Snow Tire Options

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nodiseos

New member
HI All - I have a 2015 Ltd T4R. I am in Colorado and in my first winter here last year the all seasons that came with the vehicle were ok, but I never felt the solidity I always had with years of Subarus beforehand. So I am thinking of getting snow ties this year. My question is what has worked well for people?

I see some Yokohama Geolandar I/T G072 on tirerack.cm that seem well reviewed but any other ideas welcome. Another option: should I go the studded tire route? I have a 15 mile commute and it may be overkill but i like to go the the mountains a lot in the winter.

Also, I assume i just bring it to a tire place to have them sawpped every spring/autumn, right - no need to get other rims.

Thanks!
 
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nodiseos said:
HI All - I have a 2015 Ltd T4R. I am in Colorado and in my first winter here last year the all seasons that came with the vehicle were ok, but I never felt the solidity I always had with years of Subarus beforehand. So I am thinking of getting snow ties this year. My question is what has worked well for people?

I see some Yokohama Geolandar I/T G072 on tirerack.cm that seem well reviewed but any other ideas welcome. Another option: should I go the studded tire route? I have a 15 mile commute and it may be overkill but i like to go the the mountains a lot in the winter.

Also, I assume i just bring it to a tire place to have them sawpped every spring/autumn, right - no need to get other rims.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Read this.

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/181824-snow-tires-20-limited-wheels.html
 
Nokian Hakkapeliitta w/ or w/o studs, best there is. Studs if you experience a ton of ice, not just snow, and/or drive on very steep streets. You can do the swap every season for around $50 or you can grab a set of steel spare tires for about $50-70 a piece and go that route. The spares won't have TPMS so you'll get the warning light and you might get some resistance from a tire shop putting tires on wheels without TPMS that are going on to car with TPMS.
 
My vote is on Bridgestone Blizzaks. I grew up in breckenridge. Spent many seasons driving different snow tires on different vehicles. Once I had my first set of Blizzaks, I never went back to anything else. Hakas are good too like stated above.
 
Nokian or Blizzak if you want to spend the money. My super inexpensive General Altimax preformed 100% above my expectation this winter. They were half the price of the others. Just depends on what you want to spend. Any snow tire will crush all other forms of tires in the slippery stuff.

If you don't get new wheels, you will have to pay to have them swapped every year ($50 for me last time). This is because they will have to remount and balance the tires every time. If you buy cheap wheels, they can swap them in like 20 min and you will be on your way with no out of pocket expense. Get them put on like 2 weeks before you think its going to snow for the first time. There is a massive rush before the first snow and I have seen wait time of 8+ hours for a simple install.
 
The nokians are sweet, but spendy. I run a set of studded d-range Duratracs, they've never let me down through a handful of 600 mile trips from northern Alberta to the BC coast. We typically get a fair bit of ice, and the city is generally terrible at ploughing.
 
Based on 15 years of winter driving in some damn cold and snowy places, my opinion is that you can't go wrong with Michelin X-Ice, Bridgestone Blizzak, or Nokian Hakkas. There are others out there that may be as good, but these three are the most popular around where I'm from for a reason.

My personal favourite is the Michelin as it seems to give a firmer ride with better handling than the others, but they each have their strengths. The Hakkas have also become very popular here, but come with a hefty price tag and may be tough to find stateside.

Put them on a second set of rims and change them yourself if you have the space and the time. But either way the second set of rims will help avoid having to pay for balancing twice a year.
 
I bought set of SR5 wheels from member here and put 245/75-17 Firestone Winterforce tires on (I wanted Load E tires). Did nothing with TPMS so light is on during winter but I know how to use tire gauge - if light bothers, you a tiny piece of black electrical tape solves that.
 
Blizzaks or Nokians. Do your wheels a favor and get a dedicated winter set that you don't mind getting covered in MagChloride for 5 months.
 
Remember also that if you are talking snow tires for road use narrow is better. Wide tires float on top, narrow digs down to the pavement....
 
Dedicated snow tires make a huge difference and are almost a must. Get a set of wheels you don't care about and mount the tires on there. Great investment
 
I agree with everyone here. get Blizzaks. They are amazing.
Find a set of SR5 wheels. put on 17's. Without looking they have to be cheaper than a 20 version, to help offset the price of the new to you wheels.


I swap mine out every November-march. The TPMS light doesn't bother me and I don't mind if I slide or curb the stock wheels.
 
As a thrifty option I picked up Kumho Road Ventures as my single set of year-round AT tires. They're severe snow rated and generally well-reviewed. Going to try them out this winter - I'll probably post once I see some snow on their performance. I figure if they suck, I'll start saving for something better.
 
I've heard great things about Blizzaks as well in the snow but a great all year tire without breaking the bank is the General Grabber AT2. I had a set on my 2000 pathfinder. They were great in deep snow and always felt locked in.

Once I'm do burning the stock meat, I'm going back to those.
 
yellow wagon said:
Dedicated snow tires make a huge difference and are almost a must. Get a set of wheels you don't care about and mount the tires on there. Great investment
Click to expand...

SR5 and Trail rims are a dime a dozen nowadays. Search craigslist you'll find 20 dudes who got the TRD rims.
 
x2 on the General Altimax Arctic. I've had them on a set of SR5 wheels for the last two winters and they do a great job.
 
Michelin xi3 are great for cars as I have dedicated sets for all three cars. I had Blizzak WS70 prior to xi3 on my Accord. Although the snow/ice traction seemed better with new Blizzak, I would not go back to Blizzak since these wear out so fast. I was debating between xi2 (no xi3 for 265 70 17) or nokian hakkapeliitta r2 suv then decided to give Hakka R2 a try. I just got them mounted onto a dedicated set of SR5 rims with TPMS sensors. I will not know how these will perform. Currently Discount Tire is giving $100 rebate this week for tire purchase. I paid $163 per tire and $16 for mounting/balancing where the total OTD was $760. With a $100 rebate the true OTD was $660.
 
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