hey everyone i was just wonder what a good tire width would be?
a few of my friends have a wider tire (toyo open country mt) and say that in snow and rain
they really dont do that well. (thats what i have heard not saying they dont do well)
so i was just wondering what a good width for a 35" or 37" tire would be.

thanks
sinkic

 

I've been running an AT, 285/75/16 which is an 11.4" wide tire for a while now. It does very well in the rain and snow. If you're planning on running an MT, it doesn't really matter how narrow or wide of tire you get as far as rain, snow and ice goes. It won't do as good as an AT. No sipes = no traction.

I'm getting my 315/75/16 Duratracs on next week. They're 12.5" wide tires, and I'm sure they'll do great in all conditions. They look kind of like a MT/AT hybrid

 

A wide M/T will stink on ice and will reduce fuel mileage. However, going with a 35 or 37 IMHO a 12.50 wide tire is the smallest width i would go with. Even with a 37 I would consider a 13.50 wide tire. I just like the looks of a wider tire over a taller/narrow tire. I have had no issues with a 12.5 and even a 13.5 wide tire in snow, mud & wet pavement...just ice!

If you are worried about traction with a wider mud tire in the winter consider look at a second set of tires and rims strictly for winter and look at narrower M&S tire (10.50 to 11) wide tire.

 

ya i was thinking of buying an A/t for winter and just put it on the stock rim.
but that have a fair $ if you r going run 35 or 37's so i was just wondering
what kind of tires are being ran year round.

 

I am running my stock rims with the stock Duellers that have been siped for winter and my STT's M/T's on a EA rim for the nicer months. A/T's will be a better alternative over a M/T if you are considering running it for the entire year especially if you get lots of ICE conditions during the winter.

 

Conventional thinking is that a narrower tire is better in snow that is less than 12" to 18" deep. This creates more ground pressure which should enhance bite on snow as your tires pack it down. This doesn't mean that a larger (wider) snow rated tire will not be adequate. Especially if you go off road where the type ground under the snow will have some effect on overall traction.

 

Conventional thinking is that a narrower tire is better in snow that is less than 12" to 18" deep. This creates more ground pressure which should enhance bite on snow as you tires pack it down. This doesn't mean that a larger (wider) snow rated tire will not be adequate. Especially if you go off road where the type ground under the snow will have some effect on overall traction.

My OEM SR/As did fine in snow on roads. My 285/70-17 Coopers did exceptionally well in snow, despite being a full inch wider in section.

 

thanks for the help everyone

 

I wish there was a better selection of 35x10.5 in tires. 35 inches tall to get the diffs over stuff, narrower than typical (in the USA) to keep the ground pressure up.

12.5"+ looks good at the mall, though, and works well if you need flotation. I don't care about either of those things.