SUV Snow Tires

Initial Review, 3,000 Miles on Tires
April 03, 2010

I purchased these to replace the OEM Goodyear Integra, which were average but slippery. I had hydroplaning issues with those and slid on acceleration from stops on wet pavement. However, these Fortera TripleTreds are AWESOME. I need a good all-weather tire for my Pilot that I could use in bad weather at high speed on the German autobahn. I put them on in October and have gone through the fall and winter with them happily. They provide outstanding traction and stability in all conditions. I first noticed that they didn't slip on wet leaves or paint stripes when driving in town in the fall. I have since riven them in heavy rain, ice, and snow in town and at over 105 MPH on the autobahn. They perform perfectly at all speeds and vehicle weights and give me total confidence. They brake well, corner well even when loaded, and they are sure-footed cat's paws even on ice and snow. Sure, every tire will slide some if you turn sharply on glazed ice or brake suddenly on black ice; but these grip better than anything I've ever driven, on any vehicle. I trust my family's safety with them even at very high speed. I have also done anti-terrorist performance driving training. These TripleTred tires are what I want on my vehicle for max performance that could literally save my family's life. Even with shipping, they were cheaper to buy from Tire Rack and ship to a military APO than to buy autobahn-capable SUV tires in Germany. I will definitely buy them again.

Initial Review, 37,000 Miles on Tires
December 27, 2012

This is a good RFT tire. The options are limited, so let me say that I replaced the original set with another at 37000 miles. It was not a particularly difficult decision, really. Tread was beginning to approach the wear bars, but I felt like the grip was diminishing a bit quicker than I was comfortable with. Previous MB diesel SUV (2008 ML) came with Continental Runflats which were total rubbish. Quick wear, poor traction in dry but especially wet. The B-stone Dueler 400's are fine for most conditions. This car does stay parked in heavy snow conditions, though.

Initial Review, 7,000 Miles on Tires
February 23, 2013

This tire very impressive, just got through the big snow storm of 2013 here in massachusetts. The traction and stability made me feel more secure than lower quality tires. Handling and cornering are excellent for light truck tires. Tire feels well balanced going at highway speeds. The MPG did drop about about one-half to one MPG, but may be because it is a new tire and needs a break in period. Gives my Highlander a better ride. This is the best SUV tire I have owned.

Initial Review, 4,000 Miles on Tires
February 16, 2013

just got these not to long ago so i cant tell how long they last. but very quiet, smooth deep treads, nice traction when dry. we just had a snow storm in new jersey last week. i was happy with the way they handle. even in rain i have no complaints. i had the good year tire that came with the car wich were garbage, then i got michelen tires and they dry rotted craked and tread life was 50/50. those brands never agian.
firestone makes nice tires, great price. i didnt have to much to choose in the size because i am very picky about tires. I wanted a more beefy tire but with out noise or compermising the gas miles. so this tire fit in perfect.
So my final say, YES! if you have a SUV these are good! i will coment later as far mile life cause like i said i only have 4,000miles on them but the tread still looks good so far. care full when reading the reviews, cause lets say if you dont have a SUV and you want them on a sedan, then the might handle diferent as compared to an SUV. hope my info helps you!

Initial Review, 500 Miles on Tires
February 16, 2013

Rating this tire for what it is (read: winter/snow tire), I must say it is EXCEPTIONAL. As a physician -- where there is no viable excuse for not making to work (especially on call) -- I must be able to travel to and from work safely. I drive my Carrera 4S coupe 365 d/yr. And I live in northern NJ. Barring 2 feet of snow -- where even SUVs may suffer -- these Pirelli tires transformed my car into a virtual "rally car". Even deep, deep snow (about 11 inches) in our last snow storm was a breeze. In fact, I'd go as far as to say the tires were too confidence-inspiring. Stopping, turning and accelerating in nasty wintry elements was easy, actually fun, and most importantly, predictable/reliable. I plan on rotating these into action between Dec 15th and March 30th. I should get at least 3-4 years out of them. But I'll say this much: if I had to get a new set every year, I would. My job depends on it. PS. I also have a BMW X5 w/ dedicated snow tires. My wife, also a physician, uses it for her travels. Truth be told, the Porsche is better in the snow...equipped w/ the Pirelli Sotozeros.

