Best Tire Brands for Winter?

[Anvil1010]

Originally Posted by tirebob

On any standard half ton, most come with P rated right from the factory unless they were a special edition or heavy half so unless you have one of those, you absolutely do not need an LT tire. If you are loading heavy for long distances or need some more toughness offroad etc then an LT can help, but the correct P rated tires are up to the maximum factory stated capabilities of an OEM truck.

Thank you sir. I had figured as much but it is great to have a pro opinion.

[just_dave]

Really appreciate all the replies and information. There is definitely no shortage of options. It'll come down to price, quality and all-season/winter. Now that I know what a really good winter tire is, I'll search for something that resembles that. I'll be getting quotes for sure.


Thank you! Guidance and reassurance always makes the choice easier!

[Erik]

Originally Posted by CaberTosser

Why not run a 17” winter wheel? It’s not backtracking because a 17” wheel is much better on a truck than one that is larger for numerous reasons, the sole reason for a larger diameter wheel is primarily just for looks once you have one of sufficient size the clear the brake calipers.

Fair point, but was hoping to avoid expenditures on new rims for the winter and I have 18" on my truck.

Originally Posted by JB_AOL

Did you talk to a tire guy? Moving up or down a size isn't a big deal. As in moving from a 255 width to 250 width, or vice versa. Just use an online comparison tool to ensure the difference is a low percentage (0-5%) and alls good.

I suspected this might be the case, but didnt' know. Thanks for the advice. I might give that a try. I have the Nokians on my van and love them, so it'd be a pleasant surprise if I can make them work out.

[Munchymoo]

I have Hakk 9's on the truck and I have also run Blizzak's. I tend to like the Nokians over the Blizzaks.

Does anyone have any experience with Nokian Nordman's?
I need tires for my explorer and I am looking at the Nordman 7 Studded, Hakk 8, and the Hakk R3.

Cost is about $30 per tire different from the Nordmans (cheapest) to the R3 (most expensive).

[JB_AOL]

Originally Posted by Munchymoo

Does anyone have any experience with Nokian Nordman's?
I need tires for my explorer and I am looking at the Nordman 7 Studded, Hakk 8, and the Hakk R3.

Cost is about $30 per tire different from the Nordmans (cheapest) to the R3 (most expensive).

Literally just dropped my rims (for our explorer) off to get nordman 7 put on. Basically Nordmans are Nokians last years models, still made my nokian. IIRC, the difference is the Hakka 9's have multiple types of studs, depending on where they are placed on the tire to minimize noise and optimize traction. Whereas the Nordman is the last version of the Hakka 9's which only have one type of stud. So they may be a bit noisier.

I had the "old" hakka 9's on our previous vehicle, and they were great. That was my initial plan was hakka 9's for this vehicle, but was told by my tire guy to save the money and get the nordmans. He also recommended going to a narrower tire as it was cheaper yet. I ended up saving about $400 vs nokians.

I have never liked blizzaks, I found they clog up with snow and were just plain crap on snow. Didn't have enough gaps to clear the snow (think paddle wheel) ok on ice, but sucked on packed snow.

[Labradorhunter90]

I would go with the BFG Ko2 for a all season tire, they handle well on snow and ice and last a long time. I have a set on my tire service truck with 75,000k on them and still no sign of dry rot or separation...

[Sushi]

I'm frugal. I don't fuss over things too much. I expect good value. Cooper Tires are my favourite hands down.

[tirebob]

Originally Posted by CaberTosser

Bob, I agree that such tests might not be the end-all and be-all, but its something. I noted that I was surprised that the Toyo's I really like were a bit low in the rankings. I guess though its fair to note I have not driven the other tires that were ranked ahead of the Observe's. The Toyo's were behind the Grabber Arctic's, but those were their P-rated ones rather than the entirely different Grabber Artic LT's that I bought from you last January (too bad those aren't available in the size I'm now seeking, we'll find something soon though).

