Raptor in the snow

ME120 · Feb 7, 2018

Hi Everybody,

This is my first post. I just purchased a 2017 ford raptor. I was wondering for those who live in States that get snow if you prefer driving with 4 HI or 4 A ?

Which drive mode feels more secure driving on snow covered roads.

Are people keeping the stock tires on in the winter, or are you putting on dedicated snow tires for the raptor.

What do people think of the stock tires in snow ?

I live in maine and we get a lot of snow from December to March.

spiekmic · Feb 7, 2018

I usually drive in 4A Normal mode if there is enough snow or it looks slick enough. Otherwise even with a little snow I still drive just fine in 2H. If there is a lot of snow I will put it in Weather mode (Drives like it does have snow tires in this mode. At least for me so far).

Still using stock tires. They work great in my opinion. Not perfect but still no reason for snow tires. Depends on how much snow and conditions in your area though.

jaz13 · Feb 7, 2018

The Raptor with stock tires has been great in the Colorado high country. I use 4A on slippery mountain roads to avoid losing the back end and it works great because I don't have to think twice if I come across a dry switchback. I'm really impressed with the KO2s. Having come from a 4runner with Michelin X-Ice, I don't feel like I lost anything in the snow. The KO2s are snow rated and drive like it. Most everything around here is packed snow, so I don't have much experience with black ice.

smurfslayer · Feb 7, 2018

ME120 said:
Hi Everybody,

This is my first post. I just purchased a 2017 ford raptor. I was wondering for those who live in States that get snow if you prefer driving with 4 HI or 4 A ?

Which drive mode feels more secure driving on snow covered roads.

Are people keeping the stock tires on in the winter, or are you putting on dedicated snow tires for the raptor.

What do people think of the stock tires in snow ?

I live in maine and we get a lot of snow from December to March.

4A is plenty. In normal mode, all the electronic nannies are still working at full power to keep you from quite a bit of difficulty. You can still get sideways, but it takes some doing. Luckily, my local weather hasn’t been very snowy, but the few times there has been I’ve messed with 4a / 4h. Mostly the truck just plows straight ahead in 4a.

I’ve only ever selected weather mode on the way to another mode.

smgilles · Feb 7, 2018

ME120 said:
Hi Everybody,

This is my first post. I just purchased a 2017 ford raptor. I was wondering for those who live in States that get snow if you prefer driving with 4 HI or 4 A ?

Which drive mode feels more secure driving on snow covered roads.

Are people keeping the stock tires on in the winter, or are you putting on dedicated snow tires for the raptor.

What do people think of the stock tires in snow ?

I live in maine and we get a lot of snow from December to March.

4A for most stuff unless it's deep snow then I will switch to 4H. The KO2's are average in the snow and worse on packed, slick snow/ice. The "modes" make up for some of the tires, but stopping and turning are nothing like a set of Blizzaks, or Michelin's X-ice I run on my Jeep Grand Cherokee. Unfortunately, they are is not (too my knowledge) a dedicated snow tire in the 315/70/17.

I run Goodyear Duratracs on my Toyota Tacoma and they peform better on the ice and deep snow vs KO2's and this is what I will put on my Raptor next.

rtmozingo · Feb 7, 2018

smurfslayer said:
4A is plenty. In normal mode, all the electronic nannies are still working at full power to keep you from quite a bit of difficulty. You can still get sideways, but it takes some doing. Luckily, my local weather hasn’t been very snowy, but the few times there has been I’ve messed with 4a / 4h. Mostly the truck just plows straight ahead in 4a.

I’ve only ever selected weather mode on the way to another mode.

4A is great. Weather mode is also really good, it adjusts shifting and throttle response to minimize wheel slippage. Useful in very slick situations, but not necessary in semi slick ones.

