So I noticed today my tires suck in the snow where I'm at and we only got a few inches with some ice here in IL. My truck now has a 265/70R/17 load E bought them when I lived out in the desert because I lived off the road about a mile and the rocks took chunks out of my old tires. I'd like to keep the load rate at E as I also use this truck to pull my RV. Also do you keep your snow tires on all year or do you have an extra rims for warm weather tires?

Thanks for the help. I have not been told yet I have the job at Standing Rock but I'm trying to find things I might need now as I was told I would know if I got the job by the end of this month or next month so I would be in the area around Jan or Feb.


edited for spelling.

Two words.  
Dog sled.
Alright, I try and give a decent answer.
This is what you do.  Wait for the first good blizzard and go downtown to the coffee shop and look at the pickups sitting out front.  
Somewhere in that row of pickups is one or two that wont have snow packed around the wheel-wells, grill and mud and grass hanging out of the bumper.
A couple of them wont have a front bumper that curls up on the ends like a smile or look like someone has tried to tear the bumper off with a chain and a tractor.



Some of them just won't have a front bumper.
Look for a pickup without those tell-tale signs and what ever tires it has, buy those.
I will tell you what I look for in a tire for snow, mud and ice on a prepared surface (i.e. an actual road).  






Tall and skinny with good sized lugs that clean well.  Not a big fan of big floatie tires.
Don't get me wrong, big fat tires look really cool on a nice pickup, but they have a ton of rolling resistance and wont get down and dig as well as a narrower tire.






Traction is a function of psi.  More weight per unit of area will yield more traction, period.  This is assuming of course that there is a bottom to dig to.  If you get into a batch of that west-river gumbo that is good and wet, you might as well get your personal affects out of the vehicle and start walking.  More than likely your truck will be gone by morning having sunk away during the night.
Good luck.
 
 
 
 
 
 

Straat hit it on the head, I run big mudder type tires 8 months out of the year but come snow time I  switch to the NARROW goofy looking tires, as a result my bumper isnt tore up. I like the toyo tires and the Coopers

So do you guys go for the 235/70/17? I'm not up in that area yet

265/70/16 (chevy) for snow, 315s most of the rest of the year because true 35inchers  rub if I bottom out the suspension even with a lift kit.

So I should just stick with the size I have but get tires with a deeper tread?

Yep, you want something that will clear out between the lugs as you drive.

There is no need to change your tire size. At present there is nothing too wide with what your running.

That said I run 285/75's on all my work trucks - year round.

I make no changes from season to season, because I put nothing but a good all terrain tire on them. At present that tire is the Goodyear Duratracs. Also good are BFGoodRich All Terrains and Pro Comp All Terrains.

All three of those tires have a good combination of self cleaning lugs and plenty of siping. Your traditional off road tire is generally knobby and meant for mud or sand - big openings, etc - those types of not suitable for snow...and ICE....

For Snow and Ice you need smaller knobs and plenty of siping - the siping is what grips icy roads and wet roads.

And I base my answer not on looking at bumpers - but from being from the North and running my own fleet of trucks. From frosted roads, to black ice and right into heavy snow fields and mud...the all terrain is a great general purpose tire. Especially capable are the ones I noted - which all come in Load Range E.

I would also add the Pro Comp All Terrain's are severe weather rated - meaning they will still get you around in situations where others are chaining up for ice. BUT they wear quickly. I only averaged about 25,000 miles on them. The Good Year Duratracs and the BFGoodrichs are also very capable for anything your gonna run into and last a bit longer - with the Goodyear being the best bang for the buck.

Look into the ones I mentioned above - they are not cheap - but neither are wreckers or accidents.

That sounds like soild advice, I keep chains with me at all times when it gets deep. Legal or not I intend to get where I need to be, if I have to use them to get home I will. I dont live in town so my use of chains isnt for everyone, however they are good thing have if you live in this area. I used to do Snow removal at night when I lived in Rapid, I never ended up needed the chains there but you'll feel better having them.

My life is full of Goodyear tires. I ran a 1990 F-150 with 31' MTR. Awesome in the mud and snow but sucked on ice. Our work trucks run AT and get around good. We put a ton of miles on them and they do well. Most are 2 wheel drive trucks and they really get around pretty good. My personal truck now is an 05 GMC with regular street tires. Gets around great and is super on ice. Hard to believe it gets around as good as it does. Probably will change to AT next time, but for now these run well.

I have 2wd p/u's and run all season radials on both.  I carry chains and can have them on in 5 minutes if needed.  When I shovel the snow, it goes in the back of the truck.  I can get where I need to go doing this.