Alright I had the same question a few months ago when I got some rubi takeoff so I'll share my experience after 6" of snowfall. I know not a lot but the ice that followed was wonderful.

Stock sra- sucked if I hit a foot of ice the jeep aimed at the nearest ditch. They also just spun in snow.
Stock mt- great in powder kick in that 4h and enjoy going 40mph faster than everyone else on the road. It's a lot like sand wheeling. Slush they did very well and on the wet after plowing the same. Now if I hit ice I slide so take it slow and you will be fine. Ice does this for any tire but dedicated winter or studs. Trust me I've tried them all.

Wife's Kia was able to maintain 85 for about and hour on the autobahn. Almost no slippage unless I went to pass and hit snow. For this I'd back it down to 60 or 70. She is running blizzaks and the mt beats it in slush and does about the same in snow until I pull the jeep into four wheel drive. The Kia being just front can no longer compete lol.

A non studded duratrac will not be much better than an mt on ice. And a blizzak won't do much off road or on longing trails, I'd recommend a studded mt or at if studs are allowed where you're at.

 

My duratracs are great in the snow. Good off road. If you are gonna drive offroad alone, make sure you have a winch, snatch block, recovery strap, tree saver strap extra d-ring shackles. On trails there should almost always be a tree to winch from, if not in an optimal location, the straps/snatch block/shackles can get you the geometry to winch out. I also have a hi lift jack (which like most people have beer used). I offroad alone most of the time, but never into anything too risky or too far from civilization. I've been stuck, and winched myself out before. A second battery/ jumper would be a good idea, too.

 

I just swapped out my stock KM's with less then 1k miles on them. I don't want to run mud terrains in the winter. I replaced them with the new Nitto Terra Grappler G2's. The day after we got about 2-3" of snow and they did great. Can't wait to test them out some more.

I also had Duratracs on my FJ a few years back and those did well in the snow also. No AT tire will be as good as a dedicated winter tire, but it will do better then a MT. I had a subaru with General Altimax Artic tires and it handled awesome in all kinds of snow, slush and even on icy roads if you took it easy. The real difference with winter tires was when you had to hit the brakes, it would actually stop.

 

Guys,

Thanks for the info and opinions/experiences.

So got another thought/question related to this thread. In my moment of genius I thought that maybe I could get a set of chains to use in really icy or tricky winter conditions to offset some of the downfalls my MTs at least for this season...

Well, according to Jeep Manual I can ONLY use chains on the 16 inch wheel size (NOT the stock 255-75-17)? Whats up with that? Is this just a CYA statement or is there really no clearance to run chains?

I called etrailer.com and they recommended these S rated slim chains...

Great products at low prices. (800) 928-8924 | etrailer.com


Anyone running these chains or chains at all on stock?

Jeepjk4

 

I have also heard the DuraTracs Are really good.They even have a snow flake rating.We just got 3ft. Of snow last week and my stock Dueler A/Ts did ok.

 

Chains should be your backup plan. Big honky chains are not allowed on pavement, but will help tons back country situations. More aggressive the chain, the more traction and rougher ride. As always check what the clearance will be with your tire choice and suspension travel. Watch speed with chains.

 

Throw a set of Goodyear Duratracs 285-75/ 16 or 285-70/17 on and go where you want to go..