Picking out my new tires.

[JAMAS]

Hopefully the sender wont mind, but I received a PM with this message and wanted to get others opinions.

......"Jamas, a guy at my tire place said those (2) smaller sized non snoflake rated grabbers were made out of a different rubber compound. Thats the only reason they arent severe snowrated."....


Riff Raff's comments made sense about why it wouldn't have been snow rated. However, why would the company make a tire with a different compound just for a smaller size. Doesn't make sense to me.

Thanks!

[Riff Raff]

Hopefully the sender wont mind, but I received a PM with this message and wanted to get others opinions.

......"Jamas, a guy at my tire place said those (2) smaller sized non snoflake rated grabbers were made out of a different rubber compound. Thats the only reason they arent severe snowrated."....


Riff Raff's comments made sense about why it wouldn't have been snow rated. However, why would the company make a tire with a different compound just for a smaller size. Doesn't make sense to me.

Thanks!

JAMAS--- You are absolutely correct in your thinking. No, General Tire Corporation does not utilize different rubber compounds within the exact same line model of tires. The PM relayed mis-information proves that his tire guy is smokin' crack cocaine!!!

The true reason the smaller AT2's did not receive the Snowflake/Mountain rating is solely due to its 13/32nds tread depth. If the smaller AT2 tire was just a tad wider (for increased tire patch area) or had 1/32nds deeper tread depth to 14/32nds, then it would have attained the Snowflake/Mountain rating. Again, the smaller AT2 just narrowly missed-out on the rating criteria.

Will the smaller AT2 still dig like crazy in the snow??? You're damn right it will. It will run circles around any other tire on the market, at any price.

In any case; get the Grabber AT2 in the specific size you prefer best (regardless of Snowflake/Mountain rating), and never look back!!!

[etlsport]

riffraff where did you get your info about the tread depth? i know that the goodyear fortera tripletred comes with like 10-11/32nds and it has the snowflake/mountain severe snow rating... its all about tread pattern.. my guess is that the tread pattern on those smaller tires is different, its pretty common on SUV tires

the bridgestone dueler HT has a different pattern at a 225 section width, same with the goodyear wrangler sra and a couple of others.. it wouldnt make any sense at all for a tire to be severe snow rated because of its tread depth since that tread is just going to wear away anyway

and just another quick note.. the deeper the tread on a tire, the worse the gas mileage will be (in general.. deeper tread means more flexibility, which will increase the friction)

[Doomer]

JAMAS, I just went with some new tires a few months ago. At my son's reccommendation, I went with the Toyo Open Country A/Ts. I absolutely LOVE them. Superior ride, handling, exceptionally quiet, good looks...I could go on. These come in your size. They are M+S rated, but I don't know much about that here in TX. They also sell a more aggressive M/T tire. Our son has been a service manager for several new auto dealerships for 10+ years and says he has never heard any complaints about Toyo tires in this time. It's only been a few months, but I am more than pleased with them. I am amazed at their handling for an A/T tire. I have held SCCA & NHRA licenses, so I am an aggressive driver. I drive 90% on-road, and most off-road is dirt/cattle trail type stuff, maybe a stream crossing or two. These tires are the business for me, IMHO. There are a lot of good tires out there and this is just my 2 cents.....Robert

[Bee Sting]

I went with Kumho Ecsta STX a little over a year ago. No problems at all in the winter. Quiet and don't make me nervous in a heavy rain.

255/55R18s, directional

[JAMAS]

Those are the tires I currently have on. I want some all-terrains.

As a side note, they are in great shape, but not what I want. If someone wants them, I'll sell them for a good price. Tread left ......maybe 90%+...I'll have the tire guys give me a % estimate.

265/60/R18