Help picking new tires with adequate snow performance

[ZeusDaCat]

Location: Denver(ish), CO
Driving: Mostly around town, highway driving into the mountains + occasional light offroading. Notably the TJ fills in as a winter use vehicle when I don't want to take out my VW GTI
Current Tire: 31X10.5 15s Wrangler Duratrac (Old and need to be replaced)

Current Options
- BFG KO3
- Falken Wildpeak AT4W
- New set of Wrangler Duratrac
- Other options?

While I don't need to drive for any reason in the winter I'm looking to find a tire that performs decent in the snow in case I need to drive. We have another vehicle that is great for family snow travel but it's fun to have the TJ around to take out in the winter. I've seen decent reviews on all of the tires across this forum/reddit/youtube and so I'm having a tough time deciding. The KO3s seem much better than the KO2s for wet/snow and are noticeably lighter than the AT4W, I believe 4lbs for my size, however the AT4Ws seem to get high marks for snow performance. I'd get the Duratracs simply because it's what I'm familiar with since it's been on the TJ since I bought it.

Note: I know I could just get dedicated winter tires but it doesn't make sense for my use case given I don't rely on this vehicle for travel and generally the snow melts off fast enough here that I'm not having to constantly drive over packed roads. I am just looking for a solid AT tire that can handle snow when I want to take the TJ out.

 

[tworley]

I've got AT4Ws on my daily. Great in the snow, mediocre on ice.

The best winter tires I've had have been duratracs

 

[ChadH]

Stay away from the KO2's or 3's. Most garbage tire I have ever had. Duratracs do well. I have them on the TJ with studs. They have a new version but not for a 15" rim. It can be had on a 16" though. They are a little louder than other options. Also consider the Mickey Thompson BajaBoss A/T's. I have them on the LJ and they are smooth and super quiet. Dozens and dozens of reports of them having very good winter performance.

 

[ZeusDaCat]

I've got AT4Ws on my daily. Great in the snow, mediocre on ice.

The best winter tires I've had have been duratracs

Maybe I'm just trying to get too fancy by changing brands/etc.. and I should just get a new set of the Duratracs haha. They have been good to me, just need a new set because the current set is definitely past due given how old they are. Also I think they're close to 6lbs lighter per tire than the AT4Ws which is not insignificant

 

[macleanflood]

Love my KM3s.

-Mac

 

[MaximusLJR06]

I've had multiple sets of Duratracs and they are amazing in snow. Next set will be Mickey Thompson Baja Boss AT. I've heard good things about them and the last couple sets of duratracs I've had were a pain to keep balanced and took lots of weight.

 

[97TJNM]

Love my KM3s.

-Mac

I love mine, too. They do great in snow, but I'm not sure about their ice performance. Just no firsthand experience with ice on them.

I have ATW4's on my Grand Cherokee and they do great as a winter tire. The Falken Rubitrek is really good, too. Got them on my wife's Tacoma.

 

[DeltaNu1142]

I don't use the Jeep in winter. I'm in Maine, and I swap summer & winter wheels & tires onto my F150 for 1) winter performance, and 2) to keep my summer wheels away from the salt. I have been using General Grabber Artic LT tires (w/o studs) for the last 4 winters and have zero complaints on snow and ice.

 

[Apparition]

I've had multiple sets of Duratracs and they are amazing in snow. Next set will be Mickey Thompson Baja Boss AT. I've heard good things about them and the last couple sets of duratracs I've had were a pain to keep balanced and took lots of weight.

On my truck I switched from the factory duratracs to the Baja Boss AT's. I've been happy with the change so far.

I had to make a 10 hour drive last month through Wisconsin and the UP during a snow storm and was in control the whole way. Cars spun out in the road, in ditches and unable to make it up hills but we had no issues and I made good time.

 

[MaximusLJR06]

On my truck I switched from the factory duratracs to the Baja Boss AT's. I've been happy with the change so far.

I had to make a 10 hour drive last month through Wisconsin and the UP during a snow storm and was in control the whole way. Cars spun out in the road, in ditches and unable to make it up hills but we had no issues and I made good time.

Good to know. I plan to put them on my GX in near future. My LJR won't need new tires for a couple years.

 

[Superjay5]

I personally think duratracs are one of the worse tires I’ve had. I bought a new set for my Jeep and sold them off within months of getting them. They also came on my truck and I instantly replaced them.

The ones that came on my truck were at 50% wear and I could barely get the truck to move in the snow. I’ve known others that also liked them at first but when they get a little worn down it’s like there rubber gets harder and they just don’t get traction.

I hated them on my Jeep as they really didn’t perform great on any surface.

I’m on my second set of KO3’s on my truck, they do really good in the snow, I’m in northern Michigan so a good 5-6months of the year I’m on snow.

Jeep is not a daily, so I have cooper STT’s on it, it’s stored for the winters now, but I did drive it one year in the winter on the STT’s and even those were way better than the duratracs in the snow

 

[ColoJeep]

I live and commute in the Rockies , Duratrac's are are my number one choice. Where people get crossed up is they get a 318 mm or 12.5 wide tire and expect it to work on road snow and plowed roads. Too wide a tire sucks on packed snow no matter what the tread design. My LT 235-85-R16 Duratracs are kick ass in snow commuting.