The Consumers Reports test rankings in my estimation need to weigh certain performance factors much more heavily than others, for instance snow traction and ice braking should have greater effect on the ranking than minor performance qualities such as noise levels and rolling resistance. A 'ride comfort' column also seemed rather subjective, cumulatively that's 3 columns out of 10 that can have a heavy effect on a tires ranking. I'll note though that they don't include tread life estimate on winter tires as they do with summer or all-season tires.

It would also be interesting to know where the heck their test facility is, to get an idea of what kind of winter conditions they test in.

Again, they can only test tires in the conditions of the day the tests are happening. That is where the problem lies. If it was only -2 degrees that day, then that is what they are basing their results on and give you a list of "the top" or "the bottom", but like I was attempting to articulate, if they waited until a day it was -30 degrees and repeat the tests identically, the results will guaranteed be different, just as if they waited again and it was now -15 the results would be different again. This is because all the manufacturers blend their compounds to provide benefits one way, but sacrifice a bit in another way to improve the areas they are trying for. For example, in our environment we tend to see the majority of the people (here at least 4 to 1) will report far better ice traction from the Blizzak WS80 over the X-Ice Xi3 as we tend to have generally much colder temps regularly compared to somewhere like Kelowna or Vancouver, while in those two places people tend to appreciate the X-Ice models because in the less severe cold the work very well and end up usually being more durable in those temps closer to zero degrees.

Same with changing vehicles. Different cars that weigh more or less, or have front wheel drive vs rear wheel drive vs all wheel drive will all respond differently to the different tires. Different drivers who are more aggressive or less aggressive will respond differently than the driver of the tests shown. As for road noise and comfort, people hear different tones and pitches based on their own hearing spectrum so while one guy finds a tire quiet, another thinks it is noisy and visa versa because the note the tire generates is in their sensitivity area. It goes on and on and on.

The list only shows a very limited point on the spectrum and this is where I have an issue because people do not always live in an area or see the specific conditions represents by that small spectrum point, and these tests just cannot be remotely comprehensive enough to honestly quantify one product being better than another in any of the areas they test. For tires it just is not an effective list to base an individuals purchase on.

[Twisted Canuck]

Originally Posted by Munchymoo

I have Hakk 9's on the truck and I have also run Blizzak's. I tend to like the Nokians over the Blizzaks.

Does anyone have any experience with Nokian Nordman's?
I need tires for my explorer and I am looking at the Nordman 7 Studded, Hakk 8, and the Hakk R3.

Cost is about $30 per tire different from the Nordmans (cheapest) to the R3 (most expensive).

We have studded Hakk 8s (I think they are all studded) on our VW Tiguan and Toyota Venza (both AWD)...you can climb glaciers with them. Wouldn't switch.

And by the way, Tirebob, I really appreciate the voice of expertise you bring to the forum and this thread. You articulate all these points much better than I could have...I grew up in my dad's tire shop back in the early 70s, still remember putting bias ply tires on dad's truck! To this day, I still have PTSD tremors whenever I walk into a tire shop, the smell gets me and I hear echoes of an angry man cussing me in German.....



Hopefully some day we can have a good whisky together, that would be grand.

[tirebob]

Originally Posted by Twisted Canuck

We have studded Hakk 8s (I think they are all studded) on our VW Tiguan and Toyota Venza (both AWD)...you can climb glaciers with them. Wouldn't switch.

And by the way, Tirebob, I really appreciate the voice of expertise you bring to the forum and this thread. You articulate all these points much better than I could have...I grew up in my dad's tire shop back in the early 70s, still remember putting bias ply tires on dad's truck! To this day, I still have PTSD tremors whenever I walk into a tire shop, the smell gets me and I hear echoes of an angry man cussing me in German.....



Hopefully some day we can have a good whisky together, that would be grand.

Haha! I know what you mean... I have been doing this since the 80's so I am an old man in the business it seems and when you come across some weird tire or rim the guys are all scratching their heads about how antique it is, I laugh and remember how it was daily stuff for us!

Whisky will happen man... We just need to cross paths one day!

