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Humvee tires and snow?

asg13

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wv
I have read every thread in regards to 37" humvee tires. I have some 33" swampers and they were less then stellar in the first snow.

Lookin to replace with some goodyear mtr or some bfg baha ta..

Anyone have expierence in the snow? Not talkin alaska snow but 100-150 inches a year in southern wv...only off road will be logging roads at hunting property.. No real off road use or mudding..mostly pavement queen.

16.5 already on fyi when i bought it..

Thx
 

Skinny

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The 37" Goodyear MT is a great all around tire. Having said that...they suck at doing anything well, light snow being one of them. I think a few of the reasons why so many people run them including myself is the durability factor and the price point. If they cost more than $75-100 each, most people probably wouldn't buy them. For a pavement pounder, I would buy a set of General Grabber AT2's or BFG AT's. Both of those work awesome in light snow. If it gets too thick, get a set of chains.
 

asg13

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wv
Not seeing them that cheap anywhere???! I would choose other tires but already have the 16.5s, the humvees are affordable no doubt
 
479
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Location
Madison, WI
x2 on the General Grabbers, I've had experience with them in snow a non-cucv. They handle very well in heavier snows too. 6-10 inches, barely used 4wd and barely spun the tires. They are fairly cheap too, cheaper than most comparable All-Terrain/Mud Tires. The AT2 are also studdable.

I don't have personal experience with BFG AT's but I see A LOT of guys running them on their trucks up here in WI. A buddy had them on his F350 several years ago, from what I remember, it did very well in a heavy wet snow storm we had. You can get BFG AT's in 33x12.5R16.5 and 35x12.5R16.5

Both are pretty capable in light to medium offroading.
 
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max1008

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From my experience with bfg at's they suck at everything but pavement. My friends bronco would get stuck in wet grass, they clog easily in any mud and snow. I would recommend anything but bfg at.
 

Sharecropper

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For snow the skinnier the better. Want to bite through the snow. Not like snow shoeing. Floating in snow equals lost traction.
Ditto on the skinny tires for snow. My 11.00/20 NDT's will easily maintain traction in 12" - 16" fine powder and will absolutely not tread-fill. I ran these wheels and tires for 10 years on a 1985 1-ton K30 single-rear-wheel civilian truck and enjoyed outstanding traction in deep snow. In 1993 we had 20" snow here in Kentucky and this tire and wheel was the only thing moving on the road. I spent 2 days delivering groceries to church members and hauling hay to cows.

Copy of DSC02967.jpg
 
408
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Location
Colo.
Ditto on the skinny tires for snow. My 11.00/20 NDT's will easily maintain traction in 12" - 16" fine powder and will absolutely not tread-fill. I ran these wheels and tires for 10 years on a 1985 1-ton K30 single-rear-wheel civilian truck and enjoyed outstanding traction in deep snow. In 1993 we had 20" snow here in Kentucky and this tire and wheel was the only thing moving on the road. I spent 2 days delivering groceries to church members and hauling hay to cows.

View attachment 463292
Those tires would have you in the ditch every single storm here in the mountains of Colorado. I mean the mountains, not Denver.

NDT's can spin through a bunch, but you wouldn't make it 5 miles here, even fully locked up. Crappy tires for anything but plowing straight.

Try a few passes in ice/slush on top of 8" with 3k vert on a regular basis for 6 months. Oh wait, you couldn't without chains. Or even better, the next 4 days with 4" of packed pure ice that glows back at you in yellow and grey.

Want a tire that performs in the snow, get a dedicated snow tire. I've seen FWD civics with blizzacks or hakk's blow the tails off of rigs like that. Nice look, but absolutely impractical in real severe persistent winter conditions.

****, I wouldn't even take the deuce out in the snow with the ss michelans over my 1028 with dedicated snows. Know what it's like coming down a pass in a whiteout on ice and packed snow without real tires? Those are my normal conditions.

Get a grip. BFG's suck in the nasty too. First 10k, maybe you'll stay on the road, but they harden after that.

Why do you think everyone here either runs plow rigs or Audi's and Subies?

We had 10" yesterday, and it all turned to ice. And it's only November. Try coming down the hill from the PO with NDT's and you are wrecking everytime. That's just a side street to a state highway.
 
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rivcrazy2000

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Anchorage, AK
100-150 inches is a LOT of snow. When we had our record snow year here in Anchorage it was 139 inches and that was a lot of snow, it snowed all the time. You do need as skinny of a tire as you can if you want maximum traction. I do recommend having some type of snow tire if you're not used to driving through winter conditions all that much. I've used studded and studless and have found double studding a studless snow tire to work the absolute best. It costs $ but it is worth it if you need it for safety purposes or only have 2WD or have some inhibiting factor that you need maximum traction to compensate for. On the K5 I ran BFG Mud Terrains last winter and I will never do that again, I could get where I was going but not comfortably. I was always on edge with those tires I hated them. Never started doing unintentional 180's or anything but they sucked. I am running new Cooper Discoverer AT3's this year a friend ran them all last winter said they did fine so I'm giving them a shot. We've had snow since Halloween here in town and they've been ok so far but nothing to write home about. For powder only conditions most tires I've used do fine so long as you keep moving through the deeper parts. It's the compacted icy creation on the main roads that's the real monster. If it's pretty much off-road only I'd probably go for the BFG A/T they're decent tires just bring a set of chains, a shovel, and some sand for traction and you'll be fine. I used my S10 Xtreme for winter driving for years and was fine, if it can get around so can your CUCV.
 

max1008

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Blue Bell, PA
Want a tire that performs in the snow, get a dedicated snow tire. I've seen FWD civics with blizzacks or hakk's blow the tails off of rigs like that. Nice look, but absolutely impractical in real severe persistent winter conditions.
hit the nail on the head!!!! Ive always run dedicated snows on my vehicles. my 2wd p/u with studded snows (chains if necessary) outperformed all of my friends and familys 4wd vehicles with all terrains.
Check craigslist for barely used snow tires. You can usually always find someone trying to get rid of barely used snows.
 

