Quote:
Originally Posted by cletrac
I had a 1980 Chev 3/4 ton 4x4 that I used off road all winter. I found that a 10" wide 16" grip tire worked best by far. Any smaller and you weren't getting the power to the ground and any bigger just slowed you down by pushing too much snow and gas mileage took quite a hit too. The taller tires give you ground clearance but wide ones won't ride over most snow conditions anyway.
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Depends on the type of snow, of course. My tyres are 32-11.50x15s (deep dish rims which replaced the standard 16" factory rims) and they seem to do a pretty good job. The 31-10.50s I had on my old jeep were ok, but tended to dig into really deep, fluffy snow, whereas these seem to float a bit better (plus they have a really aggressive tread pattern for bite). I think the 33-12.50s are just a bit too much though, even if they do look good. I'm running 4.10 diffs, but I think I should have gone for a bit higher ratio; in a headwind on the highway you can't pull fifth gear at normal speed limits (2WD of course).
I LOVE big pickup trucks, but the advantage of this in mud or snow is its short wheelbase. I can always pull a trailer if I need extra carrying capacity.
Jif
PS: Gas mileage with this 4L engine sucks anyway, so I'm not too worried. Might change it out for a 4BT diesel down the road, but this engine's still strong so I'll leave it for now.