[StreetHEMI03]

I am a bit disappointed how mine is getting thru the snow. I got good tires and shocks, LSD ,and 4X4. Out on the streets overall it's ok it just when it comes to the unplowed streets like the drive up to the house. We had about 3 inches of sleet and another 3-4 inches of snow on top this week. In the past years the drive got plowed earlier and did not go thru this deep. Maybe it's my technique as this truck has more horsepower/torque than other trucks I have owned (I often slide around a bit at stoplights going uphill when it's wet out) but I cannot power thru any snow up the driveway without it slipping, kicking, bucking, then stopping forward movement etc. My friend is setting there laughing as he can almost do it in 2WD with his 89 Ramcharger where I am have a fight with mine in 4X4. My 20s are a lot wider and larger than his tires, I have a lot more power out on the street, my wheelbase is longer, and my fly by wire throttle makes judging the throttle a little harder than in the Ramcharger. I looked up the weight of the Ramcharger and they are close but hands down the Ramcharger is a tank and can go anywhere in deep snow often just in 2 wheel drive. It does have the solid front axle but I would not think that mattered in 2WD. I had an old GMC S15 4X4 pickup I could climb the driveway with better. I don't get stuck with the Ram but I have to try several times and very very slowly and I am finding 4wd lo works a little better. I am sure some weight in the back helps but I put about 350 back there last year and still noticed a bit of a fight on unplowed streets. What am I doing wrong with this truck?

 

[myoung84]

My 2wd does great with 275/60/20 Cooper Zeon LTZ's with only 120 lbs in the bed. We had about 4" of ice, sleet, and snow here. I did a lot of driving before the snow plows and sand trucks came out and never had any big problems getting around. My fat cow quad cab and having an actual throttle cable might help a little too.

I notice you have Terra Grapplers, I would think your truck would do great. It could simply be the wide width of those tire. The narrower tires do better in the snow.

 

[vetteemt]

For snow and ice wider tires are worse for traction then narrower tires. A narrower tire displaces the weight of the truck over a smaller contact patch of the tire which increases the pressure that the tire is pushing against the road, thus increases traction in ice and snow. Also the narrow tire is easier to push through the snow because it does not have to clear as large of a path though the snow. If you go to one of the online tire stores most winter tires are narrower then the OEM originals.

Now for everything else, mug, sand, and dry pavement the wider the tire and the larger the contact patch the better.

 

[NUTTSQUAD03]

I have had 3 different sets of tires on my ram . A set of 305/55/20 Nitto TG's. a set of 275/65/20 Good Year AT/S , and now a set of 35x12.5x17 Mastercraft Courser CT's, and the best tire in the snow was the 275/65 AT/S. the wider tires just don't cut it in the snow.

 

[4.56'd5.7]

Mine gets around great in the snow, stock sized (265/70/17) Destination M/T's are probably the main reason but even with the old Goodyears it ran great in the snow/ice. I've never put weight in the bed either. Iowa born and raised been driving in this snow/ice stuff for years!! haha

Im guessing that your wide tires and lighter weight (reg cab) make your truck ride on top of the snow. So you're constantly biting through trying to get a hard base for traction. Add in a good amount of HP and its quite a ride.

 

[ggravant]

I have had 3 different sets of tires on my ram . A set of 305/55/20 Nitto TG's. a set of 275/65/20 Good Year AT/S , and now a set of 35x12.5x17 Mastercraft Courser CT's, and the best tire in the snow was the 275/65 AT/S. the wider tires just don't cut it in the snow.

x2 - I got six Cooper Discoverer M&S with studs off of craigslist last summer in 235x80x17 and they are great (and steelies to go with them). Compared to the 285x70x17 BFG AT KOs from last winter, these are much better. I never get stuck and it feels less "floaty" on the snow. I even towed a Chevy up a hill a few weeks ago when he got stuck with no problem at all.

 

[powderwagon]

X2 on the wide/AT tire combo. Contact pressure and grip are your friends. Also, the type of snow has a huge impact. (ie: wet/slushy/heavy vs. dry/cold/light snow). Deep slush is probably one of the most challenging types of "snow" to drive in. (I'm assuming it was a wet snow as you were getting sleet prior to the snow...)

I have a couple hundred pounds of gear and a canopy to help hold me down, but the biggest factor, in my opinion, are the tires: toyo mt's that I had siped (fancy word for little cuts in the tread). When I bought the truck it came with bfg at's that absolutely sucked in the snow. I replaced them as soon as I could...best decision ever. The mt's are monsters in the snow, especially slush.

