3 PEAK MOUNTAIN SNOWFLAKE (3PMSF) ALL TERRAIN TIRES vs WINTER TIRES vs CHAINS
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In this video, I discuss only 3PMSF All-Terrain tires. Why do I choose All-Terrain 3PMSF tires? I do this because they suit my driving style. For off-road driving, they are a good compromise tire. True winter tires are not a subject of this video. While All-Terrain 3PMSF tires may provide some additional snow traction beyond what general all-season tires can deliver, they do not match the capability of a true winter tire for adverse winter conditions. The test to determine if a tire gets the 3PMSF logo is a straight-line acceleration test to measure traction on medium-packed snow. You read that right: the test is on medium-packed snow only. Soft snow, slush, powdery snow, hard-packed snow, ice, and other snow conditions are not tested. It is only a straight-line acceleration test. Braking and turning on snow, along with ice traction are not part of the test. There may be some degree of correlation between traction available for acceleration and traction available for braking and turning but as I said braking and turning are not tested. So, there is no data available on the braking and turning performance of 3PMSF tires. What really interests most drivers in severe winter conditions is braking performance, right? Sadly, no industry or government test measures stopping distances of 3PMSF tires on snow or on ice. Consumer Reports and similar groups may have some ice tests. It is important to note that the 3PMSF test procedure only tests for certain minimum standards. Again, it only tests for minimums standards. More precisely, the 3PMSF symbol represents that a tires’ traction is at least 10% superior on medium-packed snow compared to a generic all-season tire. You read that right: only 10% better traction for straight-line acceleration. The ideal solution is to run dedicated winter tires on their own wheels during the winter. However, please note that some winter tires are designed for on-road use only. So, you will need to do your own research on winter tires which is a topic beyond the scope of this video. It bears repeating that 3PMSF tires cannot match the traction of dedicated winter tires in winter conditions and should not be considered a replacement for a true winter tire. Also please take into consideration that some tires are suited for off-road and some are only suited for on-road driving. As a final note, it is recommended to carry a set of chains as a safety measure. I've tried to get this correct but please do your own tire research and choose the tire that best suits your driving. Always do what you consider to be safe for you and your family based on your vehicle and the driving conditions.

TIRE PSI - WINTER TIRES
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Some viewers have asked whether it is ok to deflate tires to get better traction while driving on the highway. Airing down is an off-road only driving technique. Never drive at highway speed‘s with underinflated tires. It is dangerous due to increased risk of rollover and poor handling. Also, when driving off-road, how much you can safely lower psi varies significantly depending on the tire/wheel combo you have. Please always do what is safe for you and your family based on your vehicle and the driving conditions. PLEASE NOTE: you air down to get more traction. Winter tires already provide said traction. So, airing down winter tires is generally not recommended.

WIDE TIRES vs NARROW TIRES
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Wide tires provide more surface area. Narrow tires provide higher surface pressure against the road and so they cut deeper into the snow. Narrow winter tires are often a great choice. Narrow tires dig deeper into the snow which helps get to the road surface below. So, narrow tires can work better than wide tires in loose snow and slush on a paved surface. If you are off-road in snow that is too deep for your tires to reach the trail below, wide tires and airing down to create a larger contact patch may be preferred because there is less of a chance that the tires will dig themselves into a hole and get stuck. This is why arctic trucks run tires as wide as 475/70 R17. As always, it all depends on the snow conditions.

PLEASE NOTE
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This video is not intended to be a comprehensive list of all the essential tips to snow wheel safely. It is an entertainment video that simply presents 5 Tips that viewers may find useful or helpful. The multitude of other essential snow wheeling subjects such as trauma kits, recovery equipment, navigation, communications, clothing, emergency items, pounds per square inch of vehicle weight applied to the ground based on tire size, etc. are not within the scope of this video.


00:00 Intro
00:13 Guest Star
00:38 Tip 1 Best PSI
04:04 Science
05:03 Tip 2 Divets
07:56 Tip 3 Kinetic Lessons
11:08 Tip 4 De-Ice
13:20 Tip 5 Emergency Slide Turn
14:00 Fire Steel