Snow Tire recommendation ?

[Meintc]

I need some forum advice. Sitting here this Saturday morning thinking about my Maverick , Of course. . Since my truck is being built, as of now, on September 19, which means I should receive it sometime mid to late October, I need to begin to think about snow tires. It has been 30 years since I had a pickup and that was rear wheel drive. Do I purchase only 2 snow tires for my hybrid's front wheels and leave the back wheels as is or do I purchase 4 snow tires? I'm thinking 4 but with the cost of things now-a-days I wonder if I can get by with only 2. I haven't bought snow tires for my AWD Escapes so I am unsure.

Also, what are decent tires that I should purchase?

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[oilman300]

I've always had good luck with Bridgestone Blizzaks when I lived in New England. Now that I live in Georgia, they're not needed.

 

[Crazyal]

Blizzaks, l’ve used them since 1993 and they are outstanding. You need to purchase 4 as you don’t want to mix tires.

 

[Crazyal]

Costco is the place to buy them.

 

[Meintc]

Costco is the place to buy them.

Thank you. I was thinking I should get 4 but well, that's why I asked. I don't have a Costco membership but I could go with someone that does.

 

[Meintc]

I've always had good luck with Bridgestone Blizzaks when I lived in New England. Now that I live in Georgia, they're not needed.

Thank you.

 

[flyking1]

I have never had snow tires so this may be a stupid question, but...Do you run snow tires year round? Buy four extra rims, mount them, then keep them in your garage until the weather turns cold and them swap your other tires into the garage?

 

[stoptothink]

I have never had snow tires so this may be a stupid question, but...Do you run snow tires year round? Buy four extra rims, mount them, then keep them in your garage until the weather turns cold and them swap your other tires into the garage?

I would not run them year round, they do not perform as well as all-seasons in warm weather and they will reduce MPG. They also tend to be more expensive than all-season options. We always buy a separate set of wheels and just swap them.

 

[jsus]

Do I purchase only 2 snow tires for my hybrid's front wheels and leave the back wheels as is or do I purchase 4 snow tires?

No. Do that and you end up with uneven traction and a harder vehicle to control. Don't do that. Get a full set. Ideally on a dedicated set of winter wheels so you don't have to dismount the tires off the wheels twice a year, which causes wear and potential damage.

Also, what are decent tires that I should purchase?

My only experience is with Michelin X-Ice Xi-3 which perform well, they've got newer versions out by now just like everyone else. Way better than the factory tires Ford uses in some midwest snow.

Current options at Costco for 225/65R17:

$657.88 + tax for the Michelins at Costco this month, Discount Tire usually will match them or beat them on Labor Day sales, etc

I have never had snow tires so this may be a stupid question, but...Do you run snow tires year round? Buy four extra rims, mount them, then keep them in your garage until the weather turns cold and them swap your other tires into the garage?

Ideally they're on dedicated wheels which adds expense but reduces wear and speeds up seasonal swaps. No, unless you live at under 40ºF all year, you'd swap to winter tires when it drops below there, and swap back when it warms up in the spring. Part of the magic of winter tires is that they're softer at lower temps so they don't turn into frozen hockey pucks, but when it warms up, that makes them too soft, they'd wear out prematurely, etc. See above, the Michelins are rated for only 40k in cold weather, less in warm weather and not warrantied, while Michelin all-seasons are easily rated 55-60k+ mi. Also, most brands don't even give a warranty on winter tires.

 

[dalola]

I need some forum advice. Sitting here this Saturday morning thinking about my Maverick , Of course. . Since my truck is being built, as of now, on September 19, which means I should receive it sometime mid to late October, I need to begin to think about snow tires. It has been 30 years since I had a pickup and that was rear wheel drive. Do I purchase only 2 snow tires for my hybrid's front wheels and leave the back wheels as is or do I purchase 4 snow tires? I'm thinking 4 but with the cost of things now-a-days I wonder if I can get by with only 2. I haven't bought snow tires for my AWD Escapes so I am unsure.

Also, what are decent tires that I should purchase?

As warned above, DO NOT mix dedicated winter tires with all season tires! That can create a dangerous vehicle rotation scenario due to the traction delta.

The rubber compound in winter tires is also much softer than all season tires, so theoretically, you could run them year around, but they will wear out much quicker during warm weather. And given that they are on average more expensive than all season tires, it makes no sense to use them during non-winter conditions.

The best practice is to get a second set of wheels (cheap steelies are great for this) for your winter tires, and swap sets every fall & spring.

Look for a quality brand with good reviews at a price point you can afford.

 

[V2WIN]

I need some forum advice. Sitting here this Saturday morning thinking about my Maverick , Of course. . Since my truck is being built, as of now, on September 19, which means I should receive it sometime mid to late October, I need to begin to think about snow tires. It has been 30 years since I had a pickup and that was rear wheel drive. Do I purchase only 2 snow tires for my hybrid's front wheels and leave the back wheels as is or do I purchase 4 snow tires? I'm thinking 4 but with the cost of things now-a-days I wonder if I can get by with only 2. I haven't bought snow tires for my AWD Escapes so I am unsure.

Also, what are decent tires that I should purchase?

I've always used Blizzaks, but have tired of cha ging out every spring / fall. On my Maverick I'm trying a set of all weather tires. Michelin cross climates are one. I settled on Nokians from Discount tires. They've been great this summer, but we will see when the snow flies.

 

[Mav_27]

When my XL comes in I plan to use my steelies for winter tires (and hopefully trade in stock tires) and next spring get a set of Fifteen52s with some kind of meatier tires.

 

[Scott Asheville]

Dear OP, am I misreading your original post? You seemed to imply that the Maverick is rear wheel drive. It's front wheel drive.

Your question is still valid about snow tires. Everything I've read over the last 50 years has said "put the same tire on all four wheels". I recommend checking out Tire Rack too. They'll deliver straight to your installer shop. I get you're tight for money (been there), but Tire Rack sells mounted tires on cheap steel wheels for the winter. Kind of cool since you can self-install and save some cash every year. So the initial investment is returned over time.

 

[stoptothink]

I've always used Blizzaks, but have tired of cha ging out every spring / fall. On my Maverick I'm trying a set of all weather tires. Michelin cross climates are one. I settled on Nokians from Discount tires. They've been great this summer, but we will see when the snow flies.

We tried Nokian WR G4 on our last vehicle; not particularly impressed. They were good in the summer, but noticeably worse than our previous snow tires in the snow. They also ran ~$50 more expensive per tire. I'll deal with the hassle of storing and switching them out to get better performance and save a few bucks. YMMV.

 

[Crazyal]

The great thing with Costco, no matter where you are in NA, they have stores everywhere so no problem getting warranty or repair in Canada or USA

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