Snow Tires - Narrowing Up

[summit]

Narrowing snow tires can make things so much more stable, especially in variable/slush. I had great luck with 245/70/17 Blizzak DM-V1 on the 07 T4R and they were ~stock diameter but the DM-V1 is no longer in production.

We have a 5th gen 4runner that is 265/70/17 and will need snows. Options are more limited... Need opinions and options on narrowing vs lowering:

245/75/17 Grabber Artic LT ~stock diameter but getting tall for the narrow... R speed studdable snows

245/70/17 Altimax Artic Q rated studdable (cheap) or Nokian Hakka 8 SUV studded (uber$) 1.1" smaller than stock

245/65/17 Blizzak DM-V2 S or Nokian Hakka R2SUV studdless snows but now 2.1" smaller than stock and the odo/spedo will read 6.6% higher/lower!

255/70/17 Blizzak DM-V2 S rated studdless snow only 0.5" smaller but 255 isn't much of a gain over 265.

In general I don't think I need studs... this is the first winter they would have been nice.

[CaliBrit]

Cooper wsc. Got them on my 4 runner. Great.

[El Chupacabra]

I've used 245/75/16 winter tires in place of 265/70/17 on my '08 4Runner. Worked fine. Used 255/75/17 Goodyear Silent Armor as my 3-season tire on the 4Runner, for most of the time I owned it - fits, on stock wheels, with a little trimming of the front fender liners. That tire size is occasionally available cheap, as it is (or was) a stock size for Jeep Wranglers.

Also used 245/75/16 regular tires in place of the stock 265/70/16 on Mrs C's Xterra, also worked fine.

Not sure there was any real advantage to the narrower winter tire. In theory, it should cut through snow better,but I didn't notice any real improvement. The 245/75/16 winter tire was less expensive than the same tire in 265/70/17.

[uglymoney]

These Latitude Xice2 are within an inch and they will last a few winters. Run into the same problem with our old Outback. Hard to narrow up more than one size and keep the diameter.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....LXI2&tab=Sizes

[summit]

Do you feel narrowing is worth the loss in clearance and paying the price on the odometer?

[uglymoney]

We don't have snows on our T4R (rarely driven in our salty winter).

On the Outback narrowing up one size and keeping the stock diameter by going from 60 to 65 makes a huge difference in deep snow performance. I've had snows in 225/60 and 215/65 and there is no comparison once the snow goes 3D.

On your 4 Runner you have a way taller final drive and ground clearance to spare but personally I am loathe to give up too much diameter. Brand loyalty and price make it even tougher - like if Michelin made that 245/75/17 with stock diameter it would be a no brainer for me. Wish I had an astute opinion to share.

[summit]

Love my Blizzaks DMVs... I found them in a 245/70/17 so I'll probably do that and give up a half inch of clearance...

Unless someone has something amazing to say about the Grabber Artic LT?

[grskier]

We've been happy with the DM-V2s on our AWD Jeep.

[1000-oaks]

Don't know the sizes off the top of my head, but been really happy with General Altimax Arctic on a 3rd gen 4Runner.

[Benny Profane]

Simple physics. Check out old plow trucks in Vermont. Skinny ass tires, really knarly.

[mtcollins50]

I'll throw down a plus one for general altimax I have them on my Subaru and they are great

[nickel]

I'll add my .02

Nokian is worth the money. Every set I've had has had excellent grip and more than acceptable wear life.

I couldn't give a shit about summer tires but winters are important.

[reckless toboggan]

I'll add my .02

Nokian is worth the money. Every set I've had has had excellent grip and more than acceptable wear life.

I couldn't give a shit about summer tires but winters are important.

Yup.

Studded Hakkapeliittas.

Everytime.

[/End Thread]

[Solesides]

Another vote for studded Hakkas...running the LT version on a Tacoma. Confidence inspiring and if you manage your pressure well the studs aren't an issue on snow/ice free pavement...

[whyturn]

Hakaa FTW

[auvgeek]

Loving the (studded) Hakka 8 SUV on our Outback, but, like you, wish it came in something narrower but not smaller diameter than stock. 215/70R17 would be perfect for the Gen 5 Outback, but oh well.

Hakka 9 comes out next fall...

[whyturn]

R2 is what I have on my forester. 205/65/16. Narrow and taller than stock. Not studded though

[neufox47]

Loving the (studded) Hakka 8 SUV on our Outback, but, like you, wish it came in something narrower but not smaller diameter than stock. 215/70R17 would be perfect for the Gen 5 Outback, but oh well.

Hakka 9 comes out next fall...

I have studded hakka 8s on my CRV. Tires are like magic. I have almost 20k miles on them in 3 seasons and they have a lot of tread left. Had hakka 7s before and they were amazing. Drove my friends Pathfinder that had Hakka 7s in their 7th season. 30k miles and still a wear indicator left. Hakkas are worth every penny.

[summit]

I think there are only a few conditions where the studs help over the high end studdless, but it is much more likely I'm on dry pavement where the studs hurt. So I've been using the studless.

[Lone_Summit]

Love my Blizzaks DMVs... I found them in a 245/70/17 so I'll probably do that and give up a half inch of clearance...

Unless someone has something amazing to say about the Grabber Artic LT?

I've got the arctics on my Tacoma, studded, not a fan at all. They get the job done but slip more in corners than I would like. The coopers I had the on my 4Runner two years ago were amazing. My wife has blizzaks on her RAV4 and they blow the arctics out of the water.

[mtskibum16]

We ran 255/75/17 on our 2003 4Runner when we had it. It was the stock size for one of the Jeeps, and at the time tires were really cheap in that size. Are you set on a dedicated snow tire? I've been happy with winter rated (mountain/snowflake) all terrain tires. I ran the Hankook Dynapro ATM and it performed admirably in Bozeman through the winters. We put like 50,000 miles on them before selling the 4Runner with another 10,000 miles of tread left. I liked them so much I just put the same tire (not size of coarse) on our Outback. Something like that or the Cooper Discoverer ATW, etc.

[Name Redacted]

What are you slipping on so bad that you need wagon wheels on your Runner?

[ill-advised strategy]

Think about it this way, our 25,000 lb buses are on 225 width steer tires and even with what looks like iffy tread patterns they are the stickiest vehicles I've ever driven in snow and ice. Pressure = friction.

I have the same width tires on my F250 and my toyota (235)....the f250 is stickier with all seasons than the toyota with snow tires.

[summit]

They have 245/70R17 Blizzak DMV2 which is what are both the old 4Runner and the new one and they rock.

[LiveLarger]

I'm using Nokian Hakkas, studded, but I'm confident their studless tires are great as well. This is the go-to tire for pretty much all of Norway, Sweden and Finland, and that is for good reason. Skinny is generally good as "ill-advised strategy" said.