Choose my winter tire!

[gascolator]

Okay, I have 4 choices for winter tire (according to Tirerack). I'm
mounting them on 16" Tundra steelies.

Three of the choices are essentially 'stock' width.

The fourth is about 1.5" narrower than 'stock,' which some
people like. It's the only 'downsize' option. Note that the
W965 Blizzak is a 'commercial' tire, with a higher load rating
and 4/32 more tread, no road-hazard coverage available, and
about $100 more for the set.

Driving area is Eastern PA, western NJ. Lots of mixed precip and
ice, with the occasional blizzard which requires slogging through
a foot or two of build up to go feed the horses. And a lot of dry
days, and just plain rain, too. (Generally miserable )

What's the winner? (Note the prices take into account a $50.00
rebate on the Bridgestones)

Anybody down-size for winter yet? How's the FJ feel on narrow
tires?

[MoSun]

gascolator previously said:

Okay, I have 4 choices for winter tire (according to Tirerack). I'm
mounting them on 16" Tundra steelies.

Three of the choices are essentially 'stock' width.

The fourth is about 1.5" narrower than 'stock,' which some
people like. It's the only 'downsize' option. Note that the
W965 Blizzak is a 'commercial' tire, with a higher load rating
and 4/32 more tread, no road-hazard coverage available, and
about $100 more for the set.

Driving area is Eastern PA, western NJ. Lots of mixed precip and
ice, with the occasional blizzard which requires slogging through
a foot or two of build up to go feed the horses. And a lot of dry
days, and just plain rain, too. (Generally miserable )

What's the winner? (Note the prices take into account a $50.00
rebate on the Bridgestones)

Anybody down-size for winter yet? How's the FJ feel on narrow
tires?

Wrong choices. You should add BFG AT KO to the list.
[IMG][/IMG]

[gascolator]

No, right choices. First of all, I run Revos in the warm months...I specifically
want a tire that deals well with the icy stuff and hills we have to live with
here in the non-committal states. That means that soft ice compound (as
an alternative to studs).

Also, the BFG AT's are not renowned for self-clearing wet sticky snow. As
your photo kind of indicates.

They'd be on my short-list for 3-season tires, however.

[stringmachine]

i thought of that, but i was just voting on the tires that were listed

[Runt]

I run 255/85/16 (34" tall) Cooper STT Studed. They work well . Bottom line in winter the narrower the better. More ground pressure equals better bite. All the tires you listed are good performers. If I were you I would go with the Bridgestone Blizzak W965 235/85QR16.

[Fishermedic]

I haven't run witnter tires on the FJ but I do have a set of Blizzak's for the Grand Prix. They are AMAZING!!!! I don't have any other witner tire experience to compare it to but I haven't found any weather they couldn't handle. The Blizzak's get my vote and just to be a "REAL" part of the forum I'll mention these...Green Diamonds
I haven't found much about them but they are year round tires and look like they would be pretty good in the winter AND summer. The issue some people might have is that they are retreads. I think that as long as you maintain your tires (air pressure and rotate) retreads should be as good as anything else.
K.... I'm done!

Good luck!!

[gascolator]

Yeah, I've been running one or another sort of Blizzaks since they
first came out--- first on a Camry, then on an AUDI A4, now on an
S4, ranging from the 'mom and pop' initial version to the sporty
versions. It's the ice traction that I crave. The S4, unfortunately,
really requires wide tires, and is not quite as sure-footed as the
A4 was--- also you can't run less than a 17 due to the S4 caliper
size, which means you're gonna clobber a wheel and tire (at least)
once a winter here in 'pothole land.'

In ice-storms, I had been driving the S4 over the FJ, but this winter
hope that the FJ will come out in the super-bad stuff.