Stock 17" size all weather tire/AT tire options?

Hi,
I'm hoping to get some opinions of the following all weather tires (snowflake in mountain symbol required) sold in my area by Kal Tire:
1) BF Goodrich All Terrain T/A KO
2) Nokian Rotiiva AT
3) Multimile Wild Country XTX

They are listed from most to least expensive. I would like to replace oem Dunlops with one of the above or another all weather/AT tire as highways in my area require winter rated tires. The tires will be mounted on stock wheels.

Disclaimer: I'm leaning towards Rotiiva as I have them on our 4Runner and after 2 years I'm happy with tread wear but.. I have nothing to compare them to as I've never owned any other comparable tires. Despite the price, salesperson told me the Wild Country tires are very popular with his customers. The BFGs are probably great for off-road but I'm willing to give up a bit to gain in snow and ice.

I'm willing to buy elsewhere and consider other brands but not online. I prefer to shop local.

Thanks!

Corey

 

How about the new, Cooper AT/W it's suppose to a damn good winter tire and AT tire in one, also the AT3 works very well in winter but doesn't have the snowflake rating, the ATW does, ...either tire will work great...

http://us.coopertire.com/Tires/Light-Truck/Discoverer-A-TW.aspx

 

Thanks for the tip, lyodbraun. I'll check out the AT/W's.

 

The AT/W looks perfect and very similar to the Nokian Rotiiva but is not listed on the Canadian Cooper website or some of the local Cooper dealers. The AT3 is there but I need the snowflake symbol on the tire unfortunately.

 

your cooper service places will be able to order the AT/W for ya, its a tire we ship to Canada that's for sure lots of them go up there... its a new tire as well so that could be a reason its not listed on some of the sites? but from all the reviews on it, it works great in them Canadian winters...

 

Cooper A/Tw's. I have a set for winters and am happy with them. I would use them year round but I have good Michelin highway tires. They only sell A/Tw in Canada at Canadian Tire. Every second or third week they are 25% off. Get a set and you will be very happy. You won't find better winter traction on an all terrain tire. I have used BFG's and Good Years, No comparison.


Also.... Get the LT rated tires. they're pretty soft sidewalls so you still get a smooth ride but have far superior puncture resistance and deeper tread blocks.

 

Thanks, Matt. I looked on can tire site but they don't list them in stock 265 65 R17 size. I'll call tomorrow but curious if you are running a different, but very close size?

 

Lyodbraun, the reason i couldn't find the tires is because I searched specifically for 265/65/R17 and Canadian Tire, as suggested by Matt above, doesn't sell this size up here. I also checked for 275/65/R17 as it's close but no luck. This is pretty disappointing as they have an excellent deal on them right now and a little research backed up what you suggested: they are a great tire.

 

Looks like 265/70'is what you would need to go with...

 

I don't think you can even get the 265/65r16 in a LT rated tire.... just P rated.

I am running 235/85r16 in a 10 ply. they are about an inch taller than stock size and actually makes the odometer and speedo a little more accurate.

Most people run 265/75r16 which has the same diameter as the one I listed above so you get the same benefits with the speedo, but they are the same width as your stock tires while the ones I chose are about an inch or inch and a half thinner (and 5 pounds lighter).

I went for thinner and lighter because they are being used as a winter tire. Narrow tires are better in winter. You bet more pounds per square inch so there's more pressure making the tires bite into the ice. Also with a thinner tire when you are going highway speeds and hit those slush mounds between lanes, your tire will cut through it instead of hit it and try to float over it (kinda like hydroplaning and losing traction).

Either size will work well for you. Thinner has better winter traction and lighter which will help your braking and save you fuel... the wider looks better and handles corners better year round. Don't worry about the 235's being too narrow.... all full size diesel trucks used to come standard with 235's and weigh a hell of a lot more and carry a lot more weight.

Good luck. Let us know what you went with.

 

Thanks Matt and Lyodbraun! I picked up a set of Cooper Discoverer AT/W's today, size LT265/70R17 (+1). They don't seem louder than stock Dunlops, give it a plush ride and feel very grippy.

 

I should have known I could trust the opinion of a guy named neverstuck when it comes to tires

 

Your welcome, hope they work out for ya, IM Sure they were made at my plant, ... If I had money I'd get a set and run them in winter...

 

You don't get free tires!?!? Hopefully there are employee discounts, at the very least..

 

Tires look good. You'll love them. Make sure you run them at 35psi instead of 29. Different tires from stock require different psi.

 

hell no that would be nice, we do get discounts and are limited to eight tires a year with the discount.... I just used up my last discounted set for the wife's highlander...

 

I've often wondered about this snowflake rating. Does it truly mean that that specific tire will perform better than one without the rating? Or is it more of a marketing tool? I've read a lot of personal reviews of non-snowflake tires performing great in winter and snow. All subjective and anecdotal of course, but it makes me wonder if sometimes tire manufacturers don't feel like jumping through the hoops and red tape in order to get their tire 'snowflake rated'.

 

I've read that it only has to perform 10% better than the avg all season. Most good All terrain tires would qualify and pass the tests but like you said, the companies don't bother. My summer tires (LTX M/S2) would outperform the BFG A/T KO, Goodyear Duratrac and Goodyear Adventurer on ice and each of those 3 have the snowflake rating while the Michelins do not.