What winter tires are you running?

I have firestone winterforce. They are fine for straight line but leave a little to be desired in the corner.

Going with blizzark ws90 for the womans suv.

 

Rim size does matter when it comes to price. 17 in tires will run 138 for her ride, 18 in jumps to 188. I picked up a set of 17in take off rims for cheap. It may not be as dramatic between 16 and 17 but worth considering

 

Goodyear Wrangler Duratracs. Hands down the grippiest and good tread life

 

I have never had this experience with ko2’s in snow. Ever. I have however gotten so good at 360s in intersections, that I feel like I’m ready to try 720s.

 

OP- As you can see many people do just fine with a 3pms all terrain. In slush and soft snow they do pretty decent. The problem is science and many tests have proven they can’t compete with a true winter tire. If you’re looking for something to perform on ice and hard pack, most of the modern studless tires will serve you well.

I live in a private neighborhood with winding roads and steepish hills. We are usually the last to get plowed so it gets packed down hard and it’s usually there to stay for most of the winter.
I ran Duratracs last year and on hard pack and ice they are marginal at best compared to my wife’s Blizzaks.
So those running an AT year round will probably be fine in most conditions. Until that one time on hard pack or ice when someone with actual winter tires hammers on the brakes in front of you and that frozen rubber on your AT just doesn’t cut it.

 

I run blizzaks on my truck and my wife's 4runner in the winter. My son has them on his civic. I bought rims from the wrecker specifically for the winter tires. I live along highway 21 on lake huron so you know what kind of winter we get lol

 

Studded Nokian Hakka LT2

 

Studless Nokian Hakka LT2's

 

I had a 1st Gen 2wd Taco, used Firestone snow tires in the back only and just in the winter. Put a large cooler size plastic tub in the bed with sand/salt in it for weight and to use if I got stuck. Did this for 5 yrs. never got stuck and it worked good for me. I am also a slow driver lol lol.

 

This will be the first winter with the Ko2, stoked to see how they operate.

 

General Altimax Arctic LT

And I hate everyone recommending an AT/All season tire in a winter tire thread.

Sure they might go in the snow, the problem is stability and braking.

 

agreed. We have studded winters on the wife’s taco, run Duratracs on my 4Runner, but it sees limited use in the winter.
It’s night and day difference.

 

Same here. Sold off my dedicated winters since they did just as well. Now I don't have to switch over twice a year!

 

I just put a set of 265/70/17 duratracs on my new rims.. time will tell... co-workers swear by them.. but they are also driving 3/4 ton turbodiesels... big weight difference there... we dont get a lot of hardpack snow/ice on the roads, but rather ice, slush, and sticky snow.. I also got these for the offroad ability.. and they are rated for 50k miles...

I live in midcoast Maine, and never saw a reason for a dedicated snow tire.. one time I had Blizzacks for my honda accord and they were great in snow/ice, but sucked in dry warmer weather..

 

I found 16" to be quite a bit better value then 17" or 18". I found my rims on craigslist for $100. Cleaned and paint them. And found tires on sale. My truck doesn't have TPMS so swapping is easy. If you have TPMS then you can consider clones or a reprogramming tool to save some money at swap time.

 

Thats what I do as well. Considering getting a new set soon.

 

My brother had them on his jeep and could do a 180 with very little effort. He switched to, uh, wildpeaks this year and says it's a night and day difference.

 

I have some extra wheels with Duratracs for the winter. I've had experience with dedicated snow tires too. The Duratracs are just has good as any snow tire in deeper snow. However, I definitely give the edge to snow tires in slush and lighter snow. I've had good experience with the Firestone WinterForce.

My Duratracs on 4R OR wheels.

 

What are these "winter tires" you speak of?