tires for winter

[theliman]

hello,

got a 2008 4wd 4runner back in march. at the time, tires were the last thing on my mind, and i was just happy to see that the (kia) dealer had put new ones on.

it finally snowed today, and though i don't have extensive experience driving in snow, they didn't feel great. so i thought i'd check out the tire online, and i can barely find anything about them. kind of scares me a little bit. they're "aurora radial" something, apparently aurora is some south korean company owned by hankook. maybe that's why the kia dealer used them.

i live in virginia, but am driving out to denver in less than two weeks for the winter, where i plan to ski all the time. should i ditch these tires immediately (or, more likely, upon arriving to denver after putting 2,000 more miles on my car)?

i've browsed/searched, but it's a bit overwhelming. a few questions, if you don't mind, keeping in mind the following: i don't plan on lifting the truck anytime soon. i want something that is at least decent in snow. i don't plan on any substantial off-roading. these will not be a "winter-only" tire, i will use them until they are worn out. budget is not unlimited.

what tires come standard on the 4runner, and how are they in snow?

and, i guess, based on all that other information, what are some recommendations?

many thanks

 

[chaz]

u didnt say whether u wanted an all season or AT tire or with /without an aggressive look, so these r good AT tires for all year & weather. Bridgestone Dueler A/T Revo 2 Firestone Destination A/T Michelin LTX A/T 2 Goodyear Wrangler SilentArmor

 

[cali_axela]

I'm in a similar situation with the 04 4WD T4R I recently picked up. It has the stock AT20 tires on it still, just above the wear bars. Took it up to Tahoe and drove around in a couple inches of snow this weekend, and it didn't feel horrible but didn't feel good either.

After a lot of research, I'm looking at picking up some Yoko Geolander AT-S tires as the best value all-year-round commuting + snowboarding trip tires. They have been getting great reviews both here and on Tire Rack as far as both road manners and snow performance go. And they're a lot cheaper than most of the other suggestions I've been getting for similar uses. So definitely look into them too.

 

[JAC]

I am about to purchase some winter tires this weekend...

Any feedback on this ones? they look pretty good ...

Tire Details - Discount Tire


Hankook I*Pike RW11

 

[JB.]

should i ditch these tires immediately (or, more likely, upon arriving to denver after putting 2,000 more miles on my car)?

Before you decide to ditch the current tires:

What's the tread depth? What does the size designation say; example "P265/65/R17 113S"? Is there an M+S designation on the sidewall? Might want to check the date code. Look for DOT followed by 10-12 letters/numbers. It's the last four numbers you're interested in, particularly the last two which indicate the year. If you find DOT followed by just a few letters/numbers, check the other side of the tire.

 

[theliman]

Before you decide to ditch the current tires:

What's the tread depth? What does the size designation say; example "P265/65/R17 113S"? Is there an M+S designation on the sidewall? Might want to check the date code. Look for DOT followed by 10-12 letters/numbers. It's the last four numbers you're interested in, particularly the last two which indicate the year. If you find DOT followed by just a few letters/numbers, check the other side of the tire.

Thanks all. JB, it is 265/65/R17 110S (I think there was a P in front of it). There is M+S on the sidewall. There's also a snowflake somewhere. The DOT only said 75X or something, and being dark and snowing outside, I didn't have it in me to try and see the other side.

Still a lot of tread left, tires were put on new in March and have been driven about 6,000 miles since then. It's looking like I won't find anything decent below $700, so maybe I should just hold off, especially with years of grad school in my future..

 

[Cubslover]

If you are looking for actual winter tires, the IPike and Blizzaks are fantastic, as are the Pirelli Scorpion Ice and Snow.


My Yokohama Geolandar AT-Ss are rediculously good on ice and deep snow!

 

[JB.]

Thanks all. JB, it is 265/65/R17 110S (I think there was a P in front of it). There is M+S on the sidewall. There's also a snowflake somewhere. The DOT only said 75X or something, and being dark and snowing outside, I didn't have it in me to try and see the other side.

Still a lot of tread left, tires were put on new in March and have been driven about 6,000 miles since then. It's looking like I won't find anything decent below $700, so maybe I should just hold off, especially with years of grad school in my future..

Given what you said about a year round tire and minimal off-roading, it doesn't sound like there's any reason to change them at all. If they did, in fact, have the mountain and snowflake symbol, they should be quite good in the snow. Even with just the M+S, from what I could see of the tread, they look like they should be pretty decent in the snow.