Winter Truck Tires

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, 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, 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, 1,000 Miles on Tires
February 02, 2013

The stock tires on my Chrysler 300 were positively scary on ice and snow, even for somebody who learned to drive in Minnesota in the winter, in 1970's rear wheel drive cars. I decided to change to winter tires, and bought a wheel/tire package with the Michelin Xi3. With these tires, you don't even notice light snow, and traction in deep snow and on ice is very sure and predictable. On dry pavement, these tires are as quiet as the stock tires. The on-center feel is slightly looser than the stock tires, but still very good. It's a small price to pay for the improvement in traction.

I ordered these tires late on a Wednesday night, and on Friday afternoon the UPS truck was backing into my driveway! I'm very impressed with the Tire Rack's service!

Initial Review, 40,000 Miles on Tires
February 09, 2013

I bought a 2007 Nissan Xterra with 50k miles and these tires came with it. I have 90k miles on the Xterra now, and these tires have been great. I live in Wisconsin and have run the Xterra through 15 inches of snow going through corn fields, and they handled great. Even in moderate mud they still grip and pull you out. To give you some perspective, last winter a UPS truck was stuck in my cul-de-sac and I have able to tow it out. With 4 wheel drive, a little knowledge of snow driving, and these tires.. You'll be fine.

Initial Review, 18,000 Miles on Tires
February 06, 2013

Driving around with my truck in the winter used to be a nightmare but now it's comfortable (and can even be a little fun). I don't do any serious off-roading but these tires dominate any dry land they have encountered. My RWD truck is still an average snow car but it was bad enough before that I wouldn't let friends/family drive it in the winter before getting new tires. Great tire and I heard a rumor they might discontinue these which would be a real shame!

Noise is fine and they handle very well on the highway.

Initial Review, 5,000 Miles on Tires
January 29, 2013

I purchased a new 2012 Fiat 500 Sport Automatic this last summer. I thought that the weight and stature of the car might constitute some winter tires for safety sake. After many hours of research, I decided that these tires were the ones to get.

I had no intentions of writing a review, but after some of the conditions I've driven in, I figured they deserve a review.

I live in MN, where the winter can turn from mild to severe in just a couple hours.

A few weeks back we had freezing rain that turned into 2" of solid ice on the streets and highways, and travel was not advised. I figured what the heck, it would be a good test of my investment in winter tires. Needless to say, these tires handled 2" of solid ice as if it were pavement.

Last night we had around 10" of snow. The roads hadn't been plowed yet, but I headed to work anyways. I basically plowed the road with my little Fiat. These tires didn't even spin out. Nothing but traction.

I am extremely impressed with this tire, and will be purchasing another set for our truck as well.

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, 1,300 Miles on Tires
January 26, 2013

The Pirelli Winters seem to handle the varied road and weather conditions we have in NW Montana. They are a bit noisier and less connected on dry pavement than the 20" Bridgestone Dueler HP's that the truck came with, but in snow and ice they stick quite well and handle the 500 ft.lbs of torque from the M motor with xDrive

Initial Review, 1,000 Miles on Tires
January 26, 2013

My warm season tire is the BS RE970AS PP, an ultra high performance A/S, and I love it. Compared to that, this tire clearly provides better snow and ice traction. I drove on I495N between Delaware and Philly during a recent light snowstorm. The temperatures hadnt risen above 20F for five days and the salt/sand trucks hadn't been out yet, so the left and right lanes were virtually virgin with two inches of unmelted powder. Just as I broke single file formation into the left lane, a jacked up F150 broke to the right lane. Within seconds he nearly fishtailed and fell back in line. I was worried, but kept plowing ahead carefully, and before I knew it, I was the only one in sight, pushing 80mph after having passed the most daring of other drivers going no faster than 55, so I took the opportunity to try braking and swerving ever so carefully to test the traction. The combination of AWD and these tires resulted in an astounding amount of traction and confidence. Within the limits of my nerve, I literally could not break the rear end loose, or even get the traction control to kick in-- I finally gave up trying. In the grocery store parking lot, jackrabbit starts from a dead stop into a 90 degree parking spot did break the rear end loose, but barely, and the car fell in line immediately when traction control lit up. These tires clearly suffer more squirminess at near triple digit highway speeds, and they aren't as glued and fun in dry weather as the RE970s, but they're definitely no worse than the Michelin Pilot Exaltos or any other all season grand touring tire--may even be better than many. Bottom line, I thought about switching these in/out every time the weather forecast warranted, so as to keep the 970s on as much as possible, but these winter tires sacrifice relatively little dry traction and provide so much more confidence in the snow and ice, that from now on, I'll be putting them on come November and I'll leave them on till the spring.

