Longer Tread Life From Snow Tires?

jyl · 03-10-2008, 12:15 AM

We previously bought a set of snow tires for the Prius, mounted on a second set of wheels. The tires were Bridgestone Blizzaks. I just swapped out the snow tires for the regular tires, and decided to check tire wear after 2 winters and appx 7,000 miles on the Blizzaks.

Not very good news. Front tires tread depth is 50mm (0.2 inch), rear is 80mm (0.3 inch). The fronts look pretty shallow, the rears look okay still.

For those 7,000 miles, the Blizzaks have been driven on 65% wet roads, 30% dry, 5% snow/ice, I estimate. That's Portland OR in the winter - mostly rain but some snow on the way to the kids' school and occasional black ice too. Also snow/ice on visits to the in-laws in Central WA.

I think I can get one more year from the Blizzaks, by swapping front to rear. But 10,000 miles is pretty disappointing.

[b]Has anyone found a good snow tire that delivers longer tread life?[/b[

I am running some Nokians on the Vanagon, I may try those on the Prius next.

qbee42 · 03-10-2008, 09:35 AM

I like Micheline's MXV4+ Energy, which has been improved and is now called the Primacy. They are not a true snow tire, but are a good all-season tire which will give you a lot better wear than the really soft snow tires. Many people also swear by Nokian WRs.

Tom

Bill Lumbergh · 03-10-2008, 09:44 AM

All-season tires offer nowhere near the traction of a didicated snow tire. Part of the snow tires grip comes from the extremely soft tread, so switching to a harder snow tire may reduce overall grip.

I've used Blizzaks as well while I was stationed in Alaska (80% snow/ice, 20% just wet) and they performed satisfactorily and lasted longer than my original tires.

David Beale · 03-10-2008, 11:00 AM

The Nokian WRs give good long life AND are rated "as good as" the Mich. ice tire on ice. I use them year round (but so far only have 4000 km on them). They were very good this winter, no traction problems, no stopping problems. Low noise. I had them on the anti-Prius as well (2001 Nissan Pathfinder 4X4) and they were great on that vehicle too.

Most people still think you NEED dedicated winter tires. They have yet to try Nokians.

jayman · 03-10-2008, 12:16 PM

Studless winter tires - and good studded winter tires - have a very soft tread compound to assist in grip, especially on ice and snow in cold temps. That means they will wear much faster than "all season" tires

There are tires that offer the Snowflake winter performance symbol, and claim to be "all season" use. I had such a tire put on my FJ Cruiser to replace - IMHO - the dangerous factory Dunlop Grandtrek tires. I went with Goodyear Fortera TripleTred, which is a directional truck tire that is also branded with the Snowflake

I did try them a bit last fall before putting on my dedicated winter truck tires, the Toyo Open Country G-02 Plus. This is also a directional tire, with a special compound they claim helps improve ice traction

Toyo Tire Canada Inc. Tires - Pneus

I suppose most people would just run the "all season" tire and put up with it. On my FJ, there was simply no doubt at all the difference in traction comparing the "all season" but Snowflake branded tire, to the dedicated winter tire. Ice traction was better, and snow traction was MUCH better

Note: My Prius with the studded Goodyear Nordic winter tires, has much better ice traction than my FJ on the studless winter tires. IMHO modern studded tires still have an edge on ice. I have attached a Swedish report on winter tire traction, and they also conclude that modern studded tires offer the best winter grip

With my Prius I have tried Dunlop Graspic DS-2 and Yokohama Ice Guard 10 studless tires. The Goodyear Nordic AKA Goodyear Ultra Grip 500 offer superior winter traction, but are louder on dry pavement

I hope to get another winter or two out of them. They aren't wearing quite as fast as your tires, but they are wearing

qbee42 · 03-10-2008, 12:45 PM

All good advice. Once again it comes down to compromises. How much snow and ice do you get, how hilly are your roads, how important is it too you to get out in bad weather. Only you can answer those questions. Also keep in mind that studded tires are illegal in many areas.

Tom

03-10-2008, 12:15 AM	#1
jyl Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Portland Posts: 78 My Car: 2007 Prius Model: Package: #5 Thanks: 0 Thanked 3 Times in 1 Post Friends: 0	Longer Tread Life From Snow Tires? We previously bought a set of snow tires for the Prius, mounted on a second set of wheels. The tires were Bridgestone Blizzaks. I just swapped out the snow tires for the regular tires, and decided to check tire wear after 2 winters and appx 7,000 miles on the Blizzaks. Not very good news. Front tires tread depth is 50mm (0.2 inch), rear is 80mm (0.3 inch). The fronts look pretty shallow, the rears look okay still. For those 7,000 miles, the Blizzaks have been driven on 65% wet roads, 30% dry, 5% snow/ice, I estimate. That's Portland OR in the winter - mostly rain but some snow on the way to the kids' school and occasional black ice too. Also snow/ice on visits to the in-laws in Central WA. I think I can get one more year from the Blizzaks, by swapping front to rear. But 10,000 miles is pretty disappointing. [b]Has anyone found a good snow tire that delivers longer tread life?[/b[ I am running some Nokians on the Vanagon, I may try those on the Prius next.

