Best snow / winter tires for 2018 Sport??

[Mbrooks420]

That is an All-Terrain tire, not a Winter tire. While it may be great in snow, it doesn't appear to meet the criteria of a true winter tire and therefore It doesn't have the 3PMSF rating (symbol). It is also not listed under General Tire's winter tires. The only winter rated tires they list for Light Truck and SUV are Grabber Arctic and Grabber Arctic LT.
As for the tests, I can't believe that all the tests by various reviewers are using the same tires.

Peter

I’m aware it’s not a winter tire. That’s my entire point. Some sizes of the AT2 are absolutely snowflake rated.

 

[christes]

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!!

Tires make a big difference even with Ford's Advanced Track. I live in Nebraska and run Michelin Defender LTX tires year round. They are not dedicated snow tires but work great with Advanced Track. TireRack.com has customer reviews and test ratings for just about every tire that will fit your explorer. Its a great resource and benchmark for pricing whether you buy them from Tire Rack or not.

 

[Kirby N.]

Bfg all terrain. Awesome in the snow and ice here in co.

 

[funwithbono]

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!!

Bfg all terrain. Awesome in the snow and ice here in co.View attachment 326223

Not available in 255/50/20

 

[peterk9]

I’m aware it’s not a winter tire. That’s my entire point. Some sizes of the AT2 are absolutely snowflake rated.

I had to search that size you mentioned on the Internet as it isn't shown on the General Tire site from Tire Rack. Apparently it does have the 3MPSF rating but according to the note Tire Rack has along with it, it still is not a true Winter tire.
"Note: While non-winter tires featuring the three-peak mountain snowflake (3PMSF) symbol provide additional longitudinal snow traction beyond what all-season (M+S) tires not bearing the symbol can deliver, they do not match the capability of a true winter tire in all adverse weather conditions."
So that being said, I stand corrected in regards to the designation/symbol, but not overall winter performance.

Peter

 

[Mbrooks420]

I had to search that size you mentioned on the Internet as it isn't shown on the General Tire site from Tire Rack. Apparently it does have the 3MPSF rating but according to the note Tire Rack has along with it, it still is not a true Winter tire.
"Note: While non-winter tires featuring the three-peak mountain snowflake (3PMSF) symbol provide additional longitudinal snow traction beyond what all-season (M+S) tires not bearing the symbol can deliver, they do not match the capability of a true winter tire in all adverse weather conditions."
So that being said, I stand corrected in regards to the designation/symbol, but not overall winter performance.

Peter

It passed the tests required to legitimately get the snowflake, or else it wouldn’t have it.

I’d bet a good deal of money if that “all terrain” was pinned it’d out brake the “winter” tires in the tests without any trouble.

I’d also bet that it’d outbrake whatever all season they tested.

It would also outdo any of the snow tires tested in really deep snow, or any off-road type situation.

 

[66427]

If stopping distance is your top criteria, your driving too fast.

You can pre plan your stopping in 99% of driving situations. For that 1%, better equipment could be life or death.

 

[Mbrooks420]

As for the CrossClimates being “All Weather”. (Also from the great TireRack)

“Interestingly, using the term "All Weather" to describe these tires is something of a misnomer unless specifically referring to a tire produced by Goodyear. Goodyear first used the "All Weather" nomenclature in 1916, and "All Weather" has been a registered trademark of the company since 1948, 51 years before the 3PMSF symbol was created. Similar to calling all facial tissue "Kleenex®," referring to a tire from another manufacturer as "All Weather" is inaccurate.”

No tire manufacturer is going to use the term “all weather” themselves, it’d be stepping on Goodyear’s trademark. Tire sellers use that terminology to make the tires seem special, probably because they are a premium price.

 

[Chris_A.]

As for the CrossClimates being “All Weather”. (Also from the great TireRack)

“Interestingly, using the term "All Weather" to describe these tires is something of a misnomer unless specifically referring to a tire produced by Goodyear. Goodyear first used the "All Weather" nomenclature in 1916, and "All Weather" has been a registered trademark of the company since 1948, 51 years before the 3PMSF symbol was created. Similar to calling all facial tissue "Kleenex®," referring to a tire from another manufacturer as "All Weather" is inaccurate.”

No tire manufacturer is going to use the term “all weather” themselves, it’d be stepping on Goodyear’s trademark. Tire sellers use that terminology to make the tires seem special, probably because they are a premium price.

Why not just add tire chains to your kit for winter? You roll em on when needed and roll em off when not. Properly installed, they make your tires out perform snow tires. For light, intermittent, conditions, they add weight to the vehicle.

Or, just use narrower tires. Wide tires float (quicker on snow and mud). The best known choise is narrower tires (observe proper fit with rims, need to track at outside like the oem ones) and overall tire height to help with the antilock brakes, vehicle stability, and ride quality) with chains available for when nothing else works. (I grew up in snow driving a Mustang. 225s float in a heartbeat or 1/4" which ever comes first.)

IMHO, save your nice rims for nice weather. Get a winter set of tires. And remember to mark the position they were on the vehicle when you store them.

