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Are winter tires necessary?

jerrygcoffey

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I recently moved to Denver and plan to hit the resorts often. I also wheel the heck out of my Jeep. Just put some KO2s on which are 3PMSF rated, do I need to consider a winter tire? What are the local Jeepers doing?
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3TV

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If you want winter tires, that is up to you. I'm sure there are people on the forum that think they are needed. I personally have never felt the need to change from my year-round tires because of winter. My current tires are 37" Cooper STT Pros. I live about 800' higher elevation than Denver, and routinely travel over mountain passes that are 10,000 ft elevation in the winter. Conditions like this:

Jeep Wrangler JL Are winter tires necessary? 2-24-23 2
 

OminousSkitter

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My personal opinion (not a local), KO2s will take you pretty far into winter. Some people say they don't have any traction on snow, but I have not found that to be the case. For me, the difference between KO2s and proper winters is how much I drive in 4H vs 2H. Not knowing the area, but I'd imagine the close-by resorts (Vail, Steamboat, etc) have pretty good roads all year long.

The last time I went to a CO resort was December 20 years ago (Steamboat), and a Jetta without winters (or even 3PMSF as far as I recall) was safe except for the windshield washer fluid. The dumb arse owner put "the good stuff" (aka bug wash) in it just before the trip. That was a solid block of ice going through the mountains and never thawed until we hit Kansas.

All that said, if you need winter tires, proper winter tires are far superior to KO2s for roads/highways.
 

Punkn89

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Drive safely, get some Maxtrax boards and chains if you want to be extra safe, and enjoy Jeepin ✌.
 

58Willys

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Three or four 60 lb sandbags will be better than any winter tire for winter road driving. Also note you need to carry chains on I-70 Nov to April.
 

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J.Ferreira

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I recently moved to Denver and plan to hit the resorts often. I also wheel the heck out of my Jeep. Just put some KO2s on which are 3PMSF rated, do I need to consider a winter tire? What are the local Jeepers doing?
We have resorts in Colorado?

Oh you mean ski resorts. I didn't even realize they called them resorts. Shows how much I like winter activities. lmao

I moved here for the summer activities.
Short answer, if you've spent any decent portion of your life driving around in snow you don't need snow tires as long as you have ATs or MTs. If you've lived most of your life living in places where it doesn't snow, maybe you could do with snow tires.

We have so many transplants here that have never seen snow till they move here and you need to be able to move around them.

I have KO2s on mine and haven't had any issues, but I've spent my entire adult life driving all seasons in the snow of New England.
 

J.Ferreira

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Three or four 60 lb sandbags will be better than any winter tire for winter road driving. Also note you need to carry chains on I-70 Nov to April.
4WD suffices in place of chains, and the law is "all CMV must carry chains"
Our Jeeps aren't commercial motor vehicles...... I mean, unless you use it for work I guess.
 

ceddy

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After a Canadian winter with a few proper storms, I don't find the K02s to be lacking in any way. I would not waste money on winter tires.
 

J.Ferreira

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4WD suffices in place of chains, and the law is "all CMV must carry chains"
Our Jeeps aren't commercial motor vehicles...... I mean, unless you use it for work I guess.
Three or four 60 lb sandbags will be better than any winter tire for winter road driving. Also note you need to carry chains on I-70 Nov to April.
I've been lied to, apparently. Kind of.
2WD passenger vehicles under 16k lbs need chains on the two drive tires.
Edit: ALSO

An approved ATD for two or more drive tires; OR

Tires with a tread depth of at least 3/16-inch and which are rated for either "All weather" or

"Mud and Snow" (indicated by a "All Season," M+S, M/S, etc. on sidewall) by the manufacturer.



4WD passenger vehicles under 16k lbs don't need chains, but need at least 3/16" depth of tire tread. (and are adequate for winter driving)

https://csp.colorado.gov/chain-law-information

Edit x2 Apparently they can change the law at a moments notice in an effected area.
The Passenger Vehicle Chain Law imposes the most restrictive requirements during inclement weather. All passenger vehicles must have chains or alternate traction devices (ATDs) on two or more drive tires. This applies to every two/four/all-wheel drive passenger vehicle in the affected area.

Apparently it's a good thing I just stay outta the mountains in the winter. :CWL:
 
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jerrygcoffey

jerrygcoffey

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Three or four 60 lb sandbags will be better than any winter tire for winter road driving. Also note you need to carry chains on I-70 Nov to April.
I thought that wasn't the case for 4wd vehicles?
 

