What winter tires are you running?

Looking for good quality winter tires, wondering what others are running? Was thinking Michelin LTX winters but my dealer recommends Toyo Observe.

Any recommendations?

 

I have blizzaks ws80 for my car and they're pretty good. It's a RWD bmw so it's terrible in the snow/ice. But when those tires are on it's pretty good

 

I am running Nokian Hakkapeliitta R2 SUV snows on a set of 2005 Tundra 16" rims.

 

I used to just run studded and/or sipped tires but now that I've driven in the snow for 25yrs I dont even change them anymore. Just a good all weather tire. Even the 2wd truck o drive to work everyday. Snow doesn't bother me anymore. But I'll never get used to the freezing rain.

 

Get a set of falken at3w SL and run them year round. That’s what I do. @tonered and @MOC221_ are now doing the same

 

Just stick with my duratracs year round. Great in snow, while not true winter tires they do have the three peak snow symbol. Feels pretty comparable to my stock tires with chains.

 

Blizzak dmv2

 

And I assume that you’re quite fond of them? Lol

 

Yep! I've ran blizzaks on cars before with good luck. ran all last winter with no issues and zero weight in the back. I live in northern Alberta in Canada and it handled our worst conditions with ease

 

Anyone have an opinion on whether it’s better to drop down to 16” rims for winter tires or if I should stick with 17”? So many decisions lol

 

KO2’s absolutely eat up the snow. Those tires feel great in almost anything it seems like.

 

Was considering just using KO2’s all year round but I’ve heard a lot of people complain about their ride quality. I know they are great for off roading though lol

 

Wheel size Doesn’t matter honestly. I like Blizzaks and General Arctic Altimax with studs. I’ve run several other brands and they’ve been the best. I’ll be trying a set of Firestone winterforce with studs this winter that I got a great deal on.

depending on how much you drive though I’d be perfectly happy with Cooper AT3 4s’ year round, even in Ontario. My set would probably get through another winter just fine after 25k total miles but the deal I got on a barely used set of snows was too good to pass up on. My set is about half worn and they’re not nearly as good on ice as they were new but still are great in snow and mud.

 

I don’t have any complaints about them and I run them year round. Had em on my Tahoe before the Taco and loved them, second I got the truck KO2’s went on the next day. The ride does change for sure, but not negatively in my opinion. I can see how some wouldn’t like to run them year round though.

 

My hesitation with using all seasons is that they wear down quicker then they are less effective. I think it would be nice to use seperate tires for winter to increase effectiveness when I need it.

 

Yeah but how much do you drive? I drive 25-30k miles per year and if it weren’t for living halfway up a mountain in rural Alaska I’d easily get 2 full years out of one set, putting new tires on every other fall. If you only drive 10k per year, you’ll get 4-5 years out of a set easily. Swapping between winters and summer tires, they might even age out before either set wear out...
It’s also so warm in winter in most of North America that winter tires can wear down past the good rubber extremely fast. 50 degree days are not good to the soft rubber in modern snow tires.

But, you know you’re driving better than we do. I’m on the road for work a lot and don’t really have an option to call out and there’s no one to cover my route. I’ve also got two little kids; I need to be able to get out an go. I also like to hunt, and the roads to the good grouse spots aren’t maintained well or often.

 

LTX winters are a poor choice, read some reviews.

Michelin Xice, if you do mostly city driving and need lots of miles out of the tire.

Blizzaks if you need the best performance.

Observes are in the middle, good life good performance.

 

I’ve had two places tell me the Xice weren’t available for my truck but maybe it’s because I was asking about 16” rims?

Yeah I drive between 25-30k a year and live where a lot of roads aren’t well plowed in the winter.

 

I've put many Xice on Tacoma. They may be low on inventory but we have lots over here in Calgary. 265/70R16. 245/75R16 doesnt have an xice.

 

Ko’s are crap. They pack with snow and slide everywhere. And turn to concrete in the cold. Blizzaks are the only true winter tire worth it. Ipikes studded are really nice and cheap on Amazon. I’ve ran kelly safari tsr’ and falken wildpeaks year round with zero issues. Just my opinion. Alaska Tested.