Truck Tires for Snow

Initial Review, 2,500 Miles on Tires
March 13, 2013

I feel like I am in a monster truck with these things on. Dry traction is great, wet traction is great... Snow? Like a hot knife thru butter... I feel confident with this tire. The noise? Loud and I love it. I can be heard a mile away. If you want quiet tires, these aren't for you.

Initial Review, 30,000 Miles on Tires
March 07, 2013

It's hard to imagine a better tire. After 30,000 the tread is FLAT across and hardly worn. I have had people look at them during oil changes and mark "like new" on the worksheet. NO Vibration at all. I regulary drive in Utah where some roads have an 80 mph speed and are amazed. They ae probably the only tire I would do that on in 120 degree heat and a full load of people. As far as snow goes, no need for winter tires, they are amazing in deep snow. Quiet, safe, smooth, long wearing. If I ever need tires for a light truck, I know not to even shop around for anything else, why bother? Steve

Initial Review, 50,000 Miles on Tires
March 17, 2013

Deep snow In 4WD mode: Good traction for take off, cornering and braking are not as good as take off. To be fair braking and cornering are far better than the other traffic on the road in deep snow, it's easy to accelerate past other traffic and to stop and turn. It's just the traction afforded during take off doesn't match the cornering and stopping (probably the 4WD engaged vs 2WD mode). I found my self sliding off the road in deep snow when traveling much faster than traffic. If I slowed to slightly faster than the average traffic I didn't slide in corners and had no braking lockups at all.
Wet conditions 2WD: No hydroplaning through the life of the tread, good braking and cornering in the wet, take off will spin the tires pretty easily but it's a pickup truck so that's expected.
Dry conditions: Good traction for take off, good braking and cornering. In the dry it's a very good tire. Under emergency braking to the point of activating the antilock system the tires tracked straight with no extra input needed maintain directional control. To be fair stability control in the Tundra may have played a part but, in the particular instance a lady pulled out of a gas station in front of me and the guy in the lane next to me. We were both a 40 mph and slammed on the brakes as we fully expected to hit her. She froze when she realized a truck and car were coming at her and that she was about to be hit. We both stopped about 3 to 8 inches from hitting her. The Tundra and Bridgestones didn't slide or slew and no one was hurt. I heard the tires from my truck and the car next to me skidding as the antilocks pulsed on both vehicles.
Ride comfort is very good, steering response very good, tire noise is good but sometimes on concrete the noise is a little louder than asphalt. Tire wear has be good 50,000 miles and there is still some left before the wear bars. Now that they are near the wear bars there is some hint of hydroplaning but they are all but worn out. Light Offroad good

Initial Review, 10,000 Miles on Tires
March 11, 2013

This is my second set of these tires. My first set I had on an Acura RSX and they handled amazingly well with that car. So I purchased for my new FWD Mazda 3 Hatchback and mounted them on my stock rims. These tires are amazing in the snow. The car handles like an AWD car now with these tires.

I did some winter camping with friends that had 4WD trucks and to get to the campsite, you had to drive up a pretty steep snow covered dirt road, then drive down a snowmobile trail. The combination of these tires, traction control and manual transmission helped me get up the hill and to the campsite no problem. My friends with the 4WD trucks were making fun of me for wanting to try it, until I got to the top of the hill....they were pretty impressed.

For the price/functionality...buy these tires.

Initial Review, 5,000 Miles on Tires
March 03, 2013

These tires are definitely impressive. I've had both Michelin Cross Terrain (factory tires), and two sets of Bridgestone Dueler Revo and Revo 2's, and these tires outperform both of them. The steering responsiveness, stability, and grip on road is the best for a light truck/SUV tire. The only other tire that would perform better in the snow and on ice is a true snow tire, but these are way better as they perform in all conditions. I no longer off road with my truck but I'm sure they would hold up fine in moderate to easy off road situations. These tires also help dampen the road bumps and keeps you on center better than any other tire. I've had them on for 4 months now, and about 5-6k miles and they still look brand new-- I haven't even had to put air in them yet. If you want the best all season road tires that money can buy, these are them.

