Blizzaks for travel?

Mikes-13

Mikes-13

New member
Of course I've searched by haven't found the answer or opinion to this. I want Blizzaks but I live in Chicago and drive during winter to Minnesota and Michigan. At "least" 3 trips total. I've never had snow tires just all season and normally Michelin LTX. If I get the blizzaks, will my road trips be a little too much for them as far as wear and tear?

If I missed the thread for this, just point me to it.
 
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Snow tires all have soft rubber compounds, which means that as long as they're run below a certain temperature, they're fine. In the case of Blizzaks that temperature is somewhere around 50 F. If it's below freezing they'll generally wear only slightly faster than all-season (i.e. three-season) tires. People complain about longevity when they run them above freezing or into the 60F range.
 
You will probably get 12,000 to 15,000 miles on the Blizzaks. Figure out your average winter mileage and go from there to determine if it's going to be too much on your wallet.
 
mace. said:
You will probably get 12,000 to 15,000 miles on the Blizzaks. Figure out your average winter mileage and go from there to determine if it's going to be too much on your wallet.
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That sounds about right.

If you need snow tires that last you longer, get Nokian Hakkas or (in a snow-rated all-season) WR2's.
 
Living in Chicago, not only do you want Blizzaks, you NEED them. Install in Dec. and remove in late March. Four months of driving on them will probably mean four years or more of service. Absolutely awesome winter tire.
 
I had blizzaks (275-70-17) when I lived in WA, for three months my commute everyday was 120 miles in snow/ice/rain driving into the mountains, then I moved to Tucson and drove from Seattle to Tucson, and then drove around on them down here for about a month with 60 mile commute everyday and showed no major wear and they had plenty of meat on them when I had my AT's shipped down... In short I wouldn't worry about it they are excellent tires and they wear down just fine
 
dekeman said:
Living in Chicago, not only do you want Blizzaks, you NEED them. Install in Dec. and remove in late March. Four months of driving on them will probably mean four years or more of service. Absolutely awesome winter tire.
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This. I usually put mine on and off the same as dekeman. I always use dedicated wheels. I started this 25 yrs ago with my SAABs, and have with every vehicle since. You will start, stop, and turn soooo much better. I love the peace of mind they bring me in lousy weather.

Sure they wear a little faster than other types, but I would not want to be without them, in particular if I took winter drives to MN and MI.
 
philsey said:
This. I usually put mine on and off the same as dekeman. I always use dedicated wheels. I started this 25 yrs ago with my SAABs, and have with every vehicle since. You will start, stop, and turn soooo much better. I love the peace of mind they bring me in lousy weather.

Sure they wear a little faster than other types, but I would not want to be without them, in particular if I took winter drives to MN and MI.
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Definitely took the fact of where I was going into consideration. definitely want traction in those areas but wondering if dry condition would cause excessive wear.

I appreciate all the responses and just found a good deal on blizzaks mounted on stock 4runner rims with TPMS!
 
Mikes-13 said:
..... but wondering if dry condition would cause excessive wear.
!
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No, not "excessive", but recognize this: there is no perfect-for-all-conditions tire - none. An "all-season" is a compromise between all-conditions.

Winter tires are designed with softer compounds for traction in the slippery, and wide lugs to grip and shed snow. As such they wear faster - simple.

Just get the best tire for your driving conditions, and stop overthinking it. Consider it a safety measure.
 
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Got'em!

Craigslist deal for $700 mounted with TPMS. Too bad all the heavy snow we got is now gone
 

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homeyclaus said:
That sounds about right.

If you need snow tires that last you longer, get Nokian Hakkas or (in a snow-rated all-season) WR2's.
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Yup, I'm currently running Nokian Rotiivas as a winter tire. Great traction in snow and pretty good on ice. The Hakkas must be killer in comparison. If I didn't go off road in the winter I would've gotten the studded Hakka LT2s.
 
definitely easy to flip the 1 tire so it rotates the correct direction. I didn't realize they were an inch smaller than OEM-spec until the 2nd set of closer shots.
 
mdogg said:
definitely easy to flip the 1 tire so it rotates the correct direction. I didn't realize they were an inch smaller than OEM-spec until the 2nd set of closer shots.
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These were for an '09 T4R. 1" shorter but same tread width and 3lbs lighter
 
Intruder said:
Yup, I'm currently running Nokian Rotiivas as a winter tire. Great traction in snow and pretty good on ice. The Hakkas must be killer in comparison. If I didn't go off road in the winter I would've gotten the studded Hakka LT2s.
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Rotiivas are awesome. If I didn't score a super craiglist deal for my Firestones that's what I would have ordered. I have Nokian WR's on my Maxima (it's a 2001 SE with the HLSD diff though), and drove in all of the biggest snow storms that hit Vancouver BC and Seattle WA, including 11 inches of snow on Route 3 from Hope - Penticton in those, and they got us through.

Personally I think unless you're on ice all winter long, studded tires are overkill.
 
I have a '14 LE. I bought a set of 17" FJ wheels for $300 and had Blizzaks mounted on them on the 2nd day of ownership. I've had snow tires on 4 vehicles now and drive 30-40k a year. I usually get 4 years out of mine. I usually run them Thanksgiving through March or April depending on the year.

Hello from 55 miles across the pond :)
 
cyclist said:
I have a '14 LE. I bought a set of 17" FJ wheels for $300 and had Blizzaks mounted on them on the 2nd day of ownership. I've had snow tires on 4 vehicles now and drive 30-40k a year. I usually get 4 years out of mine. I usually run them Thanksgiving through March or April depending on the year.

Hello from 55 miles across the pond :)
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I was just in Grand Rapids in november. How did the FJ wheels work? Any problems?
 
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