Best snow / winter tires for 2018 Sport??

[ACO]

Looking for advice on best winter tires for 2018 Sport.

Or does the traction control and other driving assist features make tires specifically for snow unnecessary?

Thanks!!

 

[bigdude2468]

Snow specific tires have a rating that designates them for winter conditions 3PMSF (3 peak mountain snowflake) and have a symbol on the sidewall that shows three little mountain peaks and a snowflake. We live in Salt Lake City all winter and daily drive up a canyon road that averages 550" of snow annually and is the most avalanche prone road in North America with over 30 slide paths that can cover the highway. I had all season tires on our Explorer for about four years before buying a set of wheels and snow tires. Best decision I ever made, huge difference. Keep in mind that snow tires not only provide driving traction but also shorten stopping distance substantially. Snow tires have a softer compound so you will want to put them on late fall and take them off when spring arrives. Bridgestone Blizzak's are probably the best but their compound is really soft so do not expect to put a lot of miles on them. I have a set of Michelin X-Ice which have a 40,000 mile warranty and are only slightly noiser than my regular tires.

 

[ACO]

Snow specific tires have a rating that designates them for winter conditions 3PMSF (3 peak mountain snowflake) and have a symbol on the sidewall that shows three little mountain peaks and a snowflake. We live in Salt Lake City all winter and daily drive up a canyon road that averages 550" of snow annually and is the most avalanche prone road in North America with over 30 slide paths that can cover the highway. I had all season tires on our Explorer for about four years before buying a set of wheels and snow tires. Best decision I ever made, huge difference. Keep in mind that snow tires not only provide driving traction but also shorten stopping distance substantially. Snow tires have a softer compound so you will want to put them on late fall and take them off when spring arrives. Bridgestone Blizzak's are probably the best but their compound is really soft so do not expect to put a lot of miles on them. I have a set of Michelin X-Ice which have a 40,000 mile warranty and are only slightly noiser than my regular tires.

Thanks for the info!
We have family in SLC and we spent Christmas vacation there a few years ago. It was the most stressful week of my life - with the amount of snowfall and the mountainous hills to drive up and down! LOL
Here in NJ High Point is only 1800 ft high.....

 

[Odrapnew]

What's the weather like where you live?
What is the average temperature in the winter?
How much snow do you get?

 

[JAPeterson]

Just as a FYI I live in Colorado at 6500' elevation 30 miles west of Vail. I still have the stock Michelin all season tires on my Explorer and have had zero problems driving in the snow or snow packed roads. You do need to be aware of how good of traction you have at all times. These tires do just fine for me, but if I was doing a lot of driving through roads that seldom see a snow plow then I would get a set of dedicated snow tires.

I am presuming that when you were in SLC you were driving up Big and Little Cottonwood canyons, and if that is the case I can see the need for a dedicated snow tire.

 

[peterk9]

Looking for advice on best snow tires for 2018 Sport.

Or does the traction control and other driving assist features make tires specifically for snow unnecessary?

Thanks!!

The term "snow" tires is outdated because it gives people the wrong impression. Winter tires are designed to remain pliable in cold temperatures whereas so-called all-season tires begin to lose grip at just 44 degree F. Winter tires also have a more aggressive tread pattern to give it better grip in snow and on cold bare roads. There are no features on the Explorer that will act as a substitute for using the proper tires in the appropriate season.
Check out the last few pages of this thread; Winter Tire and Wheel Recommendations
BTW, I've run dedicated winter tires on all my past 7 AWD vehicles.

Peter

 

[Odrapnew]

Based on my location and climate (Minneapolis, MN), an all season is reasonable since when we do get snow, it's cleared relatively quickly. Roads are mainly wet or dry with the occasional snow storm that is usually cleared up by the next day.

My Explorer has Michelin Premier LTX tires and they are fine for 90%+ of my driving. Winter/Nordic tire would be better in some situations, but not worth the hassle and $ for those few occasions.

Watch this video to help you decide.
I always wondered if the 44F rule was true for all season tires.
Based on this test, depends on the surface.
They only did breaking tests in wet/dry and did a small track in snow.
This is on a car, so the tires tested are likely not available for SUV, but I would guess performance is similar on an SUV with the categories of tires.

Short summary (with the tires tested):
- The nordic tire was the best in the snow and worst for both wet and dry braking.
- Winter tire was 2nd best on the snow, 2nd worst in dry braking and a mixed result for wet braking depending on temp.
- All season tire was OK in snow, better than winter in dry braking and as good or better than winter tire in wet braking down to 2C
- Summer tire was terrible in snow, best in dry braking down to 0C and wet braking was mixed (2nd worst at 2C and best at 15C)

If you want to jump to their test results:
-Wet braking: 6:17
-Snow course: 8:06
-Dry braking: 10:00
But, the charts aren't everything, so watch the video. He has a few comments about the tires that don't show up in the graphs.

