Should I get snow tires?

[crushNchowda]

I do a lot of driving for work up and down the northeast maine to ri and my main office is is MA. I do not want to drive around w/ weight in the bed and I'm also hesitant to throw the truck in 4wd unless the roads are covered in snow. Typically that isn't the case usually the roads are clear in many spots, snow packed in some, black ice on others etc you get the idea. In those conditions leaving in 4wd would be a bad idea since there's dry pavement involved.

 

My question is how bad will this truck perform w/ the stock Goodyear all terrains? Part of me would want to take the dark colored AT 20s off in the winter anyhow to keep them in good shape.

 

I had blizzaks on my last ride (G8) and fully understand what a difference snow tires make, my G8 was a 360rwhp stalled beast and drove like a champ in the snow w/ traction control, LSD, and 50/50 weight dist.

 

What do you all think? I had 07 LTZ 4x4 silvy as well and kept sandbags in the bed the tires on that truck blew chunks in the snow I think they were bridgestones.

[MikeNH]

You can use auto 4wd in the varied conditions if you're worried but honestly I spent 11 years driving through NH winters and just running my various trucks in 4 high and shifting out as needed. The only time I ever had snow tires was in my Legacy as it came with summer only rubber. I bought some cheap 17s and got General snow tires and even though that winter (2010-11) was a bad winter the car did better than anything I had ever owned in snow. And playing rally driver at night on empty roads was a hoot too.

 

I've never felt the need for it with my pickups. The stock Bridgestones on me 2011 were ok, I can't speak for your Goodyears obviously but in past experience I have not liked their tires for poor weather performance.

[DaveH71]

you could leave it in auto 4x4

[kstruckcountry]

The SR-A's I had were pretty bad, even a real all terrain will do better in the snow.

 

Michelin's seem to do really well in the ice. They're great in wet conditions as well.

[thearborbarber]

I run blizzak's in the winter with my 09 1500. They are great for winter driving. Especially on ice and slush.

[GasHog369]

+1 on Auto 4x4.. You have it, use it. Kicks in flawless.

 

Also IMO i would never buy snow tires for a vehicle with 4x4. It it gets disy use auto or 4hi. Otherwise ditch the stockers and bu some good AT tires. I love my Cooper ST MAXX.

 

The tread is sexy and they perform well.

 

[DanMan_S]

These trucks with Auto 4x4 and a set of Blizzaks on 17" rims are insane for winter driving. I'm finishing off this season with my Bridgestone All Terrains, and for next year I'm going to start running separate sets of Bridgestone Alenza's on 20" rims for most of year, and winter tires for the winter.

 

As good as all terrains + 4x4 are, they don't help you when the roads are icy and you need to stop.

[Ron.s]

In snow you can "get by" with the factory tires but as you know the Blizzack really shines on black ice and they work very well on packed snow floor. To me the danger of hitting black ice makes a good studless tire a must. Emergency maneuvers, stopping you can't beat them. And they wear so good, that's been a pleasant surprise. On my midsize SUV I have over 22000 miles and still 60% tread. Not quite as good of wear on my pickup but at almost 30000 miles I still had another season left when I sold it. I track tire mileage & rotations along with oil change and other service data. I think the secret to good tire life with the Blizzack is to avoid running them too early or late season when temps warm up.

Consumer reports rates the Michelin above the Blizzack so I'm giving them a try this year. If I ever get my truck!!!

Here's the Michelin tire if you have 20's...Michelin Latitude X-Ice Xi2 P275/55/R20;113T, Green L, 31.8 diameter,11/32 tread

Factory tire is Goodyear P275/55R20 All-Terrain Blackwall Tire

UTQG : 360AB

Load/Speed Rating : 111/S

Overall Tire Diameter : 31.9

[DanMan_S]

In snow you can "get by" with the factory tires but as you know the Blizzack really shines on black ice and they work very well on packed snow floor. To me the danger of hitting black ice makes a good studless tire a must. Emergency maneuvers, stopping you can't beat them. And they wear so good, that's been a pleasant surprise. On my midsize SUV I have over 22000 miles and still 60% tread. Not quite as good of wear on my pickup but at almost 30000 miles I still had another season left when I sold it. I track tire mileage & rotations along with oil change and other service data. I think the secret to good tire life with the Blizzack is to avoid running them too early or late season when temps warm up.

Consumer reports rates the Michelin above the Blizzack so I'm giving them a try this year. If I ever get my truck!!!

Here's the Michelin tire if you have 20's...Michelin Latitude X-Ice Xi2 P275/55/R20;113T, Green L, 31.8 diameter,11/32 tread

Factory tire is Goodyear P275/55R20 All-Terrain Blackwall Tire

UTQG : 360AB

Load/Speed Rating : 111/S

Overall Tire Diameter : 31.9

 

Definitely agree with this! Factory tires and all terrains do get the job done, but a dedicated set of winter tires are worth their weight in gold when you need that extra grip for emergency maneuverers, braking, etc. That extra piece of mind that the truck would stick when needed is what really sold me. And if a guy wants to get crazy, in the winter my uncle runs studded blizzaks on his Sierra and that really kicks it up a notch!

[johnnyg123]

i also decided to get a seperate set of winter tires. the 13 2500 came with 18 in wheels and not to many options in that size without going wider.but 1 that i found is the cooper discoverer m&s.they will be going on a set of steel wheels for the winter. i have the michelin ltx at2 tires on now and they are great riding but not too sure how the will do in the snow

[crushNchowda]

+1 on Auto 4x4.. You have it, use it. Kicks in flawless.

