Tire Tread Width
 

Is a thinner tread width better for mud or is a wider one. Same question for rock climbing and snow/ice?

i always heard that the thinner width is better in the mud because of less restriction, wider is better for crawling for better traction because of more tire contact, and im not really sure about snow or ice i would think wide would be better for snow but not sure

It depends on what your prefer. Snow: Skinny tires would sink further, potentially reaching the ground for better traction. Wide tires would sit further up on the snow, sinking less reducing the chances of bogging dow. Ice: Wider is better. It has a larger contact patch, which for hard slick surfaces is better.

there is no one size fits all

this is a highly debatable subject. and there is no one correct answer it just depends on your driving style but i prefer a wider tire for my driving style. i like to keep my speeds up in the sand and snow so the wider tire will float better at speed then the skinny one will. and you cant beet the width for rocks it will let you keep more rubber on the rocks so it will help you stay put a little easier and help wrap around the rock better for climbing. but this is all my opinion and just that opinion

another thing that comes into play is contact pressure when regarding skinny vs. wide tires. i love my 33x10.5s, the only time i feel like i need a wider tire is when im on a steep side-hill and i feel the sidewall start to roll under the rim a bit. otherwise i've found the skinnies to be as good or better than wider tires in every situation.

Wider is better all around i would think, more traction and less sinking

When I started running my traplines in a steeper mountainous region of VA, the local boys sold me on narrow tires real quick in the snow....my wider tires ran fine on the snow......on flatter terrain....but as soon as inclines and gravity came into play...my 32x11.50's spun and spun and spun...
Now mind you...I might be checking 8-10 coyote and bobcat sets across 400 acres of mountainside pastureland...thats ALOT of walking...so I needed to drive these routes....wasn't long at all before I was runnin narrow snow tires... yes they DO sink down and dig...but in snow...on a hillside, that's where your gription is...down below the snow.
I also ran a few lines that required me to cross a river everyday to get to them...and the snowy trail I followed quickly turned to ice...again this was in the mountains with plenty of up-hills and downhills, a wider 10.50 all terrian pattern performed flawlessly while navigating these frozen icy inclines...
So 1 type of tire won't do it all.....there are pros and cons to each type, you just gotta figger out where you want your best performance most.
Also....tire chains can give you an advantage in icy conditions that will make you the envy of the mountain...VERY effective, especially on small light 4x4s like ours.
Hope this helps
Scott

Wider is better for almost every condition. There are some occasions when narrow is better, however the advantages for wider far outweigh any disadvantages. The only reason to go narrow is for vehicle clearance.

Snow/ice: Sure footprint pressure plays a large role in snow traction. So, narrow my have a slight advantage. However, the largest contributor to snow traction is biting edges. The more sipes you have the better. If you take a MT tire, the net to gross footprint area is much lower than an AT tire. Thus the unit pressure is higher. Why is it that many MT’s stink in the snow, and AT’s are much better. Biting edges!

Rock: The largest contributors to rock traction are compound, edges and surface area. You should already be aired down when you’re on rock. So you’re not going to see a large difference in footprint pressure. However, the larger contact patch of a wider tire helps with all three of the main contributors.

Mud: Void in the shoulders is the main contributor to mud traction. The centerline always packs, you need shoulders that clean. A wider tire generally has wider outside lugs, thus better cleaning. And as with rock, aired down you have a larger contact patch, thus better floatation.

I've been muddin for years and been through it all. Tall and skinny tires with knobby sidewall tread works wonders in the mud. The big knobby tread blocks that stick out past the sidewall help you get out of ruts. My #1 mud tire is the superswamper LTB at 34x10 size. It a freakin beast and throws up 3" chunks of mud. I upgraded to a 12.5" wide tire and never really had the traction that I had with a skinnier tire. The tires would struggle for traction on the surface of the mud (floating) instead of digging down to hard ground and pulling me up and out.



For snow and sand, wide and at low pressure is ideal.

lots of opinions out there

I always say run what works for you
lost of guys running tires they think are the best cus they work for them
but they suck for the next guy cus his driving style and terrain are different

This will end up being like a Ford Chevy debate. But I have been doing every kind of wheeling for a long time. In mud, it depends on the mud. If you have the kind of mud that has a bottom to it, then narrow tires work well and allow you to cut through to the firmer stuff and move ahead. But if you are on glacial fill or in a freshly plowed field after a heavy rain, you want to stay on top of it because the bottom is too far down. In snow, it depends how deep the snow is. If you wheel with the hard core guys on top of 8' of snow, you don't want to even think about cutting through to the bottom. But if it is a couple of inches on asphalt, then a skinny tire works great. Just about any tire will work on rocks, some just work better than others.

A wider tire does not provide more contact patch than a narrow tire, it simply provides a wider contact patch, where the narrow tire provides a longer contact patch.
The area of the contact patches will be the same (given vehicle weight and tire pressures are the same), the shapes will differ significantly.

Also, when speaking of wide vs narrow tire, keep in mind the the ratio of tire height to tire width. A 31x10.5 is actually a wide tire when compared to a 35x10.5... sure they are both 10.5 wide, but they will have very different contact patch shapes.

Any vehicle that needs forward traction, needs a long contact patch... think skidder, porter, tractor... all have tall narrow tires to form a long contact patch which will always provide more forward traction than a wide (and thusly short) contact patch.

In the rocks... just look at the competition buggies, 37x12.50, 38x12.50... sure, they are a 12.50, but with the diameter put into the equation, that is a narrow tire putting down a long contact patch.

There are places where a tall and wide tire is need for floation... cranberry farms, artic expedition... these rigs rely on extreamly large tires with giant air volume capacity at low psi to create floatation... You would be hard pressed to get one of these tires down a jeep trail (huge size)... let alone 4 of them mounted to a rig.
Then there is high rpm mud bog racing... these guys run at 60+ mph with the tires running at an even higher rate to float over mud... you've all seen 'em... I don't know if that's how you wheel, but if so, then a wide tire might fit the bill.

My final blurb on forward traction and wide vs narrow I will go to the drag strip...
Many a car running a 26x10.50 has swapped to a 28x8 and solved traction issues...
Longer contact patch providing more forward traction...

this is why these treads are always good to read lots of personal opinion and some good ideas. i still like my 12.50 for rocks and the terrain i am on i am not a mudder though so i can see where the skinny tires may help. but i will keep what i have and just adjust the pressure to match what i am doing. and another option to help out when on these situations is a locker cause there are situations when the tires will slip no matter what you do and the only help is to keep them all moving. sorry i have said it before i suck at speeling and grammar try not to hold it against me