Winter 3PMS Tires or Duratrac’s For Canada Trip

[Gus]

Sometimes late December will be heading to Montana and then to Edmonton and possibly Ft McMurray across who knows what kind of remote snow and ice covered roads and I’m not exactly feeling the love about non 3PMS winter rated Duratrac’s

Options are sipping the stock Duratrac’s and calling it good

Or

Toyo ATIII’s or MIcky Thompson Baja Boss AT’s both are 3PMS severe weather rated

Going to stay with 35” tires, not upgrading to 37” tires

Been bouncing this around for a while now and the Toyo AT III’s are in the lead

Thoughts?

 

[cntyguy]

Sometimes late December will be heading to Montana and then to Edmonton and possibly Ft McMurray across who knows what kind of remote snow and ice covered roads and I’m not exactly feeling the love about non 3PMS winter rated Duratrac’s

Options are sipping the stock Duratrac’s and calling it good

Or

Toyo ATIII’s or MIcky Thompson Baja Boss AT’s both are 3PMS severe weather rated

Going to stay with 35” tires, not upgrading to 37” tires

Been bouncing this around for a while now and the Toyo AT III’s are in the lead

Thoughts?

Agree on swapping out the Duratracs - I’ve run them in snow over the past month, and they did an okay job, but not a great job. Grip was average, nothing to write home about, compound just doesn’t grip like I’d expect for a solid snow performer. If I was going to spend significant on snowy roads, I’d definitely ditch the Duratracs and the siping idea, and go with a snow rated tire. Never tried the other two in snow, so no opinion there.

 

[WAVERUNR]

Being an avid snowmobiler, When I want to go snowmobiling Im going PERIOD. Wouldn't be the first time driving through a snowstorm, doubling or tripling the hours to get to your destination. That 1 day I NEED those tires 100% outweighs the other 364 days I do not. Pray for the best, BE PREPARED for the worst. With that said 100% at mininum get a 3Peak tire. Unfortunately in the stock size there aren't too many choices. Toyo AT3, Falken Wildpeak, or the Yokohama G015. The Yoko is more like a cross 3/4 AT and 1/4 HIGHWAY. If mostly highway is a concern vs offroad, dont rule out this tire. EXTREMELY quiet and SMOOTH ! only thing is the non-aggressive looks which many cant get past.

 

[Explorerinil]

I would swap them out for a 3 peak rated tire, I’ve had good luck with the falken wildpeak at3w and the toyos at3 in all conditions. I got to say I really perfer the falkens, I was very impressed with them, I wish toyo made the Ct in our size, I’ve been reading allot of good things about them, espically in the snow.

 

[Gus]

Against my better judgment talked to the local discount tires about sipping the stock Duratrac’s and the short of it is they don’t recommend it and I got the feeling they would not do it at all just like how they do not do road force balancing

 

[Billy Goat]

Toyo AT3’s all the way. I put the on my 22’ as soon as I got it and they are excellent in the snow and ice. I’m Canadian and we get 5 months of winter… try and put some load in the bed too…concrete pads or blocks. It helps.

 

[soulezoo]

Hi Gus, I've had some experience around Edmonton during the winter months and it's no joke. They go to Montana to warm up...

Definitely want the 3pms tires. Places in Canada require them. Actually, given the time of year, your choice might be between 3pms and a dedicated snow tire (like blizzak), if you can even find one for our trucks, I'm not sure.

I am running the MT Baja Boss and am very happy with them in the snow. Everything from packed snow, light snow to deep snow it has handled very well. I have no experience with the Toyos. The Falkens are a good choice as well.

Good luck on your trip! Drive safe and drive slow. Black ice won't care what tires you have. And don't forget chains. When it's icy....well you know.

 

[Gus]

Hi Gus, I've had some experience around Edmonton during the winter months and it's no joke. They go to Montana to warm up...

Definitely want the 3pms tires. Places in Canada require them. Actually, given the time of year, your choice might be between 3pms and a dedicated snow tire (like blizzak), if you can even find one for our trucks, I'm not sure.