 

Also IMO i would never buy snow tires for a vehicle with 4x4. It it gets disy use auto or 4hi. Otherwise ditch the stockers and bu some good AT tires. I love my Cooper ST MAXX.

 

The tread is sexy and they perform well.

 

You must have never driven a vehicle w/ or w/o awd/4wd running snow tires in the winter vs. anything else. Ill tell you what tire category is a crock of poo- "all seasons" cuz there's no such thing. Surprising since you're in buffalo.

 

After reading these replies and thinking back to what it was like running the all seasons w/ the silvy I think I'm going to order some black rims and blizzaks for the winter months.

 

I don't trust 4wheel auto- can be good for the truck to randomly engage and disengage the front axle like that, and getting going isn't what I'm worried about- its stopping, turning, changing lanes, hitting ice, and having the truck react predictably in the snow and winter conditions.

 

Not entirely apples to apples- but try running the 1/4 mile in your sports car on all seasons or summer onlys when your rep or $$$ is on the line vs. running a proper DR, night and day and tenths all day....

[GasHog369]

You must have never driven a vehicle w/ or w/o awd/4wd running snow tires in the winter vs. anything else. Ill tell you what tire category is a crock of poo- "all seasons" cuz there's no such thing. Surprising since you're in buffalo.

 

After reading these replies and thinking back to what it was like running the all seasons w/ the silvy I think I'm going to order some black rims and blizzaks for the winter months.

 

I don't trust 4wheel auto- can be good for the truck to randomly engage and disengage the front axle like that, and getting going isn't what I'm worried about- its stopping, turning, changing lanes, hitting ice, and having the truck react predictably in the snow and winter conditions.

 

Not entirely apples to apples- but try running the 1/4 mile in your sports car on all seasons or summer onlys when your rep or $$$ is on the line vs. running a proper DR, night and day and tenths all day....

 

No i have never driven a vehicle with blizzaks... My co worker had them in the past on his bmw and they lasted 10k miles, but he did say they performed great.... for a car..

Ive always kept every vehicle ive owned with a great tire for winter especially living in Buffalo. Ive owned many sets of BFG TA KO's, and they got we thru freak october storm where it dropped ice on us then over 2 feet of snow over night. And they got me thru the blizzard we had 12 years ago or so where we had 6-7 feet in a couple day period.

And most important, This past monday night when i was up in the Boston Hills, in boston NY, First Rain came down, then sleet, then 4" or so of snow fell on top of it all. I drove home at a steady 40 mph and felt very solid. There were accidents everywhere, and cars off in multiple ditches.

The Cooper ST MAXX that i have now is Studdable. I will end up putting 280 lbs in the truck bed over the wheels, but thats just for added security.

The auto 4x4 is an awesome feature for where the ground is dry and then all of a sudden theres snow or ice blown across the road.. Or if a plow dosent srape the snow down as much as he should. If there is even a question in your mind if the auto 4x4 would work in your particular road situation, put it in 4hi.

[waumo1]

If you have to go everywhere everyday anytime then winter tires can't be beat. If you can pick and choose where you go and when don't bother with winter tires. Also winter tires are more for steering and stopping and 2WD, 4WD, AWD doesn't change the need to steer and stop. I run General Altimax studded on the truck and Blizzaks on the Jeep. First wet ice we get in the winter, there are 4WD trucks in every ditch with their mudders and "all seasons". Wet ice is almost a daily event in Jan and Feb in my area.

[Ron.s]

Blizzack's wearing out on a car in 10000 miles? Hard to believe unless he ran them in the summer. I've had a set on two trucks and my wife's SUV and the Blizzack's lack of wear is one way I justify the cost-your other tires last that much longer. My last truck had 70M miles and 25-30 on Blizzack's still lots of tread left-lots of towing miles. The Michelin Xi2 comes with a 40M guarantee, low rolling resistance, speed rated to 118 mph. I am an aggressive driver and these tires have saved my a$$ several times. They may slip a little but they don't totally lose it like AT or Snow tires. I put mine on in mid November and off mid March so I don't know if heat hurts them. Have run at 80-85 on 60 degree day and they stay cool. I'm sure the new tires are improved over older gens.

[crushNchowda]

Blizzack's wearing out on a car in 10000 miles? Hard to believe unless he ran them in the summer. I've had a set on two trucks and my wife's SUV and the Blizzack's lack of wear is one way I justify the cost-your other tires last that much longer. My last truck had 70M miles and 25-30 on Blizzack's still lots of tread left-lots of towing miles. The Michelin Xi2 comes with a 40M guarantee, low rolling resistance, speed rated to 118 mph. I am an aggressive driver and these tires have saved my a$$ several times. They may slip a little but they don't totally lose it like AT or Snow tires. I put mine on in mid November and off mid March so I don't know if heat hurts them. Have run at 80-85 on 60 degree day and they stay cool. I'm sure the new tires are improved over older gens.

I'm trying the Michelins this time too, suprisingly they're about $22/tire cheaper than the blizzaks @ tirerack. Anyone know what happens if I don't add TPMS? Will it leave a warning on my display all season like my G8?

 

I pretty much have to drive through any weather any time so I want to make sure I have the best traction possible. And, it'll be fun to do some offroading on snow paved trails/fields when the time comes too....