On/Off road tires level of safety on icy roads.

wemay

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I've only once driven on icy roads and that was with a rental car while working out of town. So i'm a novice on the topic but was wondering...

Would off/on road tires (like General Grabber or Toyo Open Country etc.) offer similar grip on icy roads as would a winter tire?
 
I've only once driven on icy roads and that was with a rental car while working out of town. So i'm a novice on the topic but was wondering...

Would off/on road tires (like General Grabber or Toyo Open Country etc.) offer similar grip on icy roads as would a winter tire?

No, not even close really. The more highway oriented tires with smaller tread blocks and more siping will be better (opposed to a mud tire) but the compound is still completely different.
 
No, not even close really. The more highway oriented tires with smaller tread blocks and more siping will be better (opposed to a mud tire) but the compound is still completely different.
Got it. Thanks.

I was wondering, if because they are so knobby, they dig into the ice sufficiently. Rookie thought process on something i'm completely ignorant about. Thanks for adding logic.
 
Siping, tread design, tread compound. They all matter for winter, particularly ice, grip. Studs are best, of course, but there is an incredible difference in grip between true winter tires and any other tire.

Take a look at a set of Noki Hakkapelliitta, for example. Great winter traction comes from a tire dedicated to the purpose.
 
besides going better REAL WINTER tyres stop a LOT better + 4wd or todays watered down AWD DONT help you stop sooner -SAFER
 
Got it. Thanks.

I was wondering, if because they are so knobby, they dig into the ice sufficiently. Rookie thought process on something i'm completely ignorant about. Thanks for adding logic.
Ice is hard, so they wouldn't dig into the ice, like fresh snow.

Ice is also an interesting medium. Cold ice does provide traction. Warm ice, where a thin layer of water forms on top, that is slippery. That's happening is not hydroplaning, but many times referred as "Viscoplaning". You need compound and siping to break through that layer of water and grip the ice itself.

It's a lot like ice skating... when the ice is resurfaced and as the fresh layer of "water", the ice is very slippery, as the skates float on top of the thin layer of water. Turning and stopping on ice skates requires a sharp edge to break through the water layer and grip the ice. But when the "water" layer dries up, you lose your glide and it's harder to maintain speed.
 
Ice is hard, so they wouldn't dig into the ice, like fresh snow.

Ice is also an interesting medium. Cold ice does provide traction. Warm ice, where a thin layer of water forms on top, that is slippery. That's happening is not hydroplaning, but many times referred as "Viscoplaning". You need compound and siping to break through that layer of water and grip the ice itself.

It's a lot like ice skating... when the ice is resurfaced and as the fresh layer of "water", the ice is very slippery, as the skates float on top of the thin layer of water. Turning and stopping on ice skates requires a sharp edge to break through the water layer and grip the ice. But when the "water" layer dries up, you lose your glide and it's harder to maintain speed.
Very interesting! Thanks
 
How about mud & snow you can run all year?
I run Nokian Rotivva AT all year, they are all weather with the snowflake symbol. They're great in the snow, but not as good as a dedicated snow tire. For my purposes, the perfect "jack of all trades" tire.
 
I run Nokian Rotivva AT all year, they are all weather with the snowflake symbol. They're great in the snow, but not as good as a dedicated snow tire. For my purposes, the perfect "jack of all trades" tire.
A dedicated winter tire would be a softer rubber and good for winter but would wear quickly in hot weather. A M&S would be the same rubber as an all season I assume.
 
Mud tires are absolutely terrible in the snow and worthless in the ice.
I would agree with one exception.

A Newer mud tire such as the firestone Destination MT/2

Wont be nearly as bad as older mud tires.. and actually be decent in deep snow (esp. offroad)

However not on a packed trail being the 50th jeep in the convoy..
.. yep still sucking comparatively to a less aggressive tire with more biting edges.. such as bfg all terrain.

For regular tires not rated as winter or all-weather.
all terrain can be among the best for normal winter conditions with snow accumulation.
of course they vary the continential terraincontact AT is pitiful in the winter compared to the yokohama G015 for example.
 
M&S is just the geometry of the tread blocks and 100% worthless as a standard/rating by itself.
It’s just tread to void ratio minimum requirement. It needs to have a minimum of 20% voids.

A BF Goodrich G-Force sport Comp2 UHP Summer tire for example meets the requirement to be a M+S tire
 
I've only once driven on icy roads and that was with a rental car while working out of town. So i'm a novice on the topic but was wondering...

Would off/on road tires (like General Grabber or Toyo Open Country etc.) offer similar grip on icy roads as would a winter tire?
When I see JEEP or similar vehicle that has tires like that in slick/snow/icy conditions, I immediately downshift and step on it.
 
Got it. Thanks.

I was wondering, if because they are so knobby, they dig into the ice sufficiently. Rookie thought process on something i'm completely ignorant about. Thanks for adding logic.
Knobby tires provide more traction on loose surfaces. On ice you want a compound that's soft at low temperatures. Tread doesn't do much on ice. A studded winter tire performs best on ice. A winter tire performs best on snow, slush, and wet and cold roads.
 
Would off/on road tires ...... offer similar grip on icy roads as would a winter tire?
No, but .......

Ice is a very low friction surface. There's hardly any tire that can be designed that will be GOOD on ice - some are just better than others.

Winter tires are designed to do better on ice than all season tires - more edges, softer compound.

On/off road tires are designed for loose and rough surfaces - few edges, hard compound.

So the first thing to do when there is ice on the road is SLOW DOWN!! If you have to change direction, anticipate the maneuver and do it gently. Braking should also be gently.

And the most important thing to remember is that steering around objects is more likely than stopping. DO NOT LOCK UP YOUR BRAKES!!
 
I have the Grabber ATx on my truck. They are absolutely amazing in snow. NOTHING goes well on ice though! I’d guess studded snows would do the best but I’ve never went that far to prep for winter. I live in the Midwest so I only see MAYBE 10 days of severe ice or snow in the winter and that varies year to year.
 
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