I am running the MT Baja Boss and am very happy with them in the snow. Everything from packed snow, light snow to deep snow it has handled very well. I have no experience with the Toyos. The Falkens are a good choice as well.

Good luck on your trip! Drive safe and drive slow. Black ice won't care what tires you have. And don't forget chains. When it's icy....well you know.

Yep the weather and roads can be sporty at best

Looking at availability of 3PMS tires that’s going to decide what brand to go with

Also looking at winter windshield wiper blades and even possibly heater blades figure new blades can’t hurt as well as sealing the lights and windshield to help keep everything clean of road slush and such

If the roads are bad enough for chains I’m getting a hotel room no need to be out in that but I’m going to look into the possibility of having the tires studded

 

[soulezoo]

My MT's are not drilled for studs, but my Duratracs are. (I have the 3 pms version)
Studs are an option but check out laws where you're going. Many places frown (outlaw) on studs due to the road damage they cause. Plus on a long trip that noise can get really tiresome.
Be sure to let us all know what you end up with and how the trip goes!

 

[DDD]

I’ll be the outlier here. The advice for the 3 peaks rated tires is solid. That being said, I’m not sure what gear you’re carrying, but I have loaded bags of sand over the rear axle and I’ve driven in the winter with Duratracs before and have had no problems, even snowmobiling in NE WA, Northern Idaho, and even in Canada. But safety first, so if you can find the 3 peaks tires and can afford the outlandish price, I’d rather be safe than sorry. You too and take care on your journey.

 

[Modman]

Against my better judgment talked to the local discount tires about sipping the stock Duratrac’s and the short of it is they don’t recommend it and I got the feeling they would not do it at all just like how they do not do road force balancing

I'll admit I was curious about the results if you went this route. My only experience is with winter tires for cars that were siped. Man, that made a 2wd car feel like it was unstoppable (relatively speaking, of course).

 

[Modman]

From another thread on this topic:

Post in thread 'Duratracs mountain snowflake rated?' https://www.fordtremor.com/threads/duratracs-mountain-snowflake-rated.7278/post-148539

I was surprised that the 3PMS rating is only for acceleration. Now, that may imply some improved ability for braking and cornering, but it is not inherently in the testing according to Tire Rack.

 

[Modman]

For options and consideration you can get a Duratrac with 3PMSF rating in 325/65R-18. Others have run this size on our trucks and can comment on any issues with fitment. @MT N8IV perhaps??

https://m.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Goodyear&tireModel=Wrangler+DuraTrac&sidewall=Blackwall&partnum=265QR8WDT&tab=Sizes

 

[Modman]

For options and consideration you can get a Duratrac with 3PMSF rating in 325/65R-18. Others have run this size on our trucks and can comment on any issues with fitment. @MT N8IV perhaps??

https://m.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Goodyear&tireModel=Wrangler+DuraTrac&sidewall=Blackwall&partnum=265QR8WDT&tab=Sizes

Note these are essentially the same diameter, 34.6" nominal vs. 34.8" for the 285s...

 

[2020Tremor]

My MT's are not drilled for studs, but my Duratracs are. (I have the 3 pms version)
Studs are an option but check out laws where you're going. Many places frown (outlaw) on studs due to the road damage they cause. Plus on a long trip that noise can get really tiresome.
Be sure to let us all know what you end up with and how the trip goes!

Studs are great on ice but less than stellar on wet roads in my experience. For mixed driving there are tradeoffs and until way north mixed driving conditions are common this time of year.

Unfortunately for the Tremor factory size is limiting on tire choices so would get a decent 3PMS tire and weight down the box and drive to what ever the conditions dictate. Good luck in your search.

 

[Gus]

From another thread on this topic:

Post in thread 'Duratracs mountain snowflake rated?' https://www.fordtremor.com/threads/duratracs-mountain-snowflake-rated.7278/post-148539

I was surprised that the 3PMS rating is only for acceleration. Now, that may imply some improved ability for braking and cornering, but it is not inherently in the testing according to Tire Rack.

So going from a100 to a 110 in traction index is not exactly something to brag about. I was assuming it was a increase in braking as well as how it worked on ice.

