OP
OP
- Thread starter
- #46
Thank you! I have a 2020 Explorer ST. Great car but not great in snow. I think I am going to get Blizzaks for this winter. I am in the HVAC business and need to get out in the bad weather.You are 100% correct that the wider tires on the Sasquatch will not be ideal for snow/slush. You can get through snow and slush, but it's not ideal and there are much better options.
If you're driving up I-91 after a snowstorm and the highway has been plowed, but is covered with a packed layer of cold, hard, frozen snow, you don't want any MT tire or anything wide. If the highway is covered with snow and slush an MT tire will get you through it, but I wouldn't go more than 35MPH in those conditions.
You specifically mentioned driving up to Vermont, which implies highway driving (probably), so forget about using your lockers. Lockers are great for mud bogging, rock crawling, winter wheeling, steep hill climbs, slow speed stuff, etc., but shouldn't be used on highways.
For slush and snow, you can also get by with an AT tire that has the "severe snow service" 3-peak mountain snowflake on the side, but there are still better options. I always found that once an MT or AT tire had about 10k miles on them, their winter performance started going downhill fast.
Your best bet: Buy a second set of wheels and mount 'em up with some Bridgestone Blizzaks. You can get them in a 32x10 (255/75/17) or a 34x10.8 (275/65/20) or a 33x10.5 (275x70x18) and other similar sizes. The reason Blizzaks (and most dedicated snow tires) are the best choice is because they're made with a softer rubber compound and have more siping. Softer rubber compounds do a better job of gripping hard pack snow and ice (better than harder rubber compounds) and the sipes provide extra traction as well. The tread pattern itself should help with ejecting the slush and snow and put the tread on the ground to provide grip.
An interesting option that I may try on my F-150 this winter or my new Bronco next winter: Kenda Klever in size 35x10.50x17 with studs. I always prefer skinny tires in the snow and the Kenda Klever is sort of a hybrid AT/MT with the ability to accept studs. I haven't seen it in person to feel the rubber softness/hardness, but because of that tall skinny size, I might just take the plunge and try it.
Summary: Skinny Blizzaks are the best (in my experience). Skinny AT tires with the snowflake symbol will be good. MTs will get you through deep snow at slow speeds but they're a nightmare on the highway in cold weather because of their hard rubber compound, and the Kenda Klever studded pizza cutter might be the most intriguing tire to come out lately.
PS. I grew up in New England but have lived in Colorado for nearly 20 years at 8k feet of elevation. My old job involved driving the highways all winter long in every condition and I had such good experiences with the Blizzaks on a Chevy Tahoe that I put them on my personal truck (F-150) and my wife's car (AWD Toyota Venza) every November.
I could get by with an AT tire but in winter in a blizzard or ice storm with the family I wanted the best advantage that I could get, and my roughly 100K miles of winter-specific real-world driving experience over a decade showed me the Blizzak was the best.
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