When I had my first 3100 back in the early 80's, I had a friend who had one, and he had 8" wheels and "wide 60's" on his rears, and with a small load of fire wood, he could go anywhere in that thing! (Here in southeast Missouri (the Ozark foothills where we lived at the time, get plenty of snow and ice). The '51 I had came with the generic steel, spoked wheels (painted white to match the front bumpers and grill, I suppose). I ended up putting the wider tires on mine, and they did great. I've always been under the impression that wider tires with 'mud and snow' tread did great. I've used them on my old '82 Blazer and '72 Jeep Commando 'Jeepster' all the way around (the '51 just had wide all terrain on the back), and they always did great. Of course, the full size Blazer and Jeep were both 4 wheel drive, but with weight and wide tires in the back, I always thought my 3100 did fantastic. Of course, with ice, nothing will help but studs of some sort. Unfortunately, I think studded tires are outlawed in Missouri now. Maybe some chains for the worst days?? Good luck with whatever you get!
