Who changes wheels/tires seasonally?

I'm wondering who on here has a dedicated set of tires for late spring - early fall, and then transitions to snows for the winter months?

I'm looking to two different options for new tires and am interested by what others run.

Dedicated wheel/tire package:

1. Keep the Dunlops and purchase a set of FJ wheels + Blizzaks (then when the dunlops die, sell the factory wheels and upgrade to AT's.

Go over to a nice set of AT's year round:

2. Purchase AT's and run the 16" TRD wheels. Sell the Dunlops on craigslist at a loss.


I don't mind the mileage and ride quality I'm getting with the dunlops. They are really quiet by my standards as well. The main issue is that its Minnesota, and while our weather is beautiful - you never know what surface you'll be driving on. The Dunlops have been just fine in up to 5-10" of snow, but where they have suffered is ice and slush.

I'll toss up some pictures of the truck in the welcome thread. Been slacking!

 

I do this. Matter of fact, just swapped last night. I run bfg MTs on FJ TRD wheels during warm months and Duratracs on stock TRD wheels for snow duties. Initial cost of buying an extra set brings the pain, but well worth it IMO. Seems as if the tires last forever when you only have them on 6 months at a time. This was forth season for the MTs and they will still go another summer at least. 3rd season for Duratracs this year. I expect at least three more winters out of them.

From what I've heard, the Blizzaks are awesome winter tires, but wear relatively quickly due to the soft compound.

 

I swap wheels and tires as well. I run 265/75/16 BFG ATKO's on my stock TRD OR alloys and run 265/70/16 Michelin X-Ice on base model Tacoma rims.
I don't mind the steel wheels, they are silver and match the truck well, and I have the Toyota Centre caps so they look pretty good. This way I don't have to worry about my alloy wheels getting corroded from the salt etc.

The Michelin X-Ice are great on ice and hard packed snow, but not that aggressive for really deep snow.

Shawn.

 

I run Grabber At2's on steelie rims in the winter time. In the spring/summer I run stock rubber with OR rims.

 

I've had 2 sets for the last 3 vehicles. Usually aftermarket wheels and KM2's for spring, summer and fall then when old man winter shows up I put the factory wheels with Blizzaks back on. Been using Blizzaks for my winter tires on my wife's cars and my vehicles for the last 8 yrs.

 

Thanks for the responses everyone!

I don't have Rugged Trails - I'm running the Dunlops that came on my SR5. I don't seem to mind them as much as everyone else does...yet!

I think I'll end up getting the Blizzaks and just waiting for the Dunlops to die. At that point I'll replace them with a nice set of dedicated tires. I'm really liking the reviews on
the Firestone Destination AT's.

 

I had some Firestone Destinations at one point and they weren't bad. Personally, I like the BF Goodwrench ATs and Nitto Terra Grapplers better. Just my opinion thought

 

I have a set of Blizzak LM25's for the Honda that get put on every November. Definitely worth the money when driving in ice and snow. Only downside is having the TPMS reprogrammed for the different sensors.

 

I paid out of my ass last year for duratracs. then the hot cali sun burned them up pretty good this summer so I bought a cheap set of firestone destination ats to run next summer. That way my duratracs can smash snow in the winter for years to come

 

Blizzak's are great winter tires. From my experience, they are significantly better than AT's in winter . I have a set mounted up on stock sport rims that I use strictly for winter driving. I run BFG AT's load C otherwise. The BFG ATKO's are load C and 'snowflake' rated, but cannot compete with the rubber compound found in winter tires. The difference is obvious to me.

 

I highly recommend General Altimax Arctic, WITH studs, or Hankook IPikes with studs as a second. Studding is the only way to physically grip ice. Winter tires are softer compounds and come with different tread designs, to hook up on snow and slush, but once you're on ice, only studs pushing into it will offer any traction, and stopping ability.

They do sound like a battery of machine guns firing, but they're absolutly worth it!

I run my winters on factory steelies from EBay.

 

I do, I'm pretty close to you in Manitoba

As a person who ice fishes and generally loves winter I opted for a 2nd set of rims after having winter's on my last vehicle I cannot go back to crappy "all-seasons" in winter.

I bought 2007 Toyota Sequoia Rims off ebay for just under $400 and Nokian R-SUV Winter Tires - probably the BEST now studded winter tire you can buy. The cost of new steel rims was more than that, used is tough to find at times.

I didn't downsize in rim size as one normally does and it did add to the price of the tires but I won a NFL football pool so it wasn't an issue the year I bought them.

Bonus is they look factory and basically are - just not for my truck originally but Toyota and alloy nonetheless, just a wee bit out because of an offset but I can't tell the difference - well within wheel well. I'll try to see if I have a pic somewhere but I love them.