That said, if you hit the TC button you can still get crazy....slid a whole lane over once giving it half pedal out of a corner

reaper1441 · Feb 7, 2018

I have a lot of experience with the BFG AT KO1's and they have a bad reputation in snow and ice for years compared to other tires. In fact they suck in anything wet really. The KO2's are better but not by much.

Make sure you air up in snow to get the tire to bite. Snow isn't sand, youre not trying to float on snow. Theres nothing you can do for ice except pray the electronics save you. Or buy studs, chains or a dedicated winter tire like the Michelins previously stated.

The biggest complaint with the old KO1's was they would pack up with snow. I spent a lot of time driving in new England with a long travel Toyota pickup (pre Tacoma) on KO1's and spinning them would clean them out and they would work again. The KO2 seems to have more cuts in the tread pattern but this is my first time using them (just got my truck)

Being in maine I would patiently look for another set of wheels to mount tires on eventually. I wouldn't go buy some right away but I would shop around for some used stock wheels cheap. It would be nice but the stock tires aren't so bad I'd pay full price for a dedicated winter set unless I had pockets full of money to burn.

Hope that helps.

jaz13 · Feb 7, 2018

reaper1441 said:
I have a lot of experience with the BFG AT KO1's and they have a bad reputation in snow and ice for years compared to other tires. In fact they suck in anything wet really. The KO2's are better but not by much.

Make sure you air up in snow to get the tire to bite. Snow isn't sand, youre not trying to float on snow. Theres nothing you can do for ice except pray the electronics save you. Or buy studs, chains or a dedicated winter tire like the Michelins previously stated.

The biggest complaint with the old KO1's was they would pack up with snow. I spent a lot of time driving in new England with a long travel Toyota pickup (pre Tacoma) on KO1's and spinning them would clean them out and they would work again. The KO2 seems to have more cuts in the tread pattern but this is my first time using them (just got my truck)

Being in maine I would patiently look for another set of wheels to mount tires on eventually. I wouldn't go buy some right away but I would shop around for some used stock wheels cheap. It would be nice but the stock tires aren't so bad I'd pay full price for a dedicated winter set unless I had pockets full of money to burn.

Hope that helps.

Someone said on here that Ford and BFG updated the tread pattern for these KO2s and they perform much better in the snow than the previous KO2s. (as well as less road noise) I don't have experience with past models and can only comment on how the Gen2's tires run in the Colorado snow, but I haven't had any of the sticking problems you mentioned. I enjoy pushing the limits in the snow and they have been giving me far more grip in packed snow than I expected.

reaper1441 · Feb 7, 2018

jaz13 said:
Someone said on here that Ford and BFG updated the tread pattern for these KO2s and they perform much better in the snow than the previous KO2s. (as well as less road noise) I don't have experience with past models and can only comment on how the Gen2's tires run in the Colorado snow, but I haven't had any of the sticking problems you mentioned. I enjoy pushing the limits in the snow and they have been giving me far more grip in packed snow than I expected.

theres more sipes in the tread pattern(to help its wet weather performance), the casing has been changed to be quieter and its not specifically mentioned but I would imagine the tread compound has changed slightly to work better in cold weather. The KO1's got hard when cold. They would also chunk pretty bad when hot and old. SO yes ford engineers made the KO2's more all weather and more street friendly than the KO1's but REALLY by how much? its not THAT different.

Lasercat · Feb 7, 2018

I'm also in Colorado and have been running around in the snow quite a bit, and the KO2s have been great. Like jaz, I have no experience with the past tire models so I cannot compare the two, but I find the KO2s provide great snow traction, and I have no plans to buy anything else for winter driving.

As for driving modes, 4A is fine for the majority of my driving. I've only used "weather mode" a couple times while going over mountain passes in the middle of a storm.

Raptor in the snow

ME120

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spiekmic

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jaz13

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smurfslayer

Be vewwy, vewwy quiet. We’re hunting sasquatch77

smgilles

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rtmozingo

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reaper1441

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jaz13

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reaper1441

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Lasercat

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