I'm looking for input (preferably with experience) on what the best winter tires available are.
Vehicle in question will be a 2017 Tacoma SR5 4x4 double cab 245/75R16.
I drive 20 miles to work (And back) daily on semi-rural state highway (40-55mph, curvy and lots of hills) with 2, 40 mile interstate runs a week (40 there, 40 back)
Plowing in my work route is spotty, some areas are left until a storm is over leaving a good layer of deep snow whereas some areas will be well done. The highway in my area, when plowed, are decent though they often leave a trail of 3/4" to 1" of packed snow.
OF NOTE- I am a volunteer Firefigher/EMT and on occasion will need to haul [censored] on twisty-turny rural roads or trails
BITOG do your thing, and thank you in advance
The Best Winter Tires Available
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Originally Posted By: NissanHauler
I'm looking for input (preferably with experience) on what the best winter tires available are.
Vehicle in question will be a 2017 Tacoma SR5 4x4 double cab 245/75R16.
I drive 20 miles to work (And back) daily on semi-rural state highway (40-55mph, curvy and lots of hills) with 2, 40 mile interstate runs a week (40 there, 40 back)
Plowing in my work route is spotty, some areas are left until a storm is over leaving a good layer of deep snow whereas some areas will be well done. The highway in my area, when plowed, are decent though they often leave a trail of 3/4" to 1" of packed snow.
OF NOTE- I am a volunteer Firefigher/EMT and on occasion will need to haul [censored] on twisty-turny rural roads or trails
BITOG do your thing, and thank you in advance
Nokian hakka flakka flames for sure. By far one of the best and most durable snow tires out there. A favorite of most winter drivers who know anything about snow tires.
Originally Posted By: edyvw
Originally Posted By: NissanHauler
I'm looking for input (preferably with experience) on what the best winter tires available are.
Vehicle in question will be a 2017 Tacoma SR5 4x4 double cab 245/75R16.
I drive 20 miles to work (And back) daily on semi-rural state highway (40-55mph, curvy and lots of hills) with 2, 40 mile interstate runs a week (40 there, 40 back)
Plowing in my work route is spotty, some areas are left until a storm is over leaving a good layer of deep snow whereas some areas will be well done. The highway in my area, when plowed, are decent though they often leave a trail of 3/4" to 1" of packed snow.
OF NOTE- I am a volunteer Firefigher/EMT and on occasion will need to haul [censored] on twisty-turny rural roads or trails
BITOG do your thing, and thank you in advance
Originally Posted By: Virtus_Probi
Originally Posted By: edyvw
Originally Posted By: NissanHauler
I'm looking for input (preferably with experience) on what the best winter tires available are.
Vehicle in question will be a 2017 Tacoma SR5 4x4 double cab 245/75R16.
I drive 20 miles to work (And back) daily on semi-rural state highway (40-55mph, curvy and lots of hills) with 2, 40 mile interstate runs a week (40 there, 40 back)
Plowing in my work route is spotty, some areas are left until a storm is over leaving a good layer of deep snow whereas some areas will be well done. The highway in my area, when plowed, are decent though they often leave a trail of 3/4" to 1" of packed snow.
OF NOTE- I am a volunteer Firefigher/EMT and on occasion will need to haul [censored] on twisty-turny rural roads or trails
BITOG do your thing, and thank you in advance
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The Blizzacks, studded.
You need to decide if you are going to get studded or not first. However Nokian has studded and studless options. My #1 choice in tires is Nokian. I have the R2's right now going into season 4 with them and im down to 6/32's tread. This will be the last season I use them. I feel like the tread wore pretty fast but they have been great overall. If you will experience alot of ice, id go with studded Nokians. No tire is that great on ice unless studded. With 4x4 and studded Nokians, you will be all set! If the Bridgestones are alot cheaper, they are also a good option and Ive heard the X ice's are good too (if planning to go without studs).
Originally Posted By: edyvw
For your application get Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V2 .....
Originally Posted By: LoneRanger
The Blizzacks, studded.
My comparison is old because I moved here from Vermont 10+ years ago, but then the very best snows I had were Yokohama's. They were much better and more versatile than the Blizzaks and Hakka's I tried. I would strongly recommend looking at their current offerings; the Guardex I used to use was amazing back then. They were far more capable on both ice and snow than anything else.
For truck tires Bridgestone Blizzaks are called Bridestone Dueler. They are great winter tires but will wear out fast if you run them in warm weather. They have a soft rubber that has microscopic holes in it that allow the tire rubber to get through the microscopic layer of water that forms on the surface of ice when a tire comes into contact with it. Getting through that surface layer to the hard ice is why they have traction even on ice without studs. Don't expect the kind of traction you have on dry pavement when you are on ice, but if you take it easy you will be able to have complete control on ice.
Never go wrong with Blizzaks. Have DM-V2's for the wife's minivan. She is not a gearhead but won't roll on anything else in the winter and tells all her lady friends to get Blizzaks.
Although since you have a 4x4 truck, know that BFG All-Terrain T/A's are severe winter rated so you can just run one tire all year. General Grabbers are also highly regarded as a snow tire.
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Ice (stopping) is tough for all winter tires. I nearly slid through an intersection last year with Michelin Xi3s which were new that season. Yes, going slow to match the conditions: 10 mph in a 25 zone. Had to take a different way home due to an accident closing my usual route. Never been on this road in slick stuff. My Audi was rapid firing the ABS. Xi3’s are fine in the slush, no better or worse than some of the older Blizzak’s and Dunlop’s that I’ve run in the past.
The best thing about the Xi3’s is lower noise levels. Around 50-60mph in the wet they will sing. Not bad, but audible. Still better than others that I’ve experienced. Also they are H rated.
Only disappointment is the side bite when turning. You get a little sideways wiggle.
I once had a coworker who was from New Hampshire, and he was a winter tire snob. We were discussing winter tires one day, and I swore by the Blizzaks I had on my Camaro, and he swore by the Nokians he had on his Blazer. I'd say they're both good. I got six winters out of the Blizzaks, then I bought a set of Michelin X-Ice2's because they placed #1 in Tire Rack's rankings that year. I ran them for 6 seasons also, and found they were great in the snow, but easy to slide in slush. I went back to Blizzaks (WS70) when it came time to replace the Michelins.
I just bought a set of General Arctic LT's for my Dodge Ram, but I have no previous experience with them. It will be interesting to see how they work when towing trailers in wintry conditions.
Duratracts...because truck
Originally Posted By: JimPghPA
For truck tires Bridgestone Blizzaks are called Bridestone Dueler. They are great winter tires but will wear out fast if you run them in warm weather. They have a soft rubber that has microscopic holes in it that allow the tire rubber to get through the microscopic layer of water that forms on the surface of ice when a tire comes into contact with it. Getting through that surface layer to the hard ice is why they have traction even on ice without studs. Don't expect the kind of traction you have on dry pavement when you are on ice, but if you take it easy you will be able to have complete control on ice.
Originally Posted By: TheKracken
Duratracts...because truck
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Paid way more for the Bridestone duo than any darn tires …
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