Help! Looking for the best true winter tire for cold North Idaho climate

I have a 2013 Tacoma 4x4- 265/70/R17 size. What do you guys recommend for true winter driving? I'm looking for excellent studless tires. I have read reviews all day. Blizzak, Nokian Hakk, Michelin X Ice, and more. I want to stick to the road when commuting back and forth hundreds of miles on the highway. Also, a lot of travel through snow and ice-covered roads in extremely low temps. Recommendations? Thanks!

 

I've had excellent results with Blizzaks on cars. On my Land Cruiser I run Kumho AT51 which are winter three peak rated and they're excellent tires year round.

 

I will look into Kumho tires as well. I want a soft winter tire for the cold. I run Toyo's in the other seasons (so far). Thank you!

 

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/bridgestone-blizzak-dm-v2

Run these for years. Been very pleased with them.

 

Based on over 50 years of driving where we average 100" of snow each year, I couldn't agree more. Had a set on my TRD Sport Tacoma and now run a new set on my 4Runner.

 

Blizzaks for sure.

I have them in my 4Runner and drive on hard packed snow most of the winter here in Manitoba. When it's 40 below and icy they still hook up pretty well. I wouldn't look any further.

I have ATs on my Tacoma that are better for the deep stuff (as in the type of road that may only be plowed a week after a storm with no one else driving them blazing through two feet) but the Blizzaks blow them out of the water in all other aspects that you'd find on normal roads.... Especially the deep cold.

 

In the U.P. of Michigan where we get snow, upon snow, upon snow, and I do the same, set of tires for summer, set of tires for winter, had Blizzacks, and wanted to try the Nokians. Blizzacks are better, the Nokians are good, dont get me wrong, but Ill switch back to Blizzacks once these wear out.

 

Based on the recommendation of Tom & Ray Magliozzi ("Car Talk" guys), I started running Michelin X-Radials in 2003 with a '96 Pontiac Trans Sport SE until it was replaced by an '07 Malibu from Anchorage Sales & Service in' 09 (from their daily rental fleet), and after retiring from Cordova, Alaska in 2011 to north Idaho. Mike at Costco Tire in Cd'A walked out of the bays one day to tell me, "They no longer make your tire!" Michelin renamed it the Defender, which I have been running on the '07 Malibu, and as replacements for the original Dunlop ATs since I acquired the '09 Tacoma 15 months (and 8k miles) ago. I thought about the X-Ice years ago, but the softer tread doesn't last as long, and I drive about 8k miles a year (maybe more now that I left Cordova, which requires a ferry or airplane trip to get to the next town). Gas prices here are what we experienced in Cordova years earlier, $1.20 higher than Anchorage, $0.60 higher than Valdez. Siping makes the difference! Talk to the tire guys... Mike #1 (of 3) at Costco Tire is my go-to guy, and he doesn't like going into the rest of the store any more than I do.

 

For an all season tire, Michelin defender does extremely well in snow and ice. The tire doesn’t have aggressive lugs by any means, but the compound/ softness of the tire seems to be the key in traction. Another thing I like about them is they are very well balanced. The smallest of wheel weights were used on each tire, that for me points to construction of the tire. Sure you pay a little more, but you get a quality tire.

 

Blizzaks are excellent winter tires, I run them mid Dec. thru Mar in Wi and Minn. as with any winter tire you don’t overfill the tire pressure for best traction on ice.

 

Jay Leno's test drive with a Chevrolet engineer that brought a new Corvette to his garage has both agreeing that Michelin tires arrive with the best balance produced during manufacture, so it's the wheel that requires compensating weights. The first set of Michelin tires in my experience was the set Dad bought for the new 1970 Travelall. He asked at the (Grand Forks, NoDak) tire shop what pressure he should run in those. They said to run whatever you'd like, the wheels will break before the tires do. My first Michelins (and radials) were 6.00-15 XZX so after mounting I parked the '69 Squareback next to a VW Rabbit (stock XZX 155 x 13) at the Twin Falls K-Mart. Great off-road tires in S. Idaho for bird hunting in 1980...

 

Hakkas are for real cold climates, they wear quickly and abnormally if its above freezing. I personally wouldn't run them, I am further north than you and think they are overkill.

Any mainstream winter is a good choice, I'm running Yokohamas and have been happy.

I'm not a fan of the new michelin xice due to lack of tread compared to other brands. I need tread life and value for my money.

 

Nitto EXO Grappler AWT, Not sure if these qualify as a "true winter" tire but they are great, and are long lasting, I got mine for $1200 installed from Wallyworld, I think Discount Tire has em for same price, Shiesty Les Schwab wanted $600 more! but they ride nice, look great, they are considered a AWT or "all weather tire", good luck on your search

https://www.nittotire.com/light-truck-tires/exo-grappler-all-weather-traction-light-truck-tire/

Just looked at their info a little more, looks like they are pretty winter centric, with pre drilled holes for studs and special rubber compounds for snow , heres what they look like on my truck

 

Thanks for the info! I understand about the soft studless tires but in the winter I run in sub-zero temps up north to milder roads in the central part of Idaho. I think I need the capability of a studless tire for all those crazy conditions. I run AT tires the rest of the year because typically I am in the mountains, not hill climbing off-road but I do hound hunt. Right now I am mostly concerned with that extreme cold weather. I will be up north for months at a time. I appreciate the knowledge. This was way better advice than combing through tire reviews online!

 

Tacoma Army got you man

 

If you're really concerned, go with what the Swedish and the Norwegians use.... They know snow and ice:

Nokian Hakkapeliita or Gislaved Nordfrost.

They put them on all four corners of their 2WD vehicles and nothing stops them. I put them on my Volvo RWD 245's front and read (Gislaved) and even when the snow depth was scraping the belly of the car and leaving a trough, it was like driving a 4WD tank.

If it's mostly going to be ice you're dealing with: Blizzak's.

 

When l lived in Ontario, Canada l had Michelin X-ice on my S-10.and l loved them!!!

 

I'll also chip in the North Idaho winter is pretty mild in comparison to what the Michigan, Wisconsin, North Dakota folks see. More often than no we get to drive on fresh stuff up here and it has decent traction even with shit tires. Plus it doesn't get all that cold, occasionally see a -10 for a couple days at most. Usually in the +20s and 30s for most of winter.

 

I ran the Mastercraft Courser MSR's last year in Colorado, no complaints.