Information on winter tires for the 'limited' (on 20" rims) is very scarce still. As some follow-up on the details I gave above, I can provide some 'informal' information.
I am a moderately conservative driver (normally have the family in the car, wife gets car-sick if I am 'aggressive', etc.) but I am 'assertive' with the car on the roads. I try to be 'pragmatic' when it comes to safety (family in car, etc.), so I do the winter tire 'thing' because I believe it makes sense (living in Toronto with a few 3-hour trips a month in to rural Ontario to see the in-laws in 'the snow belt').
I was unable to get the blizzaks, but my local shop suggested trying the new Toyo Observe GSi-5 series tires in the 275/55R20 size. They are *not* listed as being compatible with the 20" rims because they specify a 7.5" rim width, and the limited 20" rims are just 7". I do not know what the full implications are of running a min. 7.5" tire on a 7" wide rim, but I have been assured that in this case I should not have any concerns.
Mchanically they fit well (to my lay-man's understanding), no rubbing, no binding. The tire does not appear to be out-of-proportion on the rim. The widest part of the tire extends about an inch further than the widest part of the rim, so there is a fair amount of 'inset', plenty of 'bumper' space so that I can nudge a curb without scratching the alloys.
As for the 'ride' it is hard to compare with the all-season Geolanders that came with the car, and again to the FJ-Cruiser wheels I was running before putting the winter tires on. They are all so different. The originals were 245's, the FJ's are 265's, and now these Toyo's are 275's. Also, I ran the FJ wheels for months before putting these Toyo's on, so a comparison would have to span several months to compare with the OEMs.
As an informal observation though, I have had the Toyo's on for more than 2 months, and there have been no issues with them. The ride is as quiet as could be expected, the handling is as could be expected, and there have been no suprises. This has been in all sorts of conditions *except* 'winter' conditions. This season there has just been NO SNOW.... until the past few days...
So, last week was the first real winter driving I have done... 400km in rural ontario with mixed conditions with the temperatures hovering around freezing, with the weather being dry, rain, freezing rain, and snow, and with the road conditions varying from cold but dry, cold & very wet, up to 3 inches of 'slush', icy slush, 4-inches of 'powder' over 'hard-top', 4-inches over gravel, compacted snow, plowed snow, salted snow, and 'gravelled' snow.
I took the 4runner (on my own) through it's paces in a lot of these conditions, and also did some long drives (with the family) in other conditions. There were no problems. Stopping distance in the icy/snow/plowed roads was increased over the wet/dry roads, but accelleration appears to be 'more than I will ever need' in all these conditions. Braking hard and turning in the snowy conditions at the same time was not very effective (you did not really turn), but at the same time it was always in control (the back-end of the car was well behaved). Accellerating slightly around the corners was well controlled too, and felt 'better' than just turning the wheel. 4-wheel drive in action...
The ABS was easy to activate with heavy braking, but it took hard accelleration with steering to get the other systems (traction control, etc.) to activate enough to notice them (you feel the ABS in the brake pedal, but the traction-control seems to feel vibration/buzzing in the left-foot area).
My only real concern was when I pushed the speed in the 4"-of-powder conditions. At speeds over about 90kph (is that 55mph or so) the car seemed to 'float' on the snow, and it felt like I lost 'touch' with the road surface. This was the only time I felt 'uncomfortable'. This also always happens in loose snow, and it depends on how fast you are going... and I think that, in 4" of snow, there is no 'problem' with sticking to an 80kph limit... Slowing to 85 brought the solid feel back again. On plowed roads this was no problem. The 275-wide tires may be contributing to this. The original 245's would probably go faster in 4" of snow before 'floating'.
All in all I am very impressed with the tires/4runner combination. In all the 'regular' driving there was no suprises. At the times when I intentionally 'pushed' things, the car was predictable, stable, and I had to push very hard before anything felt 'uncomfortable'.
When 'assessing' the behaviour though it it very hard to say it was the tires or car that made the process so good, but, as a combination (remember the 4runner is new to me this year too), I am convinced that I have never been as 'secure' in winter as I am now...
... and then, to confirm my feelings, on a steep inclined hill in freezing-rain conditions I came accross a couple of cars (with all-seasons) that were unable to get up the hill. They were being helped by some other people with ford F150's (I offered to help but was assured that they were all under control, and were all close to home anyway). After stopping at the same place where they were stuck to talk, I put the car in 4HL (just in case), held my breath, and then, with no slipping at all, simply 'pulled off'. No slipping, no problem. Almost 'un fun'.
Bottom line, I am keeping the FJ wheels with 265's on them for Summer, and the 20" wheels with 275's on them for Winter (which also means I get the TPMS sensors working in Winter not Summer - which makes more sense.... who wants to be checking tire pressures at -30?).
mib
