Winter Wheels And Tires - What's Your Setup?

[DaddyDan]

Here in the NW corner of NM winter is highly unpredictable. You might have a winter when you get 3-5 inches from a storm and have one of those storms every week. You might have a winter where you get once decent snowfall per month from December through Feb-early March. You might get snow on Easter weekend. And you might go a whole winter without anything but a sad rain or two. (Then I remember the year we got 14 in out of a single storm the 3 week of December and the kids got an extra week of school off for their Christmas Break.)

I plan on wearing out the Continentals and then buying a 3-peak rated all terrain. Bought my first 3 peak rated tire probably in 2016, a Hercules Terra Trac ATII for an AWD Highlander I owned. That tire was nothing short awesome in the snow and ice. Last set of tires I bought for the 2018 Buick Regal TourX I replaced with the Maverick was a General Altimax 365 AW which was really good at everything from lateral grip and snow use.

Price will be a consideration but I always try to get a "good value" everything I need in the tire without spending a penny more than I need to. I'm leaning toward a BF Goodrich Trail Terrain with the white letters on the outside.

Though it might end up looking like a Tonka Truck...

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[BLUEOVALRACER]

What if the Maverick looked like a Cybertruck?

That looks much nicer than a Cyber Truck IMO!!

 

[Transplant]

I envy all you guys that can get away without dedicated winter tires. I'm running some RTX 17" wheels I picked up used in excellent condition. I ran Goodyear Winter Command tires for a couple years but now I'm running Michelin X-Ice Snows that are made here in Nova Scotia.

Here's a couple things I can add:
Painted wheels are the only way to go for winter wheels, any wheel with polished areas end up with the worst corrosion within a couple years.

The Goodyear Winter Command tires were great, I have no complaints. Drove fine, handled the snow well, I'd still be running them if one didn't explode on a bridge transition.

The Michelin X-Ice Snow are far and away the best winter tire I have ever run. Quiet, comfortable, grips like crazy on snow and really good on ice. We'll see how long they last but I am confident they'll be durable too. The cost is excessive for these tires, but it's definitely a get what you paid for deal here but the extra cost over other decent winter tires to me is worth it.

 

[Maverick123]

I envy all you guys that can get away without dedicated winter tires. I'm running some RTX 17" wheels I picked up used in excellent condition. I ran Goodyear Winter Command tires for a couple years but now I'm running Michelin X-Ice Snows that are made here in Nova Scotia.

Here's a couple things I can add:
Painted wheels are the only way to go for winter wheels, any wheel with polished areas end up with the worst corrosion within a couple years.

The Goodyear Winter Command tires were great, I have no complaints. Drove fine, handled the snow well, I'd still be running them if one didn't explode on a bridge transition.

The Michelin X-Ice Snow are far and away the best winter tire I have ever run. Quiet, comfortable, grips like crazy on snow and really good on ice. We'll see how long they last but I am confident they'll be durable too. The cost is excessive for these tires, but it's definitely a get what you paid for deal here but the extra cost over other decent winter tires to me is worth it.

I paid $800 tx in for mine, got them during end-of-season sale last year @ CT.

I agree they're super quiet, but I'm not impressed with their grip vs the Blizzak DM-V2s I had on my old truck. Maybe it's the horrible conditions we've had this year that are making things worse than previous years though

 

[MavMan53]

In bad weather I leave mine in the garage and drive my full size Bronco.

 

[Transplant]

I paid $800 tx in for mine, got them during end-of-season sale last year @ CT.

I agree they're super quiet, but I'm not impressed with their grip vs the Blizzak DM-V2s I had on my old truck. Maybe it's the horrible conditions we've had this year that are making things worse than previous years though

I've heard good things about the Blizzaks but I didn't like that the tread compound changes at 50% wear. Even if you're planning to change the tire out at half wear anyway I have to question why the tread compound wasn't good enough to be used throughout the tread.

I have connections that work at Michelin and I get grief whenever I buy anything that's not a Michelin. He's also super knowledgeable about what goes into a good tire so he's hard to ignore when I'm tire shopping. Especially where I have a long commute in winter, there's nothing worse than not having confidence in your winter tires when you're forced to commute in the middle of a snowstorm.

