Blizzak LT for off-road winter driving?

Hey everyone,

so I have a set of falken WP AT3s in 265/70-17 E load.

this winter I did a lot of off-road driving in deep snow and the falkens performed well but I did learn that they have some limitations in the snow.

they did perform well enough on road for me to feel comfortable not running a winter tire, but I am wondering if anyone has any real world experience driving the blizzak LTs in off road winter conditions.

I am debating switching my tire setup to a set of 255/75 c rated all terrains paired with a set of c rated Blizzak in the same size as a system to hopefully get better performance off road, year round not to mention probably way better on road winter performance.

any input would be appreciated.

the other option I was looking at was just going to a larger Falken (255/80) but I really like the idea of gaining some MPGs back with the lighter, smaller sizes for daily driving, since I commute with my truck.

thanks!

 

This looks like a familiar location in northern ontario...maybe all hydro lines just look the same lmao.

That said, Cooper ST Maxx? some people in the Ontario BS thread use them year-round, especially for deep snow stuff.

 

Eastern Ontario actually! Yeah from what I’ve read, I’m not sure the st Maxx would be great on road in the winter but they are an option for a 3 season set for sure.

i can’t seem to find a ton of info on what is actually best in deep snow. This winter I had a number of situations where under a layer of powder (12” +) there was ice or mud or where as the day warmed up the hard packed snow turned to thick almost slush.

maybe I’m chasing a unicorn here but I figure before I pull the trigger on more rubber, someone must have some experience.

 

The tire size is awesome. 255/80/17 or the 255/85/16.

in terms of running a dedicated winter tire during the winter in the snow, it definitely won’t hurt. In terms of running a c rated tire I would check your weight of your truck and it all depends on how low you air down and the terrain your getting into. Essentially comes down how much sidewall strength you get.

 

I run steel rims with 275/70/16 winter tires.

 

I’ve had really good luck on-road with the ST Maxx. In deep snow at full pressure, they suck; but air down to ~12psi and you’re a snowplow.

 

well for me, I’m usually not going below 18 psi on the trails/terrain that I’m on. Maybe lower in very deep snow, but only if needed.

im pretty new to off roading so still figuring out what works, etc.

im really wondering if I would have an advantage with a dedicated winter tire in the deep stuff vs an all terrain like the wildpeak.

if there is no advantage to the winter tire off road, then that will make my decision a little bit more clear.

 

how do those perform in the deep stuff?

 

even during winter driving? The lack of sipping on them makes me thing that they would not be that great on snow covered roads, but I can’t say for sure as I don’t have the experience with them.

as much as possible I’d like to avoid buying and selling new sets of tires every year just to find what will work lol.

 

If you will be wheeling in deep snow frequently, specially if doing it alone, it's worth it.

AT winter tires are not the best in snow and ice.
I won't buy dedicated because I need the AT duratracs for a mix of snow and mud and long travel, and I am planning to get pulled by tacoma's with winter tires. So I am good.

 

I have to travel the 402 to Strathroy every day and they have performed well. If you have watched Heavy Rescue 401 then you will know what unpredictable weather gets thrown at drivers on this highway.

 

Yeah, I do go out solo most of the time. My trusty shovel has saved my ass more than I care to admit.

How do you like the duratracs for deep snow? I was debating getting a set of those in 255/75.

for me this is a DD so having a set of winters definitely won’t hurt for the every day driving; I just wanted to make sure I’m not handicapping myself when I hit the trails.

thanks for everyone’s feedback so far.

 

I can't comment on those tires off road. But I did run them on my car as a dedicated winter set for several years. They seemed to work very well on road (without studs).

On my truck I run BFG KO2s year round (for now). Decent all around performance, but do leave something to be desired in specialized situations like deep snow, pure mud, ice roads, etc. Basically the same comprise you make with any AT tire.. I do find playing with the tire pressure can make a big difference in most situations including deep snow. All depends on the exact conditions of course.

That being said, a set of chains can really help in situations where it's deeper and there's different layers of crust like you mentioned. But they are a PIA of course.

Personally I'm considering adding studs to my current BFGs. Current ones are maybe 60% tread left, so if I end up buying new tires next it could be an interesting test.

 

Duratracs are amazing in snow when they are new. After a couple seasons of wear the siping disappears but when they’re new they are awesome.

 

I’d love to see the results of that test.

I understand that the all terrain is a compromise by its nature. We get a pretty diverse set of weather conditions and terrains up here, so I was happy that my WPs did as well as they did, but I’m always looking for the best compromise to get the best performance.

 

i really wish Goodyear would change the design to do full depth siping on the duratracs.

if it wasn’t for that issue I probably would have already bought a set. Lol.

 

I would still love to see some input from someone who has used this specific tire (blizzak LT) for off-roading.

 

I would too. I’ve got the DM-V2s in P-load and they were just ok off-road. Wasn’t confidence inspiring knowing I had little sidewall strength compared to my summer ST Maxx. On-road they haven’t been as good as the WS-80s I used to have on my Subarus, so I’m probably not going Blizzak next time, even the LTs.

That said, a higher load rating will undoubtedly be a better bet aired down off-road. I’m going with the Nokian Hakka LT3s next round. They’re D-load in 285s so they’ll have plenty of strength. Less chunky than the ST Maxx so won’t be quite as good in the deepest of deep stuff but the trade off will be worth it for all the on-road driving I do.

 

I have the Blizzak DM-V2 in 245/75r16 for my dedicated winter tire and Falken AT3-W in 265/75r16 P-rated for the rest of the year. The winter tires preform so much better in the snow and ice. Unbelievable difference.

 

You now, @llamasmurf has a ton of winter driving experience. Any thoughts on this?

for me, I just run my All terrains all year. At the end of the day if the snow is deep enough and the tires work, you’ll just get high centered either way as the tires will dig to the point your bellied out.

personally, for the amount you’ll spend on a second set of tires, I would invest in a winch. Especially if you are going solo.