Winter Truck Tires

Initial Review, 5,000 Miles on Tires
April 07, 2013

I have always prefered a Michelin tire, and have had great service from them over the years. The prices are high, and I have wondered if part of that is paying for the name? A few years ago, we purchased a new truck with General tires on it, and the tires performed flawlessly. In fact those 11 year-old Generals were are currently on a farm trailer, and show no signs of dry rot, or other problems. After much thought, I decided to give these Generals a try. These tires are very quiet and smooth. They have great resistance to hydroplaning, which is a feature that I like a lot. The tires are not great in the snow, but than a V-8 powered RWD car is not so great in the snow either. I have a designated AWD winter vehicle, so winter traction does not matter to me. We live in the mountains with lots of winding roads, and tires get punished around here. I have the car set up with a stiff aftermarket suspension, so it rides harsh and corners like a sports car. The car no longer handles like a traditional Crown Victoria. Infact this car has seen an AutoCross track more then once... The OE tires where very soft and the car had a tendency to oversteer with them on it. These tires take the curves very well. So far they have passed the test. I plan to purchase three more sets, one for my wife's Crown Vic, and two sets for our two vintage Pontiac Trans AM show cars. For the price, nothing else compares. General seems to have hit the mark!

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

Great winter tire, but like most winter tires they wear quickly if you drive them on dry pavement. I have had these tires on for three years of Wisconsin winters and have gone through countless snow storms with no issues. Honestly I feel safer driving my 2wd truck in the snow with these tires than with a 4x4 vehicle. I could only imagine how well these tires would perform if they were studded also.

Initial Review, 10,000 Miles on Tires
April 12, 2013

Excellent winter tires for my truck. They performed well in all conditions (dry, wet, snow, ice and slush, as well as cornering, acceleration and stopping). In deep snow, my truck did some fish-tailing as I had no weight on bed and I could feel it pushes the front wheels through the snow. Once I turned the 4x4 on, the truck went like a charm through the snow and didn't flinch a bit. After one winter with 10k miles, there is a noticeable tread wear on rear wheels compared to front wheels which still looks like new. Will have to rotate them after 5k miles next winter.

Initial Review, 40,000 Miles on Tires
February 08, 2013

I bought these tire for the 2011/2012 winter season. The first winter I had them they were brilliant. Supurb grip in any snow condition. I plow parking lots but yto get to work ( where the plow truck is) is 22 miles. when I would travel to work I would pass 4x4 trucks as if they were standing still. I also never bougt a set of all seanon for the rest of the year. They feel a little soft in spring, summer, and fall. But they do the job. Noise: there is some but expected. just a slight hum nothing drastic. once again it is winter in chicago and the tire still have good tread, even though I drove druring warmer months. I took the malibu out during the first big snow and the tires still preform very well, not as good as new but pretty close. It is very difficult for me to get it to spin-out it just want to hug the road as if there was no snow.

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

I live in Long Island NY and we just got hit by the blizzard, where I live got hit the hardest and we got 34" of snow. I work 40 miles away from home and I left during the worst of the storm. I was passing stuck suv's and trucks left and right. I cannot believe how great these tires are. As I was passing cars that were stuck I can just see them staring at me wondering how is that little civic passing my 4wd suv? well all I can say is winter tires, that's how. I did not get stuck once, going up hills and through deep unplowed roads. I am sold on these tires for life and I will always buy them from now on. If you have a lowered civic, or just a basic fwd car I HIGHLY suggest these. Everyone knows how bad this blizzard was and these tires made it great for me. I was even passing plow trucks that got stuck. I have these tires in low profile 215 45 17 tire size so I can imagine how much better they would be with a larger sidewall but these are the best winter tires money can buy!! Highly suggest you buy them if you have a fwd car or truck!!

Initial Review, 6,000 Miles on Tires
March 29, 2013

These tires are great in the snow. The ABS rarely activated under normal braking, and there was sufficient traction to keep up with 4x4 trucks from a stop. I took the Jetta for a 2 hour drive in 9" of snow and honestly had no problems starting or stopping. My wife even noticed a difference and said she never wanted all-season tires for winter again. I had the choice between my 4x4 Tahoe and the Jetta with these tires, and I picked the Jetta for snow every time.

The tires are slightly squirmy compared to the O.E. tires but that is to be expected from a winter tire. Noise was similar to the O.E. tire.

Initial Review, 7,500 Miles on Tires
December 24, 2012

I bought the WS70's last winter but it hardly snowed here in central Iowa, this year looked like it may repeat but then we just got hit by a blizzard and 12 inches of snow. The snow was the best part of the storm, it was the 2 inches of ice that was left on the roads after the snow plows went through that I thought would be the problem. I was very pleased and sometimes amazed how good these tires are, not once did I lose traction or start sliding around unlike many trucks and other 4wd vehicles that were in the ditch. I am still grasping that people don't buy winter tires in snow country or drive on bald tires year round, oh well I didn't need a tow truck to pull me out 3 days later. Buy these tires if you value safety of your family above all else. Now to the other details. Dry traction is a little on the spongy side and I feel the need to concentrate more but I expected that in a winter tire so not that surprised. Also I wouldn't go over 80 on these tires as it doesn't feel the safest. Overall these tire do exactly what they are supposed to do in the winter.

