B.O. Plenty wrote:
Why not put on a pair of good old fashioned snow tires in the back like we did in the "old days" when none of us had 4wd trucks? Take them off in the Spring and put the others back on and wait for the next season. it always worked for me. Can't see a reason to replace some tires you are otherwise satisfied with..
B.O.
DING, DING, DING! We have a winner!
THIS IS your best bet by far, "all season" and even "all terrain (A/T)" tires simply are not good choices when it comes to 4x2 and winter driving.
The tires you seek will have optional "stud" holes (you DON'T "need" the studs unless you are really planning a lot of icy driving). True winter tires have a more open tread design, big lugs and the compounds it is made from are a bit softer than other tires.
I have been using winter tires for many years and I am a believer in them. I commute 100 miles per day and have only had a few times over the last 15yrs which I decided the roads were just too bad to go to work. Not all winter tires are noisy, in fact you will find them LESS noisy than A/T types (I don't notice much if any more noise after putting the winters on).
The only major draw back is getting them switched for each major season, right now tire shops are charging $30 for changing/balancing TWO tires. So you would be spending $60 per year for the change outs, you might want to consider buying two additional rims and have the winter tires mounted on those rims.
