Winter/Snow tires...help!

[simplemind]

I have an 08 sport 4WD with relatively new Michelin LTX M/S2. Is there a clearly better choice for Colorado driving in winter? I'm not excited about buying a new wheelset/tires because of the storage in the summer, but if a dedicated snow tire is really the choice, then I'd consider it.
Don't do a lot of off-road, but some. The BFG TA KO's have been mentioned here and may be a good choice with some off-roading.
Anyway, would like to hear your thoughts.
Thanks....

 

[unlimitedFJ4]

I have an 08 sport 4WD with relatively new Michelin LTX M/S2. Is there a clearly better choice for Colorado driving in winter? I'm not excited about buying a new wheelset/tires because of the storage in the summer, but if a dedicated snow tire is really the choice, then I'd consider it.
Don't do a lot of off-road, but some. The BFG TA KO's have been mentioned here and may be a good choice with some off-roading.
Anyway, would like to hear your thoughts.
Thanks....

I am using Toyo open country tires at the moment and I go to the snow a lot and they are great, and they are good on the dry road and have pretty decent life span, I recommend them!

http://toyotires.com/tire/pattern/open-country-mt-off-road-maximum-traction-tires

 

[wnelax04sr5]

I have an 08 sport 4WD with relatively new Michelin LTX M/S2. Is there a clearly better choice for Colorado driving in winter? I'm not excited about buying a new wheelset/tires because of the storage in the summer, but if a dedicated snow tire is really the choice, then I'd consider it.
Don't do a lot of off-road, but some. The BFG TA KO's have been mentioned here and may be a good choice with some off-roading.
Anyway, would like to hear your thoughts.
Thanks....

I've got 2 month old m/s2's on right now and we just got close to a foot dumped on us these past couple days, and about 2 weeks before that we got over a foot, and in powder and the packed stuff i had no complaints. have you had trouble with the tires or do you just want another set for peace of mind?

 

[TOPSECRETTUNDRA]

I can't remember what came on my 08 but they did ok in the Jersey winters. I've since upgraded to Nitto Crossteks but now the truck is in FL. They look like they would do awesome in the snow though. Here is a link with them.

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/4th-gen-t4rs/82494-searching-tires.html

Here in Japan I have dedicated Goodyear snow tires and they are awesome on the snow and ice and I rarely put it in 4WD. I have a decent amount of storage space though.

Ryan

 

[simplemind]

I've got 2 month old m/s2's on right now and we just got close to a foot dumped on us these past couple days, and about 2 weeks before that we got over a foot, and in powder and the packed stuff i had no complaints. have you had trouble with the tires or do you just want another set for peace of mind?

OK, to be honest this is my son's ride. Just got it and in a lot of ways I like it better than my 2010 4R Trail which also has the M/S2's.
I do a lot of hyway driving, and he drives to the the ski areas mostly. He has complained about how much he slides/spins, however he has a heavier foot than I do and I think it's a lot about his skill level. Of course I want a safe ride for him so that's why I'm looking into snow tires. I don't think there's a better tire than the M/S2 for most conditions save for off road and snow.

 

[ebg18t]

OK, to be honest this is my son's ride. Just got it and in a lot of ways I like it better than my 2010 4R Trail which also has the M/S2's.
I do a lot of hyway driving, and he drives to the the ski areas mostly. He has complained about how much he slides/spins, however he has a heavier foot than I do and I think it's a lot about his skill level. Of course I want a safe ride for him so that's why I'm looking into snow tires. I don't think there's a better tire than the M/S2 for most conditions save for off road and snow.

Before spending more $ on separate winter tires I would take a long weekend with him and visit the Bridgestone Winter Driving School. It is a blast and we can always learn something. My father and I did the school many, many years ago we both had a blast.

I took my wife thru the school a few years back. she had a blast and she said she was so much more comfortable driving in the CO winters (yes we have a place above 9500').