Initial Review, 16,000 Miles on Tires
January 08, 2013

This is the 2nd set of tires I have had on my truck. At first I had a set of Nexen street tires on the beast. The winter of 2010-11 had me replace those things fast.
The wife and I are powder hounds and therefore need a tire that performs well in ice and snow. This is where this tire really just delivers. I can't tell you how many storms I have driven through in the Sierra Nevada both with these tires and with street tires. These make all the difference. No tire is great on ice unless you have studs and these are studdable but I like to keep a good amount of distance between me and the guy in front of me in icy conditioons and these perform just fine. These tires really shine in deep snow. So far the record is just below my knee which is about 10-12 inches or so. I was nervous for the first 500 feet but after that it was actually a little fun.
I have driven these on the beach and off road quite a bit as well. They aren't great in sand. They aren't great in mud but I haven't gotten stuck yet. Knock on wood. On dirt roads and rocks they are fine but my street tires were fine in those conditions as well. I haven't noticed any difference in gas mileage since I put them on.
I have driven them about 16k miles and the tread has worn a little more than I like but they come with a 60k warranty we'll see how that plays out. I have them rotated every 6k miles when I change my oil.
Overall a very solid tire. I know they will last longer than the Michelins I have on the BMW and I know they are made better. The balance weights on the tires is proof of that.
They perform where I absolutely need them too and that is to get me to the mountains and back so I couldn't be happier with my purchase.

Initial Review, 300 Miles on Tires
January 04, 2013

I orginally encountered these tires three years ago when I put them on my 1997 Tacoma 4X4. I used them through three New York winters and was quite happy with their performance. In May of 2012, I purchased a new Tacoma with Dunlop Grandtrek AT20s installed. After looking at the tread on these passenger tires, I was underwhelmed, but decided to give them a chance. Who wants to cough up hundreds of dollars on new tires for a new truck? I used them until December and our first dusting of snow. I immediately called the tire store and ordered a set of the General Grabbers. The shop got them on literally minutes before we got hit with 10 inches of snow. If you've ever been to the Ithaca area, you know we have hills...lots of them! During the worst of the storm, the truck handled confidently. The tires are noisier on the highway, but I expect that from an LT tire. I no longer spinout on slight inclines and hydroplane in the rain. The Grabbers allow my truck to act like a 4X4 and get around in all sorts of weather which is why I bought her in the first place.

Initial Review, 25,000 Miles on Tires
December 27, 2012

picked up my truck in the winter and changed to snow tires after just 4 days.
theses tires are summer only tires and are all but useless on snow and ice.

Initial Review, 4,000 Miles on Tires
January 15, 2013

Got these 265/70-17 tires and wheels to replace my chrome 20" wheels and tires for Minnesota winter use on my 2011 Avalanche.
So far the ice and snow traction has been very good, I don't often need to go into 4 wheel drive with these tires.
Maybe it is the truck, but I find these to be very good!

Initial Review, 4,000 Miles on Tires
January 15, 2013

These tires are the fourth set on the truck. They outperform anything I've ever bought to date. They are axactly as advertised, and no one will be sorry they put them on. I've driven through 18" of snow with no problem. So far the anti-lock hasn't kicked in once this winter. Michelins will be going on the wife's RAV4 as soon as they're needed. The ride is smoother, and ice isn't as scary a ride as with the other two brands I've had on.

Initial Review, 470 Miles on Tires
December 10, 2012

OK, Im sure you're saying "why is this guy writing a review with only 470 miles on his set of tires?", I will tell you why. Totally impressed with these tires! Yes, I have just purchased them and I may still be on my honeymoon post purchase but, thus far these tires are fantastic. I drove all the miles on the highway with almost every road condition except extreme heat and they performed like rockstars. I did notice a little more push in the corners as compared to the Continental Conti-pro-Contact tires I just replaced but not enough to warrant spending another $60-90 dollars per tire. Since my tires are wider than a normal passenger tire, the slushy junk tended to pull the car a bit but not enough to give you the feeling like "I just lost control". I drove in 6" of light (powder) snow up hill at 65 MPH and had no problem over taking trucks and AWD vehicles. They performed great on the ice and hard-pack as well. They are not a "winter only tire" but thus far have worked almost as well as my wife's studded Bridgestone Blizzack tires in winter conditions. If you are looking for an All-Season tire like me, this is the one I'd tell you to look at. Also the purchase went smooth as silk. Ordered on a Tuesday and installed on a Thursday. Customer service was great (thanks Tucker, I think thats the name) and the price was a full $130 less than anyone would match for the same tire installed. Im a fan of Tire Rack and the tires I just got.