 

[chrisofpa]

I tell you what, I was very impressed with the performance of the stock tires on my Tremor in the last couple of snow storms we had.

 

[Rokan]

I tell you what, I was very impressed with the performance of the stock tires on my Tremor in the last couple of snow storms we had.

They did well for me also but at 45k on them I questioned the capability in deeper snow and slush. I’ll definitely replace them with another set this summer for tue 3 seasons as a daily. Agreed good tire very capable.

 

[Cedar Lake]

Studded Hakkapellitas on the same rims that came with the truck. I've never bought a dedicated set of rims for my winter tires but might consider it. Between those and AWD I feel pretty good in our northern NE snow globe.

 

[bsenecal]

Studded Hakkapellitas on the same rims that came with the truck. I've never bought a dedicated set of rims for my winter tires but might consider it. Between those and AWD I feel pretty good in our northern NE snow globe.

Where n Vermont are you?
I am in Milton.
I have found the benefits of a separate set of winter tires on their own time allows me to change when I want and not have to spend $100 twice a year and wait if you don’t schedule accordingly.
Brian

 

[Cedar Lake]

Where n Vermont are you?
I am in Milton.
I have found the benefits of a separate set of winter tires on their own time allows me to change when I want and not have to spend $100 twice a year and wait if you don’t schedule accordingly.
Brian

Williston. And yeah, $140 at Town Fair tire (because I didn't want to go any longer on the all-seasons in February and because I was too lazy to go wait in line in the cold at VT Tire and Service at 7:00 in the morning) was steep!!

 

[imboden013]

We got about 6 inches of snow, sleet and ice mix here in eastern Arkansas last Saturday and Sunday. Lot of it still on ground. I’ve been running the stock Goodyears Wrangler Territory HT 225/55 r19 on my 25 hybrid AWD. It’s handled everything without a hitch. Most of time I forget to even use slippery mode, just for the fun of it and to stay out of salt brine I stick to the back roads.

 

[Snowbird]

Williston. And yeah, $140 at Town Fair tire (because I didn't want to go any longer on the all-seasons in February and because I was too lazy to go wait in line in the cold at VT Tire and Service at 7:00 in the morning) was steep!!

I am in Fayston till mid Dec. then drive south to NC. I have an 23XL that I still run the OEM steelies and Continentals from spring to Oct. 1. I bought Sparco Terra's from tire rack and Nokian Remedy WRG5's from Vermont Tire and put them on Oct. 1 until I head back north late May.

They have done well in the snow getting me up Rt. 17 to Mad River Glen for opening day the last two Decembers. Glad I have them on right now as we are under a winter storm warning!

 

[rk06382]

Williston. And yeah, $140 at Town Fair tire (because I didn't want to go any longer on the all-seasons in February and because I was too lazy to go wait in line in the cold at VT Tire and Service at 7:00 in the morning) was steep!!

I have use extra rims for winter tires for the last 35 years. It allows me to switch tires in my driveway. I have a portable air compressor & small floor jack.

My '25 Maverick is the first with TPMS. I need to purchase a TPMS Relearn Tool to reset the tire pressure monitor.

I purchased tires six weeks before the 1st snow. I installed them after the 1st snow in my driveway with my Son doing most of the work. I drove to the tire shop to have the TPMS reset for free. Studded snow are only legal between Sept 16 & April 30. Tire shops are busy after 1st snow.

 

[Master Blaster]

I have use extra rims for winter tires for the last 35 years. It allows me to switch tires in my driveway. I have a portable air compressor & small floor jack.

My '25 Maverick is the first with TPMS. I need to purchase a TPMS Relearn Tool to reset the tire pressure monitor.

I purchased tires six weeks before the 1st snow. I installed them after the 1st snow in my driveway with my son's doing most of the work. I drove to the tire shop to have the TPMS reset for free. Studded snow are only legal between Sept 16 & April 30. Tire shops are busy after 1st snow.

You don't need to do a TPMS relearn. Just drive it for a day and it relearns all by itself, the same as when you rotate the tires every year and it figures out which is which all by itself.

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