Winter Tires for F150 This Year in Colorado

[John_B]

Not to poach the thread but seeing all the mention of the General Grabbers got me thinking. I drive a 99 Subaru thats got 170k on it and I'm hesitant to throw down on a set of new winters AND new all seasons with the possible lifespan of the car. Could I expect to get 3-4 decent years of winter performance out of the Generals if I ran them as all seasons? I'm up in north central WA so we have kind of hard winters, but I won't be trying to go 70 on an interstate with 'em.

[oldblue]

Not to poach the thread but seeing all the mention of the General Grabbers got me thinking. I drive a 99 Subaru thats got 170k on it and I'm hesitant to throw down on a set of new winters AND new all seasons with the possible lifespan of the car. Could I expect to get 3-4 decent years of winter performance out of the Generals if I ran them as all seasons? I'm up in north central WA so we have kind of hard winters, but I won't be trying to go 70 on an interstate with 'em.

I've run the Grabber AT2s and they are abysmal on ice. The tread compound is very hard which isn't a good thing. Also, they are very heavy which won't do you any favors in a Suby. Maybe try some of the previously mentioned Firestone Winterforce tires and just run them year round. Another option is the Nokian WRG3 which is good year round but pricier.

[jm020]

I've run the Grabber AT2s and they are abysmal on ice. The tread compound is very hard which isn't a good thing. Also, they are very heavy which won't do you any favors in a Suby. Maybe try some of the previously mentioned Firestone Winterforce tires and just run them year round. Another option is the Nokian WRG3 which is good year round but pricier.

The generals are a bit more $ than the Winterforce's too. I took mine off in may, and like I said, there is VERY little wear for having them on this past winter season. 3-4 years mayyyyyy be pushing it when you run winter's year round, but also if you live in the high country where it doesn't get above 75 or so, you may be ok. As with anything, just don't drive aggressively (flying around corners, hard accelerating, etc) in the summer and you should be ok! What kind of scooby do you have, anyway? General AT2's are usually for suv/tucks...

[Muggydude]

A of of good info in here. I do have a compressor, but I just don't know about switching them all the time, would be a PITA. Not to mention the truck doesn't really fit in the garage and is outside 100% of the time. So I'd have to move another car most if the time too to change them. In general during the winter I don't out a ton of miles on the truck on a daily basis- other than when I go skiing. So it's possible I could keep a winter tire on and not kill them. Or I could try to get a harder compound a/to tire what I keep on most of the time (including mountain trips) unless I know there will be snow and ice and then I throw on the winter/studded tires

[Finstah]

When I say I swap them out every 6 months, I mean I picked up a used set of rims for my truck locally off Craig's list that cost me $60. One set of rims has Winterforce's, the other set has some pretty worn all seasons for summer use.

I have a compressor too, but would never consider removing and installing different sets of tires on one set of rims twice a year...

[XXX-er]

My last lawyer who was very cheap used to swap back and forth even tho it can snow in august up here and he was caught out in shoulder season trying to save rubber at least once he told me about, I look at winter tires as the price of safety and ask is it really worth being that cheap ?

Good lawyer but this guy was so cheap he used to sew 2 J-cloths together, he would sew the acess hole shut on his underwear ... claims it made them last longer

If you will spend money to save money mount your snows on extra rims, even if you buy brand new steel rims from the tire dealer instead of paying for tire swaps twice a year you will save the price of the rims in <3 years .

If you change cars often sell the winter wheels seperate from the car to pay for the next set of winter tires/rims

[steved]

ProComp's standard "Severe Weather" A/T (not the "Xtreme's" fatter blocks)
General's Grabber AT2
______________________
both great diagonal tread with ProComp's a little narrower than the AT2= better when ice is mixed in. ...if year-round + highway = Grabber AT2 wins.. The ProComp A/T is a pretty good mud tire, although not toted as one.. Doesn't quite have the glide on pavement that the AT2 does(but consider that opinionated/non-factual-data).

Steve

[uglymoney]

My bro runs Michelin tires, I'm pretty sure the LTX m/s2 and swears by them. His F150 has around 350 thousand miles and says those tires last the longest by FAR(rotate regularly for even wear) and are best in snow over a longer period of time. Way outlasted the BFG a/t that he had long ago. They have deep sipes, and sipes are bueno for traction and cooling.

I can confirm that the LTX m/s2 is pretty darn sticky in snowy conditions for a street oriented all season. Keep in mind though that it is not a dedicated snow tire. Michelin optimized the silica compound to perform best in a cold rain - not snow.

