Best Snow Tires for a New Wrangler 4xe

[Caveman044]

Dedicated snow and ice, Blizzaks. I ran them on an STI and mazdaspeed 3, they were amazing.

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[bjm00se]

Oh no, another "best snow tire" thread. Usually I find it best not to reply to these, but since you're in Tahoe, same as me, I'll venture an opinion.

"The Internet" loves to point out that dedicated snow tires (e.g. Blizzaks) are proven best in winter conditions. And so they are. Here's the thing - *TEMPERATURE* has more to do with how the tires perform, and wear, than the just the fact of snow and ice on the road.

Here in Tahoe, yes, we get a lot of snow, but cold clime folks just have no idea how frikken' *warm* it is here, year round. Even in Dec/Jan/Feb, *so* many of our days have a high over 32f, and it's pretty rare for the overnight low to drop below the 20s. (out of the next ten days, nine out of ten have a daily high in the 40s, and eight of them have the overnight low in the 20s)

So yeah, you *can* switch to winter tires in the winter, but there's less to be gained by doing so than there is for that dude who dwells up in Edmonton.

So, you're in Tahoe, and you're driving a 4xe, so you want to maximize your EV range. You'll want the lightest tire you can, with min rolling resistance. That leads to the BFG AT/KO, which is lighter than pretty much any other comparable tire in the same size.

For driving in Tahoe snow, though, I really like my Goodyear Duratracs.

Don't go to MTs. For deep deep snow (totally unplowed roads) they're cool, but compared to siped tires, they glide around like crazy once you get into town on the snow/ice covered pavement.

 

[Equitasforall]

Blizzaks are what I had on my Forester. Definitely a solid tire for up here in Tahoe with the help of AWD/4WD-- Not to be too much of a chick about it, but I do like the beefier/nubbier look of the KO2s. Though my primary concern is not skidding my kids into a ditch.

Welcome to the 4xe! I had great experience with the Blizzaks on a previous Tahoe. Never let me down. Now, that said, the KO2 AT is severe snow rated and I've never felt the need to go back to a snow only tire, going so far as to explore the upper Adirondacks over New Years weekend in 19 in my Raptor with the stock KO2s. Loved hitting every "seasonal limited use" road I could find. You know, the ones with the big red warning sign that says to avoid between about November and April... had a blast doing so.

There are a lot of Jeeps in your area. See what everyone else is running and how they've done. There are regional groups on this forum that may be able to help too.. You might be able to go with something like a KO2 year round based on the incredible capability of the Jeep.

Let me know if there's anything else you need!

From BFG:

BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2 tires meet the industry's severe snow service requirements and are branded with the three-peak mountain snowflake (3PMSF) symbol.

 

[Smurf]

Oh no, another "best snow tire" thread. Usually I find it best not to reply to these, but since you're in Tahoe, same as me, I'll venture an opinion.

Thank you so much for this explanation! I went on a Truckee/Tahoe forum yesterday and found lots of folks flyin' the Blizzak flag ("no question, why would you ever question?") and then a handful of folks just really in love with the K02.

Your explanation makes fascinating sense, and, since you've got the blend of Jeep-specific and Tahoe-specific expertise, I do think you're probably the tipping of my hard lean towards the KO2.

 

[BRuby]

Thank you so much for this explanation! I went on a Truckee/Tahoe forum yesterday and found lots of folks flyin' the Blizzak flag ("no question, why would you ever question?") and then a handful of folks just really in love with the K02.

Your explanation makes fascinating sense, and, since you've got the blend of Jeep-specific and Tahoe-specific expertise, I do think you're probably the tipping of my hard lean towards the KO2.

Have the OEM KO2s since 2018 and bought a new takeoff set for “winter” use. We live at the bottom of a ski hill so most times it is dry or wet in town - but almost always ice and snow covered at the resort. Plan was to swap to full winters + studs when my OEM “summer” KO2s wore out. We go up to the resort about 30x per winter in all conditions. More deeper fresh snow the better. More unplowed the better. Less crowds. No lines. Perfect.

Past month we have had unprecedented snowfall amounts in town. Most in past 25 years. So certain days - almost no one daring to drive on deep unplowed streets and highways. Side streets pretty much always iced up and covered in snow.

We have a Subie stick which has permanent 50/50 full-time AWD with winters. Fantastic in light snow + ice and “especially rain” - but sucks major in deep unplowed snow. Always prefer to use the Jeep in unplowed deep frozen slush horrendous conditions.

As long as the KO2 tread depth is 10/32nds or more - the traction in all the winter conditions we encounter (dry wet ice slush snow combo) is about as good as we will ever need. Plus our KO2s look great, wear even at 30psi, drive smooth, are relatively quiet, are light, and wear much slower than dedicated full winters when driving on dry.

Dedicated full winters do provide better traction on wet slick ice. So get an ice tire for that. Maybe one with studs if allowed. Otherwise get a “winter” set of KO2s which allow your Jeep to go pretty much anywhere when driven prudently. Granted we do have and use lockers and chains etc when required. Transforms the Jeep.

Our Jeep laughs at horrendous road conditions and sometimes is the only vehicle out there. Love it like that. Such fun cutting fresh tracks. On road and on slope. Haha!

PS. If we were in Norway - then dedicated snows - maybe with studs for the win

https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/why-no-chains.73817/#post-1540137

 

[oceanblue2019]

OK, y'all, this is my first post here, so be gentle if I make any missteps.

