Winter is coming (real Canadian winter)

[d4v]

Sorry to be that guy to remind us all that summer is on the way out but it has be thinking about tires.

This is my first truck so I'm not familiar with AW tires performance in Canadian winters (you know, real snow that lands in December, turns to perma-ice, then melts in the fall kinda winters). I live in BC so it's not as harsh as Manitoba but I do adventure a lot in the winter for skiing/backcountry skiing. Historically I've always had two sets of wheels.

Curious to hear people's suggestions. I'm currently running Falken AT4Ws I'm sure they're great, but doubt they have the performance of a winter specific tire. I've looked online a fair bit and most suggest the usual Nokians etc.. I'm wondering if its worth looking at any of the other options?

Thanks all.

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[SnowmanJPS]

I had KO2's on my last truck (3rd gen MT) and it was by far the best vehicle I've owned for the snow, and I've had a Quattro Audi and a Subaru Outback both had winter tires

 

[Miqie]

I have a Sport with the OEM tires. I drove a Versa with just front wheel drive and didn't have issues in the Midwest winters, so this heavier vehicle with 4WD should be fine. I'm more concerned about the little scoops on the felt/plastic 'skid' plate underneath since the air-dam has been removed.

 

[Lando]

I recommend winter tires. BC snow, especially coastal snow is different than interior or snow in drier places. Wet and sticky. An inch of snow on the coast is harder to navigate than 3 inches worth in Alberta.
I’ve had good traction with Hancock winters in the past. I will look to upgrade my tires to an all weather or mountain snowflake m&s all terrain.

 

[WKTJR1]

I recommend winter tires. BC snow, especially coastal snow is different than interior or snow in drier places. Wet and sticky. An inch of snow on the coast is harder to navigate than 3 inches worth in Alberta.
I’ve had good traction with Hancock winters in the past. I will look to upgrade my tires to an all weather or mountain snowflake m&s all terrain.

This right here ^.

Our Maine winters in my area (Mid-coast) usually start with dry powder early in the season and become wetter during the new year as temperatures rise, often resulting in a hard freeze. It's certainly not as severe as Canadian winters, but it's close enough. I've used Michelin LTX M/S 2's for several years and still think they are the best light truck tire on the market; they're quiet, smooth, and offer great winter traction. The competitors' tires in that class are also quite good (I used to sell tires). The LTX Primacies that my Limited is coming with aren't really exciting me. They will perform adequately with full-time AWD, but I'll be looking to replace them sooner rather than later, as I don't expect them to perform as well as other types.

 

[Ron]

I used to put winter tires on everything but i've switched to wildpeak atw3 and now atw4.

Maybe not as good on ice but I'm happy with them all year. We dont get snow all winter - more rain. But the snow we get can be deep and sloppy

When our hill gets covered in snow lots of vehicles end up in the ditch or can’t make it up. I had no problem with the atw3’s

 

[Gear_yyc]

I've been debating this recently too. I have been assuming that I will opt for dedicated winters on the OEM wheels (when primary duty is commuting in town), and then switch to all-terrains for summer and shoulder seasons, where On/Off-road mixed driving is expected. But I haven't really experienced good 3PMS-rated all-terrains before, so not sure how much I'll gain in winter traction by going to a dedicated winter tire (except studded Nokians which would obviously be a big step up).
Also worth noting:
M+S designation: Based on tread design - how well can it evacuate water/slush? Not really indicative of traction. Essentially "All Season" tires will have this marking.
3PMS designation: Based on acceleration performance in snow relative to a baseline tire. Essentially "All Weather" tires will have this marking.
[NEW] Ice Grip Marking: Based on braking performance on ice relative to a baseline tire. Very few tires have this marking so far. I've linked to a Nokian page, but this is an actual ISO standard that is to be used across the industry going forward. Dedicated winter tires are expected to have this marking.

 

[WKTJR1]

As per Tire Rack:
Tires branded with the 3PMSF symbol are expected to provide improved snow traction beyond a standard M+S branded all-season tire, however 3PMSF-branded all-season and all-terrain tires cannot match the traction of dedicated winter / snow tires in all winter weather conditions and should not be considered a replacement for where and when a dedicated winter tire is needed.

 

[oxi]

KO2's will do fine on Tacoma's.

My 2010 SR5 ran ko2's as well as my 2016 SR, both pictured below in Wisconsin winters.

Though my 2022 Corolla SE with WS90's was all I needed the last 2 winters. That little car ran circles around the trucks with WS90's on 15's, as long as there was no more than 5.5" falling overnight on the roads before plows could get out.

 

[Gear_yyc]

KO2's will do fine on Tacoma's.

My 2010 SR5 ran ko2's as well as my 2016 SR, both pictured below in Wisconsin winters.

Though my 2022 Corolla SE with WS90's was all I needed the last 2 winters. That little car ran circles around the trucks with WS90's on 15's, as long as there was no more than 5.5" falling overnight on the roads before plows could get out.

I think this just sold me on dedicated winters. I don't want to get by in the winter; I want good winter performance.

 

[Ron]

[NEW] Ice Grip Marking:

Its good to see a new standard for that.

I just checked my AT4W's - they just have the 3pms symbol - not the ice one. Makes sense.

If my income depended on me getting places, i would consider dedicated winter tires.

 

[Powhunter]

Alberta checking in here. I also am big into snowboarding so I frequent the passes between Lake Louise and Kicking Horse mostly, and decided to go with a dedicated winter tire. I bought a second set of more aggressive wheels and tires for the summer but I ordered a set of Toyo Observe GSI-6 in 285/70r17 for this winter. In my research they were the only P rated 33” tire for a 17” wheel I could find. So I’m happy that both sets of my wheels/tires are the same size.

Here’s to more snow than last year!

 

[punkard]

Where in BC are you? I lived in the lower mainland for many years (currently on the island) and was using General Grabbers on my XTerra, and then switched over to KO2's. I think I preferred the Grabbers, but the KO2's did well in the snow we got. Mind you, I was able to put it in 4 wheel drive with locked diffs. Curious to see how the Taco behaves. I also have the sport premium on the oem tires at the moment.

 

[Goriders]

Sorry to be that guy to remind us all that summer is on the way out but it has be thinking about tires.

This is my first truck so I'm not familiar with AW tires performance in Canadian winters (you know, real snow that lands in December, turns to perma-ice, then melts in the fall kinda winters). I live in BC so it's not as harsh as Manitoba but I do adventure a lot in the winter for skiing/backcountry skiing. Historically I've always had two sets of wheels.

Curious to hear people's suggestions. I'm currently running Falken AT4Ws I'm sure they're great, but doubt they have the performance of a winter specific tire. I've looked online a fair bit and most suggest the usual Nokians etc.. I'm wondering if its worth looking at any of the other options?

Thanks all.

i’ll be buying bridgestone blizzak DM-V2s for mine. Slightly narrower than stock. Had them on my F150. They are good truck winter tires.

There’s no comparison to winter tires for traction on slippery roads.

 

[entropy]

Waiting to see what any Denverites have to say on the matter. This is my first truck and I've always been fine with all season tires on my previous cars. But open to changing that up, still have the stock ones on for now.

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