Winter Tires
Elder User
Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 607
Likes: 3
From: CT
I don't pretend to compete with Canadian Winters. I am a First Responder, so a lot of times I am out in the middle of the night before the plows.
I looked at Nokians but they were kind of pricey. Went with Firestone Winterforce and have been quite pleased. Tires are well-siped, but I had them studded because we get a lot of "mixed precipitation" (snow/ice/freezing rain) during Connecticut winters.
I looked at Nokians but they were kind of pricey. Went with Firestone Winterforce and have been quite pleased. Tires are well-siped, but I had them studded because we get a lot of "mixed precipitation" (snow/ice/freezing rain) during Connecticut winters.
Hotshot
Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 19,687
Likes: 12,812
From: Wyoming
On my prior truck I ran Toyo Open Country ice/snow tires (prior model was G02+, new model is WLT1). I thought they were a very good tire for Colorado winters. They wore well as long as I didn't tow on dry pavement. I had them for probably 8 years, running them only in the winter. At the time I bought them they were almost impossible to find locally and I had to order them off the Internet.
https://www.toyotires.com/tire/patte...k-winter-tires
https://www.toyotires.com/tire/patte...k-winter-tires
New User
Joined: Jul 2017
Posts: 8
Likes: 0
On my prior truck I ran Toyo Open Country ice/snow tires (prior model was G02+, new model is WLT1). I thought they were a very good tire for Colorado winters. They wore well as long as I didn't tow on dry pavement. I had them for probably 8 years, running them only in the winter. At the time I bought them they were almost impossible to find locally and I had to order them off the Internet.
https://www.toyotires.com/tire/patte...k-winter-tires
https://www.toyotires.com/tire/patte...k-winter-tires
Hotshot
Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 19,687
Likes: 12,812
From: Wyoming
My only reluctance to buying them again would be the lack of local retail shops that carry Toyo on a regular basis.
Senior User
Joined: Jul 2017
Posts: 388
Likes: 2
I live in the interior of BC and I am on my 2nd set of Nokian Hakkapeliitta's I have also run two sets of Toyo's Open Country's over the years. I seemed to scrub the Toyo's faster and they always seemed to finagle their way out of the warranty. The Nokian tires are very good, if you are going to dedicated winters the Hak is a good choice. It's a tough call between the Hak and the Rotiva's. As you can run the Rotiva's all year, the compounds not as soft so durability is better and if you don't have a second set of rims you save the changeover fees. Depends how much of your time you spend in deeper snow and colder temps. I am struggling with this myself but we get real winter here and we ski and drive to the coast etc, so mileage a side I will likely go with the Hak's again.
Senior User
Joined: Jul 2017
Posts: 388
Likes: 2
I live in the interior of BC and I am on my 2nd set of Nokian Hakkapeliitta's I have also run two sets of Toyo's Open Country's over the years. I seemed to scrub the Toyo's faster and they always seemed to finagle their way out of the warranty. The Nokian tires are very good, if you are going to dedicated winters the Hak is a good choice. It's a tough call between the Hak and the Rotiva's. As you can run the Rotiva's all year, the compounds not as soft so durability is better and if you don't have a second set of rims you save the changeover fees. Depends how much of your time you spend in deeper snow and colder temps. I am struggling with this myself but we get real winter here and we ski and drive to the coast etc, so mileage a side I will likely go with the Hak's again.
Thread Starter
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Senior User
Joined: Jun 2017
Posts: 295
Likes: 1
Thanks guy, you all confirmed my purchase of the Firestones. They are on a special right now as well so i'm going to pull the trigger on them.
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Senior User
Joined: Jun 2017
Posts: 295
Likes: 1
I want a dedicated winter tire just in case we have a bad winter. This summer had a lot of rain so i'm expecting the winter to be a snowy one. All terrain tires even though they are rated for snow do not do a good job in snow according to this test video.
Hotshot
Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 19,687
Likes: 12,812
From: Wyoming
Stopping and cornering is why I buy ice/snow rated tires. The improved acceleration (and not getting stuck) is a bonus.
Senior User
Joined: Jul 2017
Posts: 388
Likes: 2
You are right, driving all seasons in deep snow or black ice just doesn't cut it. If a person lived in a climate that only gets a mild winter and was able pick and choose which days they drove, all weathers can make some sense, no switch-overs and the new tires have some pretty impressive compounds that give you traction and durability. We have a truck that will just be driven around town (not on mountain passes during the winter) we will likely go this route for that truck but only because we have other trucks that we can drive with dedicated winters for those days when it makes sense to do so.
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Senior User
Joined: Jun 2017
Posts: 295
Likes: 1
This is why I want the best winter tire. I like my insurance rate, I don't want to rear end anyone and make it go up.
Bleed Ford Blue
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 13,578
Likes: 157
From: Anchorage Alaska
With our climate, once it snows it stays on the ground all winter (we hope) meaning the roads are always slick. Not like the lower 48 where it melts off after a snowfall, partly because we don't get enough heat from the sun to melt anything during the winter
I know plenty of people who say they are fine with all seasons or A/T's, they have also been in the snowbank or rear ended someone in the last few years...