Snow Tire Options

[Sofunkyitsacrime]

I split time between Castle Rock and Avon. Last year I put a set of Wildpeak AT3 on my Tahoe and I agree with you. They are pretty good in mid-deep snow but nothing special on hard slick. The Michelin Defenders I had before, which aren’t even 3 Peak rated, were at least as good.

So, snow tires on the LC. Mine is coming with the 20” wheels so I plan to have a set put on those.

I agree the Toyota sizes constrain availability. I see Hakke R3 as an option at Discount Tire and will probably go that route if any are still available when the truck arrives in about a month. I don’t see DMV2s.

There is a Toyo option (OpenCountry WLT1) that looks interesting too, as it looks like a more AT-focused tread. The Toyo AT tires are well regarded around here so I wonder if anyone has tried the snows.

For the 20's, (see my post above) bump up slightly to a 275/60r-20 - more (and less expensive) choices to be had in that size, no noticeable difference in performance.

For what its worth, Hakkas are amazing too, just hard to find hyper local, and more expensive than Blizzaks which offer same performance. X-ice, Graspics, and the ilk all are light-years better than even a 3-peak tire in the heart of winter.

T

 

[mkg]

I went with 275/60/20 General Artic Grabbers. No snow to try them out yet, but Im sure they will be fine. Dont usually notice a huge difference between tires, as I cant really test them back to back. Got a decent deal for the set, so figured Id try them out.

 

[Markarian421]

I have a few options in terms of what’s theoretically available on my spreadsheet (look at the bottom of the 18” tire & 20” tire tabs). The only two SL stock size 18” options I found when I looked earlier were Hankook Winter i Pike X and the Michelin X-Ice Snow (with the second possibly not being released until December).

 

[msenske]

I know that you’re looking for a dedicated winter tire that can get swapped seasonally, which is the best solution in terms of guaranteeing the highest level of ice, snow, and cold weather performance. That being said, I wanted to suggest a potential alternative that may obviate the need for maintaining two separate sets of seasonal tires which might offer some significant benefits during the shoulder seasons where conditions are highly varible.

I have heard several people speak very highly of the Nokian Outpost nAT for its ability to serve as an all season all-terrain tire with excellent winter performance. While I don’t have direct experience with this tire, I wanted to bring it up in case you weren’t familiar with it. Perhaps it might be a good fit for you.

265/70R18 all-terrain tires / Nokian Tyres – Finnish tire maker

265/70R18 all-terrain tires

na.nokiantyres.com

 

[kobyneal]

I put on the Toyo Observe gsi 6 ls 3 weeks ago 265/70/18 and they have been great. In Canada against the Rockies so all sorts of weather. Biggest thing I found is they are 15 lb lighter than some other options in that size.

 

[bgeorger]

This is a good watch.

 

[Markarian421]

This is a good watch.

Wow that's surprising. I'd have expected much better from the Falken Wildpeak A/T4W, they pretty much ruled it out as a snow tire!

 

[Dangler]

I swapped out the stock LTX Trail tires set for Falken Wildpeak AT4w on my LC and have been super pleased so far. I live fulltime in Breckenridge, CO where we just received shy of 3FT of snow last week. While the LC and WP did really well in the deep snow - I was finding myself slipping around my neighborhood (dirt road) as the roads iced up a fair bit. I was hoping to get away with just the Wildpeaks year round but given the fact we'll have snow until May - I should probably jump back into a seperate set of snow tires. I was running Nokian Hakkapeliitta R3 on my Tacoma and was pretty happy. Prefer to use a set that is SL rated. Love to get some recommendations from the group! Thanks

I have the Falken Wildpeak AT4s on my LC and would not consider them louder than any other good AT tire on dry pavement. I run Cooper Discoverer AT3 XLTs on my F150 and my 96 LC and they’re great: long wearing, good traction overall and reasonably quiet. I went with the Wildpeaks just to try something different this time, and they are rated well for wet/snow. I did not drive the LC with the stock tires long enough to get a sense of road noise but the Wildpeaks are very smooth and acceptably quiet.

I had a chance to drive up a local mountain pass this weekend and they performed very well in 3-4” of unplowed, heavy wet snow. I don’t live where snow tires are necessary so these tires will suffice well for the few times I need to drive over the pass.

 

[DJW]

I put on the Toyo Observe gsi 6 ls 3 weeks ago 265/70/18 and they have been great. In Canada against the Rockies so all sorts of weather. Biggest thing I found is they are 15 lb lighter than some other options in that size.

I also just put these on mine. There hasn't been any snow or ice to test on yet.

 

[REB27]

+1 for Blizzaks as the best, run them on multiple rigs here in Vermont. Just put them on our LC - 275/60r20 on the premium pkg rims, but no noteworthy snow here... yet.

Another Vermonter who put Blizzaks

Size & Description​ Qty​ Availability​ Price Each​ Item Total​ P265/65R-18 BRIDGESTONE BLIZZAK DM-V2 SL

on both my wife’s LC FE and my GX 550 Overtrail.

 

[bgeorger]

I am a Buffalo guy and I am going to roll the dice with my KO3s. I will keep everyone updated. We get some snow here so I should have a lot to say in a few weeks!

 

[TrailWhale]

This is a good watch.

Yikes. This does not give me confidence as I head into winter on my AT4Ws.

 

[bgeorger]

Yikes. This does not give me confidence as I head into winter on my AT4Ws.

I was shocked by the results and instantly thrilled with my decision to get the KO3s. Hopefully, the AT4Ws perform better than the did in this video for you.

 

[TrailWhale]

I was shocked by the results and instantly thrilled with my decision to get the KO3s. Hopefully, the AT4Ws perform better than the did in this video for you.

It's kinda funny because I picked AT4W's because of the AT3W's reputation as a winter tire. I had KO2s in the past and disliked them in winter, so I did not pick KO3s because of the KO2's reputation.

 

[bgeorger]

It's kinda funny because I picked AT4W's because of the AT3W's reputation as a winter tire. I had KO2s in the past and disliked them in winter, so I did not pick KO3s because of the KO2's reputation.

I am excited to share experiences with you in the near future. This will be a fun conversation to get us through the winter.

 

[Markarian421]

In this video, the host also finds the AT4W's to be the worst of the pack in snow, but great in everything else. The AT4W is his first choice overall. It just doesn't keep up in the snow.

 

[DenisLM]

In theory the AT4W LT sizes are worse in the snow than the non-LT
Not sure if will be able to be better than the old AT3W or the new KO3, but something to keep in mind.

 

[msenske]

I am excited to share experiences with you in the near future. This will be a fun conversation to get us through the winter.

I’ll do the same. I have KO3s on my LC First Edition in the original OEM size and will be driving in quite a bit of snow this winter in the Pacific Northwest.