Re: tire traction

Posted by kcm.MN on December 10, 2017 at 12:02:39 from (174.219.135.161):

In Reply to: tire traction posted by schrade on December 10, 2017 at 11:29:39:

I would assume the vehicle has so-called "All Season" tires on it. Here's a little sumpin' to chew on:

I had always been a big Goodyear fan, having grown up in the south. Moved to Minnesnowta in my 30's. Few years ago, had to drive down south for family reasons and our truck decided to stay (needed rear axle work). On that trip down there, we happened to take this one exit and get a little rest (1,100+ mile trip). Roads were wet from rain, temps probably in the 70's....no snow. Took the exit and came upon a stop sign. Road was a bit steep for us flatlanders, and we turned right at the stop sign where the grade was even steeper. All of a sudden, the truck lost traction and started sliding backwards. Couldn't understand it! We were in 4hi due to trouble getting started from that stop sign, and yes, 4hi was fully engaged. We slid backwards until the rear tires hit grass and stopped us. Fortunately we were able to try again successfully. Our tires? Goodyear Wranglers with about 40% wear.

The truck we bought after that had different tires; General Grabber AT II's. Had never seen or tried this kind, but they worked well. Got back to MN and they worked great during winter - MUCH better traction.

Couple years later we were in an accident that took the truck. Bought our current Bucket-O-Bolts which had Goodyear HP tires, practically new! Towed a 16' enclosed trailer home and it was snowing when we got there. Got stuck in the yard.....IN 4LO!!!! Didn't matter what I did, couldn't for the life of me maneuver through 2" of snow! Ordered a new set of the General tires (that also happen to be much less expensive than Goodyear) and haven't looked back since!

Now, keep in mind that up here by the Canadian border, we usually have more snow than ice. For that reason, we get by (happily) with the General all season tires. However, if we lived a bit south where ice is common, then we would NEED to have true Winter tires on our vehicle. ...So what's the difference? Is it the tread? Well, to a point it is. But the other big thing is the rubber. I compared the rubber of the Goodyear HP tires to that of the General tires and the General tires were of a softer rubber. While in town one day at Wally World, they had Winter tires on display and I noticed that the rubber there was even softer than what the General uses. The surprise was, the Generals with their more aggressive tread were considerably quieter than the HP's. Go figure!

Then I started paying more attention to my boots, as I always seem to be sure-footed while the wife is always clinging to me, afraid she's about to take a plunge! :shock: I noticed that the shoes/boots I wear just happened to have softer rubber in the soles. Hers were all hard rubber, or other. Now, softness isn't everything, by far!! I have a pair of boots that have a very soft sole, sorta like crepe soles. If I step anywhere within 17' of a patch of ice I'm gonna go ice skatin', and I can't skate!!

Did a little more research on tires, namely all-season and Winter, and learned a lot about the differences. I'm glad we're able to use the General Grabber AT II's up here as we have 20+ miles of gravel roads going to or from town, and I don't think the less aggressive tread of Winter tires would offer any real benefit. However, if the trend keeps for a while of milder Winters with more ice, I'll soon be investing in a set of Winter tires mounted and ready to go.

It's a trade-off -- better traction and shorter life vs. better dry-road mileage and longer life. Take your pick.

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