 

[Mbrooks420]

I see no reason to use chains unless conditions are beyond extreme. Narrower tires don’t handle, or brake as well, as well as wearing out faster.

On most of my trucks I aim to have a single tire year round, as I’ll never wear them out with how much they are driven as extra vehicles.

 

[peterk9]

...........................................
No tire manufacturer is going to use the term “all weather” themselves, it’d be stepping on Goodyear’s trademark. Tire sellers use that terminology to make the tires seem special, probably because they are a premium price.

I wasn't aware of the trademark specification but Nokian does refer to its WRG4 as an all-weather tire on its site. Passenger car All-Weather tires / Nokian Tires Michelin has that description as well for the CrossClimate. Perhaps using the hyphenated term gets around the patent?

Peter

 

[Mbrooks420]

It’s nothing more than marketing semantics, anyways. All weather and all season have the exact same purpose, to not swap tires based on season.

 

[Bretttom]

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

Peter

+1 for the Cooper discoverer AT3 4S.
snow flake rated. I went with 265 50 20
Fit fine, look great.

 

[Chris_A.]

I see no reason to use chains unless conditions are beyond extreme. Narrower tires don’t handle, or brake as well, as well as wearing out faster.

On most of my trucks I aim to have a single tire year round, as I’ll never wear them out with how much they are driven as extra vehicles.

I understand your veiw point. My point is that wider tires "float" on ice, snow, and rain much quicker. The larger the footprint, the lower the ground pressure. If you drive a vehicle "hard" you will wear any tire out quickly, regardless of size or width. On dry ground, narrower tire will not hold as well as the factory tires; but, with proper and safe driving, narrow tires will last almost as long and will provide better fuel economy at the same time. Because I have lived in the south or overseas for the past 20 years I have not had the chance to explore what dimensions would be best for a Explorer; but, if I were to guess, a reduction of 10 to 20 mm in width should provide a reasonable tradeoff. On a Mustang Ford used P225 tires where P185 tires should be for other than dry. On that vehicle you can run a P215 tire with minimal tradeoff and gain a mile to the gallon. Tire manufacturers are making "funky" tread patterns to try to offset the wrong width tires. Try driving a economy car (rent one) with narrower tires and you will notice that they run and handle acceptably. If you "sport" (drive recklessly) drive them on dry pavement then the tire wear increases.

 

[Mbrooks420]

I understand your veiw point. My point is that wider tires "float" on ice, snow, and rain much quicker. The larger the footprint, the lower the ground pressure. If you drive a vehicle "hard" you will wear any tire out quickly, regardless of size or width. On dry ground, narrower tire will not hold as well as the factory tires; but, with proper and safe driving, narrow tires will last almost as long and will provide better fuel economy at the same time. Because I have lived in the south or overseas for the past 20 years I have not had the chance to explore what dimensions would be best for a Explorer; but, if I were to guess, a reduction of 10 to 20 mm in width should provide a reasonable tradeoff. On a Mustang Ford used P225 tires where P185 tires should be for other than dry. On that vehicle you can run a P215 tire with minimal tradeoff and gain a mile to the gallon. Tire manufacturers are making "funky" tread patterns to try to offset the wrong width tires. Try driving a economy car (rent one) with narrower tires and you will notice that they run and handle acceptably. If you "sport" (drive recklessly) drive them on dry pavement then the tire wear increases.

I’ve driven cars with every tire combo possible. Narrower tires don’t make sense to me. The only performance benefit is in snow, which is far less than half their life’s usage. I drive hard (which isn’t reckless) and want the benefit of the added tire width. Fuel economy concerns in a V8 Explorer? Don’t even bother.

 

[Randy Rantz]

Looking for advice on best winter tires for 2018 Sport.

Or does the traction control and other driving assist features make tires

 

[Randy Rantz]

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!!

 

[sandsprayer]

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

Roger that, had a set of Hankooks on the Trac for 6 months. Yarded them off and sold while they still had value

 

[J_C]

You can pre plan your stopping in 99% of driving situations. For that 1%, better equipment could be life or death.

Very doubtful, that 1% is usually just a fender bender because you were going 5MPH still instead of 0MPH. The far greater danger is downward icy slopes approaching an intersection, or reverse banked roads where you slide right off the side whether braking or not. Otherwise it is very much just a matter of driving slower which you have to do anyway no matter which tires are installed.

 

[J_C]

There is no one tire that does well in both deep snow and on ice. At AT tire with the 3PMS tends to have more sipes and can do ice better than the average AT tire, and any AT tire can do deep snow better than the average winter tire, but all AT tires do ice worse than the average winter tire.

It's not just marketing, comes down to different rubber compound that stays more flexible and grippy in cold weather, along with even more sipes.

Narrower tires, we're not talking that much of a difference are we? What people are calling narrow aren't that narrow and the wider tires, enough to be flotation would require vehicle modifications to fit at all. More like shades of gray including wear issues unless you are hauling heavy loads. Otherwise, it's usually the case that the little increase in wear about correlates with the increase in price of the larger tire.