"All weather" tires in place of winter tires

[Djongo Unchained]

Ended up getting blizzaks. On sale at Costco for $600.... Hard to pass up.

Fkna mag, if your getting into the mountains on the regular, you're gonna be stoked that ya chose the blizzaks. Piece of mind is worth every penny.

[slcdawg]

For sure. Was hoping to avoid the extra expense but worth it.

[anotherVTskibum]

My comment was in response to the idea that LT-rated AT tires were “niche.”

I have winter tires and 3PMSF AT tires for both vehicles. No question that winter tires are superior.

FWIW, the original description of "niche" was comparing the LT3 to the LT-rated Outpost nAT, and I think was mostly aimed at the actual LT-rated snow tire, seeing as a whole lot of people do consider an AT tire sufficient for winter use.

[Mustonen]

"Best" is location and condition dependent. This thread is about all-weather tires, not truck, not winter.

While they may (or may not) be the "best" winter tire, using Hakkapeliitas if you live in Los Angeles and drive to Mammoth once a month is not the "best" tire for your usage. An all-weather tire is a much better choice for the 99% of the time you creep slowly in traffic on the 405 in 70* degree weather.

Indeed, snow tires on dry roads in warm weather is some degree less safe than a more appropriate tire for those conditions.

[hafjell]

Is anybody running the Blizzaks twelve months a year? Storing them in the shed from April to October?

[J. Barron DeJong]

Is anybody running the Blizzaks twelve months a year? Storing them in the shed from April to October?

The number of cars I see with Blizzaks still on in Tahoe in July is shocking.

[Robik]

Is anybody running the Blizzaks twelve months a year? Storing them in the shed from April to October?

It's more about mileage that you put on them during that year and outside temperatures. I wouldn't want to drive them in 100° heat doing 80 mph on the freeway, most likely they would have to be replaced by next winter.

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[slcdawg]

Is anybody running the Blizzaks twelve months a year? Storing them in the shed from April to October?

Yeah, I run blizzaks year round on a 2008 subi outback. It's now my HS kids' car and doesn't get a lot of miles. Our mechanic recommended it years ago and I prefer it to storing/swapping tires. They wear surprisingly well for being a soft winter tire.

I did just get Blizzaks for our new car, and will prob swap them in the spring as I'm storing the OE tires anyway.

[plugboots]

“A trip to the ditch is cost you > the price of snot tires and maybe your life”

Lots and lots of people here in Winthrop just leave the snow tires on all season. It just doesn’t get super hot and people aren’t driving hard anyway. I mean I swap tires now cause I drive like a maniac, but when I lived in the Bay area and drove back-and-forth to Tahoe, I just looked for very aggressive all-seasons and didn’t drive like an asshole in the snow.

[Toadman]

Got to love the winter year round crowd. They think they are saving money by not switching out and then 2 years later are buying a new set of winter tires. God bless 'em!

[bodywhomper]

Some of the blizzaks only have winter rubber on the top portion of their tread.

I ran winter tires year round (not blizzaks) on my old subie cuz the HG was starting to go and I didn’t want to buy another set of tires if I’d only get a month or so of use. Little did I know, the car would go for another 30k miles before the HG got really bad….

[anotherVTskibum]

Got to love the winter year round crowd. They think they are saving money by not switching out and then 2 years later are buying a new set of winter tires. God bless 'em!

I did it living in Montana with a POS Xterra. With the local pass opening late in May or early in June, I'd want the winter tires on through then anyhow and often back on in September.

Plus I had a motorcycle available for most of my summer needs.

Now that I'm back in Maine, it would almost be worth leaving winter tires on year round given how few miles I put on. I just replaced a set of snow tires that are around 50% tread but have six seasons on them.

[SchralphMacchio]

Mostly it’s like, when it’s > 60F out, do you really enjoy that squirmy feeling of driving on a down pillow that can’t track a straight line above 60 mph and also stops about as well as a down pillow?
It’s always a breath of fresh air on a warm day when the summer tires come back on, ahhhhhhhhhhh. That’s nice.
I can’t imagine what it’s like on a 100F day in SLC on Blizzak DM-V2s.

[3PinGrin]

Like everything tire related, depends on where you live and the winter conditions there. For many/ most, a LT AT tire is probably just fine.

If you live where winter looks like that test track in the video, for months on end, probably should just buy a true winter tire...

Tahoe, SLC, Colorado - an AT will be "fine."

Just to add a data point, a white knuckle creeping slip/slide down Little Cottonwood Canyon in SLC with my Falken Wildpeaks with practically useless braking ability is what finally convinced me to switch to Nokian studded snow tires for the winter months.

[Dromond]

Just to add a data point, a white knuckle creeping slip/slide down Little Cottonwood Canyon in SLC with my Falken Wildpeaks with practically useless braking ability is what finally convinced me to switch to Nokian studded snow tires for the winter months.

I keep considering all weather AT tires for an occasionally used vehicle, but what messes with my head is the few times I have unexpectedly encountered incredibly slippery ice or wet packed snow conditions where I needed every bit of traction that dedicated snows provided, while I watched others really struggle (or fail) to keep their vehicles on the road. In most conditions most of the time, you might not really needed that much traction, but sometimes those rare insanely-slippery conditions aren’t always easy to predict. Once, it was driving back on the ski area access after a mild spring day when a snap freeze turned it into a skating rink.

