Best Snow Tires for 96 Dually

[JTH]

Hi, I know this has probably been asked before but i'll go ahead and ask it again. I sold my 06 Mega Cab and got myself a 96 Dually 4X4, well I live in an area where it snows all winter and those 215/85/16 Firestone Steelex tires on it don't do worth a sh$# in the snow. Our driveway is packed pretty good right now and I got it stuck. I was wondering based on your opinions, what the best size and tire would be for this truck in the snow? I've heard that tall skinny tires work better than the wider tires, how true is that and is there a tall skinny tire with aggressive tread that would work well?

 

[icman95]

Well, that's kind of a loaded question. If you ask 100 different people, you'll probably get 90 different responses. Each one will be right in their own way, but here's my part of it:



I didn't do so well with the factory stock tires either. Eventually, I put on Cooper Discoverer ATR tires in the stock sizes. I had been using the same type on my Jeep for snow plowing and loved the way they bite into the snow, so when the time came, they went on my dually and also my wife's Durango. Best tire on snow we've had. They have a fairly aggressive tread, while not being over the top so that they make a good all around tire, even when it's not snowing.



The idea behind skinny tires is that for snow you want the most weight possible in the least amount of space as possible. This concentrates the weight to push down through the snow and bite on pavement, rather than floating on top. A big, fat tire will disperse the weight over a larger area, thus making the tire "float" on top of the snow. This is why duallys are so bad in the snow. The two rear tires on either side disperse the truck's weight, rather than concentrating it. Perfect for towing and hauling, not so much for snow driving.



I'm not sure that radically changing your tire size is necessary. Just a good set of tires with some nice tread. My Jeep is much better in the snow than my dually, but with these tires, I can make due with the truck.

 

[JTH]

Thanks Ken, my mom has those tires on her Durango and they work great in the snow. I just didn't know if there was a better way to go for a dually. I'll probably try those out.

 

[icman95]

I'm sure there are tires that are even better in the snow, but then you get a tread that is too aggressive for dry pavement. They'll make too much noise or kill your fuel mileage, etc. These are a great compromise. Just be careful to get the Load Range "E" for your dually. The ones for the Durango are not strong enough for a HD pickup truck. They are the same tread, but have a weight capacity less than what the dually needs. The "E" range tires are what came with my truck. I assume that's what came with your '96 also.



Good luck!

 

[steved]

I know both BridgeStone and Cooper make a true snow tire for our trucks... I have the Cooper M&S in a LR E.

I had good luck with the Cooper "Radial LT" and the Mastercraft "Radial AP"... they are all-terrains.