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J.Ferreira

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I thought that wasn't the case for 4wd vehicles?
Me tooooo

See my comment immediately above yours. I did some research. lol

That said if they do impose chain restrictions that severe...the road is probably getting closed very shortly after.
 

Reinen

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I recently moved to Denver and plan to hit the resorts often. I also wheel the heck out of my Jeep. Just put some KO2s on which are 3PMSF rated, do I need to consider a winter tire? What are the local Jeepers doing?
I'm at 5.5-10k altitude in neighboring Utah, constantly in the mountains and resorts in the worst of conditions.

I swap out my KO2s each winter for Nokian Hakkapeliitta LT3s. The KO2s are okay in fresh deep snow and off-road snow/dirt but that isn't what gets you in winter. Your Jeep will do a great job getting you through that. It's the ice that gets you and KO2s get sketchy on it. Especially snow compacted into ice on pavement and snowmelt refrozen into black ice, which you will find at the resorts. KO2s have the tread for snow but not the tire compound needed for ice. Once they skid they want to keep skidding and it can be hard to reign them back in.

The Hakkas on the other hand handle all the winter conditions like a champ. Even while skidding they always have some degree of control. They have glass crystals embedded in the tire compound that act like thousands of tiny studs. You can almost drive on ice like it isn't even there. There is no white knuckling it with the Hakkas but there will be moments with KO2s.

One final thing to remember, 4WD cannot drive as fast as AWD vehicles in on-road winter conditions. In curves you will find yourself in an oversteer skid far sooner than AWD will, but you're also far less likely to become outright stuck. Just like the fable, on winter roads 4WD is the tortoise and AWD is the hare.
 

DewHawk

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That said if they do impose chain restrictions that severe...the road is probably getting closed very shortly after.
This. 3PMSF rated tires are more than adequate for us in Colorado on most roads. If you start climbing into passes that are notorious for heavy snow fall and icing conditions (with weather reports that day telling you to either stay home or be extra careful), you should be packing chains and an emergency kit just in case $hit gets real bad. My buddy used to own a JT Rubi with 38's and 3.5" lift in Evergreen and used to run into situations where the snow was deep enough to warrant 40's or better to get anywhere. :CWL:

I recently moved to Denver and plan to hit the resorts often. I also wheel the heck out of my Jeep. Just put some KO2s on which are 3PMSF rated, do I need to consider a winter tire? What are the local Jeepers doing?
K02's will serve you well for about 90% of the winter conditions you're more than likely going to encounter. I'm personally not a huge fan of them because I think their grip in icing conditions is kinda lack luster. I ran Maxxis Razr A/T's on my last 4xe that were a little more aggressive tread in temps below -20*F and they actually took some effort to break loose. I'm really looking forward to putting my current Kanati Trail Hogs to the test this year since they mimic Goodyear Duratracs and people swear by them for really hazardous snow/ice conditions out here. If you decide to ditch the K02's, there are a ton of really good options out there for A/T's that'll give some extra bite on the trail and in the snow/ice. It'll be interesting to see how the new K03 stacks up once the big tire stores and sources start winter testing it. I still haven't seen a whole lot of info about it other than what it looks like.
 

JINO

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K02s are a decent tire.
Had then before I got my baja legend exp, which I feel does better, despite less siping.

I might sipe them with a sharp knife before it starts snowing.
 

LostNotStuck-Yet

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If you have winter tires mounted on rims and swap them out yourself, the only long term cost is the cost of the rims (and your time). There is no additional (long term) cost for the tires as when you are consuming your winter tires you won’t be consuming your summer tires.
In return you get the best possible traction and safety in snow and ice conditions: Better handling, better braking, and better acceleration. If you are consistently on snowy and icy roads AND have available cash AND tire storage AND can swap out your tires then why not have the safest vehicle you can?
I went with the studded Hakka 10s. Not CO but we had 30”+ of heavy sticky snow over 3 days about 8 days ago - which packed to substantially rutted ice roads in the following days (where there was enough traffic) - it was a mess - the snow removal crews (who are some of the best in the world) were overwhelmed - 2 door Rubicon on Hakka 10s simply did not care. Ample traction, predictable handling, and the ability to safely avoid dozens of vehicles that were stuck, wallowing, or sliding. The jeep with Hakka 10s was superior in these conditions. Driving in these conditions was definitely safer for me and my loved ones than it was for others.

As an aside- this storm dumped over 6 feet in 24 hours on the Richardson Hwy - a long way from where I am.
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