[Name Redacted]

I rock cheap snow tires on my work vans and trucks year round. No way I'm paying and dealing with switching tires on five vehicles twice a year. Wife drives her Nokians year round too.

I rock KO2's and Duratracs on my personal trucks though. No problems in winter. We don't get much ice.

FYI BFG has some new KO3's out. Only available in two sizes atm though. I think they'll be coming on Ford Ranger Raptors and Broncos or something like that.

[Cono Este]

I’m going with the vredstein quadtrack pro’s on my wrx .My second choice was Pirelli winter Zotos, which seems like the ultimate performance winter tire, but I plan on using the vredstein yr round after I burn through my summer tires this yr. Thenquadtrac are like a split tire, sipes on the inside.

I don’t why I care so much, it’s awd, and I never thought about this so hard with my Pilot. Subarus can’t suck, not with decent tires.

[rod9301]

I have an sti, and i use a summer tire and Michelin x ice snow tire in the winter. But i go skiing a few days a week

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[Cono Este]

I have an sti, and i use a summer tire and Michelin x ice snow tire in the winter. But i go skiing a few days a week

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Sti? Nice. I love my wrx.

Id do that, but my trips are long and far. First trip,is 6000 miles, 4 weeks. rare, but it’s usually I 70 though Kansas. I Want something to give me two winters, then full time. These quadracs had good reviews as an all weather on wrx’s. I’ll miss the teeth chatting Dunlops though.I also wanted something I may just keep on if I prefer the softer ride.

[Meconium]

Mostly it’s like, when it’s > 60F out, do you really enjoy that squirmy feeling of driving on a down pillow that can’t track a straight line above 60 mph and also stops about as well as a down pillow?
It’s always a breath of fresh air on a warm day when the summer tires come back on, ahhhhhhhhhhh. That’s nice.
I can’t imagine what it’s like on a 100F day in SLC on Blizzak DM-V2s.

I run winters after the 3rd season if my summer tires are done. Not Blizzark, but no problem at 100F. Thinking of running only winters on the backup rig.
Guess the question might be, what is the best summer winter tire? had acceptable results with cheaper Nordman 7. Great for two winters, okay for the third and then fine for a summer or two.

[snowaddict91]

The General Altimax's on our Rav4 do just fine in warm temps, can hardly tell a handling difference. I'll probably burn off what's left of them next summer (this will be their 4th winter).

The Blizzaks on our Promaster are noticeably soft >60F. Not surprising on a rig with that weight I suppose.

[Meconium]

Like everything tire related, depends on where you live and the winter conditions there. For many/ most, a LT AT tire is probably just fine.

If you live where winter looks like that test track in the video, for months on end, probably should just buy a true winter tire...

Tahoe, SLC, Colorado - an AT will be "fine."

Problem with vid is comparing on a packed/groomed surface at 4f. That's cold grippy snow. In SLC, you don't have whatever days of snow packed roads but you do get some armageddon. Cold snow, whatever and not bad. Gray slush, "wet" vehicle packed with powder falling can get sketch. Red snake cadillac burners can get slick. AT kind of suck on warm hard pack and ice like conditions. Cold, deep slushplane, they are fine. It would be cool to see that same test in warmer snow with some vehicle compated gray ice. Throw in a handful of off-branded cheap ass snow tires to compare with the $200+A/T tires. Like the $100 variety you can get at Walmart.

[lowsparkco]

Just picked up a deal on a set of Pirelli Cinturato P7’s.

I was going to run them next spring as my summer tires, but I think I’m going to throw them on and see how I like them until ski season starts.

[Dromond]

Problem with vid is comparing on a packed/groomed surface at 4f. That's cold grippy snow. In SLC, you don't have whatever days of snow packed roads but you do get some armageddon. Cold snow, whatever and not bad. Gray slush, "wet" vehicle packed with powder falling can get sketch. Red snake cadillac burners can get slick. AT kind of suck on warm hard pack and ice like conditions. Cold, deep slushplane, they are fine. It would be cool to see that same test in warmer snow with some vehicle compated gray ice. Throw in a handful of off-branded cheap ass snow tires to compare with the $200+A/T tires. Like the $100 variety you can get at Walmart.

“Warm hard pack and ice like” describes the ultra slippery conditions that make me nervous to run AT tires in winter. Cold packed snow is super grippy.

[lowsparkco]

I put about 500 miles on the these Pirelli "all weathers" over the holiday weekend. We didn't encounter any snow, but we did get some slippery surfaces, different versions of ice forming or remnants of past storms.

This is the only tire marked "all weather" with a snowflake that I've ever tested, so I'm certainly NOT speaking for other manufacturers and models. BUT, this tire did not seem preferential to an all season tire to me. If you're trying to avoid the occasional forced chain up - sure it has a snowflake, so you can probably pull that off. I'm in an AWD car, so that isn't an issue. I have a set of rad full winter tires sitting on other rims in the garage, so they'll go on ride soon. These felt the same as an all season tire to me. Maybe in the case of my summers, the stock Continentals that came on my car, these are worse. They have tall soft sidewalls and they didn't feel appreciably better on stuff that's really slick. The lower profile all seasons are actually more positive because there's less sway and at least you know what you're getting, I'd rather slide around an inch or two lower to the ground that feel like I'm swaying into corners just waiting for traction to break.

So, to each their own, but these would be a big fat NO for me if I were contemplating them instead of a dedicated snow tire. I'd run snows year round and switch them out more frequently before I'd try and drive this through the winter.