Best tires for snow and ice

[Catchlight]

OP here. Thanks for your input regarding winter tires. I decided to go with Nokian WR G2 SUVs, because they are winter-rated, but can be left on year 'round and still wear pretty well.

We usually stay close to home in summer, so if I can't sell them on Craigslist I might put the stock Bridgestones back on then and wear them out. I'm taking a trip later this month across BC through a couple of mountain passes that should have lots of snow and ice by then, so I'll report on how the Nokians handle that.

 

[Catchlight]

Here's that report I promised on how the Nokian WR G2 SUVs handled on BC mountain passes in winter. I had a set of Thule chains with me, but never even considered putting them on because the Nokians did so well.

1. Coquihalla Pass -- Starting up toward the summit, all the semis were pulled over chaining up, so the three of us in the Trail Edition had the road to ourselves. The temperature was just above freezing, and the road conditions were slush over ice -- really ugly -- but 4H and the Nokians handled the situation easily, tracking straight up to the summit where the road condition changed to snow. Coming down the other side on the snow I switched to 2H, and the steering and traction were very stable.

2. Paulson Pass -- heavy snow, no plows anywhere, and bad visibility in the dark, but no problems in 4H. Saw a guy in an Infiniti sedan up ahead of us break loose and do a couple of loops, but he stayed on the road and didn't hit anyone. Not sure what tires he had, but suspect they were "all-season" (one of the most misleading marketing terms ever).

3. Allison Pass -- deep slush, with all the other cars and pickups slowed to a crawl with their drivers squeezing the wheel. Again, the Nokians gave excellent traction and stable steering in really greasy conditions. We finally followed a semi at about the speed limit down from the summit to where conditions changed to rain.

Summary: The Nokian WR G2 SUV is not designed to be an off-road tire, nor do I plan to run them in summer, but if winter includes snow, slush, and ice in your region, this tire is worth considering for your 4Runner or other SUV. It also resists hydroplaning well, should your winter include a lot of rain like ours does.

Anyone else using these tires care to comment?

 

[Daron-t4r]

In my opinion:

If you want dedicated snow tires: Bridgestone Blizzaks

If you don't: Wrangler Duratracs

 

[gbc]

besr winter tires = blizzaks

Cheers

 

[NB-Tacoma]

Hands down the best winter tire I have run over the years is the Toyo G-02 studless ice and snow. The city I work for has them on the Tundra in the fleet for the guys that check the roads in a storm and call out the plows...

 

[whiskywizard]

I just posted my experience re Blizzaks in the Tire/Perf section http://www.toyota-4runner.org/performance-zone-tires-wheels-exhaust-superchargers-more/105252-snow-tire-feedback.html

 

[dekeman]

All seasons are just as good as winter tires on the ice and snow.

Sorry, that's a myth. There is no comparison. Try this with all seasons...but keep a live link to T4R.ORG so someone can yard you out.

 

[Ukie]

I think the best winter tire is a tire you can trust under certain circumstances. If you tried your tires on snow/ice and you know what to expect from them and anyone who's driving your car (e.g. family members) is on the same page, you are fine.

Here's a short story. Yesterday I went to buy some skates for my son and coming back home our area was hit by a snow storm followed by freezing temperatures. So roads were un-plowed covered with ice and snow. Some guy was driving in front of my Honda Accord going downhill and he suddenly stopped near a mailbox on a side of a road. "What is he doing?" said I to my wife, "is he too lazy to park on a driveway and walk couple steps to a mailbox?". But suddenly he started driving again and I’ve noticed that the guy just slid towards a mailbox. Moral of the story:
1. USPS was closed on Jan 2nd.
2. I doubt that a guy in front of me knew what to expect from his tires.
3. I had blizzaks on my accord.


Having said all above, I did not take my 4Runner on snowy/icy roads yet so I do not what to expect from stock tires. But it really doesn't matter now since Wrangler Silent Armor (C-rated) are waiting to be installed

 

[rickwol]

So roads were un-plowed covered with ice and snow. Some guy was driving in front of my Honda Accord going downhill and he suddenly stopped near a mailbox on a side of a road. "What is he doing?" said I to my wife, "is he too lazy to park on a driveway and walk couple steps to a mailbox?". But suddenly he started driving again and I’ve noticed that the guy just slid towards a mailbox.

Interesting. I had a similar experience two evenings ago driving through some heavy falling "lake effect" snow. Going down a small hill the person in front of me took out a Stop sign after sliding into it at the bottome of the hill. I stopped and got out to see if he was ok which he was. I don't know how he did it but he hit that sign absolutely in the dead center of his bumper.

 

[JB.]

All seasons are just as good as winter tires on the ice and snow.

JK

Sorry, that's a myth. There is no comparison. Try this with all seasons...but keep a live link to T4R.ORG so someone can yard you out.

That he was serious is the myth.:wink2:

 

[NYRunner]

Sorry, that's a myth. There is no comparison. Try this with all seasons...but keep a live link to T4R.ORG so someone can yard you out.