[Twisted Canuck]

Originally Posted by tirebob

Haha! I know what you mean... I have been doing this since the 80's so I am an old man in the business it seems and when you come across some weird tire or rim the guys are all scratching their heads about how antique it is, I laugh and remember how it was daily stuff for us!

Whisky will happen man... We just need to cross paths one day!

I still remember when my uncle had a flat on the old International grain truck, split rim...he was fixing it on the truck, (new tube), and inflating it in place. Nobody seems to know what a split rim is anymore, maybe you can explain it....anyway, it didn't seat properly and blew off my uncle's knee cap as he was crouched in front....you better believe I have a right proper fear of what can happen in a hurry! He was never the same after that, knee was always the size of a melon and purple, heavy limp.....

Yup, derail! Whisky sounds great. TC

[partsman]

Yep I had split rims and was always nervous doing them, finally switched over to conventional rims, much better.

[crazy_davey]

Quick question for the guys with studded tires... Recently bought some Hakk 9 SUV’s, studded. The studs are pretty aggressive, just wondering how they will be on a smooth finish shop floor for the first while until they get warn down? Will they damage the smooth finish? Was thinking of coating the floor. When the studs are new, would they damage the epoxy coating?

Thanks!

[CaberTosser]

I think it will depends on what floor coating you select. Firstly one generally isn't steering much in the garage so there will be little in the way of scrub-factor. I could see it scratching a standard epoxy finish but I think one of the thicker & somewhat rubbery polyaspartic floor finishes would be resilient enough for the studs to compress into it and then rebound.

If a person seasonally tapes down something like strips of 1/2" plywood where the tires track to protect the protective floor finish, is that getting too OCD? Asking for a friend

[crazy_davey]

Haven’t coated it yet, but might soon. Pretty anal about my shop

Finally doing the big shop I’ve always wanted. I guess mostly concerned about the smooth finish floor for now... Getting the roof and gables spray foamed tomorrow, two post lift going in in the spring!

[tirebob]

Originally Posted by crazy_davey

Quick question for the guys with studded tires... Recently bought some Hakk 9 SUV’s, studded. The studs are pretty aggressive, just wondering how they will be on a smooth finish shop floor for the first while until they get warn down? Will they damage the smooth finish? Was thinking of coating the floor. When the studs are new, would they damage the epoxy coating?

Thanks!

Straight up, studs will scratch up polished and epoxy flooring. If you can roll straight in and out without having to turn you steering wheel and you have zero slipping you will not be to big an issue, but studs do mark the surface.

[comaderek]

I run KO2s on my silverado and like them. I always have. Costco carries them.
I had a BFG all terrain TAs which were on my older truck. A set lasted for ever.
My truck came with Goodyear Wranglers. Garbage!!

[SamSteele]

My favourite winter tires on my trucks have been Nokian Hakks (like most on here). I put Nokian All Weather tires on my wife’s Odyssey and they were not nearly as impressive. I had BFG AT KO2s on my last truck for a couple winters and they were good in snow but awful on ice. My new truck came with Blizzaks which I just put on last week. They are quiet but we haven’t had any snow or ice to test them with yet here in Edmonton.

[CaberTosser]

These tires performed great through the hellish winter we had last year but alas they don't fit my new whip:

http://outdoorsmenforum.ca/showthread.php?t=352342

[ctd]

G/F had Nordmans on her 08 Honda Fit. Drove that car to BC and back a few times in the winter through some snow storms. Never once was I concerned. They gripped the snow and ice very well.

Driving around town and QE2 all the time i was very impressed with stopping and starting.

If your on a budget you cant go wrong with them.

[teledogs]

I travel the Icefields Parkway regularly and have been through 5 storms already this year, last year it was ice almost all winter. I have hauled out a lot of stuck stranded people and have been through huge snow. I have the Nokian Haks studded on my Tacoma and they are a great tire. Haven't been stuck yet!

[Norwest Alta]

I waa shopping around for new tires and got in touch with tirebob. The savings on my tires will pay for my fuel while I'm on my antelope safari quite easily. The prices are so good I'm buying a set of tires for the house boss as well.