Winter Tire help for 2017 Ram 1500

[Gormly]

New Truck owner. 2017 Ram 1500 Quad.

I have a long steep driveway, we recently had some snow and all seemed ok but it did slip a bit where my wife's jeep did not. It wasn't too much maybe 4 or 5 inches, but we have had instances of 12 or more at times the last few years, we do plow but with a lot of snow comes a lot less traction.

The Ram comes with standard Goodyear Wrangler SR-A P275/60R20

I am not very experienced with tires but based on information and ratings on tirerack, it seems that winter tires can make a significant impact, something I haven't ever (embarrassingly) really payed attention to. So, I would like to get a set of winter tires.

I was looking at the BLIZZAK DM-V2 - 275/60R20

Is this a good option and is it really going to make that much of a difference? It's a 1000 dollar investment so I want to make sure it's more than a marginal difference. Any suggestions are welcome.

 

[1quick1]

It'll make a huge difference. The Blizzak's are quite popular here in CO. The SR-A's aren't that great (although not as awful as everyone will have you to believe) and are perfectly fine for the summer months.

 

[Gormly]

thank you for your input

 

[MADDOG]

Blizzak tires are awesome in the snow but not so much for dry pavement. Many owners consider them a winter tire only, which is how I used them on a previous vehicle.

I just got a cheap set of used wheels and put the Blizzaks on them for a winter setup, then swapped them out in the spring.

 

[mohemipar]

I am one of those who thought the SR-A was a pile of **** for the truck. For my usage at least. Some will disagree and I understand why. It works fine on dry pavement. Mediocre in the rain. But otherwise I found it to be pretty abysmal. Especially for the power the truck makes. I am a believer in having a useful tire for mud or snow on a truck all year round. I don't blame Ram though. They need to make sure these trucks get the best fuel economy possible from the factory.

If I were you I would look into a nice A/T tire. There are selections out there that are good for dry pavement but also will get you through winters no problem. If you are going for factory size then your MPG shouldn't take too much of a hit. Keep an eye on the tire's weight though, as that will definitely be a factor.

The KO2, Toyo Open Country would be the first I'd look at for AT tires. Cooper also has some good options.

 

[JJP71584]

I can say that that stock Goodyear tires were junk in the snow for me. (Some of the winters in PA can be brutal)
I run a set of Toyo Open Country AT2's and I love them.
They are heavier so they hurt your mileage but the peace of mind that I have knowing that I won't get stuck or have the ass end slide out on the highway is absolutely worth it!
I run a set of Cooper HP Plus tires in the summer months and they are still head and shoulders over the stock tires.
I was debating between the Toyo's or Cooper Discoverer AT3's when I was buying tires ...I ultimately went with the Toyo's but I've talked to half a dozen people who run the AT3's and they all are very pleased with them. I wouldn't hesitate to run either the Toyo's again or the Coopers.

 

[Dodge This]

If you're going to consider an A/T tire, then definitely check out the Falken Wildpeak A/T3's. They are rated for severe snow performance and are considerably cheaper than the Toyo's/Coopers/Duratracs. They come with a 55k mileage warranty, do very well in the rain, and also look great on the truck. I haven't personally had a chance to test them in the snow yet, but I've read many good things from people who have.

 

[Gormly]

First, thanks to everyone who commented

Can someone quantify the difference with maybe an anecdote of their experiences with a stock vs. a good winter tire?

I am torn, this is the internet after all (no offense to anyone) and a lot of people with the best of intentions say this or that is the best and miles above this or that but what it usually ends up coming down to is small differences, I just want to make sure this isn't one of those cases. I mean, am I putting my life at risk running stock? Am I going to get stuck in 6 inches of snow? Or is it, I'll just have less wheel spin and be slightly happier? Or is it truly a "wow, that's a huge difference" situation?


There is a comment about Blizzak not being so great for dry pavement...I have read this about "winter" tires in the past. Where I am we get snow but we don't get a lot of snow , it's not daily, or even always weekly in the dead of winter, it's "almost" an event and whatever snow there is usually cleared up in a day at least effectively speaking, on the direct road. Then the pavement is "dry" again. Realistically this is a 4 month on 8 month off situation. So if winter tires are generally not that great for dry conditions, wouldn't I be running a worse tire for the majority of the winter?

