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Dumb question about Winter tires

9K views 34 replies 17 participants last post by  Sallyboy 
#1 ·
First off I know this is June---summer--- but I wanted to ask this now for future drivings thru the winter. I have a 2016 z71 trailboss with the default duratrac wheels. During the spring/summer months its fine, but during the winter it rains here my truck gets SUPER squirrely. Almost spun it out and wrecked it a few times. I hate it. With the weather here, it never snows, it normally just rains though not as bad as other places Im sure... I bought a second set of rims to mount new winter tires and so I have no idea on what tire would be good for wet road driving. I do not need All-terrain or off road tires during the winter months as its only water on the roads.. But again I have no idea where to look or to what tire to use.. Ive only driven this truck for a year now, and my old car was not affected by this weather like this thing is.. and personally I do not like when the back end of my truck comes around a corner faster than I do, when I'm not trying to do so. So what kind of tire should I look for? most people talk on the forums about all terrains, but again, I have a second set for that.

I also thought about adding bags concrete to the bed to help add weight to the back end during the winter, but I don't know if that's a good idea... Ive only had a truck for a year.. heh. anyone willing to share their insights about this to me?
 
#2 ·
I'm planning on carrying some crushed rock in the winter, not just for the extra weight but to put under the rear tires when necessary.

Using winter tires chosen for good traction in wet or light snow conditions should make a big difference.
 
#4 ·
The large voids in the Duratracs are going to reduce the contact patch of the tire, leading to what you're describing, when combined with the lighter rear end of pickups. Weight over the axle helps somewhat, but I'd be surprised if it cured your issues.

Switching to a less aggressive tire with better water channeling ability would be my first choice. Goodyear's Wrangler SilentArmor, or SR/As would serve well. The ones I run, Cooper Discoverer AT/3s would also be a good choice, as well as the Terra Grappler G2, Falken Wildpeaks, or General Grabber AT2s, all of which will maintain an aggressive look with increased handling and wet weather traction.
 
#5 ·
#7 ·
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#6 ·
First don't look for winter tires as your winter is not like most.

You need to look for tires that are geared for water and rain. Like recommended above tires that channel water.

Second you live in California where you can go long periods of no rain and then get a lot of rain and get slippery roads due to oil build up. Not much you can do on that. I drive a lot in snow and have been suprised at how California highways can get slick with the start of rain.

When I had two wheel drive I did use some weight and 100 to 200 pounds over the axle works but once I got a limits slip I started to skipped it. With 4x4 now I will go empty.

But look for tires for rain. On the wife's Terrain we went to the SUV version of the Goodyear Tripletreads. Look for similar charituristic in the tires you chose.
 
#9 ·
As others have said, a more specialized tire will perform better than an all-season type tire. I live in an area with four seasons, so I need the capability to drive on snow/ice. Also, the air temperature can effect your choice of tires (I have a set of tires on my old BMW that are Summer tires...perform better above 70 degrees). I use to have a set of Winter tires/rims and would change to this combination in the Fall...the rubber was much softer but they did great on snow/ice. In a nutshell, get tires based on the conditions in which you drive, online reviews can help with you decision. As far as weight in the back of your truck, I do this in the Winter...usually about 100 pounds of #9 gravel in sandbags. It seems to help.
 
#10 ·
I am just over 52K miles on the OEM tires. The Defender LTX is on my short list to replace the OEM tires. I think the OEMs wet pavement performance is poor, however with good rotation, it seems I am getting adequate mileage from them. (Lasted longer than the OEM battery.)

I do think the wet pavement performance of this truck is the worst of any vehicle I have ever owned. Even my 1995 regular cab C1500 had better wet pavement performance. Love my truck, but this is an area I hope replacement tires will improve.
 
#11 · (Edited)
#12 · (Edited)
Well thanks all for your posts this has given me alot to think about :) I kinda thought id post this then get forgotten but glad that it hasn't.. My OEM duratracs are almost toast at 17k miles, gonna roast them off in a few weeks (im pissed off at that set) then get a new set of All terrains, then I would get the winter set as well, now that I have an idea where to look.

So driving with stuff in the bed helps for traction then? so doesn't that create a pendulum effect in a turn, causing it to swing out more wildly? Or what about my 4 wheel drive mode, can I use that safely during the rains without wearing the trans out? My friend, while knowledgeable about some car stuff, told me that only use 4wd only when off road, but its different what other people have said. probably my friend is off but I dont know. my last car was front drive only... The road up here where I live are a complete mess. I know others would contradict me on this but I want to say that the road here are worse than L.A. in some places....so when it rains, the roads get rather wild, Though they say are "working to make the road better".. the city I live in was actually at one point known as the pothole capital of California, I don't know about now heh.. @GH1618, you live in oakland, so you get the weather I do, seeing that we are 40ish miles from each other. people here cant drive to save their lives during the wet times
 
#14 · (Edited)
Seriously, if the roads were that bad in the rain, I would just switch to 4 wheel drive. If your wheels are spinning that much, you won't hurt your trans in 4 wheel drive. If you have a 2017 model, put it in auto 4x4. We have snow on the east coast to deal with. I can't imagine rain being that bad? I believe you, I've just never had a problem driving in rain with AT tires. When I owned 2wd drive trucks, weight in the back always helped a lot.