Initial Review, 10,000 Miles on Tires
March 29, 2013

outstanding tire, awesome in wis winters. my wife drives the truck in the winter as her bird sleeps the winter away. if she is totaly happy with them I am a happy camper. they are very quit at freeway speeds and she drives as if she is driving her Trans Am. No complaint as far as handling again would highly recomend. little pricey, but you get what you pay for.

Initial Review, 10,000 Miles on Tires
March 17, 2013

I use these on my 4 wheel drive winter/ off road truck and with these tires driving in the snow barely affects the traction i get. It is just like driving in normal conditions. Even in mud and gravel i feel plenty of traction. A great tire in every day driving conditions as well. If you're looking for great all terrain tires these are the best you can buy. I've owned plenty of different brands and these are by far the best

Initial Review, 5,000 Miles on Tires
March 19, 2013

I live in minnesota and i have not had these tires on my truck that long. But i have found they are dang good tires in the snow for a "mud tire" i have not tried them out yet in the mud just because i put them on in the middle of winter so far the tread wearin gis good havent had them long enough to tell only about 8000 miles.

Initial Review, 15,000 Miles on Tires
March 04, 2013

Have purchased a set of 4, every year for the past 10 years. These are the only tires I 'have to have'. Use on work vehicle as well as personal vehicle. I am a rural carrier 150 daily miles Conditions: snow, ice, drifting snow, slush, gravel, sand, rocks, manure, and mud Vehicle Type: car and 4x4 truck I use these tires until they wear out in usually 5 to 6 months. They do wear quickly during warm weather, but last longer if the winter is colder (below freezing). If used on the interstate, they will start to sound loud at higher speeds of 65mph. These are quiet for snow tires and do not affect your gas mileage much. No complaints with the handling. No lean when cornering. Please rememeber these are not sport tires so I am compairing to average all season radials. I use two sets per year, but this is hard stop and go driving over multiple kinds of road terrain and with vehicle weighted down with mail. Tires only last 6 months for me, even the all season radials. Everyone in our office now uses these tires, even those who are not carriers. We all swear by them. I have never had to stud them. They always get me thru everything. One co-worker has been using them for three winters now. Says he may be able to make it thru a fourth. Puts them on in Nov and removes them in early spring. I recommend these tires to everyone.

Initial Review, 3,000 Miles on Tires
February 07, 2013

These tires are OEM from Ford when I purchased my truck. I read lots of reviews about them and was quite worried about the upcoming Minnesota winter do to what I felt was a high number of bad reviews. However after I have had them for over three months in the deep snow, cold, slush, freezing rain I am VERY happy. Are they as good as a dedicated snow tire? Of course not. Are they as good as a dedicated off-road tire? Nope. But are they a great all around tire supplying above average traction for 90% of driving conditions? Yep. People who complain about the traction of these tires are either really really bad drivers or are comparing them to a single use tire. I will have to wait and see how they wear long term. Last thing, for the people who are disappointed Ford puts these highway oriented tires on a truck, don't blame Ford, blame the EPA for forcing companies to make products the public doesn't want. Its all about the MPG's.

Initial Review, 42,000 Miles on Tires
March 14, 2013

Our Touareg came with 255/60-17 tires from Dunlop. They were throw-aways well before 20K miles. The corners wore off quickly and they became very noisy. This is with the tires inflated to their maximum suggested cold pressure. The replacements were the same size, but from Goodyear. They, too wore the corners off in about 20K to 25K miles and became noisy. Again tire pressure was maintained at the top end of the cold pressure range. The third set was yet another manufacturer and the same size. Same story.

So, for tire set #4, I went to the alternate size 235/65-17 and bought the Generals. It was my guess that the wear problem was suspension related relative to the tire width. These narrower profile tires were better in snow, wet and hard pack/ice. They handled just fine on a 5000 pound truck, but not quite as responsive as the wider, lower profile tire. They've been more than acceptable for towing (5000# fully loaded car trailer) and fine for City/Highway driving. Further, they've been far more comfortable and quiet throughout the 40+K miles so far.

We've gotten more than twice the milage out of these Generals than we got out of any of the previous tires. The product is excellent, but the change in tire profile is what has saved these tires. They aren't as wide and haven't sheered off the corners at all. Treadwear across the entire face is very uniform.

So, if you own a Touareg and are fed up with tire wear, noise and harsh ride, consider going to the taller, narrower profile. There's not much downside and the improvement is very good. Further, the speedometer is spot-on accurate with these tires compared to the original lower profiles. I gave the Altimax Generals mostly 9s with a couple of 8s and 10s. These have by far been the best tires yet in about 120K miles of driving. They probably will see us through the Summer and Fall, but will be replaced before next Winter.

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, 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, 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.