I know it’s not the right thread but it gets the most traffic. Looking for a snow tire to go on my F350 overland rig. It’s got a flatbed with a grandby on it. Currently running bfgoodrich 37/12.5/R20 mud terrain k3s. They are brand new but I have the same tires with some miles on them and I’m thinking about putting studs on. Anything out there? Is it worth taking the old tires and studding them? We live in Alaska so really need something. TIA
Snow tire question f350 adventure rig
- Thread starter DBrophy
- Start date
DBrophy;
Not trying to be a smart @ss, but wouldn't everyone in Alaska have studded snows?
Hoping to make a 3-4 week trip there next Aug/Sep. Rent a 4 door Wrangler with RTT, 12v fridge, stove, and see as much as I can. Eagle, Chicken, Cooper Landing, maybe Minto. Would love to get to the smaller river villages but will stick with land based venture first.
Should've moved there 20 years ago and found a sourdough to sell me his trapline, and another one to sell me his homestead. A bit too old for all that now. A ready built cabin on the road system but far enough away from neighbors to not hear dogs or people, would be perfect.
Not trying to be a smart @ss, but wouldn't everyone in Alaska have studded snows?
Hoping to make a 3-4 week trip there next Aug/Sep. Rent a 4 door Wrangler with RTT, 12v fridge, stove, and see as much as I can. Eagle, Chicken, Cooper Landing, maybe Minto. Would love to get to the smaller river villages but will stick with land based venture first.
Should've moved there 20 years ago and found a sourdough to sell me his trapline, and another one to sell me his homestead. A bit too old for all that now. A ready built cabin on the road system but far enough away from neighbors to not hear dogs or people, would be perfect.
Many tire places won't stud used tires. There is the danger of damaging the tire when inserting studs in to a used tire. The studs will stick out further than they should due to existing tire wear.
I suggest getting a new set of dedicated winter tires that can be studded. The modern winter tire compounds can work quite well, and the studs are good for additional traction on ice.
billiebob
Well-known member
Best bet is to buy winter tires. They will likely be smaller and not look knarly but the worst winter tire choice is a mud terrain. Winter tires are all about a fine tread with millions of sipes to fill with snow and eject the snow every revolution. You get traction from compacted snow in the sipes sticking to compacted snow on the ground. The more sipes and the closer together they are the better the traction. Also winter tires are a softer compound than mud terrains further improving traction in frigid weather.
You want snow traction, buy snow tires. Think like a snowball. The best traction is snow sticking to snow.
Studs only work on ice or compacted snow. But in Alaska at -40 the ice is too hard for studs to dig in. Again a soft compound rubber "ice" radial will stick better and outperform studs.
I stopped to take this picture when I saw snow rolling on front of the hood. Then I got in, backed up 5 feet and continued thru the snow..... Note the knarly tread on those witner tires..... note the cool space around those tires under an AEV HighLine fender. If you want performance forget the ego and buy winter tires.
And carry chains.... nothing works better than chains.
You want snow traction, buy snow tires. Think like a snowball. The best traction is snow sticking to snow.
Studs only work on ice or compacted snow. But in Alaska at -40 the ice is too hard for studs to dig in. Again a soft compound rubber "ice" radial will stick better and outperform studs.
I stopped to take this picture when I saw snow rolling on front of the hood. Then I got in, backed up 5 feet and continued thru the snow..... Note the knarly tread on those witner tires..... note the cool space around those tires under an AEV HighLine fender. If you want performance forget the ego and buy winter tires.
And carry chains.... nothing works better than chains.
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Totally wrong place so this thread should be moved.
That being said brand new studded tires are a dime a dozen around Anchorage or Fairbanks. No matter your size, they have them.
In response to the poster above, yes soft compounds like blizzaks work. No they do not work better than studs across the wide range of conditions in an average AK winter. Get studs. (Source: lived in AK for a dozen years)
That being said brand new studded tires are a dime a dozen around Anchorage or Fairbanks. No matter your size, they have them.
In response to the poster above, yes soft compounds like blizzaks work. No they do not work better than studs across the wide range of conditions in an average AK winter. Get studs. (Source: lived in AK for a dozen years)
If this is a one time deal I suggest focusing more on the southern roads like kenai peninsula (Homer, Seward, Cooper Landing), south East (Chitna, McCarthy) and the interiror (Denali highway, Fairbanks, Talkeetna). Really there isn’t much out around Tok/Chicken/Eagle for someone in a rented vehicle given the restrictions they have. You’ll get all the views with better smiles without making the slog up to the Canadian border.