Wildpeaks overkill for TRD Sport?

Agreed, went through some pretty nasty snow and ice and they did amazing.

 

Cooper Rugged-trek for comparison.
Personally like the Michelin a lot more.

 

Wildpeaks are great for their intended purpose. If I was on the road mostly, I'd go with Michelin LTX M/S^2 (or current equivalent) for certain. I had these on and SUV and a Land cruiser (Series 100) and they are the best tires overall without a doubt...
They are built strong, absolutely silent on road with great traction and - as stated above - amazingly good off road, in the wet, and on snow/ice. And they'll last forever.

There are few more unpleasant things than driving on studded tire grooved road surfaces... (I see in your profile that you are in fact in the northwest...)
My suggestion is the same as the above.

 

Like @OZ TRD said, the Michelin Defender LTX M/S2 (which is the most updated of that genre of tire) would work great for you. I also think that if you are leaning more towards a On-Road biased AT tire the Michelin LTX AT2 might be one worth considering

 

Needing severe snow rated tires for the snowy passes. Chains are no fun.
Looking at 265/70/17 Coopers at3 4s, or the road+trail.

 

I'd recommend Wildpeak AT3W honestly, since you're in the pnw and they are great in the rain. (Also 3PMSF rated, or I wouldn't suggest them).

I don't have any experience with the Coopers, but if you like them, just make sure they have good siping.

 

We just put Michelin Defender X LT A/S2's on my wife's 4Runner, and they're great on road, including rain. Quiet and stable. So far they're fine on light-duty off road situations - haven't asked very much of them in the dirt yet.

 

I have the Coopers on my Xterra and they lack lateral traction which causes them to be a little squirrelly in the snow and break loose in the wet. My Goodyear Wrangler Territory AT's perform much better in the snow and rain on my Taco if that helps. I myself will be heading towards the Wildpeaks for my next set.

 

Another generally over looked tire on here that would suit your use is the yoko G015 it's a very mild AT excellent road manners will still do some off road service fine. Also are three peak rated if you live somewhere with winter.
We run them on our work trucks and have been plenty happy with them.

 

Love my wild peaks

 

Seriously dude, that's funny, and oh so true. I ran Defenders for years, decades really and I love my Wildpeaks. I've had the Wildpeaks on for a bit over a year now and about 18,000 miles and they've been fantastic. They are really good in the snow which is what sold me on them. I don't need a snow tire very often but when I do, a lot of siping and full depth siping is what I'm looking for. My son had the KO2s on his 2019 JL Rubicon and replaced them with the Wildpeaks last year and is really happy with them. He and I both agree they are WAY better in the snow.
Mine seem to be wearing a little faster than I think they should but I drive some really winding roads for my first 5 or so miles to the interstate and I drive it like a rally car. I know this isn't doing me any favors in that department. They are wearing evenly so it's not a problem with the truck.
If I were to buy tires again right now, I'd buy the Wildpeaks.

 

If it's a 4X4 Tacoma, it's an offroad vehicle no matter the trim level. Just because it came with 'street' tires doesn't mean you need to keep them.

 

You can look at the Toyo at3’s I just put them on my 4Runner. Not as good in the snow as the DuraTrac I replaced, however much smoother, quieter and I gained a little mpg over the past two fill ups.

 

Look at the cooper rugged trek, definitely a kickass snow tire.

 

I don't think there is a replacement for a winter tire on a 2WD vehicle. Same reason people put them on BMW's.
I had wildpeaks and so did others I know, but that was still on a 4x4, in 4HI, and didn't have all the traction in the world.

working in a dealership in a snowy environment a ton of customers came in when winter started, to switch over to winter tires. Blizzak, Nokian, you name it. Studded or non studded. And that was on AWD cars still...
I on the other hand did not, and slid around on WildPeaks, though not a lot. Just adjusted speed.
Could a car next to me at a green light take off faster if they're on actual winter tires? Yes.

People either had spare wheels with winters, or had their winter tires stored and then swapped onto the wheel.
There's even used snow tires.

If I left my 4x4 in 2HI on Wildpeaks in those conditions, it would spin
sometimes you don't want that, sometimes you do
like practicing drifting
or, hoping you actually stop at the red light

Looks like there's some stock size winter tires on sale for $116/ea
question is, how much is your life and truck worth to you
at the time, I didn't answer that question myself and had one set of tires.

 

Hmm, maybe I misunderstood the question. Are you thinking he wants snow rated tires to avoid chaining up his 2wd truck, on regulated routes?

I was thinking just general better traction on infrequent trips to the mountains.

I'd agree that an AT tire doesn't replace chains, if chains or snow tires are being mandated.

I have heard that from a few northerners, that Wildpeaks are still nowhere near a real snow tire, like you described.

 

correct. Drive a Wildpeak on a dry road it feels like a regular tire. Drive a snow tire on the same road the big difference feels major.

lots of siping
Very soft compound to not stiffen in cold.
That otherwise in the dry would overheat, wear fast, and get chewed up.

chains, bags, etc are probably a good idea to carry regardless
I wonder if there’s any good cheap ones that fit…

I’ve heard generic chains don’t fit and tend to smack the spindle top area, at least in stock wheel dimensions

plenty of folks in CO run AT’s like Wildpeak year round
But they’re also 4x4 and use 4HI when needed and adjust driving accordingly

no point in having a 2WD truck exposed to inclement weather
All that ground clearance and skid plates just to have front wheels getting no power or engine braking

wildpeaks 4HI = you’re on the road, the 4 cars you passed are not
you got to work, customers didn’t
you drove to gym only to find out everything closed
I guess they’re Ok in that regard
Coworker on duratracs also got to work
Another had used cheap takeoff blizzaks.

 

I loved my Duratracs, and would go back to them in a second if they came in my 33" pizza cutter size Wildpeaks, that I am rocking now. But as a street only tire, the Duratracs might be too loud for some. (Never bothered me one bit, as I preferred the aggressive thread).

I didn't even notice a difference going from the C Load Duratracs to the E Load Wildpeaks. Now saying that, the Wildpeaks passed the test this weekend, when we got about a foot of snow overnight, and they handled just fine.

So, I'd say the Wildpeaks are a great compromise, between a good street tire and aggressive A/T.

 

What size are your Michelins?