Sharecropper

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Those tires would have you in the ditch every single storm here in the mountains of Colorado. I mean the mountains, not Denver.

NDT's can spin through a bunch, but you wouldn't make it 5 miles here, even fully locked up. Crappy tires for anything but plowing straight.

Try a few passes in ice/slush on top of 8" with 3k vert on a regular basis for 6 months. Oh wait, you couldn't without chains. Or even better, the next 4 days with 4" of packed pure ice that glows back at you in yellow and grey.

Want a tire that performs in the snow, get a dedicated snow tire. I've seen FWD civics with blizzacks or hakk's blow the tails off of rigs like that. Nice look, but absolutely impractical in real severe persistent winter conditions.

****, I wouldn't even take the deuce out in the snow with the ss michelans over my 1028 with dedicated snows. Know what it's like coming down a pass in a whiteout on ice and packed snow without real tires? Those are my normal conditions.

Get a grip. BFG's suck in the nasty too. First 10k, maybe you'll stay on the road, but they harden after that.

Why do you think everyone here either runs plow rigs or Audi's and Subies?

We had 10" yesterday, and it all turned to ice. And it's only November. Try coming down the hill from the PO with NDT's and you are wrecking everytime. That's just a side street to a state highway.
Makers TeleMark - With all due respect, I built my 20" split rims in 1985 and mounted 11.00/20 NDT's specifically for elk hunting in Colorado. Between 1985 and 1995, I made eleven round-trips on these tires from my home base in Georgia to various CO hunting spots from Bears Ears north of Hayden down to Durango. The tires actually pulled better in the snow than the mud. I remember one year getting stranded in Glenwood Springs during a blizzard. My '85 K30 civi was configured exactly as my current M1028 is now, and was the only vehicle capable of moving in the 20" of snow that fell. In fact, the Colorado Highway Patrol had closed I-70 all the way back through Eisenhour tunnel, however that didn't stop me and my hunting partner from driving from Glenwood Springs all the way back to SilverThorne. Just thought you should know. I have logged over 250,000 miles on NDT's in some of the roughest, slickest terrain in CO and would not have any other tread pattern.
 

M1008BOV

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The Grabbers are good, but not the greatest on slick roads. They bite well in the 2"+, more siping might help them. Why not go with the Cooper Discoverer M+S that I've seen on a lot of these trucks? They are a dedicated studable snow tire with lots of siping. I've not personally owned a set, but to me they look like a great snow tire.
 

max1008

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the stock discoverers on my truck blow. I started spinning on a small incline. got out to lock the hubs and the truck started sliding down the hill!
 
408
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Location
Colo.
Makers TeleMark - With all due respect, I built my 20" split rims in 1985 and mounted 11.00/20 NDT's specifically for elk hunting in Colorado. Between 1985 and 1995, I made eleven round-trips on these tires from my home base in Georgia to various CO hunting spots from Bears Ears north of Hayden down to Durango. The tires actually pulled better in the snow than the mud. I remember one year getting stranded in Glenwood Springs during a blizzard. My '85 K30 civi was configured exactly as my current M1028 is now, and was the only vehicle capable of moving in the 20" of snow that fell. In fact, the Colorado Highway Patrol had closed I-70 all the way back through Eisenhour tunnel, however that didn't stop me and my hunting partner from driving from Glenwood Springs all the way back to SilverThorne. Just thought you should know. I have logged over 250,000 miles on NDT's in some of the roughest, slickest terrain in CO and would not have any other tread pattern.
Well, I'm glad they work for you. I have no doubt the NDT's can plow through deep snow, it's my position that the really slick stuff is their downfall. Whatever you are comfortable with. Coincidentally, I just got back this afternoon from hauling my elk out. Felt really lucky as I didn't see anything in 3rd or 4th until late this Sunday, the last day of 4th. I live halfway between GWS and Silverthorne.

Why not go with the Cooper Discoverer M+S that I've seen on a lot of these trucks? They are a dedicated studable snow tire with lots of siping. I've not personally owned a set, but to me they look like a great snow tire.
They are, in my experience, the best LT snow tire out there, and what I run on my M1028. We get between 300-500" of snow a year here, so you are driving in the snow all the time. Most winters, I don't even bother unlocking the hubs.
 

Skinny

Well-known member
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Portsmouth, NH
I will tell you that a rear Detroit and front LSD keep you awake at all times. Obviously the traction they provide when you put the skinny down is superior to open diffs but they will also not think twice of skidding you into a ditch much faster than the open diffs will. I would prefer them but keep both hands on the wheel.

My opinion, light snow/ice I would prefer to have the General Grabbers or BFG AT's. Anything more than light accumulation, I wouldn't think twice of having chains. When I say chains I mean hauling ass through the snow and having it fly up over the fenders while maintaining vehicle control. No snow tire regardless of tread, rubber compound, and studs will provide you with that type of security. So at that point, you may as well run an AT tire for year round operation and chain up through the thick stuff. If you are using your rig for mud or rocks than it's a different story. For a general purpose DD, this is what I prefer.
 
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