Snow Tires

I recently purchased a 2015 2WD Prerunner (4cyl) - very basic model, only option was convenience package. I would like some advice on snow tires. I live in a suburb of Baltimore, MD, so we get several good snow falls per winter.

When I mention that I'll be using the truck in the snow, everyone recommends that I buy some sand bags for the bed. Is this good advice? Approx how many pounds of sand?

I'd love to hear from someone using their 2WD Prerunner in the snow, and getting good results with their snow tires. I plan to have them mounted on an extra set of standard (OEM) wheels that I hope to purchase from the dealership.
Thanks in advance for your help.
Jim

 

Dedicated snow tires are an excellent idea. My truck is 4WD with some good all terrain tires, but the honda has a set of snow tires. I actually prefer to drive the honda when it snows. With two to three hundred pounds of sand and some narrower snow tires you should be just fine on snow covered roads.

 

Here's my experience: I currently run General ArticMax 265/75R16s studded on my steelies. I shouldn't have gone up in size when I got them for my Tacoma as they tend to float a bit in the deep stuff. My former truck ran Coopers (I don't remember the exact model) but they were a knobby tire sized in 255/85R16s - studded as well. Those gave me great traction and would cut into the deep stuff with ease. Now my wife's Forrester XT also runs the same General tire but in the 'downsized' size recommended by Subaru. Night and day difference. Her car will go through anything.

 

Get some Cooper AT-W tires you can run them all year and they work great in snow... Unless you have a endless budget for tires then get a dedicated snow tire and only use in winter...

 

Both are a good idea.

I have Yokohama dedicated snows on a separate set of alloys. The truck could climb anything in the winter with those. I pulled them off in the spring and we got one inch overnight and I needed 4 Hi constantly the next morning with my summer set. Night and day.

I may do weight this year. I noticed any time I had weight in the bed (a snowblower--probably 200 lbs, for example), I no longer noticed myself reaching for the 4WD switch. Made a big difference.