 

[bigdude2468]

BTW, a front wheel drive vehicle with snow tires will outperform an AWD with all season tires. Snow tires substantially reduce stopping distance which AWD / 4X4 do not

 

[Mbrooks420]

BTW, a front wheel drive vehicle with snow tires will outperform an AWD with all season tires. Snow tires substantially reduce stopping distance which AWD / 4X4 do not

There’s more to “preforming” than braking. I’m confident with fresh all seasons I could VERY easily outdrive the same vehicle with snow tires (I’ve done this exact thing in my Escape)

Check out the Michelin CrossClimate 2. It’s a true 4 season tire that makes swapping tires unnecessary for 90% of drivers.

 

[bigdude2468]

Two quotes from transport Canada's study. "

A car with winter tires on an icy road needs 6.4 metres to stop compared to 12.1 metres for a car with all-season tires.

A two-wheel drive vehicle with winter tires will outperform a four-wheel drive vehicle with all-season tires in braking and cornering.”

 

[Mbrooks420]

That study is simply designed to sell winter tires. You can’t tell me that a “winter tire will stop in X while an all season will stop in X”. All season tires vary drastically. All seasons can also be snow and ice rated.

It’s beyond ridiculous, and is a garbage study designed to convince people that don’t really bother to think a whole lot about how studies and variables work.

 

[Mbrooks420]

Also, I’m sure a top level all season will outdo the cheapest winter tire option.

 

[peterk9]

Also, I’m sure a top level all season will outdo the cheapest winter tire option.

I'm of the opinion that the opposite is true in that all-seasons aren't 'winter' rated and don't have the material compound to remain flexible in colder temperatures. I've also seen similar tests conducted on ice hockey rink surfaces and they also somewhat resulted in the same observations that were posted by bigdude2468.

Peter

 

[Mbrooks420]

I'm of the opinion that the opposite is true in that all-seasons aren't 'winter' rated and don't have the material compound to remain flexible in colder temperatures. I've also seen similar tests conducted on ice hockey rink surfaces and they also somewhat resulted in the same observations that were posted by bigdude2468.

Peter

An all season tire can be winter rated. An ice hockey rink is a poor testing surface as it has no bearing on any real world conditions.

 

[peterk9]

I have yet to see an all-season with the 3 mountain peak/snowflake rating. There was also segment on the program Motoring 2021 that conducted tire tests in a newly designed building that could mimic outdoor conditions and they also tested on outdoor tracks and the conclusions all pointed to the fact that winter tires out performed so-called all-seasons. The Michelin tire you referred to earlier is not an all-season tire. It is an all-weather tire, a sort of hybrid between a winter and summer (all-season) tire.

Peter

 

[Mbrooks420]

A summer tire and an all season tire aren’t remotely the same thing....

All weather and all season are pretty much the same thing. It’s not as if anyone swaps tires for “weather” conditions. They are both meant to be used year round, and not swapped out for another set of tires.

 

[peterk9]

Many owners swap out all-seasons for winter tires, especially here in Canada. The province of Quebec has a mandatory winter tire law and other provinces have considered it as well. The all-season is technically only good for 3 seasons as many tire reviewers have indicated. From personal experience, winter tires are much better and safer than all-seasons in winter conditions. No one will convince me otherwise after getting caught in a freak snowstorm in April after having the all-seasons put back on. All-weather tires were introduced to eliminate the seasonal changeover.
In any case, everyone has their own opinions on things, mainly due to personal experiences. Have a Happy and Healthy New Year!

Peter

 

[1sicbronconut]

I've had good luck with the Coopers that are on my wife's Flex, try running a good winter tire in the summer and you'll see how much softer the compound is and how much faster they'll wear out. Discoverer® Snow Claw | Cooper Tire

 

[ACO]

What's the weather like where you live?
What is the average temperature in the winter?
How much snow do you get?

We've had pretty mild (cold, but little snow) winters here in NJ the past couple of years but this year we started the winter of with a big snowstorm. We're expecting alot of snow this winter so I'm trying to decide whether the Sport actually needs snow tires. This is the first SUV I've had with so many bells & whistles so am unsure how well the technology compensates for bad weather driving with regular tires.

Looking for advice on best winter tires for 2018 Sport.

Or does the traction control and other driving assist features make tires specifically for snow unnecessary?

Thanks!!

This is what I currently have on my Sport:
Hankook Ventus S1 noble2 255/50R20 105H

The road I drive to/from work is elevated in a lot of areas so I want to have the most grip when driving on the colder/frozen parts of the road, would consider switching to winter tires on Interceptor rims until Spring if it would help my driving safety.
Thanks for all the commentary so far!

​

 

[peterk9]

Keep an eye on them for wear. You may be replacing them before you would expect to. Treadwear Issue with Ventus S1 Noble 2 Hankooks
Happy New Year.

Peter