Disappointing and misleading to say the least

I’ve got a topper and about 250 lbs in the bed and Thursday was slipping and skidding on icy roads with the stock Duratrac’s and hating life while AWD cars were zipping around

I’m not a Duratrac fan

In 1999, The U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association (USTMA) and the Rubber Association of Canada (RAC) agreed on a performance-based standard to identify passenger and light truck tires that attain a traction index equal to, or greater than 110 (compared to a reference tire which is rated 100) during the specified American Society for Testing and Materials traction tests on packed snow. The standard is intended to help ensure drivers can easily identify tires that provide a higher level of snow traction, and tires meeting that standard are branded with the three-peak mountain snowflake (3PMSF) symbol.

Some important information to remember about 3PMSF branding.

• Testing measures a tire's acceleration traction on medium-packed snow only. Braking and turning on snow, along with ice traction are not components of the test.

 

[Gus]

My MT's are not drilled for studs, but my Duratracs are. (I have the 3 pms version)
Studs are an option but check out laws where you're going. Many places frown (outlaw) on studs due to the road damage they cause. Plus on a long trip that noise can get really tiresome.
Be sure to let us all know what you end up with and how the trip goes!

From what I can tell studs are legal in Colorado, Wyoming and Montana as well as Alberta and Saskatchewan

Loud stereo and being def will help with the road noise. Need to check on the cost of studding tires as well as removing studs

 

[2020Tremor]

From what I can tell studs are legal in Colorado, Wyoming and Montana as well as Alberta and Saskatchewan

Loud stereo and being def will help with the road noise. Need to check on the cost of studding tires as well as removing studs

They are legal in MT this time of year but not year round. If you do stud be careful on wet roads you actually get reduced traction with studs. Keep in mind studs are a improvement on ice but don’t equal dry road traction so still need to drive to the conditions. I can’t count the number of times have pulled over to help someone spun out with studs that got a little too over confident with them.

 

[Gus]

They are legal in MT this time of year but not year round. If you do stud be careful on wet roads you actually get reduced traction with studs. Keep in mind studs are a improvement on ice but don’t equal dry road traction so still need to drive to the conditions. I can’t count the number of times have pulled over to help someone spun out with studs that got a little too over confident with them.

Correct studs are not legal year round that’s why I need to check into pulling them to see what the costs are and if I want to go that route

Come end of December and January I’m sure roads will have more ice snow buildup than we have now

I’m wanting to learn the process of studding and associated costs but not sure I’ll go that way

 

[MT N8IV]

For options and consideration you can get a Duratrac with 3PMSF rating in 325/65R-18. Others have run this size on our trucks and can comment on any issues with fitment. @MT N8IV perhaps??

https://m.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Goodyear&tireModel=Wrangler+DuraTrac&sidewall=Blackwall&partnum=265QR8WDT&tab=Sizes

On my original 325/65R-18 Toyo OC ATIII's I never did get into snow/ice. I've since went to 37X12.5R-18 Toyo OC ATIII's and have hit snow with them. The 325's are a tad wider but shouldn't be too much different I would think. The only fitment issue I've had with the 325's (my rims have an 18 offset over the 40 stock) was with the front mud flaps (I had the Weathertech) which protruded into the wheel well enough to cause rubbing. I just pulled my front mud flaps off, but flat flaps or trimming would have been an easy fix too.

I cannot speak to the GY Wrangler DT of any flavor as I removed them immediately. So I will speak on BFG versus the Toyo.

My overall opinion of these tires is that they are the best tires I've had on a pickup-truck so far. I am very much a fan of BFG but I still like the Toyo's better than the BFG KO2's. In pure snow the ATIII's are much better in my experience, but on icy roads, the KO2's seemed to be a bit better, not that the ATIII's were bad. I would still choose the Toyo's over the BFG's if I were in snow and ice much of the time. To mitigate the ice a bit, one could go narrower (285/75R18) instead so as to maximize the pounds per square inch of tire contact patch. All-in-all, the 37X12.5R-18 Toyo OC ATIII's have performed well on snowy/icy roads for a non-winter tire so I'd expect similar for the 325/65R18 size.