For the record swapping tires for each individual road trip based on road conditions is for people with no kids, no wife or a really helpful wife. If I tried pulling something like that we'd never actually leave to go skiing, or I'd never sleep, or vice a versa. Throw winter tires on in the fall and take them off in the spring and call it good. Picking the right snow tire with reasonable wear characteristics (like Michelin's snows) and driving on them all winter on mostly dry roads still should yield at least 3 and probably 4 winters of use.

[iceman]

I'm on my second set of General Grabber AT2's on the truck and just put a set on the Cherokee. I like them, they wear well, they're excellent in snow but honestly not good in icy conditions.

I put a set of Nokian WRG2 on the allroad and they are excellent tires. I don't know how long they are going to last though as the tread compound is pretty soft. When I bought the Nokian's I was all set to buy the WRG3 but was advised by Tippster and jgb on here that the WRG2's are better than the newer WRG3's. Can't remember what the issue was exactly but the WRG2's were still available and a little bit cheaper so I went that way and haven't regretted it.

I have Continental ExtremeContact DWS's on 2 other cars (yes I have way too many vehicles, it's a long story) and they have been really good too but I am going to buy winter set this fall on the car with the older set and then use the Contis as summers until they wear out. The way the Contis are designed they are only snow-rated for the first part of the tread life, say like 10-15K miles.

[AKbruin]

I commute about 50 miles each weekday over high-elevation windy roads in an older Tundra.

I used the Blizzaks for two winters. They are as good as advertised. Great grip and very consistent. The downside, however, is that they wear quickly. I only got about 15,000 miles out of them, which, according to some parts of the Internet, is about average. They also feel squirmy as it gets warmer. I'll probably get a new set this winter.

I'm on my second pair of Michelin LTX m/s2s, which I've used year-round for the past two years. They are very good in winter conditions but not quite as confidence inspiring as the Blizzaks. Costco usually runs pretty good deals on them. If I were living somewhere like the Bay Area, Denver, or Salt Lake City and commuting to the mountains on weekends, I'd probably get these.

[PNWbrit]

I'm on my second set of General Grabber AT2's on the truck and just put a set on the Cherokee. I like them, they wear well, they're excellent in snow but honestly not good in icy conditions.

I hadn't particularly noticed a problem on ice.

But I did start considering getting another pair for winter and getting them siped, put the more used older ones back on in summer. IMHO It's not normally worth getting studs around here.

[iceman]

If there's any loose snow to grab onto they're fine, but on actual ice or icy hardpack I feel a bit shaky on them. Getting them siped would definitely help I bet.

[tuco]

Michelin's are siped to the bottom of the lugs, don't know why you would buy a tire then pay to have them siped when you can just buy them that way, but what do I know. I asked my brother what kind of mileage he was getting out of them. He said he hasn't paid attention on the last couple of pairs, but the first pair he got after the disappointment of the BFG's he was able to milk 90k out of them, more than twice what the BFG's provided. Fastidious rotation and also flipped them on the rim around half way through.

[StoneCold]

I have a 2012 F150. I bought a set of rims on CL and then a set of Blizzaks from Big O to mount on the rims. I put the Blizzaks on in November and take them off in April or May.

I live in the mountains and travel to Denver 4-5x per winter. Having a dedicated snow tire where we live is a no-brainer for me. The $1000 I spent on the Blizzaks is a small price to pay for that extra level of grip over an AT tire. I actually had the Goodyear Wrangler AT/S tires the first winter I had the truck and then switched to the Blizzak this past winter. Night and day difference.

Vail Pass. Blizzard. Cars everywhere. Shit show. Get the Blizzaks.

[PNWbrit]

Michelin's

It would seem the ones you mentioned yor boyfriend uses aren't a snow rated.....



....or or an all terrain tire

But just an all season.

I was discussing taking an all terrain tire that is already snow rated (...and not just an M+S = all season) and siping it, which costs $10-20 a tire.

Thanks for your recommendation though.... very helpful. Even if they don't make them in a size that fits my vehicle.

[bodywhomper]

ime:
-mileage combined with typical roadway surface (type and temp/time of year) is pretty important considerations for those trying to figure how long their tires will last.

-for those trying to figure about year around use of a winter tire, consider what type of terrain you'll drive in the summer/fall. my observation is that many snow-rated tires have 1-ply sidewalls, while A/T tires are multi-ply.

-i've run several models of winter-rated tires during summer (dirt, gravel, pavement driving, including highway speeds). some models wear better than others. i've specifically seen comparing models of blizzaks. my nokian WR's did not last as long with winter tread as i had antipicated. i drive less than 10k/yr.

[steved]

........Jethro's recommendation for the Cooper Discoverer M+S is a good one. Good winter traction with long tread life.

