Hey No worries Bren. When I take somebody on a trail run they often have so much fun they want to go buy one. Depending on the person, I too have a long list of why any of the Wrangler style Jeeps are not for them unless they are really interested in off road fun. Mine is a daily driver but I love it enough to endure the drawbacks. There are many other SUVs better suited for somebody who wants the occasional help of 4wd but plans to stay on the roads.

I will say though that not all aggressive tires are made equal. There is no real cure for ice but my most recent set of tires are 33-12.5-15 TrXus Radials made by Interco. They are aggressive enough to get me over the rocks and through our famous PEI red mud, but have a TON of siping to help grip to ice. They have been my best winter tire yet. In fact, I'm on my second set now and I bought them again because of their winter stickiness and their smoothness (relative to other MTs). There are better, cheaper off road tires but as mentioned, mine is a daily driver.

http://www.intercotire.com/site35.php

I don't normally promote product on boards but if I can help somebody stay on the road...
They are a bit pricey but if you want an aggressive tire for your truck or SUV that actually works in the winter, they are worth it. Good wear too. I got just over 75,000 km out of my first set but they were no longer as effective off-road by then. Although, they still had as much tread left as many brand new 4 season tires.

Also, driving with the 4wd turned on in the winter is an art form as it sounds like you well know. When turning sharp corners, you need to learn to steer with the gas peddle as much as with the steering wheel. Creating controlled wheel spin induces a sideways crab like motion and alternately, you can induce sharp rotation by letting your foot off the gas. It's tough to learn cause it goes against human nature to hit the gas if you are cornering too hard but it's a blast driving around the city in the snow once you get it down.

Kind of a drifting for rednecks....


With great power comes Awesome irresponsibility.