Initial Review, 1,000 Miles on Tires
March 10, 2013

Bought these a few weeks before the last snow storm. Before that the truck rode good on the highway and back roads which is my daily commute. Not too much noise. No problems on the rainy days. The big thing I was waiting for is how they would handle in snow with this truck. Some reported they are not good. The factory Conti's are horrible. I left my house with 8" on the ground. With a 30 mile trip to work on the highway and back roads, I couldn't be happier. I never engaged 4x4. Roads were snow and slush covered. Today I hooked up to one of my horse trailers that was snowbound. I had to back it up through two feet of snow about 60 feet down a small road to its parking spot. The tires had no problem getting traction or very little spin. I had these tires years ago on a CJ7 Jeep that a did a lot of four wheeling with. They were great then and I see they have not changed now.

Initial Review, 4,000 Miles on Tires
March 10, 2013

Tire is what it is, a great off-road tire that works well on the highway. With all the other mods on the truck its hard to blame the tires for any handling issues. Truck is made to drive to off-road areas them off-road. The tire gets through almost anything I throw at it of road. Mud, rocks, snow. Not great on ice but I have chains for that.
Never an issue on the road with slipping but got on some slippery packed snow/ice off road and they spun. The tall skinnies (235/85) helped a lot.
Love them, will replace with the same if/when they wear out.

Initial Review, 3,000 Miles on Tires
February 28, 2013

I should have purchased these DM-V1 Blizzaks when my truck was new! They are extremely quiet, handle great in the water, and handle our Erie lake-effect snow and ice covered roads with ease. I went through 2 sets of Bridgestone Dueler Revo's thinking they would be the best year-round tire, but they wore quickly even with regular rotations, they were relatively loud, and they were absolutely aweful in the snow and ice. The Blizzaks are much quieter, give a much more comfortable ride, and significantly increased my fuel mileage! I would recommend them to anyone who faces winter weather as we do. Now I just need to find a comparable tire for the summer months with all of the benefits we have found with the Blizzaks. We have been big Blizzak fans on our cars through the Blizzak WS-50, WS-60, and WS-70 tire models, but they did not fit my truck. I'm so glad I trusted the Blizzak name and tried the DM-V1!

Initial Review, 4,500 Miles on Tires
March 01, 2013

This tire is just being used on the rear of a 2 wheel drive Colorado. The original tires that were on this truck when I purchased it from the dealership were Hancooks. They must have been the cheapest tires that they could find, because I could not even get a regular start from a redlight without breaking traction in the rain. On the other hand, these Firestone Winterforce UV tires give the best traction that I have ever had with this truck. I have owned many 4X4 trucks and these tires make my 2 wheel, drive just like it was a 4X4. I thought that I was pushing my luck here in Saint Louis trying to get by another winter without snow tires and I'm glad that I did buy them this year. The first storm we had, was a combination of snow, sleet and freezing rain. Most other cars were getting stuck on the Interstate on the steep hills, but not me and my 2 wheel drive pick-up. Stop thinking about getting them and just buy them ASAP!

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

Replaced General Grabber HT's. They were a decent tire on the highway but that is about it. After 30k they were useless. I picked these up prior to winter and they have preformed very well so far. Great in rain and snow. Decent in mud as well. The ride quality is not the best but the price was right and the warranty is there. Tire looks good on the truck too. Looking forward to seeing how they hold up.

Initial Review, 38,000 Miles on Tires
February 21, 2013

Came standard on my King Ranch - very familiar with Pirelli, we have Pirelli tires on 3 fine German automobiles, including their respective sets of winter tires. These are quiet and smooth, even at highway speeds. Handling is superb in the dry and still pretty good in the wet. Sure they spin now and again when you pull away from a standstill in the wet, but it's a truck, with a suspension that has to cover a pretty wide range of loads. They do a pretty good job of handling everything from dry pavement to ice and snow, winter tires would be better in ice and snow, performance tire better on dry pavement, but they're a pretty good compromise, performing well across the spectrum. I'm used to changing my P Zeros at 10 to 15,000 miles, so I'm delighted these are only partially worn at 38,000 miles. They're coming on for 4 years old, I might need to replace them before they wear much more, mainly because of the rubber aging and hardening. I'm a big believer in sticking with the brand that the OEM fitted, so I'll replace them with the same.

Initial Review, 46,000 Miles on Tires
February 23, 2013

These OEMs on my Ram 1500 have been better than most OEMs on other vehicles. At 46k I have been commuting 35 miles in messy midwest snow conditions. Handling is good to very good in snow (esp. with 4WD on). Confident handling while towing also. Ride is smoother than I expected - I get compliments on my truck's ride and handling, tires get partial credit. May buy another set, just now looking.