Winter tires get you CONTROL and STOPPING, they help only a little with starting if you are a heavy foot on lights/stop signs. Can I stop better than all-season? Yes by 10's of feet. Can I swerve to avoid something suddenly? WAY better than with ANY all-season bs that should be illegal - it's all in the softer compound. Does anyone need winter tires? No you need water and nutrients I could probably get around on racing slicks but does that mean one should? Now 4x4 and winter tires should come with flashing lights to get out of my way - no I don't drive like a dick ever, but nor should someone run a marathon in heels, it's all about the proper footwear for the conditions.

 

Studs are not a good idea as the trade off for the days when it's really icey is not worth it in my opinion and the detriment to stopping distance on pavement is NOT good - less contact with the road of the tire as the stud keeps it higher. Winter studless tires are a better compromise. Plus the noise factor might not get the best WAF (wife approval factor).

The Nokians and General Altimax Arctic studless are great tires.

 

i run firestone snowtires in the winter

current summer tire are yokohama AT. thought they would be better in the snow than what they are. they are ok, but don't compare to the snow tires. gonna go back to a more sporty tire when they need replaced.


my entire snow package was under 300...picked up a like new pair on here with rims for $100. couldn't pass that up. used the spare tire rim and picked up a second rim for $20 on craiglist and ordered up a second pair from tire rack.

now only if we would get some snow.

 

^X2. It is possible to achieve better performance than studs with the newest tire compounds. The Bridgestone Blizzak, for example, has a porous tread compound to break the thin layer of surface water between the tire and ice to improve traction (exact opposite of how ice skates work).

Anyway, to the OP: I currently run Firestone Winterforce UVs on Toyota black steelies in the winter months. They have an older compound and don't perform as well. Just waiting for them to wear out so I can switch to something better like the Blizzak DM-V1.

I think it's good to have a set of "expendable" wheels and tires against salt and increased road debris (picked up two punctures in the first winter).

 

There's visible progress even in the last couple of years. Bridgestone could use the Blizzak's Multicell compound for only half the tread depth without hurting tread integrity, giving rise to the two sets of wear bars. Michelin's new Xi2 has the "Micro-Pump" feature through its entire tread depth. Michelin also offers a 40,000-mile treadwear warranty, which was previously missing for winter tires.

I've never seen a steel wheel fail due to rust. We used to have a '96 Dodge Caravan in the family. After 15 years, the wheels kept their black paint, while chunks of metal fell from the floor pinchwelds, wheel arches and rocker panels.

 

i have the original 16" steelies that came with my 05 prerunner. i ran with the dunlop at20 for 3 years and switched over to the Dunlop Radial RVXT's which are snow flake rated. i run them year round. they seem to be holding up well. (going on 4 years and 54000 km)

 

The stud vs. studless debate doesn't really apply to us in the Twin Cities, MN. Only certain Government vehicles (First responders, plows, etc.) are authorized studded tires in my area.

Studs and chains are authorized on low maintenance roads and OHV's, and certain counties are okay with studs - but for the most part MN just stays on top of keeping the roads clear with excellent snow removal services, and using horrid amounts of road chemicals. People might like to complain about MNDot's spring, summer, and fall construction season, but they do a great job keeping the roads clear in winter.

 

Sorry for the delay of debate!, BUT, since were quoting test results from the tire store, I thought I'd add this,

http://www.tirerack.com/winter/tech/techpage.jsp?techid=151

Clearly not road friendly, or legal in all areas, my position, based on 20 years of actually watching vehicles slip, slide, crash, and become stuck in literally, every conceivable position stands firm.
Winter tires are 100% better than all seasons, no question. Add studs, a mechanical connection to the ice or, hard packed snow, EVEN BETTER.

I looked at the tire store test results, and think it's good they are fooling around with winter tires, again, any winter tire is better than none, but take a look at how many offerings they have for studdable vs. studless tires, which kind would you want to sell more of?

If you live in the snow belt, take a good look at the police vehicle at the accident you're stuck behind, notice anything? how about the plow truck? yep, good winter tires, loaded with studs. I think technology is great, and support it at every turn, but, there are certain lessons hard learned, and this is one of them. Stud'em if you got'em!

 

I would agree that the studded tire technology is great.. but what if you live in an area that has snow on the roads about 20-40 percent of the winter season.. its great for that percentage but when there isnt snow on the roads they are just loud and annoying.

We drive trucks with 4WD.. you won't get stuck in town and then out of town on forest roads or whatever you can buy chains and throw them on in the worst conditions. This way you maintain your road comfort and still have the chains if you are in dire need.

anyways, I just drive AT's that are winter rated year round. Does the trick