Come to think about it, with my old Colorado I use to switch to 4 wheel drive sometimes in bad rain storms. Once I switched into 4 wheel drive in a snowstorm and drove out of the storm and an hour and a half down the highway at around 75 mph and back roads to a friends house and forgot I was still in 4 wheel drive. That truck lasted 9 years, 100,000 miles and never had any trans problems. I would switch it into 4x4 and switch out when the roads get dry.
 
#15 · (Edited)
Well its not necessarily the rain is bad, its that's it super inconsistent. with long stretches of no rain--to--suddenly some rain, the oils that come up on the road make it much more of a challenge.. The roads here tend to be off camber in a turn so that plus the oils on the road makes it more common to slide, to which is more akin to ice driving.. I once hydroplaned in my old car thru and off camber roundabout here and slid into a curb ruining my suspension..So I'm not to overly keen with sliding...
Also I have a 2016 Colorado, so I don't have the auto4x4, and I think the only 2016's that did are the D-max Colorado/canyons.. man I wish I had that option... I guess I may have made things sound worse than they actually are, and by no means do I have the **** storms most of the country gets.. but the stock ATs dont do well with the oils when it does actually rain. Glad to know I can drive in 4x4 when weather gets to **** now without too much worry about the transmission....
 
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#18 ·
The truth is you are not going to do anything to help with the oil coming out of the road. That is a real California issue I have seen first hand over the years and understand it. I used to think people there just could not drive in the rain but I learned different.

But the tread patterns will not matter on oil.


As for traction I live in the snow belt here and dealing with RWD is just experience. I learned to drive RWD in my first winter and never looked back.

I hear all sorts of thrill rides and people in a panic about RWD but it is just a matter of learning how to steer into the turn. Also a good set of tires make a world of difference as well as limited slip diffs.


To learn how to control the cars we just would to an open parking lot and just do donuts. We learned all sorts of car control doing this. We even perfected the Rockford as we call it. It was a boot leg turn where you throw it in reverse and go backwards then spinning the car around with the e brake and then moving it to drive and never stopping.


To be honest I never had an issue with RWD but I often had issue with FWD. Deep snow is the worst as it just piles up under the transaxle and leave you stuck.


Also with todays electronics driving RWD is a no brainer today. Many cars will not even do a donut today unless you can disable the electronic controls.


I used to drive my old Sonoma all with throttle on snowy days. I just used the gas to slide the rear around. We were drifting long before it was cool.


My one buddy growing up was so good at car control he ended up racing sprint cars and did very well.
 
#16 ·
Trucks are notoriously squirrelly on slick roads.

Putting a 1000 pounds of weight over the rear wheels and putting the "best" of the rain tires on your truck will help, but a RWD truck is never going to behave like a front wheel drive vehicle nor a 4WD vehicle.

One of the things I remember so well was that my S10 Blazer and my Tahoe behaved so much better than my pickups: The extra weight over the rear wheels was a major help. Of course, the locking differential on the Tahoe was also a nice addition.

The suggestion above from @GH1618 and BF Goodrich is the most important wet road & slick road tip: SLOW YOUR BUTT DOWN, otherwise your truck's butt(rear end) is going to outrun the rest of the truck.
 
#17 ·
Plus, he has an extended cab, to compound it a touch.
Since switching to a crew cab, having the extra weight at a foot closer to the rear axle, I've noticed better wet handling in our summer monsoons now. I also feel that extra weight braking and cornering too.
 
#19 ·
Be careful with all terrains. Some are made out of a really hard rubber compound, and in the winter, they are just as bad as summer tires. I had a set of Cooper Discoverer AT3's on a previous truck and they were terrible in low temps with slick conditions. I returned them and got a credit for them.

If you want the best winter driving experience, a set of dedicated snow rated Blizzaks are in order. They are made out of a softer compound, that stays soft in lower temps and helps grip the road in slick conditions.
 
#20 ·
Well the temps here at the lowest can hit about 30* F, and only one time that I've been alive (I'm 29), has it actually snowed where I live, and that was only a good 1/4" or less snow .... I'm only 17ft +/- above sea level. And it rarely drops below 30, so I'm not overly concerned with cold temps messing with the tires, So I don't need any snow tires, and isnt the normal duratrac ok-ish in the snow anyway?
 
#21 ·
The stock Z71 tires with 4 wheel drive are OK in snow and ice. I unfortunately got to test them when I got the truck and drove thru and ice storm on the highway. Since then they have seen plenty of snow. I'm curious as to the highways in California. What do the tire guys recommend in your state for this problem with oil on the roads?
 