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, 3,500 Miles on Tires
February 23, 2013

ON MY 2006 FORD F350 CC DRW 4 WD DIESEL. I WENT OLD SCHOOL AND WITH THE HELP OF THE TIRE RACK CUSTOMER SERVICE STAFF( THANK LESLIE AND ALEX) I MATCHES 4 DURA TRAC REAR AND 2 WRANGLER FRONTS. YES THEY INITIALLY WERE UNSURE OF MY DECISION HOWEVER THE DECISION WAS MY RESPONSIBILITY. MY TRUCK CAME WITH GOODRICH TA'S. THE WERE NICE DRY ROAD TIRES BUT ANY MUD OR SNOW AND THEY BECAME SLICKS. MY COMBO HAS CHANGED THE DYNAMICS OF THIS TRUCK AND ALLOWS ME MORE NON 4WD USE ON MARGINAL ROADS, SAVING FUEL. THANKS AGAIN TIRERACK

Initial Review, 35,000 Miles on Tires
February 28, 2013

This is the second set of these tires on the same vehicle. First set were changed after 54,000 miles and the current set I am running are at 31,000 miles. These are a good tire for the price that I would consider purchasing again. Both sets have been rotated regularly at 7,000 mile intervals.

Here is what I have noticed. Traction is very good in snow covered roads and fields however they load up in mud so I would not want to try pushing these thru a lot of mud. Your typical little bit of mud on back roads and farm field access roads they should be able to handle. Highway and wet roads they are excellent and provide a very good stable, quiet and soft ride. On both sets I have owned the ride has become noticeably stiffer around the 35,000 mile mark. My first set I changed at 54,000 miles but I think this second set will only make it to around 45,000 miles.

My only negative on these is the ride characteristic change with 35,000 miles on them. If these provided the same ride for 50,000 miles I would buy another set without question but since both sets on this truck have changed at that mileage I may look for another tire for my next set.

Initial Review, 4,000 Miles on Tires
February 25, 2013

My car was so-so in the snow before I bought these tires. Now i feel like I'm driving a 4WD truck. I can go through anything (within reason) and feel completely comfortable. We've got hit pretty hard with snow this winter too and there's no way I could have made an hour commute everyday in this snow without these tires. I will definitely be purchasing these again when it's time for a new car.

Initial Review, 1,500 Miles on Tires
February 24, 2013

Great tires! Comparing these tires to the fleet farm tires i had on it is like night and day. With my old tires i would be constantly going from 4x4 to 2x4 in little more then a dusting of snow, but with the kuhmo tires I do not "need" 4x4 much anymore. They were difficult to mount, they are a bit noisy at freeway speeds, and they seem to make the truck ride a bit rough. I would gladly give up some ride quality and noise for a tire that I can confidently use in the snow! I would/have recommend these tires to friends and family.

Initial Review, 5,000 Miles on Tires
February 08, 2013

I live in Ottawa, Canada where the average snowfall is measured in yards rather than inches. We have had freezing rain storms given the global warming and the Michelin X-i13 tires performed almost flawlessly in every situation. Their only weakness in my opinion is the softer sidewall designed and used for comfort rather than for immediate response on my Infiniti G37x sedan. It is a most worthy compromise because there is always secure traction and spirited driving is only done with controlled and very predictible power sliding. While this is not my ususal style of driving especially on congested streets, the tires always offered exceptional traction, control and feedback.
The best return on using these tires was during heavy snow and ice storms. Their comfort and positive traction only reinforced my confidence and security on the roads. This was very noticeable when arriving at stop signs and the glazed ice from other cars and trucks without proper and sensitive brake pressure. The X-i13 always provided greater traction during those stops and never with the worries of drifting into a busy intersection.
I greatly support and highly recommend these tires for any and every car driven in varying winter conditions and temperatures. The control and comfort are simply exceptional and a great improvement on my previous Michelin X-i12 and Blizzak tires used on my Nissan Maxima.
These are the best all-round winter tires on the market today.

Initial Review, 16,700 Miles on Tires
February 24, 2013

Some drivers hate them and others love these tires. I have had Michelins on trucks and vans and I have been pleasantly surprised by these tires. Solid in the deep snow, ice and rain. A little noisier than my old Michelin A/T's but appear to perfom slightly better on all types of roads and conditions, especially deep snow and ice! I rotate every 5,000 miles when I change the oil and have noticed evan wear throughout. Great job Bridegestone, I have renewed faith in your tire line.