Initial Review, 40 Miles on Tires
September 11, 2010

Just got Yoko AVID ENVs to replace the Good year Eagle LS tires that came OEM on my Mitsu Outlander SUV. Man, what a huge difference! Road Noise is almost non-existent with these tires. What was Mitsu thinking putting the Good Year Eagle LS as OEM??? Those lasted just 33K miles and the tread was almost gone completely.

Dry traction on Envigor is superb, you can feel the tires gripping the surface, yet its surprisingly agile. Here in Milwaukee, snow/wet traction is very important, so I am hoping that the snow traction is atleast decent

Initial Review, 37,000 Miles on Tires
February 14, 2013

Overall quite happy with these tires. They are smooth, comfortable and priced great for Michelin's. They seemed to wear great also, with lots of tread left. They help with mileage as claimed; I went from 9.8L/100km's to 9.3L's/100km's-- approx 1.5 MPG, so that was an added bonus.
On my vehicle they could be 5% quieter would be my only complaint. In the last 2000 miles or so they were becoming a bit louder, but not objectionable.
These tires are not great in the snow as noted-- I got caught in quite a bit before switching to my snows for the season. They are passable in a pinch, but everyone should be on dedicated snow tires if snow is on the ground regularly where you live anyway, right?
I would also not buy these if you want handling and responsive road feel, as that is not these tire’s mission. On my luxury SUV, they are a good fit for highway cruising but if you corner hard you will feel the soft sidewall flex and they don't have a very responsive steering feel. They are quite lightweight though so that helps keep them from being ponderous feeling. They drive fairly nimbly actually. They are 2lbs per tire lighter than the LX4's that were on my vehicle, which is quite a bit for unsprung weight. Even though these Energy Saver's are softish they never feel too soft, nor fully in control of my heavy SUV. If I owned a sports car, my opinion would not be as high though.
In the end I would happily buy these again as long as the price doesn't go up much from where it is and I guess that's the best endorsement a tire owner could give.

Initial Review, 5,000 Miles on Tires
February 15, 2013

Not a bad tire, especially for the price. More noise than I expected on the highway, but good traction in wet weather & at high speeds. I realize these are not snow tires but was quite disappointed in the lack of snow traction and felt in danger many times while on ice. I would have been screwed if not for 4WD. Would probably perform well on a SUV and during summer months, but would not buy for year-round driving.

Initial Review, 4,000 Miles on Tires
February 16, 2013

My second set of Blizzak's had my first set with my Tiburon. We got a mild snow here early and the regular tires on the Genesis were already spinning like crazy. I knew I was going to need snow tires in the New England winter so I went ahead and bought Blizzaks once again Tire Rack beat everyone else's prices by a mile actually coming in at $300 less including shipping than any tire shop I checked at. I went out with the car last weekend during the so-named storm of Nemo here and saw one SUV off the road immediately upon exiting the turnpike ramp. Not an unusual sight mind you but comical to go by in my RWD Genesis and have no problems at all. As other reviews have said, the Blizzaks really grip the road and may give you a false sense of confidence combined with the ESC on the car. Having learned to drive with RWD vehicles and in New England winters there is no substitute for leaving 10 minutes earlier or leaving extra space when following another vehicle and for braking, some people seem to forget all common sense every winter and wind up in the ditch. That being said, the Blizzaks will get you where you want to go, even when two vehicles couldn't seem to make it up a small hill (more of a grade mind you) and I had to come to a complete stop or hit them, I still got up the hill there was some spinning but once they got traction up we went. These tires are worth every penny and my last set lasted the four winters I ran them when I had the car. Typically I drive around 12k a year so the snow tires see maybe 6k each winter for mileage.

Initial Review, 20,000 Miles on Tires
February 10, 2013

Had this brand on my previous SUV was the worst for snow of the various tires I had, these came on my new 4Runner and I am not pleased with driving in the snow on the streets. I have not been off road much, tread wear has been fine, rain driving has been ok,

Initial Review, 5,000 Miles on Tires
February 01, 2013

What a great tire. First off, I love the look of these tires, definitely more aggressive than the all seasons my SUV came with. This IS the tire that 4runners should be equipped with from the factory. They are noticeably heavier, marginally louder, and ride a little bit rougher than all seasons, but in inclement weather and snow or in difficult terrain these tires inspire confidence. The trade off is definitely worth the added noise. Run over a curb with these and you'll barely notice it. Fuel economy has been unaffected thus far, and there's no question in my mind the extra cost is well worth the rubber, and my next set will be these.