Here's a link. Winter Driving Training Center | Bridgestone Winter Driving School

 

[RunnerAK]

I'm not sure if Colorado allows studded tires or not, but if they do, there is really no substitute for a good set of studded tires in snowy/icy conditions, especially for an inexperienced winter driver.

We have Nokian Hakkapeliitta studded tires (some of the best studded tires on the market IMO) on our V6, and they are awesome. We've driven through several bouts of freezing rain and lots of fresh snow this winter, and they are always solid.

On my V8, I have a set of Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V1 non-studded snow tires that came with the truck. While they are decent in some conditions (colder, fresh snow), they don't really hold a candle to the studded Nokians. I find myself slipping around corners, and having the ABS and traction control kick in a lot at slippery intersections where the Nokians on our V6 have no problem gripping.

 

[wnelax04sr5]

OK, to be honest this is my son's ride. Just got it and in a lot of ways I like it better than my 2010 4R Trail which also has the M/S2's.
I do a lot of hyway driving, and he drives to the the ski areas mostly. He has complained about how much he slides/spins, however he has a heavier foot than I do and I think it's a lot about his skill level. Of course I want a safe ride for him so that's why I'm looking into snow tires. I don't think there's a better tire than the M/S2 for most conditions save for off road and snow.

i think the heavy foot thing part is the most important. if i drive sensibly then they're perfect, but if i stomp on it or try to go to fast, with any tire, its gonna slip, and I've noticed with the m/s2's that especially from a stop, they break loose more than other tires I've had

 

[DBM123]

The ms2's rate very well for ice traction, for an all season tire. I just talked to a guy a couple of days ago who replaced his ms2's with x-ice3 winter tires (I bought his ms2's) and he said that the difference in traction wasn't as big as he thought it would be, and somewhat regretted spending the money on the winter tires. The ms2's have a lot more siping than any other all season/all terrain tires, and the siping is also way deeper. I think this is their key to good winter traction.
Edit: I always run dedicated winter tires on my vehicles. With that said, I am hoping to try the ms2's out in the snow/ice to see how they compare with the winter tires that are on my 4runner. The rubber compound on the ms2's is noticeably harder, but I suppose that is how they last 80,000 miles.

 

[simplemind]

The ms2's rate very well for ice traction, for an all season tire. I just talked to a guy a couple of days ago who replaced his ms2's with x-ice3 winter tires (I bought his ms2's) and he said that the difference in traction wasn't as big as he thought it would be, and somewhat regretted spending the money on the winter tires. The ms2's have a lot more siping than any other all season/all terrain tires, and the siping is also way deeper. I think this is their key to good winter traction.

Ahh, this is what I wanted to hear, although it may not be the best answer.

 

[Bossman]

I just replaced my aging Michelin Cross Terrains (started developing cracking on the sidewalls) with new Michelin LTX M/S2 tires. I run these year round.

The Cross Terrains handled very well in all of the winter conditions that I faced, so I decided to stick with Michelin. Sure, I can get these new LTX M/S 2 tires to break traction on the ice/snowy conditions if I want to - but with reasonable driving and smooth acceleration they handle the ice or snow very well.

 

[DBM123]

Ahh, this is what I wanted to hear, although it may not be the best answer.

Granted, the guy was trying to sell me the tires.
I am genuinely interested in comparing the MS2's to my mediocre winter tires. I've always used dedicated winter tires due to where I live (it is -33C right now, and didn't get over -30C today...grrr), but if I can get by with only 1 set of tires/wheels, it will allow me to be lazy, and to better conserve garage/shed space for all of my other wheels and tires (I have a few race cars, each which have 3-4 sets of tires/wheels).

Something else to consider for future a tire purchase: Michelin make an LTX Winter tire. It is the same carcass and tread pattern as the MS2, but uses a compound that remains softer in colder temperatures. I will likely buy those in the future and leave them on the truck year 'round. Most people compromise on winter traction by using all-season tires in the winter, but I might go the other way by using a tire more geared towards colder temperatures since it is winter 6 months of the year here. I think the LTX winter is a bit of a compromise anyways, since the construction and tread pattern are the same as the LTX MS2 anyways.