Tire decision - need help

hikenbike

hikenbike

New member
Hey boys,

I have the Yoko Geolander HTS tires on my 4th gen now and I really like them but they are miserable in the snow (as I should have expected from an all season tire) and I don't want to go through another winter with zero traction.

I don't off road and am only considering AT tires because of snow which can be hit (in a big way) or miss in NJ. Some years bad, some years not.

Either way, I've been considering the following and would love your opinion given my non-off-road/snow-concern-only situation.....

Nitto Terra Grappler
Nitto Terra Grappler G2 (although I find little info on these)
General Grabber AT2
Yokohama Geolander ATS
Cooper Discoverer AT3
Bridgeston Blizzak DM-V1 (which would only use during winter and switch out after March/April)

Any thoughts are appreciated.
 
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A friend at work has the Coopers and he really likes them. I looked up the Generals and most sizes are snowflake rated. Both are excellent choices.
 
Any one of those would probly work fine. I have the Coopers on my Land Cruiser and love them. I would say the best for snow would be the Blizzaks but I couldn't have tires for seperate use.. I just go with an AT.. Have Goodyears on my Runner and love them but the Coopers are really a great tire...
 
Buddy of mine put Cooper st max on is Taco the same time i put Terra Grapplers on my 4runner. They've held up just as well and look just as good and are about 20% cheaper.
 
Since you did not mention Michelin I would say the Yoko's. My buddy got the Cooper AT3 for his truck and also his wifes little SUV. Likes everything about them except how they handle ice. Not sure of others experience, but both his are terrible on ice, like having slicks almost.
 
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Take a look at Toyo Open Country AT II's. I just put a set on and we've had snow and ice this past week. They've done really well in those conditions, as well as dry roads. I was concerned they might be "too extreme" for 95% road use but so far I love them.
 
+1 for the Cooper Disco AT3. Decent amount of sipes to handle the cold slippery stuff as well as pretty much everything else as well. Ill be getting another set after these wear out.
 
Just thought I would throw in my .02. I have had Hancook Dynapro ATM's on my 4 runner for 40,000+ miles. I live in the mountains of Colorado and they have done really well. They still probably have 15% tread on them. I'm debating on going with another set of these or some BFG KO's. A guy I work with used to own a tire shop and he said from his experiences with ranchers/oil field workers that the bfg seemed to hold up to snow really good for an AT tire. He did recommend Cooper M+S for a dedicated snow tire. Hope this helps.
 
In my experience, Nitto Terra Grapplers' tread did not last long. I hated them. I also had a set of Yoko ATS': Some of the best tires I have EVER owned. Also, as mentioned by someone previously, the Toyo's are pretty nice as well.
 
I have the Cooper AT3 and really like them. I've not been in the snow with them, we hardly ever see the white stuff here in southeastern NC.
 
I ended up ordering a set of General Grabber AT2s on Friday. Pretty much everything I've seen about them is positive, and I got a set of 5 tires for $715 shipped, plus a $50 mail-in rebate, from Discount Tire Direct. Couldn't ask for a better price so that was my deciding factor in tire choice.
 
I had Grabber AT2s on my Jeep a few years ago. They were unstoppable in the snow but a little too loud and werent my favorite on the highway. I was in the exact same situation as you about a week ago and ended up going with Hankook Dynapro ATM for ~$750 installed. I drove home in the middle of the snow storm we got on Wednesday in NJ and they were great.

Anyways, youll love the grabbers if you get slammed with snow this winter.
 
I live in SW minnesota, we recently got an 8" snow and with my new nitto terra grapplers i was able to start stop and corner with confidence, they are quiet on the highway and look sweet!
 
Thanks everyone for the valuable input. I think I'm going with the Coopers or Michelin LTX AT2's. All the others are solid but the Coopers or Michelins seem better all around. I came to realize i was probably putting too much stock in the snow aspect and needed to think more about the other 3 seasons. I was concerned about the longevity and comfort of the Hankooks, Grabbers and Nittos. The Michelins came under consideration after seeing the instant rebate and lower installation cost by getting them at Costco. I can get the Michelins for $800 and the Coopers for $700 (from Mavis Tire - a new place that just popped up around here) out the door with absolutely all included.

My decision lies with those two at this point but thanks for all the feedback. If you have any more, I'm all ears.
 
All of the tires you listed a good quality. I have run the nittos on a few vehicles with good luck. But the Michelin you listed is probably going to be the quietest & more road oriented of the bunch. I would expect more overall miles out of the michelin too.
 
There is always the option of tirebuyer.com/tirerack.com/ebay for tires. It amazes me that TB and TR both sell on Ebay at prices lower, usually but not always, than their own website......

I just bought winter tires this morning for both the 4runner and my maxima. I ended up putting Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V1's on the 4Runner. 265/60R18 $666 shipped from TB.
 
AluminumMonster said:
Take a look at Toyo Open Country AT II's. I just put a set on and we've had snow and ice this past week. They've done really well in those conditions, as well as dry roads. I was concerned they might be "too extreme" for 95% road use but so far I love them.
Click to expand...

I have the Toyo AT II's as well and haven't been that impressed with them. They are too hard of a compound in my opinion for daily driving and they are a real heavy tire as well. Had them for about 8 months and have replaced one and put 3 plugs in the others. (all from being in the desert)
 
I ordered the Michelin LTX AT2's from Costco. Shipped today so may be there for weekend install or early next week. Also made plans to ski in Vermont in three weeks to give'em a good test. Look forward to it!!
 
Gatafly said:
Since you did not mention Michelin I would say the Yoko's. My buddy got the Cooper AT3 for his truck and also his wifes little SUV. Likes everything about them except how they handle ice. Not sure of others experience, but both his are terrible on ice, like having slicks almost.
Click to expand...

Do you expect an A/T tire, or anything except a dedicated snow tire w/ studs, to be impressive on ice?

For most of us, it's more practical to run A/T or All season tires for maximum DD performance. In my area, we may only get icy slick roads once or twice a year, that's just not practical to run winter tires / studded tires for such a small usage period.

AT3's will be my next tires and have heard they do wonderful in winter weather.
 
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