Goodyear Wrangler Silent Armor on ice

[GasGuzzler]

Today was my first time with the wrangler silent armors on snow. We had a light dusting with some ice under it. I gently applied the brakes at a stop sign, antilock brakes activated, and I slid right on through into the intersection. I was in my neighborhood and driving very slowly. From this limited experience I can say silent armors are no better at all than the stock dunlops at stopping on ice.

For the amount they cost and the

 

[cmb]

The Goodyear Integritys' that were stock on wife's Pilot showed us the same dangerous non-traction.After going with Revos and stopping on the same roads,conditions,her vehicle stopped like it should.The Michelin AT2s we have now break loose a little sooner but they'll wear longer.As the Revos wore(35-40000 miles) they got too loud for her.One thing I knew for sure, the Michelins' would be quieter, if not just as good traction wise.I'm undecided on which tires I'll choose when it comes time on my 4R SE. I do know tread-depth will be a main factor in my choice though.So far an LT tire in load range -C- has a 3-5/32'' advantage.It's probably me being anal ''again'' but shallow tread verses deep is a no brainer for me ,design, purpose,price all being equal or close, figured in.

 

[eskimochaos]

Today was my first time with the wrangler silent armors on snow. We had a light dusting with some ice under it. I gently applied the brakes at a stop sign, antilock brakes activated, and I slid right on through into the intersection. I was in my neighborhood and driving very slowly. From this limited experience I can say silent armors are no better at all than the stock dunlops at stopping on ice.

For the amount they cost and the

 

[CJ3Flyr]

The Goodyear Integritys' that were stock on wife's Pilot showed us the same dangerous non-traction.After going with Revos and stopping on the same roads,conditions,her vehicle stopped like it should.The Michelin AT2s we have now break loose a little sooner but they'll wear longer.As the Revos wore(35-40000 miles) they got too loud for her.One thing I knew for sure, the Michelins' would be quieter, if not just as good traction wise.I'm undecided on which tires I'll choose when it comes time on my 4R SE. I do know tread-depth will be a main factor in my choice though.So far an LT tire in load range -C- has a 3-5/32'' advantage.It's probably me being anal ''again'' but shallow tread verses deep is a no brainer for me ,design, purpose,price all being equal or close, figured in.

Good info... Are you comparing stopping in snowy/icy conditions; dry/wet or what? The way I'm reading it sounds like an endorsement for a stereo upgrade and Revo's

I too have noticed the 'C' load range as an attractive alternative for the tread depth. The max capacity and weight penalty seem tolerable. I'm sure they'd ride much better than a 'D' or 'E'.


:cheers:

 

[GasGuzzler]

wranglers on ice

I understand nothing is great on ice, but I was trying to give a review of the wranglers and point out that they

 

[CJ3Flyr]

I got what you were saying/reviewing. Thai is huge on the Snowflake and has participated in many threads about the pros and cons of seeking a tire with the snowflake.

The conclusion I have come to is there's probably a few non-snowflake tires that could pass the test but aren't tested. They may even be better than some snowflake tires. I've also concluded there needs to be a second mark for ice tires. BFG A/T's, and GY SA's (and others I'm sure) do go in the snow well enough to pass the test but are they Michelin ICE-x's? No way...

That's my 2cents


:cheers:

 

[borgzman]

Thai is huge on the Snowflake and has participated in many threads about the pros and cons of seeking a tire with the snowflake.

The conclusion I have come to is there's probably a few non-snowflake tires that could pass the test but aren't tested. They may even be better than some snowflake tires. I've also concluded there needs to be a second mark for ice tires. BFG A/T's, and GY SA's (and others I'm sure) do go in the snow well enough to pass the test but are they Michelin ICE-x's? No way...

That's my 2cents


:cheers:

Ofcourse there are..

Even the dunflops skates is exagerated.