But, I would think that adding some more weight in the back of your truck would be a pretty quick and inexpensive trick to help out...

 

[RB24]

i had no issues here...i was surprised. i was dreading the snow and ice with 305/50/20 general grabber uhp. i was reading reviews that said they were shit in the smallest bit of snow...i used 4x4 about 75-80% of the time and never went over 30. climbing hills and getting to my driveway wasnt tough at all. here is what it looked like on my way home 2 days ago

 

[^04Hemi^]

my truck has 325 terras on it and i have no problem in snow and ice

 

[kiker14]

I had no problems at all on the stock tires in about 4 - 6 inches of snow, we've had a few pretty nasty storms in northern jersey this year and I've found myself cruising on home in 4wd with the roads all to myself (I went out before the plows did). My guess is your wide tires are screwin ya

 

[StreetHEMI03]

Thanks for the replies... I have been blaming the tire width but I do love those tires otherwise. My tires are almost 2x as wide as the tires on the Ramcharger... thinking back the OEM tires did seem a bit better in the deep snow but slide around a lot in the rain.

 

[NUTTSQUAD03]

Now, I'm not saying I'm having problems at all, just that the narrower tire was a bit better. These mastercraft Courser CT's are great in the deep slush and snow that we have here. No weight in the bed besides the toolbox, and taking it easy when people are around. LOL!

 

[quietpeen]

I have 33x12.5x20 toyo MT's and they have been great in this last storm of snow, sleet, and freezing rain. However I also never had any problems in the same kind of weather with the 275/60/20 Goodyear HP's

 

[avengerdude27]

my 35x12.50 mickey thompsons are amazing even below half tread

 

[travis4380]

We just got 8-10 inches of snow here this week and mine got around great. No weight in the back either like I normally do. I have these here and love them, the price is great to.
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Pirelli&tireModel=Scorpion+ATR&partnum=755SR0SCORATROWL&vehicleSearch=true&fromCompare1=yes&place=25&speed_rating=R&speed_rating=S&speed_rating=T&speed_rating=U&speed_rating=H&speed_rating=V&speed_rating=Z&speed_rating=W&speed_rating=Y&speed_rating=(Y)&minSpeedRating=R

 

[RB24]

Thanks for the replies... I have been blaming the tire width but I do love those tires otherwise. My tires are almost 2x as wide as the tires on the Ramcharger... thinking back the OEM tires did seem a bit better in the deep snow but slide around a lot in the rain.

i will gladly take those terra grapplers of your hands :rck:

 

[myoung84]

We just got 8-10 inches of snow here this week and mine got around great. No weight in the back either like I normally do. I have these here and love them, the price is great to.
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Pirelli&tireModel=Scorpion+ATR&partnum=755SR0SCORATROWL&vehicleSearch=true&fromCompare1=yes&place=25&speed_rating=R&speed_rating=S&speed_rating=T&speed_rating=U&speed_rating=H&speed_rating=V&speed_rating=Z&speed_rating=W&speed_rating=Y&speed_rating=(Y)&minSpeedRating=R

I had those on my Dakota before I traded it in. They were also a great tire in the snow. The tread blocks were a lot closer together than most AT's, but they did the job very well.

 

[gagesram]

Factory Goodyear HP's seem OK..

I have never had good luck with Goodyear's, and I didn't have a choice when I got the Dodge. I have been pleasantly surprised with the factory 275/60/20HP's. They don't do too bad in the snow and ice, but then I do leave it in 4x4 most of the time in my neighborhood. I might have 200 lbs in the box with my tools for my second job, and chains and straps for pulling.

We had over 36" of snow in December, and the City is still trying to clean off the streets, so they are pretty much ice and hard packed snow. The boulevards are full of snow, I have over 5 ft on the boulevard in front of my house, but most of it is from my me. I can park 7 in my driveway, and I have to blow all the snow to one side. I even have a hard time seeing over the banks at some of the intersections, so I worry every day when my wife drives her little Hyundai to work.

My uncle just put Terra Grapplers on his Duramax, and he really likes them, and from what I have heard, most people do also. I think these will be the tires I purchase when I need new ones.

 

[Ramhemi03]

I got the factory 17's on my 08 4 by 4. No problem it goes through everything so far.

 

[MG05]

I run the 305/55/20 dune grapplers, and they were also rated pretty porly in the snow. I don't have any trouble with traction when i want it... My truck is a reg cab too with nothing in the bed, but we also only had like 3-4 inches of snow too

My dakota ,however, is a monster with bald 235/75/15's and a single track rear end. it really surprised me.(plus i don't care if i hit stuff with it)