You're kidding right? Heck, I've done way more than that with my stock 20's and Geolanders! That's not to say that I haven't considered grabbing a set a Blizzaks and I certainly don't doubt for second one that they wouldn't be far more capable than the Geo's~ but I'd bet I could keep up with you all day long in that photo/ terrain =)

 

[DEKA3]

I love my Goodyear Wrangler Silent Armor tires. I have the 10 ply version...... They have been great in the ice and icy snow we get around here. They are a snowflake tire and I run them year around.

x2...

 

[Footofgod]

The BFG AT/TA KO's are great until you get bogged down in 2' of snow and mud mixed. I've run them in up to 18" of snow with no problem. Sunday tried to drive through a mountain trail with undetermined depth. BIG mistake on my part. Overall, great tire.

 

[dekeman]

You're kidding right? Heck, I've done way more than that with my stock 20's and Geolanders! That's not to say that I haven't considered grabbing a set a Blizzaks and I certainly don't doubt for second one that they wouldn't be far more capable than the Geo's~ but I'd bet I could keep up with you all day long in that photo/ terrain =)

How much you wanna bet? That's the base of a big hill. Even with those Toyos there was lots of slip. I'll bring the recovery strap for you.

 

[Catchlight]

As well as lacking enough tread depth to ensure traction in deep snow, the rubber compounds used in all-season tires harden as temperatures approach freezing, causing very poor traction on ice, snow, or slush. In many winter situations, having four winter-rated tires with good treads on a 2WD vehicle will provide better traction than a 4WD with all-seasons.

 

[NYRunner]

How much you wanna bet? That's the base of a big hill. Even with those Toyos there was lots of slip. I'll bring the recovery strap for you.

I realize I may have sounded boisterous, especially being that I'm a NY'er and all -LOL- but I can I assure you it wasn't by my choice that I found out up in VT.... Per an old post of mine (http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/86604-ride-quality-long-trips-question.html#post749667)

"on Friday night it took me 7 hours to get up there and driving into the back end of that storm gave me a taste of how well these trucks do what they were designed to do... 1st, my ATT Navigator takes me over, no joke, more than 20 miles of iced and snow covered dirt road mountain-top passes, including several miles worth of 45 degree plus inclines and declines.

Then, middle of nowhere, it freezes up and my phone dies altogether and I didn't even know what road I was on or where. It took me almost 2 hours just to find a real road, and another however long to figure out where the heck I was....

Happily, I had 3/4 of a tank because I filled up in Mass, so I wasn't worried about that, but I was by myself this trip. With no phone one false move could have been put me in a little bit of a survival situation. I just looked at it as my own little adventure to get myself back to civilization.

This is the best part, and why I typed all of that........

Not one single time did the truck not do exactly what I told it to do!

I don't recall even hearing any of the traction control or other systems going off, and I did see at least one SUV spun into the trees or a ditch in one really iced over couple of mile stretch...."

The next time however was indeed by my choice~ in the middle of another blizzard up there where, thankfully, I knew where the heck I was and wanted to have some fun :hatsoff:

...the rubber compounds used in all-season tires harden as temperatures approach freezing, causing very poor traction on ice, snow, or slush. In many winter situations, having four winter-rated tires with good treads on a 2WD vehicle will provide better traction than a 4WD with all-seasons.

Catchlight hit the nail on the head as to why I'm considering a set- as practically speaking I'm far more concerned about traction on the highways and at highway speeds getting up there as opposed to deep snow wherever I may find it... YMMV =)

 

[dekeman]

That's exactly why I use them, too, not so much for the deep snow, but for the ice, black ice — and cold, where an all season just can't match the performance of a true winter tire.

 

[Tedmaywin]

Blizzaks. I guess I don't understand folks trying to just satisfy an insurance requirement. I grew up in the snowbelt outside Buffalo. Blizzaks didn't exist then. My first set of Blizzaks went on a Honda Odyssey. It definitely outperformed 4wd on anything but but deep snow. The other thing that many folks forget about is braking, just as important as plowing ahead. I did uturns on ice while everybody else was spinning in a straight line. Anyhow, I have an '06 Limited which has used Bstone Duelers for 155k. Adequate for winter driving in eastern Massachusetts. But, we just bought a second home in north north Vermont. I knew I needed something better for our trips over the mountains this winter. The extra cost of a dedicated winter set is partially offset by mileage, and corrosion you save on your "summer" set.

 

[Lineman]

Blizzaks. Had them before, great winter tire.

 

[RockyMountainT4R]

Blizzaks. Had them before, great winter tire.

True...and time (along with technology and competition) marches on. Check out Michelin X-Ice Xi2 and Xi3.
Our opinion: Very quiet (compared to Blizzaks) and have a long, for a winter tire, tread life warranty. In fact, they didn't sound much different than the stock all seasons. Last winter, they provided excellent grip on ice, as well as in snowy conditions. Good handling on wet roads.
For a more objective/scientific eval., they have top reviews in Consumer Reports SUV and Truck Tires road tests (CR Nov 2014).