In the B.C. interior in winter, by law 3PMSF or M+S tires are required, so don't show up in a 4x4 with summer tires because after you get pulled out of a ditch you will likely get a ticket....You do realize don't you that when traveling downhill on a snowy road, 4x4 doesn't do much for traction?...its all about the tires and their grip, not the drive system.
I’m not advocating the anybody be part of the summer tire club. We have carmeggedon around my neck of the woods all the time. ”Are hybrid tires the new winter tires?“ asks the question if all weather compounds have advanced to the point that most people don’t need dedicated winter tires. For many, that answer is a resounding yes.
More of you join this club each year because it’s getting difficult to justify needing an extra set of tires when you aren’t having traction issues. Many don’t because they want maximum performance in snowplow conditions and I’m not suggesting anybody change what they prefer - this thread is to demonstrate, over time, how far tires have evolved. It’s very similar to all mountain skis and very few people ski ice picks over all mountain skis. If you need an ice pick, and some people do, you should use one - with tires, that means studs.
As far as 4x4…what goes up with traction will come down with traction. A key advantage of trucks is compression braking particularly with low range gearing. This video is on a 14% grade. If you don’t use your brakes it is hard to lock them up. Mind you I don’t run hybrid tires on my Land Cruiser, these are 37” offroad tires, the venerable Interco Trxus MT here. I took this 8 years ago, back when we were having these debates on EpicSki.
This is the Cooper STT Pro on ice that was hard to walk on…
This is comparing dedicated winter tires on a Nissan Quest minivan with traction control with the Land Cruiser in AWD only on a ~3% grade. The minivan could barely make it up the hill and braking is equivalent. I took these 9 years ago. If you watch one video here, this is the one.
This was pulling a full size pickup out of a ditch in the huge blizzard a couple winters ago. It got so bad while we were out there that I had to rescue Search and Rescue. Pickup was in the ditch due to the flash freeze ice layer under the snow as the blizzard started. I have 38” Milestar Patagonia MT here. Pic is how it started, vid is how it ended.
And this is another post of a more modern situation of simply using a fabulous tire like the Falken AT Trail year round on a Subaru Ascent. This is from Monarch ski area headed to the top of the pass. Just unflappable and this was during the 6’ cycle over Christmas a couple seasons ago.
You take that same basic AWD system and leave it on M&S tires in a notoriously icy spot in my neighborhood and you this…
I took a right at this turn in the Land Cruiser and while it fish tailed some, there was no drama. Cooper STT Pro at the time. My daughter is with me here and she has a 2015 Forrester XT (the turbo) same model generation as in this vid. What tires does it wear year round? Falken AT Trail.