Photos: John Cappa and courtesy of the manufacturers
Even though it may seem like winter is almost over, many areas see the most snowfall in the months of February and March. All through winter you’re probably glad you’ve had a 4×4 in these locations, but it will be especially true during the deeper snow months. The good news is that we can further improve the performance and success of your 4×4 in the snow. To get you fully prepped for the deepest snow of the season we’ve compiled a few of our favorite aftermarket items that will help make your winter treks more fruitful.
For light snow and general all around winter use, a milder all-terrain tire with the 3PMSF severe snow service rating will make the most traction. These tires will have plenty of biting edges and sipes that help grip the slick winter surfaces.
The Right Winter Tires
In an ideal world we’d all have a set of 4×4 winter tires and a set of 4×4 tires that’s used the rest of the year. The reality is that this can be an expensive endeavor and requires storage space for the tires not being used. Most of us have to make compromises and pick a well-rounded tire that fits our on- and off-road needs most of the time. That’s where all-terrain and tweener tires with the Three Peak Mountain Snowflake (3PMSF) rating come in.
Tires with the 3PMSF severe snow service rating can be identified by the three-peak mountain snowflake symbol on the sidewall of the tire. It’s a step beyond a traditional mud and snow (M+S) traction rating.
Tires branded with the 3PMSF symbol provide improved snow traction beyond a typical M+S branded all-season mud and snow tire. These tires have tread features and rubber compounds that are designed to provide more traction on snowy and icy winter surfaces. The 3PMSF rated tires are generally less aggressive so they also offer great road manners and long tread life. These all-season winter traction tires include the BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2, BFG Goodrich Trail-Terrain T/A, Falken Wildpeak A/T3W, Goodyear All-Terrain Adventure with Kevlar, Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac, Mickey Thompson Baja Boss A/T, Mickey Thompson Baja Boss A/T SUV, Nitto Exo Grappler AWT, Nitto Terra Grappler G2, Toyo Open Country A/T III and the Yokohama Geolandar A/T G015. However, if deep snow off-road is your thing then we’d steer into some of the most aggressive tires we could find, which would include all of the luggy Super Swamper tire lineup and the Mickey Thompson Baja Pro X and Baja Pro XS among others.
When adventuring the real deep snow drifts with an unknown surface underneath you’ll generally want the largest diameter tires you can fit with the most aggressive tread pattern you can find. The idea is that your tires will be moving a lot of snow and whatever soft surface is hidden below to make forward progress.
The reason for choosing the most aggressive tires you can fit in these conditions is that you never know how deep the snow is or just what you’ll find underneath it once you break through. The most likely answer is often deep mud.
A kinetic recovery rope that stretches will make better use of the limited traction available on snow covered surfaces. You’ll be able to more surgically slingshot stuck vehicles without damaging recovery points and drivetrain parts.
Kinetic Recovery Rope
In slick winter conditions our favorite kind of recovery rope is a kinetic recovery rope such as those from Bubba Rope, Monster Hooks, Smittybilt and VooDoo OffRoad. Unlike traditional nylon recovery straps, kinetic recovery ropes stretch and use kinetic energy to help a vehicle slingshot out of the deep snow. The stretching rope also reduces the shock load on the tow points and drivetrain of the vehicles. The third thing to keep in mind is that traction in snow is very limited, so slowly tugging a stuck vehicle with a traditional recovery strap may not even work, depending on conditions. You’ll need momentum in most cases.
Traction aid recovery ramps can be used in the snow the same way they are used in the sand and mud. The larger surface area of the traction ramp keeps the tire from sinking in and provides a solid surface for the tire to grip.
Traction Mats
When you’re stuck and the snow seems bottomless, sometimes it’s best to spread the load and create your own bottom to the snow so you can get moving forward again. This can be done with traction ramps from Smittybilt and Rugged Ridge. The traction ramps can be used in snow the same way you would use them in sand and mud. The larger surface area of the ramps keeps your tires from sinking in, and hopefully offers you enough traction to move out of your stuck situation. They can also be used to ramp a 4×4 up icy ledges and over small washouts that would normally suck a tire in.
Tire chains with a V-bar design offer the most traction of any tire chain type. They require slightly more room in the wheel wells than traditional snow chains or cables, but this is usually not an issue on a capable 4×4.
V-Bar Tire Chains
Tire chains may seem like the ultimate in winter traction, but if you need more traction than what regular tire chains provide, you can go one step further. SCC offers QG2800 Series V-Bar tire chains that are designed to provide extreme traction in the iciest conditions. Each traction link on the tire chain features a small V-shaped bar of low carbon steel material welded into place. The sharp V-bars penetrate into the ice and grab hold for the most possible traction. They require slightly more space in a wheel opening, which generally is not an issue on a 4×4. The V-bar chains are available for many different tire sizes and can be had with or without a cam-style chain tensioner.
An electric recovery winch is an extremely effective tool when pulling vehicles out of unfortunate winter circumstances in the snow. The addition of a winch accessory kit will make your recovery winch even more useful during complex recoveries.
Electric Recovery Winch
Slick winter conditions are bound to eventually send you or your buddy off the road or trail and into a ditch. Because of the limited traction, a strap alone may not be enough to recover a vehicle that’s left the road. This is where an electric recovery winch comes in handy. The controlled mechanical advantage of a winch, plus the ability to strap the winching vehicle to a tree, rock or other solid object will help make for the successful recovery of a ditched 4×4. You’ll generally want a winch that is rated for 1.5 times the weight of your outfitted 4×4. While you’re at it, add a well-optioned winch accessory kit to the mix. A winch accessory kit will make your winch more useful and versatile through the use of a snatch block, tree strap, clevis, gloves and more.
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