Just got the news (somewhat unexpectedly, since I was told by customer support on Tuesday that my build hadn't even started yet!) that my new Wrangler 4xe build is done and this badgirl is on a train somewhere headed to the dealer to prep for delivery in the next couple weeks.

Which means it will be arriving in the dead of winter (I live near Lake Tahoe.)

I need to have snow tires put on it down the mountain before bringing her back up from the dealer, and am thinking of ordering them on the internet and finding a shop to swap them out, since I have time.

What are the best snow tires (not "all weather," have to be legit ice and snow) going right now? And what size and specs do I need? Do I need rims (or whatever they're called), too, since I think I need to switch them back out in summer? I want something big and beefy looking.

Also, bonus question if you're feeling chatty-- brand new to ALL of this. New to EV, New to Jeep, new to 4WD (coming from AWD Subaru)... any tips, must-dos, must-not-dos, fun things I should do to celebrate?

Thank you in advance, stoked to join the "family"!

Nokian has some options that will work and great snow tires

 

[bjm00se]

Your explanation makes fascinating sense, and, since you've got the blend of Jeep-specific and Tahoe-specific expertise, I do think you're probably the tipping of my hard lean towards the KO2.

One more thing - as I mentioned I'm running Goodyear Duratracs on my 4x4 Tacoma now. Duratracs are also the tire the El Dorado County Sheriff's office runs on their SUVs.

I mentioned tire weight for the 4xe - At the 285/70R17 size, Duratracs are only two or three lbs heavier than the KO2. So you might want to give them a look also.

I haven't really been thinking about Duratracs in terms of my upcoming Wrangler build, because they're not available in sizes larger than 35".

 

[Smurf]

One more thing - as I mentioned I'm running Goodyear Duratracs on my 4x4 Tacoma now. Duratracs are also the tire the El Dorado County Sheriff's office runs on their SUVs.

Thanks- I am checking with Cartelligent now to see whether it's too late to a la carte upgrade to the KO2s via Jeep (since that's the standard tire on the Rubicon build, I think it might have been on the a la carte upgrade menu I was offered when placing the order.) If not, I am going to see whether I can order + ship the tires to Cartelligent for swap before I pick it up-- in that case, I'll do a last-minute check of Duratec vs K02.

 

[Terpsmandan]

Hakkapeliita LT3. Can be had in stock size as well as 35" and you can get them studded if you would like.


https://www.nokiantires.com/snow-winter-tires/nokian-hakkapeliitta-lt3/

 

[gus2k]

I'm in the Truckee area & running stock KO2's on a 2021 Rubicon 4xe. If you see a Hydro rolling around town, feel free to say hi, it's probably me..

As it's my first season with the beast, I decided to go without dedicated snow tires this year to see how the stocks perform & whether I really want the hassle of swapping. And as you know, in the last few weeks, we got some huge storms to test against.

Verdict? Overall - driving through a mix unplowed/poorly plowed roads, 80, 267, 431 during chain control, etc - the KO2 have been fine. They can definitely slip on ice/steeps if you're driving too aggressively, which has happened to me twice (in both cases I should have known better).

I've driven blizzaks before and I do think any dedicated snow tire would give some extra margin and peace of mind for those situations. But as long as I'm not being stupid, I think the KO2s are going to be pretty fine for everything we get.

 

[Smurf]

FOllow-up: Does anyone know if the K02 comes in

They can definitely slip on ice/steeps if you're driving too aggressively, which has happened to me twice (in both cases I should have known better).

Hey, neighbour!

My driveway is probably the most agressive ice/steep I'll have to navigate, so I should know pretty quickly how they do... I have learned even in my Forester with Blizzes that if I try to power up it, it all goes cattywompus quickly. I have to pull around, get a flat start and go up in either first or second (sometimes I stall out if I try to do it in first.)

 

[Dyolfknip74]

Thanks- I am checking with Cartelligent now to see whether it's too late to a la carte upgrade to the KO2s via Jeep (since that's the standard tire on the Rubicon build, I think it might have been on the a la carte upgrade menu I was offered when placing the order.) If not, I am going to see whether I can order + ship the tires to Cartelligent for swap before I pick it up-- in that case, I'll do a last-minute check of Duratec vs K02.

If it's ATs you're looking for, I would say Duratracs over K02 for snow. This is my first winter running them (although I'll run them year round) and they're by far the best AT I've run in the snow. I'm really impressed.
I had Blizzaks on my RS and they're also amazing for a true winter tire.

Source: Canadian who has lived in Edmonton (one of our coldest provinces with a lot of snow) and Ontario (literally sees a metric shit ton of snow all the time but not as cold as Alberta)


Edit. It should also be stated that Duratracs like to be rotated often or they cup. So I'm doing mine every 5-7000kms.

 

[2mnycars]

Have Bridgestone Blizzaks on our Wrangler. The tread fills with snow. Is this an advantage?

They're ok....and good on ice.

 

[Dr. RGB]

PS. If we were in Norway - then dedicated snows - maybe with studs for the win

https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/why-no-chains.73817/#post-1540137

Norwegians use racing slicks in the winter and continually drift to the grocery store. I have a Norwegian research partner, and they are some crazy MF'ers. Just check out Norwegian Death Diving....

 

[BRuby]

Yeah ice driving - Norway Finland Sweden - places like that. For something to do. My son an elec engineer was helping design a lithium battery factory Norway based. Attended one of these ice drifting events. Is cold AF especially way up north vs NA. Would loved to have our Subie there with spikes. Perfect little rally drifter on ice. Low COG and handles like a dream.

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