Initial Review, 1,500 Miles on Tires
January 26, 2013

I live in Tidewater Virginia. We get little snow but when we do it's chaos. No one has winter tires and no one knows how to drive in snow. There are very few plows or salt trucks. People act as if it is the end of the world. When I put Ultra High Performance summer tires on my car, I knew I had to get winter tires for the times it does snow. Last night we got about 3 inches and as usual, people here panic, drive too slow, or drive too fast. Many crashes, one death already. I quirky figured out the limits of these tires with some quick stops, acceleration, and swerving in a parking lot. Then went on my way. I always knew what the tires were going to do. I drove around all wheel drive SUVs on all season tires and never had an issue. I never locked the tires or got into the ABS. I never spun the tires or ended up needing traction control or the stability assistance. Great tires! Well worth the purchase. The are stable on the highway for my commute (50 miles to work) They don't corner badly and are pretty quiet. Well done Michelin!

Initial Review, 2,000 Miles on Tires
January 01, 2013

I bought these to replace the Continental Contact tires that were original equipment on my CR-V. The Contis did not even last 20,000 miles. The Defenders are a huge improvement. Fairly quiet ride, nimble cornering (for an SUV), and great wet and dry traction. Did not test these in snow because I use four Nokian Hakkapellitas on my CR-V in winter. We will see if the Defenders come though in the tread wear department. So far, so good.

Initial Review, 800 Miles on Tires
November 25, 2012

I bought these based on the great reviews from other 3d Gen CR-V owners. I haven't encountered snow or even significant rain yet, but my wife, who didn't like the ride with my recently replaced Nokian WR-SUV's (not recommended), really likes the ride now. So far, so good. Much quieter ride, holds the road great. MPG is down, but I guess that's because these are new tires replacing bald tires and the outside temperature has dropped. Looking forward to updating this review when I drive through some serious snow.

Initial Review, 6,000 Miles on Tires
January 08, 2013

The Honda Pilot has always run rough from brand new. The original tires were Good Year Integrity. They had terrible wet/snow traction. I replaced them with Michelin Latitude tires at 38k miles. The Pilot still ran rough. Every crack on the road was noticed. Light snow traction was terrible. The Latitudes were worn at 40k miles, but I received a $180 refund. The Pilot is a different SUV after I installed the Michelin LTX M/S2 tires. It’s very quiet, and the vibrations are gone. Somehow, the roads feel a lot better now :-)

Initial Review, 41,000 Miles on Tires
January 07, 2013

Bought these tires for my daughter's Jeep Grand Cherokee. We live in Houston so we have not had a chance to drive in snow or ice but these tires have been great in wet and dry conditions. They have held up very well and have kept my daughter on the road and under control at all times. She has rotated the tires consistently and I see no reason why we cannot reach the warranty limits (50,000 miles). I would not hesitate buying another set for her or any of my other SUVs.

Initial Review, 6,000 Miles on Tires
January 03, 2013

on the survey reviews for this category Ultra Performance All Season, this ranked #2 with over 2million reviews. Bridgestone was actually higher with 900K reviews. but having had poor experience with Bridgestones on Infiniti SUV & on Pathfinder, based on the excellent customer reviews for the Continentals, decided to give them a try. & it didn't hurt that the cost was much lower than the B's.
Overall, am very very happy & satisfied I had chosen these tires for my wife's car. Have to admit, in a rear wheel drive car this performed excellent in 2 very recent snow storms & 2 very strong rainstorms with driving wind, we felt so safe & confident vs. driving our Pathfinder (even tho I have my favorite General Grabbers AT2's on them, which btw are better performers on my Durango than the PF) - that says a lot about these Continentals! They were purchased with the express purpose of winter driving. I highly recommend these tires for overall top performance, traction & no noise smooth rides.