have them on my ram as well. My one gripe is they like to pull right and they absolutely have to be rotated every 5k miles or they start to cup and make a nasty vibration.
FWIW I love them but I dont always have time to do 5k rotations so my next tires will be 37" falken wildpeak at3w

I tried a set of the Cooper Maxx with studs, they were the worst dedicated snow tires I have ever bought.
That would have been in 2015, they were also the last Coopers I have bought.
I emailed Cooper with my issues with them and never got a response. The Maxx didn't come close to the Cooper Winter masters that I had been running quite often before them.
I have since switched completely to the Nokian studded Hakkapeliitta's they are the best I've used in well over 50 years of buying tires.

 

[TestPilot57]

General Grabber ATX and Falken Wildpeak AT3 were the 2 top ranked AT tires when I bought 3 years ago. I run Generals, still made in USA.
Falken were made in Thailand.
Great tire.

I have run General Grabber ATx for two winters now. Blah.

Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V2 are awesome. I had them for two years - one year on my '15 and one on the '20. The only reason I haven't been running them the last two years is that I put a 5" lift in, and the Blizzaks don't come tall enough to not look stupid.

I also have the DM-V2 on my wife's Explorer and they are amazing there as well.

There is nothing like a modern actual winter tire in the snow. Well, maybe except chains...