Best tires for snow and ice
- Thread starter Catchlight
- Start date
Yup, came across that comment on another board.
It bothers me that I can't find the article with pictures, which made it apparent how much tread remained from new.
Just picked up 6-7/32nd Xice2's for my girlfriend's car, and it is apparent that the remaining tread pattern still exists, just at a lesser depth.
And the Hakka's in Toronto anyways, are not readily available--nowhere near the extent of Xice3's, which are not run flats, and would lend to much easier replacement. I went with them for that reason, and because I have more confidence in their performance at 5-6/32", + their really good tread noise/comfort.
And because it's much easier to sell them once they reach 6/32" on the used market--and subsequently fund a new set.
At that price, you're not far off a set of treds which would ultimately have infinite more applications and use..
Treds are for recovery. Chains, cables, Snowgripz, etc are used to avoid the need for recovery and to satisfy local legal requirements.
richardjones
New member
rim and tire recommendation
Hi there!
I have a 2015 Limited with 20" rims.
It comes with 245/60R20 (Yokohama Geolandar G96B I think).
31.6" OD. When I check under the car the spare is pretty tight so I'm probably limited to 31.6ish tires not larger.
I'm thinking for the winder i might want to get the trd 17" rims (they look way nicer IMO) and put snow tires on them for the winter and put the 20s back for the summer.
A few questions... given the higher than normal amount of snow recently in Tahoe.
the m+s tires i have now - can anyone comment on how good they are?
Hi there!
I have a 2015 Limited with 20" rims.
It comes with 245/60R20 (Yokohama Geolandar G96B I think).
31.6" OD. When I check under the car the spare is pretty tight so I'm probably limited to 31.6ish tires not larger.
I'm thinking for the winder i might want to get the trd 17" rims (they look way nicer IMO) and put snow tires on them for the winter and put the 20s back for the summer.
A few questions... given the higher than normal amount of snow recently in Tahoe.
- I'm in norcal - so snow/ice is Truckee & Tahoe and maybe a but more if i go up to the Sierra's
- 265/70R17 vs 285/65R17? What about the offset?
- Do I need to get all 4 wheels re-aligned afterwards?
- Tire recommendation? I've have the Blizzak's come well recommended in some cases but also the AT2
- Pressure? Do people over or under inflate these or leave as normal?
- Chains? Cables? Carry these just in case?
the m+s tires i have now - can anyone comment on how good they are?
Had a 14, same way. See signature. Look for a set of FJ 17" or 4R wheels 17". Throw Blizzaks or Continentals on there and be done with it. TPMS optional. If you do TPMS, you will have to have them programmed every spring and fall. The stock Yoko's in 20" are no fun in the snow. Plus the salt will corrode the nice 20's. NO alignment needed. Normal pressure. I like the TRD wheels, but hey, it's winter. Find a $300 set of wheels and call it good. Winter destroys wheels. No chains needed. Snow tires are like putting suction cups on your vehicle. Stay with Stock 265 on the 17".
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AZTrail
New member
If you are not living in an area with long, harsh winters, a set of dedicated winter tires is overkill. I like the new BFG KO2 tires which have significant improvements over the older KO design. Canadian Tire's objective testing of the KO2 gave it their highest score of 100 for how it handles on ice (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGjhZGO-2ng). It has the snowflake designation showing it has qualified for use under severe snow conditions. I use this tire year round for daily driving, rock crawling, and up in the mountain snow/ice. It is nice not to change tires with the seasons and still have a tire that performs very well under all these conditions.
General Tires
Greetings all! Newby here and recently new to Toyota 4Runners. Bought my first 4R last spring. Tires were in need of immediate replacement. I travel the PNW for work, am an avid skier, and cross our local passes in Washington state frequently. I'm not a mudder or trail guy, but I refuse to be held back by pass conditions. In the past I have run Toyo Open Country ATs and Wrangler Duratracks (too noisy for my taste). I do like the look and flexibility of the more aggressive tread tires out there.
So, I did a little research, through a dart at the wall, and took a gamble on a new tire this year -General Grabber AT2s. They have been fantastic. Smooth ride, at least nowhere near as noisy my Duratracks. I have driven them through snow, slush, and serious rain l, from one side of the state to the other and they have been outstanding. They have the snow rating as well. It is a very fitting tire on a 4Runner. Lastly, at my local tire store the Generals were the best priced up against most of the usual suspects in this category 50 or 60,000 mile warranty.
Very happy with this choice!
Greetings all! Newby here and recently new to Toyota 4Runners. Bought my first 4R last spring. Tires were in need of immediate replacement. I travel the PNW for work, am an avid skier, and cross our local passes in Washington state frequently. I'm not a mudder or trail guy, but I refuse to be held back by pass conditions. In the past I have run Toyo Open Country ATs and Wrangler Duratracks (too noisy for my taste). I do like the look and flexibility of the more aggressive tread tires out there.
