brulaz wrote:
freetheheal wrote:
crosscheck wrote:
freetheheal wrote:
crosscheck wrote:
I run studded Cooper M +S on my F 350 throughout the winter. Tow the TT a few times up ski hills. Good traction but get only maybe 2-3 years out of them. Hakkapelitta LT2 studded 275 R 70 18 that is rated for close to 3700lbs are something that I would consider next time. Have double the studs compared to Cooper. Just installed Hakkipelitta 9 studded on my wife's vehicle and have had great results.
We live 5 months up in ski resort. Lots of snow/ice.
Dave
Thanks Dave. Are they squishy feeling or squirmy on the road? Another concern is the soft compound. I've heard a lot of bad things about the Duratracs from guys who tow with them just because of how soft they are.
And how many miles are 2-3 years?
The Coopers are not squishy or squirmy but I don,t pull the loads that you do. At a guess, I get maybe 25,000 miles before replacement.
I am a studded tire guy for winter driving. I wonder if some of the problems you had on your winter trip to Canada was partly to do with lack of studs on icy mountain roads?
Dave
That could have been part of the problem. A couple times I got stuck the snow was really heavy and slushy too.
Heavy wet snow and slush packs down into wet ice under the weight of your truck. Really slippery stuff. Does sound like you will want dedicated winter tires for those trips up north.
Not sure about studded though. Depends upon how much dry pavement driving you will be doing on that trip. Studded tires are not as good as unstudded on dry pavement. Great on ice and hard packed snow. In my tire size the Nokian Hakkapelitta LT2 (and others) is available both studded and not.
On the other hand, have you considered chains? Perhaps a year-round AT tire with the 3 peak snowflake to get to the mountain pass, and chains for when the hills and snow get really bad?
I have read conflicting reports about performance of studded vs non- studded winter tires on wet and dry asphalt. A 2015 Norwegian study shows that because non - studded winter tires use softer rubber compounds and more siping than studded snows for similar performance on ice( never better), the surface of the tire collapses when hard braked on wet and dry road surfaces making them perform with poorer results than the slightly harder rubber, less siped studded snows. (2015 NAF winter tire test).
Dave
