DFiorentino said:
Actually, I would recommend you pick tires based on your desired use.
Agreed. The mfg. picks tires for a lot of reasons, and those reasons don't necissarily match yours. They are usually pretty serious compromises and tend to be inexpensive tires to boot. Personally, I consider tires safey equipment and get the best ones (for my use) that I can.
One thing that I would say, is that unless you understand what you are doing, I would stick to the mfg provided tire *size*.
For me, I do lot's of highway driving and like you had traction issues with rain and snow. For this, I steered (pun intended) clear of the "highway" light truck and SUV tires. I went with the more aggressive AT type tread and have been plenty pleased with the highway ride, noise and wear.
Part of it depends on how much snow and how fast you drive normally. For example, if you drive real fast, a summer street tire is best. However, these tires are less than useless in snow.
In general tho, I think for snow that A/T tires would probably be a good compromise. For rain A/Ts are not necissarily better than other styles like summer tires, but a good A/T should be able to do well. Of course, it all depends. For example, some summer tires are not designed for wet performance and perform very poorly in the wet.
I would honestly go with the BFG ATKO's at the drop of a hat and would highly recommend them,
The BFG A/T KOs get good reviews, but I think the Revos are better in wet. I think the BFG A/Ts have a stronger sidewall, so would be better if you are doing more serious off-road.
Heck, I've even had great experiences with the BFG Mud Terrains and highway driving.
FWIW, I'd do a lot of thinking before picking M/T tires for the highway. To provide the big voids needed to throw the mud, I think they need to use harder rubber. The combination of less rubber (again, the voids) and the harder rubber is going to make any sort of emergency maneuver a lot more interesting that I'd prefer.
I think this is an OK choice if you understand that and make sure to take it slow and careful, etc.
-john