This is how I tie myself in knots sometimes... I ask or debate these (probably silly) things.

I am no longer sure an almost 2000 investment is worth it. (1000 for the tires, 1000 for the rims and tpm's with tax and shipping) I know I can bump that down to just the tires but then I have to have them swapped twice a year. I checked the local dealer and it's about 110 or so to swap tires (is that a lot?). That's twice a year so 220 about. Then there's the fact that I do not drive much at all, so these tires are going to last 5 years easy. That adds up to the price of the rims/tpm at tirerack, so it makes sense if I do it, to get the package.

I am still on the fence about it. I mean, I got up the hill just fine in an average snowfall, slight slippage, I am not entirely sure 2000 bucks (immediately or over life time) is worth it. For me this is all about getting up my driveway on plowed but possibly packed snow for a day or two, no one in my family or who would use the truck has any need to go driving in a blizzard.

But I do appreciate all the feedback and I am considering everyone's comment.

For what it's worth I love the truck, the tires "seem" fine, but I have no baseline to compare to, my last car was a 15 Challenger which I did not bring out into the snow/rain at all and before that I had a short level driveway that dumped onto level street that was always paved almost instantaneously, straight to the highway. It's hard to believe someone my age has little experience with snow, but just due to circumstances, this is the first time I've actually had to think about it.

 

[Dodge This]

It doesn't sound like you need a dedicated snow tire. I would recommend picking a good A/T tire and just run it all year. Keep the stock size and use your stock wheels. No need to buy a whole different set of wheels/tires for your situation. Once you replace the SRA's with a good quality A/T, then you'll notice right away how much better your truck handles.

 

[mohemipar]

I would say run an A/T all year round also.

The SR-A's will get you through your typical snow storm, but not without sliding around a lot. In the snow it felt like I was on pure ice when taking some turns. You have to go easy and pay a lot of attention. This was packed down/slushy mix during storms or whatever. They just had horrible traction. I threw on a cheap set of Firestone AT's and it was a noticeable improvement. The truck would still slide around a bit, but much less. Now I am happy in the HD. Cant beat the heavy weight.

If you are in an area that gets a lot of snow and has hills then a better tire would be a big help.

 

[BWL]

If you're cautious and leave lots of braking room you can get by with the SR-As. They are m+s rated so you're legal on roads that require winter tires as well. I ran toyo at year round for many years and I do 1000s of highway and back road km for work in icy winter conditions. I've never had an accident on the toyos or any other at tires I've run, but I had to drive usually about 20% below the speed limit to feel safe as I did notice the lack of traction. I now run dedicated snow's in the winter albeit with studs, which aren't legal everywhere, but are where I live and work for 6 months of the year. I can drive easily 10% over the limit and never feel like I don't have control. The logic for me finally going winter was that I'd be replacing tires every 3 years instead of every 18 months so in the end I could run the tires I wanted for winter and for summer for the additional cost of a used set of rims I could sell off again when I sold the truck.

 

[Gormly]

It doesn't sound like you need a dedicated snow tire. I would recommend picking a good A/T tire and just run it all year. Keep the stock size and use your stock wheels. No need to buy a whole different set of wheels/tires for your situation. Once you replace the SRA's with a good quality A/T, then you'll notice right away how much better your truck handles.

I am not sure why I didn't think of that, great advice, thank you. This place is great!

 

[Neumie]

I have cooper AT3 and the stock sra was better in snow and on ice. If I had known this I would not have bought them.

 

[huntergreen]

What tires are on wife's jeep ?

 

[Stefan N]

If studs are legal i would go https://www.nokiantires.com/winter-tires/nokian-hakkapeliitta-9/

They rock

 

[AkNoad2]

I put a set of the Blizzaks on my truck this winter and it was the best decision I've made tire wise. These things are incredible on the ice and snow. My street is pretty steep and my truck grips the ice like the road is dry. These are a dedicated winter tire only and I will swap them out come spring time. I highly recommend these tires for winter driving.


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