# another tire question: pick the best of these



## VTDave (Apr 2, 2008)

I am locked into LT275/65/18, which limits my choices. Long story. Help me pick the best of these for slippery conditions (icy/slushy uphills and high-moisture snow generally):

Cooper Discoverer M+S (studdable)(or knock-off: Arctic Claw XSi, Avalanche)
Blizzak DM-VI (no studs)
Firestone Winterforce LT (studdable)
GY Duratrac (studdable)
Hankook iPike RW11 (studdable)

To my knowledge, these are my ONLY choices. Sorry for another tire thread.
Dave


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## kevlars (Feb 11, 2011)

I love my Duratracs. I only run them in the winter. Last season was the first for them. I used Cooper Discoverer ST's before that. They did well in snow. But the Duratracs are excellent in hard packed snow and ice. They are winter rated tire...snowflake on the side.

kevlars


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## cubicinches (Oct 19, 2008)

I have trucks with the Cooper Discoverer M & S, and the Hankook ipikes... both are very good tires. Nothing beats Nokian Hakkapeliittas though... not available in 18" though. I went and bought 17" wheels for my 2011 Chevy just so I could run that tire.


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## pooleo8 (Nov 8, 2009)

that size is found in the BFG A/T


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## scholzee (Nov 9, 2001)

Cooper Discoverer M+S


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## 06Sierra (Nov 30, 2008)

I run DuraTracs year round. They are awesome in the winter! If they are going to be dedicated winter tires and you stud them, they would be second to none.


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## mmtwin (Jan 14, 2005)

I have been running winerforce for about 10 years. I have dedicated snow tires. I always get them studded. I love them and the price


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## kevlars (Feb 11, 2011)

Where do you find Winterforces for a truck? Tire Rack only has smaller sizes.

kevlars


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## theplowmeister (Nov 14, 2006)

Of those tires its the Blizzak hands down for traction


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## 97S104x4 (Dec 31, 2009)

i hate my goodyear duratracs!! only lasted 15k miles


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## kevlars (Feb 11, 2011)

What are you running your Duratrac on? Are they E range tires? Miine have probably 10k on them and they are wearing very well.

Kevlars


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## 06Sierra (Nov 30, 2008)

I have seen the winterforce for trucks at sears.


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## 91AK250 (Nov 28, 2007)

coopers(studded), blizzaks or winterforce(studded) i own all 3 and love them all.


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## ddb maine (Dec 4, 2009)

To continue the discussion, I have heard alot about the Nokian Haakkakapieieltos..... They only come in an 8ply? called the local distributor. Are they that friggen good that its worth stepping down in weight handling?


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## ddb maine (Dec 4, 2009)

235/85/16 comes in 10ply. reasonably priced too considering you can only get them from dealers.


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## rick502 (Jan 5, 2011)

Dave - Cooper M&S are my favorites - 90% of the traction of the Goodyears or Blizzaks at nearly half the price. They do wear wuickly in summer but all the tires listed will as they are proper snow tires and made with the softer rubber. A couple of my friends are runnning the Winterforce with pretty good results and price is even lower than Cooper. Only down side they report is Winterforce produce a lot of road noise


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## cubicinches (Oct 19, 2008)

ddb maine;1311348 said:


> To continue the discussion, I have heard alot about the Nokian Haakkakapieieltos..... They only come in an 8ply? called the local distributor. Are they that friggen good that its worth stepping down in weight handling?


You need a different distributor... They come in ten ply. I buy a set every year.

They are positively unmatched in design. I'm not going to get into what could be a huge argument with these guys here, but if you actually know what makes a snow tire a good snow tire, then it is obvious. They are expensive. And, as far as tread life, they are not for year round use... But if you're looking for traction, nothing else compares... And I've run them all.

