Winter tires vs. offroad

Depends on the off roading, most of our trails are packed snow which is impossible for most trucks to get up without studs and heavy cut tires.

I almost went with LT Hankook ipikes to avoid punctures but really you just have to use your head. Deflate is a must to prevent punctures, and be wary going over water due to unexposed rocks.

Studded Duratracs do well, but I was able to do a crazy hill that had people sliding backwards due to my studded ipikes.

In this video, the forward vehicles failed many times and polished the hill, the 2nd gen in front of me had brand new Toyo AT2s and had to go about 60kph. I was able to do it while failing and able to stop on the hill.

 

I went with Bridgestone Blizzak W965 in size 265/75-R16. I like the fairly coarse side/edge tread - I speculate that it might give me some additional traction if I air down.

 

I've lived in New England my whole life and I swear by the Michelin LTXms2 I ran them on my 2012 in all types of weather and a fair bit of off road use too, it's just a great all around tire. They are great on gas and have deep tread as well as pretty tough corner beads, I have a bit of a lead foot and they gave great traction in tight cornering for over 50000 miles. They don't have that all terrain look though, they would probably look better on a sport model over the off road though.

 

It depends on where you live. Some places in NE don't get that much snow. But, snow tires are always better and I always get more trad life out of my tires with less expense over the life of the car, by having separate winter and summer tires. If you don't get icy conditons, many AT tires are good in snow. But, if you get ice of travel on dirt roads with frost underneath, they will not come close to the performance of snow tires in ice and hard packed snow roads.

 

I'm in PA and we don't get as much snow as you do. On our Subaru STI we run two sets of tires. Blizzaks for the winter and high performance tires for the summer. It makes a world of difference using a snow tire. That car will go anywhere with those tires. I Just put on Toyo AT2 on the truck and they do okay in the snow. From my experience with other All Terrain tires they only do okay. If you want the best traction and performance then get snow tires and switch them out. It's not that big of a deal.

 

I live in a snow belt in central Ontario. I've driven in snow all over Canada as far north as the Yukon all of my life and I'm old. Tacoma's are part time 4x4's so they have all the disadvantages of a pick up truck in snow and on ice. If you live where there's real snow and you need to drive in it get some good winter tires. They make an incredible difference. They don't look like they have much testosterone but a non winter tire is inferior. As for wheels, I bought a set of OEM wheels and so far so good, but who cares. There are lots of guys wanting to run after market wheels so there is a huge market for OEM Toyota wheels and they're cheaper than after market wheels. Keep an eye on the lists and they're there.

 

Not especially happy with the Wrangler Adventures on crappy icy trails, tbh.

 

Like he said, the biggest difference between aggressive off road tires (mud) and aggressive snow tires is this siping. That's what you need to look for.

 

Hey Buddha - are your nerf bars the 3" wheel to wheel? I'm thinking I need a set for my Taco!

 

Here's a side shot of those bars also

 

Yes. They're the 3" wheel to wheel flat black textured by N-Fab for double cab long bed. T1589CC

don't get them from N-Fab. I got mine from running board warehouse and saved $130. They even dropped shipped from N-Fab.

 

Thanks!

 

That and the rubber composition. Regular AT tires below 40 degrees don't handle or stop as well as the better winter tires whose rubber is softer. The siping I am sure is valuable but without the softer rubber, it doesn't seem to work as well. When riding on winter tires in cold weather, you can feel the slightly softer ride over AT tires telling you they have the potential to grip better in all situations.

 

Gotta run Winter Tires ( snowflake rated ) on most highways here by law Oct - Mar .

 

Those steel wheels actually make your truck look b@dazz! Surprisingly good combo IMHO

 

From my experience, the largest advantages to proper(one season) winter tires is the siping and rubber compound.

I live in a place where temps are below freezing throughout the winter. In these conditions we get a lot of ice and consistantly slippery conditions for 4 months of the year. Tires designed for the winter season specifically are made of a rubber compound that keeps them softer than any AT tire will be in temprratures approaching the freezing pt.. The volume of siping on said tires is also much greater.

If I lived in a more temperate winter environment I might be inclined to run something like a Goodyear Duratrac or a softer AT tire. Where I am howevere they are relatively deficient for the conditions. They clear deep snow well, but are not nearly as grippy as one season winter rubbber.

At the end of the day both have worked for me. Driving to meet the conditions is everything.

 

if you deal with "real winter" i'd recommend getting dedicated snow tires. even a winter rated all terrain will get hard and lose grip when its really cold.
also, most tire stores sell some kind of cheap aluminum wheels, they're good if you want a second set of rims but don't want steel wheels

 

My experience is this. My wifes car has snow tires for winter and a dedicated set for the other three seasons in Iowa. My truck is running Cooper at3's, great tire for the price for what I do. However my wifes Fusion (fwd) does a lot better in the snow, ice and other wintery conditions than my truck does, unless it's in an area where 4wd is needed. For me it's the confidence in better braking and turning/avoiding idiots that don't know how to handle winter conditions. That is where it counts for me, especially with my wife driving. Plus her car with snow tires made through some pretty bad roads that her parents AWD ford escape got stuck on.

I also had a little 2nd gen xB that I ran snow tires on and that little bugger went places it shouldn't have and always felt sure footed. That car was lowered to about 5" off the ground, I had to avoid speed bumps! Anyways, I plowed roads with that thing all the time going through snow that was 8-10" with no problem. I got stuck a couple times, but that was because it was 12+" and I was trying to see what it could do!

All in all it's about safety, snow tires are made for a reason and they aren't a marketing gimmick. Once you try a decent set (don't bother with goodyear snow tires for cars, I can't speak on the truck tires), you'll wonder why you never had them before.

 

Thanks again for the info on the nfab nerf bars guys... got mine ordered!

 

Vote goes here too.
I went through 1 set, and was 20k mikes into my second set when I sold the '02 they were on.
When the GY Wranglers meet their end (stock which came with the '16 TRD OR), I'll VERY likely go back to the Michelin LTX MS2s again.
My truck is my daily driver, but I need the M/S. They are quiet, and the gas mileage is good. Good looking tire.. Worked just fine for me off road and in snow. Oh, and I live where it rains a LOT. Performed well.