Winter is upon us. My 5th Gen is 3 weeks old.. How good is it in the snow?

[nah2323]

Hey everyone,

Well, my 5th Gen is 3 weeks old now just cresting the 600mi mark, and the winter season is upon us. So for you seasoned 5th Genr's, How good is the 5th Gen in snow/icy conditions? If it's half as good as my 3rd was, I'm sure i'll be happy.

LTD owners, are the stock tires crap? They look very highway-esque, but are geolanders.... Is it a smart idea to grab some 17" wheels and put some blizzaks on?

 

[Quentin]

Hey everyone,

Well, my 5th Gen is 3 weeks old now just cresting the 600mi mark, and the winter season is upon us. So for you seasoned 5th Genr's, How good is the 5th Gen in snow/icy conditions? If it's half as good as my 3rd was, I'm sure i'll be happy.

LTD owners, are the stock tires crap? They look very highway-esque, but are geolanders.... Is it a smart idea to grab some 17" wheels and put some blizzaks on?

I'm wondering the same thing. I have the Bridgestone Revos. My plan is to ride these tires this winter and see how things go. If I find the compound too hard and the tread too tight, I'll get some other tire. I'm torn on getting something like a Blizzak, though. I'm wondering if an off road tire would do just as well and it would be something I could leave on later into the spring/run earlier in fall.

 

[jreiter]

Honestly, your snow/ice performance is mostly attributed to good snow tires. If you could grab some inexpensive 17" rims and put on some Blizzaks, that'll be the single best thing you can do for the snow. Then put your 20" rims back on once the snow goes away. My experience has usually been (with any brand of car) that stock tires are never very good in the snow, especially compared to dedicated snow tires.

As far as the drivetrain, you have a Limited model, right? The Limited has a full-time all-wheel drive system, so it should be very good in the snow.

 

[dekeman]

Hey everyone,

Well, my 5th Gen is 3 weeks old now just cresting the 600mi mark, and the winter season is upon us. So for you seasoned 5th Genr's, How good is the 5th Gen in snow/icy conditions? If it's half as good as my 3rd was, I'm sure i'll be happy.

LTD owners, are the stock tires crap? They look very highway-esque, but are geolanders.... Is it a smart idea to grab some 17" wheels and put some blizzaks on?

The question should actually be how good is the snow/ice for my 4R today?

As for winter wheels and Blizzaks, there should be no question whatsoever: if you live in a place where there is winter, you need winter tires. Blizzaks are an excellent choice. Putting them on smaller winter rims saves those pretty alloys for summer and is more than worth the cost. Don't forget you'll also need TPM sensors for your new winter wheels.

 

[Quentin]

The question should actually be how good is the snow/ice for my 4R today?

As for winter wheels and Blizzaks, there should be no question whatsoever: if you live in a place where there is winter, you need winter tires. Blizzaks are an excellent choice. Putting them on smaller winter rims saves those pretty alloys for summer and is more than worth the cost. Don't forget you'll also need TPM sensors for your new winter wheels.

Considering the pain in the rear that is reprogramming the TPMS*, I would strongly consider just dealing with the TPMS light during the winter. I did it with my GTI when I didn't have TPMS on my winter wheels.

My problem is that where I live, we get 2 or 3 snows a year that are anything substantial, and even then, a decent all season and FWD will get you through. But, during the winter, I'll make 4 or 5 trips back home where I have a great chance of encountering horrible, horrible snow going accross the App mountains.

 

[dekeman]

The way i figure it, winter wheels and tires cost about $1,500 by the time you're all done. They aren't just for snow, but for cold, when the temp goes anything below 7C, the point at which all season rubber begins to harden and lose its ability to maintain traction.

And if I compare the winter-wheel cost to a minor fender bender (due to lack of traction), plus the hassle and accompanying depreciation 'cause my truck has been in an accident, the $1,500 is going to be $$ well spent, cost me far less, plus allow me to tackle anything winter throws at me no matter where I am.

 

[RonMAIDEN]

With dedicated snow tires you need to look at how much snow you'll be driving on vs dry pavement. I've lived in Colorado for over 20 years and never had snow tires on any car but I have for the most part had either 4wd or AWD vehicles and a very good set of all seasons is all I've ever needed. Snow tires are great where snow is the norm on the roads or you're driving in it more than a few times a month.
My mom has Yokohama Geolandar AT/S on her truck and she never has had a complaint and no need to have another set of rims/tires to change out.

 

[Ryan F.]

Awesome in snow and ice. All good.

 

[scanny]

Speaking of winter tires I agree that generally it's a good idea, but past 3 years I had leased Ford Escape and it was doing just fine with crappy stock ContiTrac tires. I've driven through major snow storms, was going to ski on regular basis, went as far as to Quebec for skiing. I never stuck or had a hard time to keep vehicle straight and I hope that 4Runner won't be any worse with stock tires. I guess I'll wait for a first show to see how tires perform and then decide if I need winter tires or not.

 

[Ryan_S]

The Geolanders shouldnt be that bad. Dedicated snows might be a little overkill, depending on how much snow you get.

Now if we were talking a car with summer tires, then yes you would need the snows.

You could swap the Geolanders out for something more AT that you can run all year, FWIW Duratracs are mountain snowflake rated and seem to work well in the snow.

Or:
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/68427-20-wheels-tire-options.html

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-g...7-bfg-atkos-installed-limited.html#post615403

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-g...nner-owners-picture-thread-14.html#post546954