All Terrain Tires

[hopalong]

Pretty much sums it up !!!!

Got out of the deer stand jumped in the truck (4x4) started to turn around and the back wheels spin, OK I pull the little lever to put it in four wheel drive, give it a little gass and all it does is spin on top of the ground.

had to go back to the house and get "Backup"

Hop

[AikiDale]

Not much better on ice either. I figured out after last nights 5 hours of sleet on top of 3 inches of snow before it snowed again for another 6 inches that if 2 wheels have no friction, 4 wheels have twice as much....

[ErikW]

Didja try to lower the tire pressure first? Instant traction.

Wet clay sucks for everything, especially one-wheel-drive.

[TheOtherErik]

did you try 4x4 low?

sounds like your truck needs a set of locking differentials and some good mud tires

goodyear wrangler mt/r are my fav

[Putty]

So do all terrains do any one thing well or just everything so,so? What would be a good all around tire for snow (we get alot, and ice) and I live in the mtns. Perhaps siping the all terrains? My Toyos seem to work, but not the greatest.

[TheOtherErik]

I dont have alot of experience with tires in the snow, but i do know that mud tires suck on snow covered pavement. A/T tires are probably the best choice aside from a dedicated snow tire. The siping in the tire is what gives the traction. All the fine lines in the tread blocks provide a bite edge as apposed to a mud tire that has large lugs that just have one edge. best bet is to talk to your local tire guy.

[Dead Buff]

A little "diff lock" tip I learned. Just touch the brake while going slow on the gas - instant "diff lock" - sort of. This re-distributes power to all wheels and not just the one/two that are spinning. Gets you out of most situations.

[Vlad]

In my experience AT tires are a good all around tire but they stink in any one extreme environment when compared with tires designed for that problem, and that shouldn't be a real surprise. I like Pirelli Scorpions AT for general off road driving. Mud tires are great in mud but horrible on roads and ice.

Remeber, 4W drive helps you NOT get stuck. Once you are stuck .. you need a friend.

Vlad

[dajarrel]

Sam,

I found out a while back that mud grips (aka 'all terrain') tires work really well right up until the time that all the grooves and indentations fill up with mud. Voila! instant racing slick!

In all seriousness (can that be???) I have found that if you are going to be running on back roads or in the woods on muddy, sandy roads, your best bet is to put some additional weight in the back of the truck, preferably over the rear axle. Actually if you can put 300-500 pounds of sand in bags back there for hunting season it will make a tremendous differance in how your truck will handle in mud or sand.

And Eric Warren's suggestion of letting some air out of your tires is an excellent idea, especially in sand around here.

FWIW

dj

ps

are you hunting with a handgun?

dj

[lynn jones]

didn't the instructions say "thaw before use"?

i think hopalong hunts with a barrett 50 cal.

lynn

[Madmark]

Locking Differentials make a more definate difference than the tires. However, it's a costly fix.

There are always sacrifices on any tire/diff choice, and one tire just isn't going to do it all.

My 69 Dodge W200 has locking differentials in both axles (true 4x4) and a set of 36x12.5 Goodyear Wrangler MT Military Humvee tires. With enough wheel speed, it will get through anything. I have a long laundry list of impossible pulls, complete with pictures, since nobody would believe otherwise. However, this tire/diff combo sucks when there is 2"or less of snow or ice on the highway, because the lockers unlock on curves. This allows one tire to speed up, and also changes the handling of the truck in mid flight. Bad JuJu!

If you don't want to have one truck dedicated to one purpose, Air operated locking diffs, like the ARB units are an option to consider. They would help your highway friendly AT tires get you unstuck. Lowering the air pressure helps in a pinch, and putting weight in the back helps as well. Unfortionately, there is no tire that does it all on every surface.

[Flexmoney]

What? No stories of somebody putting "weight" in the back of their truck, then havig it shift to the other side of the bed while going around a corner? (Kicking the backend out.)

[Madmark]

Shingles work great for winter weight. They are 60-80 lbs per bundle, lay flat, and stay put pretty well. The bundles can be arranged in one layer, than covered with a sheet of plywood, so you still have a truck bed. Of course, I work with the stuff, and always have some laying around