Oh... and it's spelled like this: Hakkapeliitta


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## rick502 (Jan 5, 2011)

No argument, Hakkapeliitta is great tire. They certainly don't fit every budget though and they aren't available in as wide a variety of sizes like some of the other tires here. Nokian was the first company I know of to offer tires with low void area and high sipe density which along with soft rubber compounds did set them appart from other manufacturers. I do belive other companies have caught on and offer tires with similar or near similar performance for less $


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## ddb maine (Dec 4, 2009)

I did find them in a 10 ply, just not in my stock size, but taller and more narrow is better anyways. As for price they are 200+- less than goodyear dura traks and only 150 more than the generals.... thats pretty unbeatable. I think I know whats going on the plowing rims.

hakakpelitos... nope. aint happening


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## ddb maine (Dec 4, 2009)

cubicinches;1311404 said:


> You need a different distributor... They come in ten ply. I buy a set every year.
> 
> They are positively unmatched in design. I'm not going to get into what could be a huge argument with these guys here, but if you actually know what makes a snow tire a good snow tire, then it is obvious. They are expensive. And, as far as tread life, they are not for year round use... But if you're looking for traction, nothing else compares... And I've run them all.
> 
> Oh... and it's spelled like this: Hakkapeliitta


wait wait wait a second... do they only last you one year? even with only 5-6 months of use? or do you run them full time regardless? or do you have a bunch of trucks and you rotate new ones in?
I was sort of hoping to get a few years out of them if they are off the truck spring-fall and during dry spells....

How many storms do you get out of them and how many miles are driving between storms?


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## cubicinches (Oct 19, 2008)

I do have a bunch of trucks, but I only put the Nokians on the truck I drive myself... 2011 HD2500 Duramax. I run Cooper M & S or Hankook ipikes on my other trucks, but they are pretty much plow trucks only, so they don't get a ton of miles per year, and we manage to get multiple seasons out of them. That being said, I do only run the Nokians one season on my own truck... nothing compares to brand new tires. I do alot of running around, scouting different areas for snow, in the winter. Last year we plowed 39 storms... I don't always do alot of plowing myself, unless we have trucks go down, but as I said, I do alot of running around, cleaning up, handling issues, etc. The Nokians that were on my truck last season have about 10/32" tread left with roughly 10k miles on them. They probably have 14/32" or 16/32" to start. If I start the season with half used tires, they're junk by mid February. I don't like being stuck, and superior traction is worth every penny of what new tires cost... every season.


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## cubicinches (Oct 19, 2008)

rick502;1311416 said:


> Nokian was the first company I know of to offer tires with low void area and high sipe density which along with soft rubber compounds did set them appart from other manufacturers. I do belive other companies have caught on and offer tires with similar or near similar performance for less $


Absolutely... Compound has everything to do with it. Hakkapeliittas use a very high silica compound. Silica, in itself, aids traction while also keeping the compound soft and flexible at low temperatures. Another key feature is _full depth_ siping... While I defintely feel that the Cooper M & S and the Hankook ipike are great tires, the siping doesn't go to the full depth of the tread... when the tread is half worn, the siping is gone, and the tire becomes useless in a hurry.


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## kingriver (Oct 25, 2005)

*Nokian Hawk's*

Well, heres my two cents. I own 3 dedicated plow trucks, they all are suited with Nokian Hawks. Of course these trucks only see winter weather road conditions, which sometimes can be bare pavement traveling on the highways to and from plows. I have been running them on these three trucks for 10 years, they are still in x-cellent shape. I did have to replace the front ones on my sand truck only because for some reason it thru out most of the studs and stopping that beast when she full of sand it pretty important.

kingriver
james


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## brad96z28 (Aug 21, 2005)

m&s wear quick in the off season for ure but had great traction when they where new,


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## ddb maine (Dec 4, 2009)

King river. What kind of trucks? 1 tons? Did you figure out why they were throwing studs?


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## plowmaster07 (Feb 1, 2009)

Dunno if you figured out your tire situation yet. I'm running Artic Claws on my Dodge (like you listed), very impressed with them. Really quiet on the highway and very good year round tire. I have about 15K on them so far? Can get another season of pushing before a new set.

Aaron


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## bdlawncare (Oct 1, 2011)

if its for a truck im assuming check the ( hankook dynapro atm rf10) good tire snow rated, yes theres flake on the side they are amazing in the snow and ice for a decent price i payed 135 per tire for 265/70r/17... just a thought because they have them in many sizes check tirerack


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