Without the studs they are strange, they stop really well....but starting in packed 3"+....Forget it...ProComp AT and AT2 = much better for traction.
Think putting in studs is the good play with this tire...as the small blocks imho sit in between rugged and soft = good ice and pow but fail in mix, which is where the studs do their work in...$.01.

[Cruiser]

FWIW I used to be very happy with the way my Nitto terragrapplers handled in the snow. Much better than my pizza cutter KM2's or my Cooper discoverer AT2's. Current set of discoverer ATP's are sort of in the middle, but no tire makes my 8500# bus stop on a dime in the snow.

[Garth Bimble]

Unless you plan on driving roads that rarely see a plow or you like to drive like a suicidal douche all this special tire shit is a waste of time. It's amazing how far 4WD, a decent set of tires (any kind with good tread) and some common sense will take you.

[uglymoney]

So the consensus is that nobody can afford to put solid snow tires on a truck? All seasons are good enough?

I get it but still recommending all seasons to a guy asking about snows for his truck is weak sauce. I don't buy the argument that good all seasons are good enough. Judging by the amount of trucks and SUV's I see ditched every year they are not.

I'd advise on truck snows but I can't afford to put snows on our 4-Runner either so I have no informed opinion on truck snow tire choices. Our truck sits in the garage all winter safe from salt and we drive cars with little affordable snow tires. And the Michelin LTX M/S2's are indeed acceptable or even good on snow and ice for an all season street tire (especially when nearly new like ours are) but they by no means give you the same sort of performance that a dedicated snow tire does.

[tuco]

It would seem the ones you mentioned yor boyfriend uses aren't a snow rated.....



....or or an all terrain tire

But just an all season.

I was discussing taking an all terrain tire that is already snow rated (...and not just an M+S = all season) and siping it, which costs $10-20 a tire.

Thanks for your recommendation though.... very helpful. Even if they don't make them in a size that fits my vehicle.

A/T's are all season tires(and not all Grabber AT2 are snow rated. Nice lookin' tire though).
Yes, they are an all season tire that kick ass in the snow(around 15+years of proof driving the streets and up the canyon). Your problem if you can't make them work in snow. OP says he does a lot of driving on DRY roads as well, so a tire that did both well for a long time was a good suggestion. If he wants a dedicated snow tire he may as well go studded.
Don't know what you drive, don't care. Don't care what fits your truck or what you do, understand shit tooth?

[tuco]

So the consensus is that nobody can afford to put solid snow tires on a truck? All seasons are good enough?

I get it but still recommending all seasons to a guy asking about snows for his truck is weak sauce. I don't buy the argument that good all seasons are good enough. Judging by the amount of trucks and SUV's I see ditched every year they are not.

I'd advise on truck snows but I can't afford to put snows on our 4-Runner either so I have no informed opinion on truck snow tire choices. Our truck sits in the garage all winter safe from salt and we drive cars with little affordable snow tires. And the Michelin LTX M/S2's are indeed acceptable or even good on snow and ice for an all season street tire (especially when nearly new like ours are) but they by no means give you the same sort of performance that a dedicated snow tire does.

You're right.
The reason I mentioned the tires I did was because of this. And the fact that they way outperformed the BFG A/T(not the KO, know nothing of them) in almost every aspect other than off road.

So what should I be looking at for a good snow and ice (winter) tire for colorado? They will be on the car almost half the year (and the roads are often dry during that time too), so they are going to have to have reasonably long life. Want good traction basically in snow and ice driving up to the mountains and around town.

[creaky fossil]

Cooper M+S

[XXX-er]

So the consensus is that nobody can afford to put solid snow tires on a truck? All seasons are good enough?

I get it but still recommending all seasons to a guy asking about snows for his truck is weak sauce. I don't buy the argument that good all seasons are good enough. Judging by the amount of trucks and SUV's I see ditched every year they are not.

I'd advise on truck snows but I can't afford to put snows on our 4-Runner either so I have no informed opinion on truck snow tire choices. Our truck sits in the garage all winter safe from salt and we drive cars with little affordable snow tires. And the Michelin LTX M/S2's are indeed acceptable or even good on snow and ice for an all season street tire (especially when nearly new like ours are) but they by no means give you the same sort of performance that a dedicated snow tire does.

you can very easily end up in the ditch on a flat plowed main highway so its not just about how far a tire will get you and the takeaway is ... that people are cheap

[Harry]

Unless you plan on driving roads that rarely see a plow or you like to drive like a suicidal douche all this special tire shit is a waste of time. It's amazing how far 4WD, a decent set of tires (any kind with good tread) and some common sense will take you.

I disagree.

Dedicated snow tires on a FWD vehicle are better than any all season tire on a 4WD. Dedicated snow tires on a 4WD are money.