All-weather/snow tire choices up North

RIT grad here! Agreed, if I still lived there Blizzaks would be my choice. Originally they were comprised of "foamed" rubber on the outer layer, and solid rubber beneath that such that once worn down to a certain degree they could be repurposed as normal all seasons. I'm not sure if that's they way they still are. With the "snow" layer still present they really worked well. Hard to beat really and not hard to understand why when you consider the radical approach to using this bi-compound approach. Now the downside is handling. At full tread depth (new) the handling suffered noticeably. No free lunch.

 

Another important thing that nobody seems to mention much about winter tires is width. Generally speaking, on hard pack and ice - narrower is better. For instance, my SR5 Premium came with 265/70R17 tires. The Blizzaks that I run in the winter are only 255/70R17. If you check the tire specifications for both tires, you'll find that I matched the overall diameter, but reduced the width by about one size. Why you ask? Because a narrower tire means more pounds per square inch of contact patch. That's critical for better traction on hard pack and ice. Want proof? Google what World Rally Cars run on hard packed snow and ice.

On the other hand, if you're breaking trails in deep snow, you generally want a wider tire. Why? Because in this case you want fewer pounds per square inch of contact patch so you can float in the deep snow. On hard pack and ice, floating is the last thing you want.

 

Good information here.

But, by the specs, a 255/70/17 is 14mm shorter than a 265/70/17.

 

I live in the NE and rain and snow were the key factors when researching replacement tires. So i went to the best source, snow plow and construction friends. Hands down the Duratracs were the preferred choice and now with 2 winters in I can also confirm they are great in the snow and rain. Deep snow to slush, but the 4R is 4WD after all so any decent tire should do well.

 

I think technically speaking, for a given vehicle weight and tire pressure, the contact patch has to spread to react accordingly. The shape of the patch will change w/ section width, but the area will be the same. More TP, the patch gets smaller. Less TP, the patch gets bigger. Also, sidewall height increases (-1, -2) help w/ low traction conditions.

 

Believe it or not, a given size tire will differ in dimensions from manufacturer to manufacturer - sometimes significantly. When I compared the stock Dunlops to the Blizzaks on Tirerack.com, they were within spitting distance.

 

I worked part time for a plowing contractor for years and heard similar recommendations. Oddly enough though, nobody had ever even driven a truck with Blizzaks. (Probably because most plowing contractors I know use LT rated tires on 1-ton 4x4's.) I happened to get the opportunity to plow the lot at the Toyota dealership I work at last year when the regular guy called in sick. The company truck is a Tundra with four Blizzaks. In all of the plow trucks I've driven over the years, nothing came even close to the traction that thing had.

So why would plowing contractors not like Blizzaks? It's quite simple: Cost. The shorter life and higher initial cost of the Blizzaks is a non-starter for them.

 

Yeah, but Duratracs cost more than Blizzaks, however you would need 2 sets if u use Blizzaks. It's more likely they don't use Blizzaks because they can only be used seasonally and are not that robust of a tire for plowing.

I switched from Blizzaks to Vredestein snowtrac 5's many years ago, totally incredible on my cars. Vredestein ~Oct-March Super Sports ~April-September.

 

Of course. But, by the actual numbers, a 255/70/17 is still smaller than a 265/70/17.

 

From western Canada here, in the Canadian Rocky Mountains.

You really only have two options up here: Either Bridgestone Blizzaks, or a studded tire like Nokian Hakkapeliittas.

Most people here, and myself included run Blizzaks on our vehicles, including our on new '23 4runner.

Studded tires technically perform better, but they are super loud, you need to manage the studs yourself, and they will absolutely destroy your driveway/garage. Where I'm at, we are legally required to have winters on from Oct - May so having studded on for 6months is a lot to deal with, IMO.

 

For NJ I went with Mickey Thompson Baja ATs. We will see how they do this winter.

 

Nokian has stud-less options, also. I'd expect them to be just as popular as Blizzaks.

The 4Runner must be a beast with snow tires!

 

If you ever want to try something different give Vredestein snowtrac 5's a try. I won't go any other snow tire now on my cars, and i tried Blizzaks & Hakkapeliittas.

 

nokian studless winter tires are tanky AF,. I ran them on my old Fozzy XT after running a set of blizzaks. IMO the Nokians are better than the blizzaks but you can't really go wrong with either tire in winters.

 

I always tell people the same! My TC is a beast on Hakkapeliittas. I'd love to try a set on the 4Runner!

 

I would guess and say run a dedicated winter tire. 2 sets of wheels. Problem solved

 

Same! Any winter tire is going to be better than your best winter focused all season tire. Well maybe with the exception of the Nokian ones, their "all season" tires are basically winter tires that don't melt away in summer.

 

I had Blizzak DMV2s on my Limited (full time 4WD) and they were good but not great. I remember driving up the winding canyon road in the snow to go skiing and there was only 1 other vehicle on the road that kept up, another 4 Runner - when we got to the ski resort I checked out his tires and he had studded Duratracs. I remember being really impressed by that.

That said, Nokian is the way to go.

 

I live in SE MI, and while we only get a big dump a few times per winter, our freeze-thaw cycle is pretty rough. I have been happy with DuraTrac 255/75's for winter use because they work into the shoulder seasons and are great in heavy, wet snow. We do get lots of ice on the back roads, but outside of studded tires, nothing works on that.

 

If I recall you have nitto ridge grappler 255/80R17 now, right?

How do you like them in the snow?

 

Yes 255/80/17 Ridge Grapplers. They are great in deep snow, they are not great on snow covered slippery pavement.

 

In western Canada we've run Michelin 10 ply MS or Defender tires all year for about 25 years on ice and packed snow to -40 temperatures. If you need actual winter rated tires have a look at Michelin LTX Winter tires which are basicly the same 3D sipe pattern.