Winter Tires for SF Bay Area - Lake Tahoe Weekend Warrior

[edyvw]

He is gonna do two sets, there is no reason to go with all weather junk. Michelin X-Ice in warm are better than these Bridgestone Driveguard all seasons on my Toyota.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

Originally Posted by supton

It's weird, I have the iPikes on my truck and don't think they are bad. Way better than LTX's in snow, but that's to be expected. Maybe I'm missing out on something, dunno (and I drive in RWD as much as possible, using 4WD only when necessary). Maybe it's a tire size thing...

Are yours studded? Mine are not. The ones I have make a great all terrain, though. The compound seems to be harder than most snow tires I've run; they don't get squishy even when it's 70 out. The only reason I have kept them around so long is I can drop the pressure to 25 and run pretty good speeds on the seasonal highways.

 

[slacktide_bitog]

Originally Posted by edyvw

He is gonna do two sets, there is no reason to go with all weather junk. Michelin X-Ice in warm are better than these Bridgestone Driveguard all seasons on my Toyota.

OP is from San Francisco and takes weekend drives to the mountains. Winter tires will not hold up in 70 degree weather.

 

[krzyss]

This is the big issue. In such situation one needs different tires for half of the trip. That sucks. KrzyÅ› PS If you can find all weather or performance winters in your size they may be the most optimal for your trip and ocassional SF use. But they may be too wintry for extensive SF use.

 

[tiredguy]

Hello I am the OP. I plan to get a second set of wheels and mount the winter tires on them. The plan is to only have them on the vehicle from late December to Mid March.

 

[edyvw]

Originally Posted by slacktide_bitog

Originally Posted by edyvw

He is gonna do two sets, there is no reason to go with all weather junk. Michelin X-Ice in warm are better than these Bridgestone Driveguard all seasons on my Toyota.

OP is from San Francisco and takes weekend drives to the mountains. Winter tires will not hold up in 70 degree weather.

They should for few winter months. I know he is in SF. From December to march, as he said, he should be fine.

 

[SavagePatch]

I would run Falken Wildpeak AT3W's in size 235/70r16. They are only 1/2" taller than 225/70r16. We live off of i80 in the snow and these are what we run all year on our Mazda CX-9 in size 245/65r17. They work great in all conditions and especially well in the ice and snow. The three W's stand for Winter, Wet, and Wear and they are All Terrain tires that are also Severe Snow Rated with the three peak snowflake symbol on the sidewall. You could run these all year like we do or swap them. The good thing is that you won't have to worry if you have a hot spell of get a little busy and have to wait a few extra weaks to swap back to your summers. This specific size is XL rated like ours are and I think you'll appreciate the slightly firmer sidewall that provides a bit more stability driving through the curvy mountain highway when loaded with your family and gear.

 

[Rand]

Originally Posted by slacktide_bitog

You could probably get away with all-weather tires such as the Nokian WRG4 Winter-only winter tires won't work well for your intended usage since the rubber chunks will fly off being driven in warm temps, especially over 60-70 degrees.

Sounds overly dramatic hes not driving blizzak ws-50's on 200f pavement in phoenix.

 

[SubLGT]

Originally Posted by Rand

Originally Posted by slacktide_bitog

You could probably get away with all-weather tires such as the Nokian WRG4 Winter-only winter tires won't work well for your intended usage since the rubber chunks will fly off being driven in warm temps, especially over 60-70 degrees.

Sounds overly dramatic hes not driving blizzak ws-50's on 200f pavement in phoenix.

Yeah, that is a little dramatic. But studded and studless winter tires can create "rubber marbles" during heavy, emergency braking on hot pavement.

 

[Oro_O]

Among those choices, I would probably go with the Cooper Evo as a dedicated snow tire. It's a new design/compound and has got some great reviews, and the price is good. I haven't used Cooper snow tires, but we've had two sets of AS passenger car tires on a Lexus sedan, and they've been great tires and "punched above their weight" wrt price - great quality for the money. Devil's advocate #1 - It's performance is likely very similar to the Altimax, so you can't go wrong with it. The Altimax has a higher load rating and XL spec, so it might handle better when on dry surfaces. Devils advocate #2 - If you don't routinely venture to really hot summer locations, you could probably be quite happy with putting on the Discover M+S and drive it year round, save the money and space to store the 2nd set of tires. Around here, people do that and I'm contemplating it when I get my next set of SUV tires. I wouldn't bother with the Hankook or Blizzak. The former's quality is not quite as good as the rest, and the latter is really no better than other less expensive options (I have had Blizzaks in the past. OK but not the best).

 

[UG_Passat]

Go for an all-weather tire. https://www.nokiantires.com/all-weather-tires/nokian-wr-g4-suv/ https://www.goodyear.com/en-US/tires/assurance-weatherready https://www.vredestein.com/car-suv-van/tyre-finder/tyres/product/1/225/70/16/1165-quatrac-5 You'll get a predictable handling tire when you're in SF. You'll get a predictable handling tire when you're in the snow. packed snow, etc. The old car on a fresh powder morning at Killington, VT with 235/45r17 Nokian WR G3 tires. Driven from the mid-atlantic with highly variable winter temperatures. In a sea of SUV's, I'm the only FWD car (and it's lowered also, as you can tell in the first pic) On my Tiguan, next winter, I'll be getting Nokian WR G4 SUV, for LA winter weather during the week and Mammoth or Big Bear/Snow Summit on the weekends

 

[tiredguy]

I am the OP More info: I won't be driving it much with the second set of wheels / winter tires in the SF bay area. I will use the vehicle for the weekend trips. I have two other cars that I will drive during the week to work.