So, I did a little research, through a dart at the wall, and took a gamble on a new tire this year -General Grabber AT2s. They have been fantastic. Smooth ride, at least nowhere near as noisy my Duratracks. I have driven them through snow, slush, and serious rain l, from one side of the state to the other and they have been outstanding. They have the snow rating as well. It is a very fitting tire on a 4Runner. Lastly, at my local tire store the Generals were the best priced up against most of the usual suspects in this category 50 or 60,000 mile warranty.
Very happy with this choice!
Nokian Hakkas.....the best winter tire I have ever driven on. That said, I am running the Hankook Ipike rw11s on my T4R because of price point and I am very happy with them.
blakjack23
New member
I've driven on stock 20" Yoko's the last two winters here in MN. They have worked pretty good. They are obviously not as good as a dedicated winter tire, and I can slide the back end out if I try, but for an all season tire they are pretty good and will get you by just fine as long as you drive for the conditions. I might pick up a dedicated rim/tire set of winter tires this fall just to get a little better performance, but mostly just because I want a reason to run the TRD rims 4-5 months out of the year 
Woz1976-MT
New member
Cooper Discoverer A/TW
I've ordered stock size (LT E) Cooper Discoverer A/TW tires for my 4runner to replace the OEM tires as soon as the 4Runner gets to the dealer (still waiting for it -- only a few more days). No snow in Montana, but every person I've talked to here has said they are great in the winter, from deep snow to packed snow/ice. And, they are a year-round all-terrain tire with the snowflake on the mountain designation.
I've ordered stock size (LT E) Cooper Discoverer A/TW tires for my 4runner to replace the OEM tires as soon as the 4Runner gets to the dealer (still waiting for it -- only a few more days). No snow in Montana, but every person I've talked to here has said they are great in the winter, from deep snow to packed snow/ice. And, they are a year-round all-terrain tire with the snowflake on the mountain designation.
Muzzle of Bees
New member
I will stand by the Goodyear Silent Armour Wrangler Tire. I had them on my Xterra and loved them. They will be next for my 4runner. They wore perfectly, I rotate often, and they always tracked perfectly in the snow, water and sand. I had them for ~70k miles and they still had decent tread. They were just getting old. I have never been a fan of the Bridgestones. Just be sure the tire has a snowflake rating if you want tires for snow.
NorthwoodsRunner
New member
Michelin xi2 vs. Nokian Hakka R2 SUV
November is just around the corner and snow is not too far away. I have dedicated Michelin xi3 tires for all of my passenger cars and been very pleased with them since good MPG and quiet rides. I believe xi2 and xi3 are fairly comparable but 265-70-17 are only available in xi2. I was debating between xi2 or Hakka for my T4R before settling on Hakka R2 SUV. I drove it a few miles around the block with Hakka wheels to clear the TPMS after programming the ECU. I noticed Hakka tires are nosier compared to OEM Bridgestone Duelers. There is very little difference in the road noise between xi2 winter and Michelin (Defender or Premier) A/S set of wheels on my passenger cars. For those considering xi2 or Hakka, maybe xi2 might be a better choice if you enjoy quiet rides. BTW: TPMS light cleared very quickly (less than 30 seconds) after programming it with a new set of sensor IDs. So if TPMS is not cleared immediately after programming then you have an issue.
November is just around the corner and snow is not too far away. I have dedicated Michelin xi3 tires for all of my passenger cars and been very pleased with them since good MPG and quiet rides. I believe xi2 and xi3 are fairly comparable but 265-70-17 are only available in xi2. I was debating between xi2 or Hakka for my T4R before settling on Hakka R2 SUV. I drove it a few miles around the block with Hakka wheels to clear the TPMS after programming the ECU. I noticed Hakka tires are nosier compared to OEM Bridgestone Duelers. There is very little difference in the road noise between xi2 winter and Michelin (Defender or Premier) A/S set of wheels on my passenger cars. For those considering xi2 or Hakka, maybe xi2 might be a better choice if you enjoy quiet rides. BTW: TPMS light cleared very quickly (less than 30 seconds) after programming it with a new set of sensor IDs. So if TPMS is not cleared immediately after programming then you have an issue.
I live in western Montana, about ten minutes from the ski hill. We've run four or five generations of Bridgestone Blizzaks on a number of vehicles, including the DM-V2 our '16 4Runner Limited. They've been great, always inspiring confidence even in sketchy conditions. They do wear fast once it gets warm out though (not a problem where we live) since the tires are so soft and sticky.
uptheirons
New member
I used to use winter tires, usually Nokian Hakkapelitas, which are amazing. this winter I'm gonna try a set of studded Duratracs and see how they work out...
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