#24 ·
Are you kidding? California already lights itself on fire every few months.. I think we dont need any more of that lol
 
#26 ·
The first thing I would do when driving on slick surfaces is add weight over the rear axle, 50-80 lb sand bags one on each side. More weight if needed.

What tire pressure are you running?
The Max pressure listed on the truck is for near or at max load, if your bed is empty then you should lower the tire pressure.
This will increase traction on slippery surfaces, more tire contact to the road.
Lower by how much seems to be a debate with many different opinions. A good tire shop should be able to give you a recommendation.
I run more psi on the front than the rear. My E rated tires have a max pressure of 80psi, I have 45psi on the front and 40psi on the rear. With +20k miles on my tires all are wearing evenly.
For a C or P rated tire the percentage reduction would be much less.
 
#27 ·
I typically run the tires at the rated psi according to the door jam sticker, at 35psi
 
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#28 · (Edited)
Your tire pressure is fine. I don't think that person read the whole thread. You are going to get everybody trying to tell you how to drive in winter climates. >:) Good luck with this thread. You have to talk to people that experience this in California. Good Luck and don't be afraid of switching to 4 wheel drive when you have to. The problem is turning very sharp on dry pavement. Creating binding. You'll feel it for sure. :grin2:
 
#31 · (Edited)
thanks for the advice aver3. I guess 300lbs would help a lot. I was planing on probably 200lbs of tires and rims in the bed now that ive got a bed cover for my truck. With the comparably light winters I get here (my storms are light compared what you may get out east), Im sure that would be enough.... A better winter rain tire and the weight of the tires would making a bit easier to drive out here...

Also to make a somewhat a change to a previous post I made about the roads here.... The roads here are as i said earlier are typically worse than what other places would have.. And Ive learned why.... The ground here.. is adobe clay.. In the summer it drys almost as hard as concrete, and shrinks CONSIDERABLY... and in the rains.. the exact opposite occurs... it turns to a very light mush, and swells almost as much as when it shrinks... Im sure other places south/east (AZ,NM,TX) of here has similar ground conditions, but it doesn't rain nearly as often there in the desert climates as it does here. So the Concrete and Asphalt cannot survive with the constant upheavals and drops it sustains here... So yay!
 
#32 ·
Honestly, a little weight in the bed and gettig rid of the abysmal stock tires will make huge differences. If youre not driving up here to Tahoe much or at all Id get some LTX michelins for some wet weather grip. If you were coming up during winter, Id go for some grabber arctic LT. I did this past winter with almost 300 lbs in the bed and the stock tires....embarrassing. Ive been living and driving in the snow for 22 years, I flailed.

Anything is an upgrade from the silly tires GM puts on these trucks.
 
#33 ·
Anything is an upgrade from the silly tires GM puts on these trucks.
I wouldn't expect GM to use tires optimized for any particular purpose. If the tires are good enough to carry the rated load safely on highways under normal driving conditions, then they are suitable as original equipment.
 
#34 ·
They are designed to sound good and provide the looks theyre going for. Just like every OEM tire out there. You have to spend lots of dough to get good tires OEM on any vehicle. My WRX had the infamously bad Potenza RE92, equally awful in wet, dry, snow, dirt, wear, and noise. And $Texas to replace. Perfect moneymaker tire for an OEM, but poor performer.

Trying to kill my OEM wranglers now, putting on E rated Grabber Arctic LT in November. Switching to Either Kumho AT51's or BFG KO2's after winter. Spend more months out of the year on snow tires than not, so emphasis goes there. Not afraid to go cheaper on my AT summer tires.
 
#35 ·
The best winter (snow & ice tires) IMO are the Bridgestone Blizzaks. I first started using them years ago on a Mazda 3 hatchback with front wheel drive and I was pulling away from lights & stopping in much quicker times than 4x4s practically embarrassing them. The grip is so ridiculous you have to mount them on all 4 corners even on a FWD vehicle since the grip is so good your back end will pass you on a turn. They turned that tiny Mazda into a little tank. I've bought them in every size since then for every 4x4 I've owned since then. This year I'm buying them for my '17 Z71 & my daughter's Jeep. In light or deep snow and glare ice these tires are like having chains. You can basically drive normally as if it were dry unless you floor it or jam on your brakes. I've taken off from lights in 4x4H pretty hard and not once did my TC light come on. These are dedicated winter tires only because of the very soft rubber compound that stay soft in extremely cold temps. Off season they will wear out pretty quickly for that reason. I've compared their snow and ice ratings against every AT tire available and these outperform every one of them on snow and ice. The closet ones are the BFG AT KOs and they don't even rate as high as Blizzaks. I can't be any more honest as I am now and NO, I don't work for Bridgestone! LOL
 
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