I just picked up a set of snow tires for about $500 -- they were having a buy three get one free sale, which dropped the price nicely. I was sliding all over the place on the stock Rugged Trails, so $500 for far better traction feels cheap in comparison.
Cooper Discoverer AT3 in snow
- Thread starter WU7X
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I just picked up a set of snow tires for about $500 -- they were having a buy three get one free sale, which dropped the price nicely. I was sliding all over the place on the stock Rugged Trails, so $500 for far better traction feels cheap in comparison.
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The cooper M/S have always appeared to be a great option for folks that want excellent winter traction. That Cooper AT W also looks like an excellent option, basically an AT 3 with added factory sipes. Looks like a good middle ground between the excellent heavy winter biased Cooper M/S and the AT 3. If I were buying AT tires for a truck I used as a daily driver I'd run the Nokian AT tire or that Cooper AT W. Every "all season with winter bias" tire I've run from Nokian has performed VERY well in winter conditions. I run At3s on my Astro and have been pretty happy, but my snow driving primarily happens on the way to the ski resort, as opposed to the daily grind. They are made with silica based rubber which keeps them flexible at cold temps avoiding the "hockey puck" type scenario that befalls so many other tires. I know BFGs have the snowflake rating for their tread but I've never been impressed with the BFGs once temps really plummet. In the PNW this would be less of an issue. For in town/commutes where black ice type conditions tend to be more prevalent I usually run my cars, even the 2wd passat, with snow tires....4wd trucks are nice for getting going but for handling and braking I prefer the light weight and low center of gravity of a car. Every storm we have in UT I see a smattering of SUVs and trucks in the ditch and on their side/roofs in situations where my car, with snows, still seems to handle like a go kart.
I've also always heard impressive comments on Michelin line of AT tires for snow work. Granted folks don't like them much for mud/rock crawling I'd think anyone in the market for an AT 3 type tire might also be well served by Michelin AT or M/S. I REALLY like the AT3s on my van for the excellent ride but actually kind of wish that I'd have bought Michelins for the excellent ride AND snowy roads.
I've also always heard impressive comments on Michelin line of AT tires for snow work. Granted folks don't like them much for mud/rock crawling I'd think anyone in the market for an AT 3 type tire might also be well served by Michelin AT or M/S. I REALLY like the AT3s on my van for the excellent ride but actually kind of wish that I'd have bought Michelins for the excellent ride AND snowy roads.
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This is a very interesting thread as I am also looking for tires with some winter capabilities (Tahoe) for my 2001 4Runner.
What is the consensus on LT vs P for a stock 3rd Gen 4runner (stock size tire)? this seems like a good deal today - $598 for 4 AT3 LT:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/4-NEW-LT265...0|Rim+Diameter:16&hash=item540670f940&vxp=mtr
What is the consensus on LT vs P for a stock 3rd Gen 4runner (stock size tire)? this seems like a good deal today - $598 for 4 AT3 LT:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/4-NEW-LT265...0|Rim+Diameter:16&hash=item540670f940&vxp=mtr
I just checked on my 4runner and I have been running X Radial LT with P rating for over 70000 miles - including a trip to Belize and back...
Those tires were put on by the previous owner and I always thought that I would replace them sooner with something more aggressive, but they seem like they totally refused to wear. I probably still have another 5000 miles or so of thread on them…which means I would get close to 80000 miles on those.
I am impressed.
http://www.michelinman.com/tire-selector/category/suv-crossover/x-radial-lt2/tire-details
Those tires were put on by the previous owner and I always thought that I would replace them sooner with something more aggressive, but they seem like they totally refused to wear. I probably still have another 5000 miles or so of thread on them…which means I would get close to 80000 miles on those.
I am impressed.
http://www.michelinman.com/tire-selector/category/suv-crossover/x-radial-lt2/tire-details
I'd jump on that deal. Though if you really think you want them primarily as a winter/snow tire. I might consider something more winter biased.
I grabbed a set of At3s a few years when they first came out for my van for about $100 a tire. At the time they were no name and I took the chance primarily because of the silica based rubber and the knowledge that Nokian had been contracting cooper to make their Vatiiva line of tires awhile back. I bought P-metric 235 70-16s for the van. I thought i would have preferred an LT tire but the load rating was more than sufficient for the van so I figured at $100/tire, why not. They've been on the van now for over 15k and I literally feel, for the price paid, like I stole the tires. Very happy with them, more mushy than the D-rated Nokian commercial van snows they replaced (which I now run on my Volvo) but the trade off for that was a really, really nice riding tire.
I really only use the van for loaded weekend warrior trips, hammered them really hard, mostly in S. Utah, and had zero issues on a fairly heavy vehicle. It is an AWD van so I'm not rock crawling but I am taking it places, and over rocky roads that folks feel I have no place taking an Astro.
When I bought my Montero I elected to put C Ply LT-rated Hankook ATMs on it. In all honesty, again...I don't rock crawl, I kind of wish I was running p-metrics on that truck too. Factory spec is a p-metric tire and I'm not real keen on the ride quality of the LT tire. I know lots of people will howl but I think for all but the real difficult 4x4 trails, vs, overlanding a P tire is sufficient (provided it handles your load requirements!!). One thing people worry about is sidewall protection when airing down, that said, I really don't bother airing down my P tires as the ride is sufficiently compliant. You'll notice a theme in my comments, I trend toward the lighter duty side of things. I think lighter duty works well and often times going heavy duty involves a downward spiral of requiring more and more HD components JUST to handle the added weight of said components. I don't think all that many folks here agree with my philosophy.
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This is the Michelin I'd consider if I was in your position and looking for a Highway oriented tire. If I was buying tires for my van today, I'd definitely consider this tire. That said, I like my AT 3s so much the AT W would be heavy contender too.
http://www.michelinman.com/tire-selector/category/light-truck/ltx-m-s2/tire-details
And here I thought $700 was a good deal!
That was at BigO tires, and it looks like they are still having that sale for at least this weekend. With tires someone is usually offering a decent sale at any given time. The improvement of dedicated winter tires over running one set all year is worth the money for me, and long term there is not much extra cost, but it is definitely more money up front.