Stock tires on snowpack.

R

Reino

New member
I took the 4Runner up to A-Basin for some snowboarding on Saturday. Most of the drive was on dry road until we hit the pass, and then it was snowpacked. I noticed immediately that the stock tires did not make me feel very confident in the traction abilities of the 4Runner. To be honest I never really looked at the tires when we bought the truck, but now I see that the tread is designed for dry roads.

We are heading on a long trip to Telluride this weekend, where major snow can be possible anywhere along the route, and I just don't feel confident in these tires. What do you guys think? Have you changed from the stock tires on the 5th gen, and what did you use?

I'm not looking for a dedicated snow tire because my wife commutes in the the truck every day on dry road. However I would rather have something with more tread for traction on snowpacked roads, and possibly a thinner profile. I have had great results with BFG All-Terrain in my F250, and would probably go to them if available in the 4Runner.
 
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Search on tires and you'll find lots of threads about the stock tires and better choices for replacing them
 
1engineer said:
You bought a 40K vehicle without looking at the tires?
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It was $33k, my WIFE bought it, and yes I looked at the tires but we didn't get to test drive it in a blizzard. I figured we'd ride them for a few years and then get new ones when they wore out. However now after feeling them in the snow I feel more urgency in getting them swapped.

Update: I checked for BFG all-terrains and they're too much money. I justified the cost on my F250 because I run them year-round, but on the 4Runner I plan to swap back to the OEM tires in the summer, so I think I'll go for something cheaper in a winter tire.
 
GrantK said:
Search on tires and you'll find lots of threads about the stock tires and better choices for replacing them
Click to expand...

I've been doing so and found some useful information. I guess what I'm looking for in this thread is for someone to call me a ***** and say that stock tires are just fine for snowy mountain passes. :shrug:
 
Reino said:
I've been doing so and found some useful information. I guess what I'm looking for in this thread is for someone to call me a ***** and say that stock tires are just fine for snowy mountain passes. :shrug:
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Most people here don't like the stock tires on dry pavement let alone snow or off road.
 
I got the duratracs put on out the door which I've only been using a week, but very impressive in snow. Happy with my decision, not sure of cost as I traded in the oem's for them.
 
Reino said:
I've been doing so and found some useful information. I guess what I'm looking for in this thread is for someone to call me a ***** and say that stock tires are just fine for snowy mountain passes. :shrug:
Click to expand...

The stock tires do suck. I Put Goodyear Duratracs on mine and have been in the snow tha last 2 weeks and felt very confident. They are great in the rain as well. However....not cheap! We are talking tires though and I feel you should spend the extra couple hundred bucks and go with good tires.
 
JayG said:
The stock tires do suck. I Put Goodyear Duratracs on mine and have been in the snow tha last 2 weeks and felt very confident. They are great in the rain as well. However....not cheap! We are talking tires though and I feel you should spend the extra couple hundred bucks and go with good tires.
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Those look burly! However that might be a bit of overkill. This IS the wife's grocery-getter, after all (until the warranty period is up...hehehe :naughty:)
 
Reino said:
.... What do you guys think? Have you changed from the stock tires on the 5th gen, and what did you use?...
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I like purpose-made tires. I believe everything else's a compromise. I also believe in quality tires - especially on my wife's car. So I run 'summer' tires ~9 months, and Blizzaks in the winter, on mine and hers.

Reino said:
....I'm not looking for a dedicated snow tire because my wife commutes in the the truck every day on dry road...
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She doesn't encounter snow on her commute?
 
philsey said:
I like purpose-made tires. I believe everything else's a compromise. I also believe in quality tires - especially on my wife's car. So I run 'summer' tires ~9 months, and Blizzaks in the winter, on mine and hers.



She doesn't encounter snow on her commute?
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Yes, she will encounter snow every now and then. I suppose I should rephrase my statement: I'm looking for a snow tire that won't wear quickly on dry pavement. How do the Blizzaks wear?

Also, do you keep the snows on a second set of rims or pay to have them remounted twice a year?
 
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If you hardly ever go off road and want a great tire for snow and dry pavement bite the bullet and buy Michelin LTX MS/2 tires. They are not cheap but they are probably the absolute best tire you can get for dry, wet and snowy conditions. They last well over 50K miles too. I would have got them myself but I do go off road fairly often and those tires do not clear mud very well. Sam's Club sells the Michelins.
 
Still satisfied with my stock tires at 26k. Where I live traffic slows to a crawl when it snows, and Mtn passes use chain controls and a 30mph limit, so I haven't felt the need to upgrade. I've got a second set of rims ready, we'll see how it goes this Winter. One scary incident and I could change my tune.
I'm actually very impressed with wet weather performance on the Bridgestones, I'm not a fan of A/T's in the rain.
 
1000MPH said:
Still satisfied with my stock tires at 26k. Where I live traffic slows to a crawl when it snows, and Mtn passes use chain controls and a 30mph limit, so I haven't felt the need to upgrade. I've got a second set of rims ready, we'll see how it goes this Winter. One scary incident and I could change my tune.
I'm actually very impressed with wet weather performance on the Bridgestones, I'm not a fan of A/T's in the rain.
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We have no chain laws for passenger vehicles, and drivers are doing 80 mph when it snows and 40 mph when it is dry. Friggen Colorado.
 
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I changed out my stock tires for some Cooper Discoverer AT3's. I am extremely satisfied with them. Just hit 5,000 with them and no problems. Was finally able to take it in the snow yesterday, deep snow and they performed better than I expected. They are one of the more popular choices for the 4runner.
 
1engineer said:
Sam's Club sells the Michelins.
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So does COSTCO, 1eng.:rockthrow:

to the OP- I probably have more experience on the stock Bridgestone's than anyone on this whole entire forum.:p

They were OK on snow when new, I drove through a pretty good storm when they were a few months old. Check your tire pressure too!

But- overall they suck. This fall I got stuck at a pumpkin farm on a slight hill in wet grass. Even in 4WD with the electronic gizmo's making their noises I couldn't make it up the hill. The tires caked up with mud and became useless. My 3 yr old thought the mud all over my truck was "Cool Daddy!" .

Duratrac's in my future as well.
 
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I, too, installed the Cooper AT3's shortly after I bought my 4R this Fall. Haven't had much snow here in WI, but I'm pretty sure they will be way better then the stop Dunflops.

I drive alot in the snow, so i wanted a better tire. Nothing better than getting out in the fresh snow to do some xc skiing, snow shoeing, or snow biking! :reddance:
 
I have the Michelin LTX M/S2 on my XJ and, although a great highway and wet weather tire, I have been disappointed with them in the snow. They are OK on packed snow. However, along my area of the CO front range, the sun quickly melts fallen snow that can (and usually does) develop into a layer of ice on blacktop that is not maintained and kept clear. The studs go on the XJ when snow falls in my neck of the woods.

I still have the stock Dunlops on my T4R. When I finally can't stand them anymore, I will likely give the Duratracs a good look. Of the popular OEM replacement tires here on the forum, the GY are the only ones I'm aware of that carry the snowflake symbol indicating its winter weather prowess. I too would prefer one tire to run year round, and the Duratracs looks like it should fit the bill. If I was going to run a separate set of tires, I would have dedicated winter tires mounted on a separate set of wheels (as I do on the XJ) and swap between the two as needed.
 
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