Any suggestions for good winter tires

I live in northern NY right along the VT boarder. I have always ran studded on my vehicles for the winter. When I bought my truck it had Nokian Rock proof tires on it. I bought a new set of Kelly all-season tires and new rims which I have been running for the summer. I felt the rock proof tires were to aggressive for the everyday highway driving that I do.

I was thinking of using the Nokian tires for the winter, however I was reading some reviews and while people agree they do amazing on gravel and for off-road, they just okay in light snow and are not good on slick icy roads.

I have had General Grabber Arctic tires on last two SUVs and loved them. So I was wondering what people that live in snowy regions are running on their Tundra's? I drive about 30 miles a day and I leave for work usually before the snowplows are really out 4:30am.

Thanks.

 

Without looking at the specific tires you mention, here's my input in general terms. ( I live in the mountains of Wyoming and primarily drive the roads here & in Idaho & Montana, where we typically have ice or snow a minimum of 7 months a year.):

The biggest factor for making a tire good for winter is the rubber compound. Many tires that "look" like they'd have lots of traction, like off-road or "mud" specific tires, become hard and slick at cold temperatures. Same with many or most so-called "all-season" tires. A good analogy is doc marten shoes, if you ever had those as a kid, stepped outside on an icy sidewalk, and landed on your a$$. Unfortunately, it's hard to know if this will be the case unless you try them - but the reviews you're reading seem to confirm this will be the case. On the other hand and as a general rule, a "mud & snow" tire typically will have a good, soft, non-hardening compound. They will wear faster on pavement than other compounds but, for me, that's not enough to make me bother changing them seasonally.

The second most useful feature for driving on ice is siping. (Thin, lateral, slice-type grooves.) A good mud and snow tire will have it designed into the tread pattern, but you can have this done to almost any tire. It doesn't affect tire life nearly as much as you'd think, if at all. Using analogies from shoes you had as a kid once again, think of sperry top sider boat shoes. Pressure from the weight of your vehicle will momentarily melt the top surface of ice and create a thin layer of water, which is what actually makes ice slick. The syping contends with that layer of water. For the kind of conditions we have here, where there is relatively little freeze-thaw cycles and where the snow is cold and dry, siping way more valuable than studs. If you need more traction than this provides, then you really need tire chains. But I realize things are different for you out east, where it's more humid, where there are ice storms, and where the snow has more moisture content. So maybe you could find a studdable tire in case you want to add them? However it seems to me that doing so would fight and somewhat negate the effectiveness of the siping.

Hope that helps, YMMV

 

I’ve always read good things about Blizzaks. Sorry no real world experience, but these are the tires I’ve heard about the most besides running studded.

 

I run blizzaks on my daily commuter, which is a camry, through michigan winters, never had any issues with traction in snow or ice. Im on my second set of blizzaks after trying several other brands like Michelin, dunlop and uniroyal.

 

My Nitto Trail Grapplers do really well in the snow. Drove across Nebraska in a blizzard and was amazed at how well they performed.

 

Hey from NY as well. For true winter tires I absolutely loved my firestone winterforce. Those things were awesome in snow. For an AT tire I cant say enough good things about the General Grabber ATX's. I have just had them over a year and they cut through everything. I drive ~60 miles a day and leave before the plows hit the roads. I didnt have a single issue all last year.

 

Here's what I have found. If a winter tire can be studded then it's a harder compound rubber (not always). The softer compounds may work well but they wear quickly. Normally I run BFG All Terrains TKOs on my Tundra year round. They seam to do well. On my Rav4 I have Hankook Ipikes. The studs are well worn but the tread looks like it's not even half gone after 4 winters and at least 30k miles. They work good but I think the WinterForce studded tires I had on my Subaru before them worked better. However it's hard to make an accurate comparison between two different vehicles. I did have a set of Nokian Hackawhatevers on a Toyota T100. After less than 10k miles they were too worn for another winter. Since then I haven't bought another set of Nokians.

 

I live in the same area as you and I always used to keep a dedicated set of winter tires. This winter will be first that I've kept the same tires on my vehicle year round. I've got Goodyear Wrangler DuraTracs. They're not a winter compound, but we'll see how they work.

 

I live in New Hampshire and go snowmobiling to NH, Maine and Quebec as often as I can. Falken wildpeak at3w is the best all around tire. Put them on and never have to worry about swapping for different seasons. They are snow rated and way cheaper than ko2’s plus, they wear like iron.

 

I was gonna suggest the AT3/W as well.

 

I have BFG KO2s that will be replaced next summer and the Falken Wildpeak AT3/W will be my next tire. If getting a tire that advertises as all-season/terrain make sure it has the 3 Peak Mountain w/Snow Flake for a true winter rated tire.

 

I live in western New York, also known as Lake Effect Snow Country.

I've had KO2's on my last three vehicles and I love them.

 

I ran Blizzaks on my Tundra and they did well in the snow, but they only lasted 2 winters and they got really harsh and unpleasant to ride on toward the end of their life.

This winter I plan to try the Michelin X Ice Xi2 tires. They get really good ratings from CR so I'll give them a try this time.

 

I didn't read all the responses, but here is my quick .02.

Nokian just is releasing their LT3 tire, supposed to be pretty sweet. I was dead set on it, but the release is a bit slow and limited.
(Tiresbyweb has them for preorder for around $260 if that's what you want)

My local dealer couldn't get the LT3 for me, but got me a set of LT2 factory studded for $161/tire. Maybe check that out?

Good luck from North Dakota!

 

General Grabbers on my 4Runner and so far really good in Maine Snow and Mud... not loud on highway and minimal tread wear in 20k miles

 

I run Blizzaks on the Tundra and don’t need any extra weight in the bed. Most times, I leave it in 2wd. We get plenty of snow in Syracuse NY. Any true winter tire will work well. They are better than an all-terrain with snow flake rating.

 

Falken Wildpeak AT3s...

 

Thanks everyone for your ideas. I really wanted to go with the General AT/X tires but they were almost a grand. I settled on the Hancook Ipike RW11 and I will have them studded. Got all 4 for 500 bucks and they have a great reputation as a great snow tire.

 

I just got the cooper Discovery At3 last week on my Tundra ... first couple snow storms here in Maine ... seems ok in the snow so far