 

[tiredguy]

Originally Posted by SavagePatch

I would run Falken Wildpeak AT3W's in size 235/70r16. They are only 1/2" taller than 225/70r16. We live off of i80 in the snow and these are what we run all year on our Mazda CX-9 in size 245/65r17. They work great in all conditions and especially well in the ice and snow. The three W's stand for Winter, Wet, and Wear and they are All Terrain tires that are also Severe Snow Rated with the three peak snowflake symbol on the sidewall. You could run these all year like we do or swap them. The good thing is that you won't have to worry if you have a hot spell of get a little busy and have to wait a few extra weaks to swap back to your summers. This specific size is XL rated like ours are and I think you'll appreciate the slightly firmer sidewall that provides a bit more stability driving through the curvy mountain highway when loaded with your family and gear.

thanks I would have to confirm any change in width with the tire size as well. The rear tires are really close to the struts in both directions.. why do you recommend a larger size it is because that tire is not made in my size? Thanks!!

 

[tiredguy]

Originally Posted by SubLGT

Originally Posted by tiredguy

Hello Next season I plan to do about 11 weekend trips from San Mateo to Incline Village (Highways 80 - 267) between mid December and mid March. I will be transporting precious cargo (my 7 & 9 year old children). I was thinking of getting another set of rims and winter tires and leaving them on for 3 months Dec-March.

Will there be ice on the roads during these weekend trips? If the answer is yes, either stud your tires or get a studless tire like the WS80, Xi3, etc. Icy roads are much more treacherous than snow covered roads. If ice will be a rare occurrence, then the tires you listed will be OK. Another option for snow covered (but not ice covered) roads is an All Weather tire.

Thanks for the insight on icy roads. In general the east coast has much icier roads than 80 in California. The reason is that out here it snows, then clears and warms up which usually results in the roads drying out. Back east it can start cold for extended times and the snow on the roads gets compacted to ice. Hope this helps.

 

[RedOakRanch]

In my experience on I80, any M&S tires on AWD gets you through, usually chains are only required as they close the road. I took the Outback to Yosemite though some nasty ice and snow and I couldn't get the Michelin Premier A/S tires to break traction. I even took the southern entrance through the steeper mountains. Have also driven around northern AZ in snow and have never broke traction.

 

[SavagePatch]

Originally Posted by tiredguy

Originally Posted by SavagePatch

I would run Falken Wildpeak AT3W's in size 235/70r16. They are only 1/2" taller than 225/70r16. We live off of i80 in the snow and these are what we run all year on our Mazda CX-9 in size 245/65r17. They work great in all conditions and especially well in the ice and snow. The three W's stand for Winter, Wet, and Wear and they are All Terrain tires that are also Severe Snow Rated with the three peak snowflake symbol on the sidewall. You could run these all year like we do or swap them. The good thing is that you won't have to worry if you have a hot spell of get a little busy and have to wait a few extra weaks to swap back to your summers. This specific size is XL rated like ours are and I think you'll appreciate the slightly firmer sidewall that provides a bit more stability driving through the curvy mountain highway when loaded with your family and gear.

thanks I would have to confirm any change in width with the tire size as well. The rear tires are really close to the struts in both directions.. why do you recommend a larger size it is because that tire is not made in my size? Thanks!!

Ya, I looked up their sizes and they don't make a 225/70r16. I figured 235/70r16 would be closest to your original choice.

 

[supton]

Originally Posted by Miller88

Are yours studded? Mine are not. The ones I have make a great all terrain, though. The compound seems to be harder than most snow tires I've run; they don't get squishy even when it's 70 out. The only reason I have kept them around so long is I can drop the pressure to 25 and run pretty good speeds on the seasonal highways.

Nope, no studs. They do look like they'd work well as an all terrain, I can see that in the tire. No idea why they work well for me. Around here, the snow gets scraped pretty quickly, pavement gets bare and dry pretty quickly. Just leaves the worst bits in my driveway. Which is why I leave a/s on my car and drive that most of the time.

 

[Treadstone]

Originally Posted by tiredguy

Hello I am the OP. I plan to get a second set of wheels and mount the winter tires on them. The plan is to only have them on the vehicle from late December to Mid March.

But how many days will you be driving in warm SF vs up in the mountains per week? You will shred those winter tires in town. Get an All Weather tire and be done with it.

 

[EdwardC]

Originally Posted by Treadstone

Originally Posted by tiredguy

Hello I am the OP. I plan to get a second set of wheels and mount the winter tires on them. The plan is to only have them on the vehicle from late December to Mid March.

But how many days will you be driving in warm SF vs up in the mountains per week? You will shred those winter tires in town. Get an All Weather tire and be done with it.

Originally Posted by tiredguy

I am the OP More info: I won't be driving it much with the second set of wheels / winter tires in the SF bay area. I will use the vehicle for the weekend trips. I have two other cars that I will drive during the week to work.

It sounds like this vehicle is mostly dedicated to the weekend trips, and I still think it's great that he wants to invest in a dedicated winter set for those trips.

 

[Treadstone]

Originally Posted by EdwardC

Originally Posted by Treadstone

Originally Posted by tiredguy

Hello I am the OP. I plan to get a second set of wheels and mount the winter tires on them. The plan is to only have them on the vehicle from late December to Mid March.

But how many days will you be driving in warm SF vs up in the mountains per week? You will shred those winter tires in town. Get an All Weather tire and be done with it.

Originally Posted by tiredguy

I am the OP More info: I won't be driving it much with the second set of wheels / winter tires in the SF bay area. I will use the vehicle for the weekend trips. I have two other cars that I will drive during the week to work.

It sounds like this vehicle is mostly dedicated to the weekend trips, and I still think it's great that he wants to invest in a dedicated winter set for those trips.

Which given the other 5 days a week in warm SF weather doesn't make sense given the capability of the new All Weather tires, especially on an AWD vehicle. But it is his $$$.