My understanding is that the snowflakes symbol is an indication that such tire passed the tests and standards performed by a recognized institution. Having that symbol Does Not tell that its the best in snow, the symbol just indicate that it passed test requirements for severe weather conditions.
Very big advantage when marketing those tires...me myself will look for that symbol if they are in my price range.

what could be the reason why the Revo, Nitto TG etc didn't submit for that test?? and have that snowflakes
(didn't say "did not pass")

Years ago Yokohama AT and Toyo AT are stock tires in Pajeros, Troopers and Safaris in our country. It has to be an AT tire because not all roads are asphalted/cemented. People don't pay attention to the BFG snowflake as it won't snow there.

 

[CJ3Flyr]

Ofcourse there are..

Even the dunflops skates is exagerated.

My understanding is that the snowflakes symbol is an indication that such tire passed the tests and standards performed by a recognized institution. Having that symbol Does Not tell that its the best in snow, the symbol just indicate that it passed test requirements for severe weather conditions.
Very big advantage when marketing those tires...me myself will look for that symbol if they are in my price range.

what could be the reason why the Revo, Nitto TG etc didn't submit for that test?? and have that snowflakes
(didn't say "did not pass")

:iagree: The only reason I can think of for the Revo's and others is marketing. Bridgestone would have to explain why you need Blizzacks instead of the long-lasting, 4-season Revo. And then they'd have explain why the Revo was 'weak' in the icy stuff to those who bought Revos. IMHO it was simpler to only test/emboss true winter technology tires... Nitto, I don't know. I think the Dune Grappler is snowflaked. If they got it on the T/G that'd really help against the BFG A/T.


:cheers:

 

[cmb]

Good info... Are you comparing stopping in snowy/icy conditions; dry/wet or what? The way I'm reading it sounds like an endorsement for a stereo upgrade and Revo's

I too have noticed the 'C' load range as an attractive alternative for the tread depth. The max capacity and weight penalty seem tolerable. I'm sure they'd ride much better than a 'D' or 'E'.


:cheers:

Don't care about stereos.In real world driving, snow,rain,ice and dry roads the Revos gave my Wife more confidence because she had the Goodforayears to compare with.Same roads everyday all year long to and from work.Shes the one that put 95% of the 126000 miles on her Pilot so the difference she felt was real.Alot of the P-Metric tires start with 11-13/32'' of tread.LTs will be at 14-17/32''. P-Metrics don't come stock because they're the best,they're on there because they're cheaper from the lowest bidder......only my opinion:biggrin2:

 

[CJ3Flyr]

Don't care about stereos.In real world driving, snow,rain,ice and dry roads the Revos gave my Wife more confidence because she had the Goodforayears to compare with.Same roads everyday all year long to and from work.Shes the one that put 95% of the 126000 miles on her Pilot so the difference she felt was real.Alot of the P-Metric tires start with 11-13/32'' of tread.LTs will be at 14-17/32''. P-Metrics don't come stock because they're the best,they're on there because they're cheaper from the lowest bidder......only my opinion:biggrin2:

Cool, thanks I have had Revos and I was just trying to figure out if they are still as good as I think they are (to spite the noise thing).

And I know I took your thread way off-topic:bash: Sorry about the hijack.

:cheers:

 

[cmb]

Cool, thanks I have had Revos and I was just trying to figure out if they are still as good as I think they are (to spite the noise thing).

And I know I took your thread way off-topic:bash: Sorry about the hijack.

:cheers:

CJ3Flyr,no sweat here bud,we're good

 

[Thai]

:iagree: The only reason I can think of for the Revo's and others is marketing. Bridgestone would have to explain why you need Blizzacks instead of the long-lasting, 4-season Revo. And then they'd have explain why the Revo was 'weak' in the icy stuff to those who bought Revos. IMHO it was simpler to only test/emboss true winter technology tires... Nitto, I don't know. I think the Dune Grappler is snowflaked. If they got it on the T/G that'd really help against the BFG A/T.

:cheers:

Come on, Chris, you actually believe that?! If the REVOs could pass the test, then Bridgestone would have been happy with the snowflake since one of it's BIG competitor has it. (Actually, there are more and more AT tires that has this snowflake symbol.) Same goes for Nittos. Goodyear also has dedicated winter tires too...and the Wrangler SA still has it.

