Studded? Siping?

[philsey]

.....

I don't need to run TPMS with my winter steelies, do I?

I don't ... just ignore the light. It resets everytime I garage the car next to the summer tires.

 

[KodeRush]

I had studded tires for almost 10 years on my last 2 Subarus.

After reading great reviews on the nokian hakkapeliitta, I decided to go for Nokian non studded for the 4R, that was a great decision.
Those are awesome tires......and no more noise.

Hi, I'm debating on studded or non-studded Nokians. So how big is the difference regarding noise and handling? Are you willing to go back to studded again?

 

[ragde11]

If you will have a dedicated set of wheels and tires just for winter driving conditions, I would absolutely go with a winter tire. They generally have a lot of siping to provide gripping edges, and a soft rubber compound that stays pliable at bitter cold temps.



The difference between a quality winter tire, and an A/T tire, even one that has the snowflake symbol, is night and day.



My personal choice would be the Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V1.

Nice choice, same as mine. I have a best experience on running the Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V1, last winter '13 here at Sunriver, Oregon. We had a snow storm and below 30 degrees, under the snow is sheet of ice on the road and everywhere. I was running those tires on FJ wheels and it was just fine.

 

[ragde11]

Nice choice, same as mine. I have a best experience on running the Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V1, last winter '13 here at Sunriver, Oregon. We had a snow storm and below 30 degrees, under the snow is sheet of ice on the road and everywhere. I was running those tires on FJ wheels and it was just fine.

 

[dekeman]

Just ordered a set of Blizzak DM-V1's from Tire Rack--since few people can get them in 285/70 R17...

I don't need to run TPMS with my winter steelies, do I?

Different opinions here about TPMS, but I went and got an extra OEM set, which cost about $200. A tech at the dealer resets my TMPS numbers on the truck's computer after I change the wheels myself. Our Toyotas, unlike Lexus, only accept 4 TPMS numbers (not 5, as the spare doesn't get one). Lexus can take eight - for two sets of wheels. Why the same company can't apply the same TPMS parameter for two brands is apparently too difficult a question for them.

You will love the tires though.

 

[uptheirons]

Another winter is on its way.

Last year I saw several weeks when it was below 0 and ice and snow all over the roads.

I am currently running BFG Tacos--which is a fine tire for Florida. They're "okay" in the snow with the majority of the reason I didn't go off the road and die due to the KDSS, VSC, and 4wd.

I have read about studded tires on snow and ice, some people say they are awesome, others say they make no difference.

Shops around here will do a "siping" on your tires to increase snow traction. It looks like Vudu nonsense.

I live in the Colorado mountains and have spent a third of the year driving in snow and ice conditions when it was cold as hell. Any of you winter warriors have a good tire rec? These would go on my FJC rims and be swapped out in spring/summer, so I don't care about their warm and dry performance.

Living in alberta, our main enemy during the winter is ice from the freeze/thaw cycle that we get throughout the winter. Personally, I have been using Nokian Hakkapeliitta LT2. I had them on both my dodge 1/2 tons before my 4Runner, and I have a set waiting to be mounted for my 4Runner, which apparently should have been last week. ( I don't know if you guys have seen, but Calgary and area just got hit with a weird snowstorm the past couple days, luckily I was out of town and missed it.)

The Nokians have been amazing through every one of the last 8 winters I've used them, and being a snowboarder, I drive ALOT in the winter and into the mountains.

 

[FrontRange4Runner]

Hi, I'm debating on studded or non-studded Nokians. So how big is the difference regarding noise and handling? Are you willing to go back to studded again?

It looks like you have MT's so noise will not be much different with non-studded snow tires. If you go studded, it will get louder. My GF's old Accord had studded winters, and it was loud (both inside and out). Almost sounded like it was running tank treads or something, but it was awesome in very slippery conditions. Here in CO, I don't think studded tires are absolutely necessary, but are nice to have. Towards the spring (in the mountains), we will get a lot of ice on dry roads where the sun is blocked all day by trees. Coming around a sharp corner and hitting this can be catastrophic even if your going 30 mph. A good set of studless snow\ice tires will go along way, but sometimes that extra grab that the studs provides will make the difference. Going from MT's to a any snow tire will be a huuuuge improvement in all winter conditions except very deep snow. Oh and handling will probably be a bit different. Snow tires feel "floaty" or noticeably less responsive than an all season compound. Turn in can be delayed and dry braking can (will) be worse - mostly when the temps are 50F or above. It should also be noted that the studs did a fairly good job of tearing up my driveway in a single season - just something to keep in mind if your driveway is dry for a lot of the winter.