REDONE wrote:Of those three, Duratracs, handsdown. It kinda stinks because the most affordable (KO2s) are also the worst in sub-freezing winter conditions, and I also have beef with BFGs quality control (never seen a new set of 4 that didn't have at least one blister). I really like the LTX. It doesn't "look" aggressive so people think it isn't aggressive, but they are some of the stickiest winter tires I've ever run that weren't actually sold as "snow tires". Where they fall short is right below freezing, because that's where the grooves just get packed with slush that instantly turns to ice and won't self clean.
I remember when Duratrac's first came out and the company I worked for switched our truck fleet over to them from the Toyo M55. At that time they were dirt cheap, but they also wore much faster than the commercial grade M55. Now that Goodyear has established the tire's reputation, they've jacked up the price to match it. Even so, that far north, I can't imagine there's a better tire for the climate.
Thanks for a thoughtful reply. So I have actually had the duratracs on the wife's 2006 Tahoe and remember being surprised how they did in the winter. Kodiak is in the north pacific and winter can hover around freezing. It actually rains a lot and freezes overnight. Coldest I've ever seen here was 5°F and as warm as 40°+ in the middle of winter.
I have also had the defender LTX on an 04 Silverado 2500hd crew cab. Problem is, I don't own vehicles very long, I have a weird obsession I'm trying to fix. So although I have experience with 2 of the tires I listed, they were on different vehicles and it's been a little while.
I have people tell me how amazing the KO2's are, but I always feel like some of it is "I spent a lot of money on tires and don't want to feel like I wasted my money" because some people speak too highly in my opinion. There's just no comparison to a dedicated winter tire, but some brand loyalists will make the KO2 sound like a studded winter tire.
Other issue is the other vehicles I had these tires on had ABS and traction control which I feel skews the experience I have with them.
The load rating is not too much of a concern. Typically the load range of any of these tires will be plenty for me. I'll tow around 5000 lbs with this thing in the future.