In fact, i would argue that MARKETING would be a prime reason to go for the symbol...instead of the other way around.

Now, for the original poster, are you so sure that any other AT tire (snowflake or not) would have done any better?? Maybe the condition you experienced was truly a condition that no other tire would have done well on?? I don't know the answer. It's kinda like buying Mud Terrains and then complaining about getting stuck in mud with them...it happens...i learned this the hard way when i got stuck with my Firestone M/Ts.

 

[GasGuzzler]

I can't say if another tire would have done better, but the GY was no better than dunlops. It's not an accurate comparison, but I used to have a suzuki side kick with dunlop at tires and it was better than the 4runner at stopping on ice. Of course the side kick is much lighter and didn't have antilock brakes. I think the antilock brakes negativily effect stopping on ice and snow.


Since it's still snowing here I'll get to test them more.

Attach is a picture of the side kick.

 

[CJ3Flyr]

I think the antilock brakes negativily effect stopping on ice and snow.

I would probably agree with that; especially if you add "below 15-20mph" to the statement.


Your snow pics are killing me! So jealous...:biggrin2:


:cheers:

 

[JB.]

I can't say if another tire would have done better, but the GY was no better than dunlops.

How can you know? Even if you had changed back to the dunlops and come back to the same spot an hour later, conditions could have changed enough to skew the test.

Personally, I wouldn't put a lot of stock in one, isolated incident considering the margin of error in assessing conditions.

 

[GasGuzzler]

You

 

[alaskaman]

I am a fan of the Pirelli ATR but on ice the kind that is shiny and wet, no tire is going to stop you. better to stay home.....but if you are talking snow covering wet and shiny ice, same thing but the snow should slow you a little however if you are talking snow over hardened ice ya know ice which has been there for a couple days you should be able to come to a stop downshifting and the tires. not sure I have a clear pic of your situation.

 

[rook]

From what i've read, snow covered ice is the worst combination for traction and ABS will do little if anything to stop you. Having a tire with the snowflake may improve traction in certain situations over a regular tire, but on ice studs are the only way to go.

What exactly qualifies a tire for the symbol? We know it was developed to separate the large grey area of all season tires. Is it the rubber compound, tread depth, or a performance benchmark? All we know is the tire should provide better performance over a tire without the symbol.

OP, you bought a good set of tires, but don't expect them to perform like dedicated snows. There are quite possible, other conditions where the tires perform well. Slipping is a part of winter driving, and the sooner you acclimate to your truck/tire combo, the safer you will be.

 

[CannondaleMan]

From what i've read, snow covered ice is the worst combination for traction and ABS will do little if anything to stop you. Having a tire with the snowflake may improve traction in certain situations over a regular tire, but on ice studs are the only way to go.

What exactly qualifies a tire for the symbol? We know it was developed to separate the large grey area of all season tires. Is it the rubber compound, tread depth, or a performance benchmark? All we know is the tire should provide better performance over a tire without the symbol.

OP, you bought a good set of tires, but don't expect them to perform like dedicated snows. There are quite possible, other conditions where the tires perform well. Slipping is a part of winter driving, and the sooner you acclimate to your truck/tire combo, the safer you will be.

Posted by Thai a while back - The story of the mountain and the snowflake:

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=21210

 

[alaskaman]

I would just say that "glare ice" is easily at least in my experience the worst. wet, shiny and impossible to gain traction. snow covering that is bad but (again my experience) the snow acts as a buffer and packs so if one does not break the snow barrier traction is a touch better. As has been pointed out there are many good compound tires that are superior to studs and real world tests shows that. however, studs improve driving on glare ice but they are not perfect. They slide at times just as bad due to the fact that the studded tires hydro on the ice. how many taxis with studded tires sit at a light unable to move and just spin? at least here it is a running joke. speed is a huge factor, and if one slows down, uses gearing chances are improved for traction, but cars here on glare ice are parked with brake on and slide into the road, studs and all. best to stay home put in a video and have a brew.