New tire thoughts

I just had Toyo Open Country at3s installed on new wheels. These will be my summer shoes for the time being, as my blizzak dm-v2s will stay on my factory 20s. Here are just some thoughts.

The ride comfort of 116S winter tires on 20s is about the same as 285/70/18 Es. Currently at 38 psi, but I'm going to chalk test them at 40 and see how that rides. The extra sidewall helps cushion the ride a bit.

Tons of road noise with the AT tires, comparatively.

While the wheel/tire combination I'm using with the AT3s is technically 2 lbs lighter per corner than my OEM wheel/winter tire combo, the added height and width makes a noticeable difference in acceleration and fuel economy. I'll have to measure, but the AT3s are allegedly 33.7" tall. The DM-V2s are supposed to be 33", but they measure closer to 32".

While the AT3s have the 3-peak mountain/snowflake rating, they're actually laughable in the snow compared to my dedicated snow tires. My back end was all over the place today.

Lastly, the +20mm offset is not nearly high enough. From looking at pictures in the wheel/tire thread here and elsewhere online, I didn't expect nearly as much poke as I have.

I'll keep this wheel/tire combo until the tires wear out, but I'll likely look for wheels with higher offset the next time around. Method has 17" wheels with +35 offset that are only marginally heavier than my current wheels, and 34x10.5x17s will fill the wheel well almost as well. Time will tell.

 

Remember when I lived in Upstate, Ny and had the Blizzaks put on say November of each year. Had a Toyota Highlander back them with AWD. Man, those tires were amazing!!

 

The blizzaks are great, though I prefer hakkapeliittas. However, the blizzaks were available and I needed winter tires so that's what I got. The Michelin x-ice 3s are pretty good, too.

Another observation about the 285/70/18 Toyos.. GPS and speed signs both say my speedometer is spot on. I'll have to check my odometer vs known distances as well.