Is it normal for my 2001 jeep wrangler to handle so poorly on ice and snow covered roads?

Q: I love my 2001 jeep wrangler. It has a 4-inch rough country lift kit with 33" bfg all-terrain tires. I drive @ 18 miles to work everyday on country roads and in the winter, its hard to even keep my jeep on the road even when I have it locked in. In the summer it is a little squirly, but to bad. It has been aligned. Is this normal? Is there something that could be wrong? Thanks

A: I dont think you can pin point the problem. It could be driving style/ability or it could be the tires and the tread pattern of the tires. My father lives in CO and drives his 93 YJ 45 miles to work each day regardless of weather and never had a problem. Even taking it up to go snow skiing. Also if Jeeps handled so poorly in ice/snow conditions I do not believe there would be as many people in CO that own them. If the ice is so bad perhaps a set of chains would be a wise investment. Like I said the tires could be the problem too as not all are created equal. The wider the tire the more it "floats" which is good if you are driving over deep powdery snow but not so good in ice/packed snow. A narrower tire will put more pressure per square inch to the ground. Tread patterns also place a part. A tire with more siping (small grooves in the tread block) will have better traction on slippery surfaces. Larger lugs with no siping will not grip as well. If you ATs are worn below the siping this could be part of the problem.

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