Up here in Maine we have been getting hit with some thick snow as of late. Today we got about 10"+ around my area. So I wanted to make sure I got a chance to test the new tires out in the snow storm. Being the son of my father's company, one of my responsibilities is delivering payroll to our various houses for the staff (rain or snow). To boot, staff called out this morning, so I've been working with a client while running around all morning in the blizzard like conditions.

So...I got to admit, my 285 pirelli scorpion atrs did considerably better than my 305 mickey thompson atzs. I could tell right away how the wider tire gave me a dramatic loss of control on the roads. The tires would just float right on top of the snow; and where the roads were slanted it wanted to slide right off the road. So obviously I was a little dissapointed and stressed out. So now that I know these tires simply stink in the snow, I've come up with a solution. I'm going to run the 305s through the spring, summer, and fall. But come summer time, I'm going to need to buy a 285 for the winter. I really had taken for grantite how great a thinner tire can cut through snow. This time though, I'm going to pick a very nice 285, something that I'll be more happy with....perhaps a toyo a/t or bfg a/t. My goal would to buy a nice set of wheels for the 305s, and then use my offroad edition wheels for the 285s and winter=).

 

Duh skinny is better in the snow.

 

Ehh, there's a midpoint where too skinny will get you nowhere, but too wide will increase the surface area of road contact too much, and you'll "float" as you discovered. Factor in no weight over the driver wheels, and the problem is increased. I added some weight in the back of my truck and still went sideways, while driving down a straight stretch of road, during an ice storm this year.

Are chains or studs prohibited in your area?

 

Sounds like a good plan to me. I've noticed that myself.

 

in my years of buying tires and going back and forth from wide to narrow it seems like the narrow tires always out preform the wides in almost all aspects.mud,rain, snow,ride quality. only when its dry out on pavement does it not really make a difference. but wide tires just look so awesome.lol

 

Wider can be better, and it can be worse. Depends on the conditions. Living in a place where we get all types of snow conditions (light snow, deep snow, ice, slush, etc...) I can tell you that there are definitely times when wider is better. Namely, when the snow is so deep that digging into it with a skinny tire or an aggressive tread (m/t tread) will cause you to simply dig in and get stuck. In this case, being able to float up on the snow some can make the difference between getting stuck and getting home.

For light snow (like 12" or less) and wet slush conditions, I like:
-a skinnier tire to cut through the snow and slush better to get you down to the surface below.
-a tire with aggressive tread (like an m/t with siping or an aggressive a/t) that will dig down through the snow, but clean out well. The act of digging into snow is traction in itself, and you also get down to the road surface below for additional traction. You want it to clean out good too so that you have constant digging, not spinning.

For heavy snow (more then 12") I like:
-a wider tire with a less aggressive tread (a/t instead of m/t). This lets you float up on the snow, and the a/t tread keeps you from digging down into it which will only result in you getting stuck. You can even air down on snow to create an even larger float patch, much like what you would do in sand.

On ice and frozen slush, I like:
-a wider tire. Skinny doesn't help you at all on ice. More tire contact patch does, as does having a tire with a good amount of siping.

Obviously, there is not one tire that does it all in these various conditions, so you have to pick a tire that will get you through the condition you see the most, or the one that you least want to be stuck in. For me, I mostly see ice, frozen slush, and snow less then 12". So my tire of choice is a wider tire with an aggressive a/t tread or a siped m/t tread. This covers me well on the ice and frozen slush, and gives me the digging traction I need in the snow. I have never been stuck under normal driving conditions (playing around in drifts and deep snow is another story), and I rarely use 4wd under normal conditions.

 

Good points guys. And that's just it, I was miserable with the look of a thinner tire though. But that 285 just did great even in the crappiest of conditions. But when it's all dry out, or when it's raining, I love that wide tire.

Silver; any suggesstions for a winter tire I can run in a 285? Here in Maine, we get it all. Ice, light snow, and deep snow.

 

It's just a matter of balance between the Awesome and the driving experience. 305's definitely out-awesome 285's, but does the awesomeness outweigh the loss of control as opposed to the 285's admittedly lower Awesomeness quotient, but better handling?

That's for you to decide.

I think I just confused myself. I only have 265's so I'm not very awesome.

 

my timberline m/t are wide and they suck in the snow i hate it lol

 

My favorite tire I have ever had was a BFG A/T, and it was a 285. It really was about the best tire I ever have used. The only complaint I had about it was in mud. I just doesn't do too well. I see more mud these days, so that's why I switched to the Toyo M/T. But if you don't see much mud (i'm talking good deep slick mud, not rainy dirt road puddles), then I would definetly recommend them.

I can't say that there aren't tires out there that are just as good or better, but the BFG A/T never let me down in the conditions i have to put up with here. And I really put them through their paces because my truck is a daily driver. You see a ton of BFG A/T's around here too because it is not a secret that they are a good tire for the type of climate I live in.