The Best DEEP Snow Tire... Mudd Terrain vs All Terrain Tires. Real World Results.

Today we talk about what types of tires I have seen work best in snow, and to be clear, I'm talking about the DEEP stuff. I'm not here to represent any particular brand or to tell you want to buy. Instead, I want to show you what features to look for in a tire used for deep snow. This way, as you are shopping around you can figure out what qualities will suite your terrain and your vehicle in particular.

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The sweet snow video from our Canadian trip

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#snow #overland #offroad

[thevenin]

You have no idea what you're talking about. I guarantee my Jeep with 39" Super Swamper TSL/SX's will outperform your all terrains. My Duramax with siped 35" Toyo M/T's will leave you back on the trail. You don't see rock bouncers, or rock crawlers, or monster trucks sporting all terrains. Every single one of them have super aggressive lug patterns. All you need to do is look at RC cars, to see what works and what doesn't. Nobody's putting all terrains on their RC basher to get through the snow. Let me give you a hint, go buy an RC car and see what tire works best in the snow before spreading misinformation. It's not an all terrain. It's going to be a V shaped monster truck tire, a heavy lug tire (mud terrain) or a large spike pattern---and yes, I built a set of chains for my Tamiya Blackfoot RC monster truck back in the '80s.

[johnrussell]

While tread pattern has a big impact, the compound is also very important. True snow tires (i.e. Nokian) have a compound that will stay softer in colder temperatures. Problem is, above ~40f, they wear very fast. Nokian makes the Arctic Truck tires based on the Hakkapeliitta line. Awesome tire, but like most snow tires, are size limited, at least in the US.

[OutdoorAuto]

Nate, thanks so much for coming out and wheeling... excited to continue the story on the Land Cruiser.

[facepillownap]

I think it’s also worth noting that “snow wheeling” and “winter driving” are vastly different. A true winter tire (like a blizzak) will wildly outperform on Ice and Frozen Pavement.

[maxxod]

As a Canadian I have played in more than my fair share of snow. The best comparison I have for properly cold powder snow is really fine loose sand. I am impressed that a lot of tire companies are siping more. Not sure how much of a difference it makes on snow but it definitely makes a difference on ice.

[BrassMtn]

We now have a Nokian Tyres plant in Dayton TN. Awesome awesome tires! Great for off road and winter conditions!!

[merritts]

I've been craving some of your trail videos. I know you have so projects to do this next year. But you seriously know how to make trail videos

[leonardmoore]

For all of us who grew up with pirate4x4 I think you owe us a test with IROKs.

On a serious note after watching this video I actually think the cupped lug faces on the IROKs help capture and hold snow and that’s what makes them good snow tires.

[dannyp]

Snow conditions can be pretty variable and require different things from the tread. Same thing with sleds, track lengths and paddle height vary for what you are going to ride in.

[JimmyDuggan-ub]

As always, great advice! Your videos prove how good your rig works...here in the Canadian Arctic you can't run on top of the snow as its too light. Best setup in "sugar snow" is 350+hp, upgraded cooling system, ignition systems with rev limiter, lockers, boogers, and suspension that won't hop under any circumstance...so you can lay the power down and float over the snow :). That's my advice after 18yrs of building my rig for arctic snow wheeling

[davecamilleri]

I have been wheeling in snow for over 40 years and everytime out I learn something new! Years ago when I used to live in N. CA me and my buddies found that Dick Cepek Fun Country tires were awesome when aired down as well as some other Narrow 35 inch mud terrains a lot air pressure. Back then 36's were the biggest tire most people were able to run. Fast forward, I have lived in North Central Wyoming for the past 28 years and snow here is very different. Two weeks ago I was elk hunting in my 97 Jeep TJ and it is normally very snow capable on 35 inch Mickey Thompson MTZ tires. One that day, traction was non existent and I had to horsepower through every drift. I finally gave up and installed my Ice bar chains on all 4 and traction was better. We only had 8 to 10 inches of snow, but it was like sugar and wouldn't pack at all. The next day we were recovering some elk and we were on top of a ridge at 9500 ft, the wind was blowing 50-70 mph and the snow was drifting bad, chains on all 4 at 10 psi and both lockers engaged and it was still iffy. I would pack a track and 15 minutes later it was drifted in and it was the same sugar type snow. We sometimes run into this sugar when it gets very cold in January and sometimes when we are playing on our ATV's with tracks it becomes a task to see how many times you can dig a stuck ATV out of the snow. Wait a couple of weeks and the temps moderate a little and we can drive anywhere we want. Anyway, enjoy your videos, wet snow is a lot more fun to wheel in than some of the sugar snow we get. Looking forward to go play some more soon, but we are way behind on snowfall this winter. P.S. I have been selling tires for 35 years and I always look forward to testing out new tires. The Mickey Thompsons have been some of my favorites and I really liked the 295/70R18 Baja Pro A/T that I had on my last truck. Never got a chance to try them on my Jeep because they don't make them in a large 15 inch.

[InHarmsWay]

Grew up in Utah/Colorado and spent many many days wheeling in snow. No tire beats a full set of mud chains in my experience. However, hands down the best snow tire in my experience is the Blizzak tires. It’s just unfortunate they don’t make them in sizes that are typically used off road these days.

[bryanbarresi]

You touched on it sort of with the carcass build, but a big factor that I have found is getting the right load rating for your rig. People in small jeeps and mid sized trucks running E rated tires, just can't get the felx in the sidewall that you could running a C rated tire.

[SurvivalistMedia]

Great Video. We get a lot of days with Hard heavy snow in the night, powder in the morning, and soft snow at noon, and slush by late afternoon, then refreeze by dark and snow again in the late night. Many a time I’ve waited stuck till nightfall to crawl out on the refrozen ice before the heavy snow fall. Even with chains it can be a struggle to keep all the trucks moving forward all day. I moved from Toyo MT to Faulken AT for winter and man has that made a difference. Still need the chains, but so much less than before even in the heavy wet where clear out is more important.

[simpleman]

I have been running Nokia snow tires on my 1 ton diesels for about 5 years now. I love them I generally run to mts from summer to fall then throw on the hakkpaletas in the late fall. They make one Heck of a snow tire.

[lynnrunningdeer]

This is why I like this channel. There's always product reviews along the creativity.

[RevereOverland]

I LOVE KO2s for snow, but hate them for everything else! It would be nice to be able to have multiple sets of wheels/tires to switch out depending on the time of year and where I'm going, but they take up a lot of space that I just don't have.

[VentureRoam]

I saw first hand how well those KO2s held the snow while my Mickey Thompson Baja Boss ATs slipped and didn't keep the snow in the tread. They are decent tires in the snow, but not great. The KO2s are really good in the snow, but have weak points in other seasons. This is such good info for anyone looking to learn more about what you need to get out there and snow wheel!

[alexanderadcock]

Duratrac tires work great in the snow. My old truck had them. A good aggressive AT

[sHoRtBuSseR]

I've ran a lot of big tires and small tires in the snow. Outside of the 42 inch irok, my favorite deep snow tire is actually the Falken wildpeak at3w. Just a phenomenal tire in the snow. Has not disappointed me yet.