03-10-2008, 09:35 AM	#2
qbee42 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Northern Michigan Posts: 10,487 My Car: 2006 Prius Model: Package: #7 Thanks: 95 Thanked 392 Times in 290 Posts Friends: 10	Re: Longer Tread Life From Snow Tires? I like Micheline's MXV4+ Energy, which has been improved and is now called the Primacy. They are not a true snow tire, but are a good all-season tire which will give you a lot better wear than the really soft snow tires. Many people also swear by Nokian WRs. Tom Last edited by qbee42; 03-10-2008 at 12:42 PM. Reason: Called the WRs WGs - oops!

03-10-2008, 09:44 AM	#3
Bill Lumbergh USAF Aircraft Maintainer Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: The 09836 area Posts: 533 My Car: 2005 Prius Model: N/A Package: #1 Thanks: 0 Thanked 3 Times in 2 Posts Friends: 1	Re: Longer Tread Life From Snow Tires? All-season tires offer nowhere near the traction of a didicated snow tire. Part of the snow tires grip comes from the extremely soft tread, so switching to a harder snow tire may reduce overall grip. I've used Blizzaks as well while I was stationed in Alaska (80% snow/ice, 20% just wet) and they performed satisfactorily and lasted longer than my original tires.

03-10-2008, 11:00 AM	#4
David Beale Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Edmonton Alberta Posts: 2,116 My Car: 2007 Prius Model: Package: B Thanks: 3 Thanked 77 Times in 58 Posts Friends: 0	Re: Longer Tread Life From Snow Tires? The Nokian WRs give good long life AND are rated "as good as" the Mich. ice tire on ice. I use them year round (but so far only have 4000 km on them). They were very good this winter, no traction problems, no stopping problems. Low noise. I had them on the anti-Prius as well (2001 Nissan Pathfinder 4X4) and they were great on that vehicle too. Most people still think you NEED dedicated winter tires. They have yet to try Nokians.

03-10-2008, 12:16 PM	#5
jayman Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Winnipeg Manitoba Posts: 11,576 My Car: 2004 Prius Model: Package: B Thanks: 35 Thanked 186 Times in 169 Posts Friends: 12	Re: Longer Tread Life From Snow Tires? Studless winter tires - and good studded winter tires - have a very soft tread compound to assist in grip, especially on ice and snow in cold temps. That means they will wear much faster than "all season" tires There are tires that offer the Snowflake winter performance symbol, and claim to be "all season" use. I had such a tire put on my FJ Cruiser to replace - IMHO - the dangerous factory Dunlop Grandtrek tires. I went with Goodyear Fortera TripleTred, which is a directional truck tire that is also branded with the Snowflake I did try them a bit last fall before putting on my dedicated winter truck tires, the Toyo Open Country G-02 Plus. This is also a directional tire, with a special compound they claim helps improve ice traction Toyo Tire Canada Inc. Tires - Pneus I suppose most people would just run the "all season" tire and put up with it. On my FJ, there was simply no doubt at all the difference in traction comparing the "all season" but Snowflake branded tire, to the dedicated winter tire. Ice traction was better, and snow traction was MUCH better Note: My Prius with the studded Goodyear Nordic winter tires, has much better ice traction than my FJ on the studless winter tires. IMHO modern studded tires still have an edge on ice. I have attached a Swedish report on winter tire traction, and they also conclude that modern studded tires offer the best winter grip With my Prius I have tried Dunlop Graspic DS-2 and Yokohama Ice Guard 10 studless tires. The Goodyear Nordic AKA Goodyear Ultra Grip 500 offer superior winter traction, but are louder on dry pavement I hope to get another winter or two out of them. They aren't wearing quite as fast as your tires, but they are wearing __________________ 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser 5AT "C", Sun Fusion Last edited by jayman; 10-02-2008 at 02:20 PM.

03-10-2008, 12:45 PM	#6
qbee42 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Northern Michigan Posts: 10,487 My Car: 2006 Prius Model: Package: #7 Thanks: 95 Thanked 392 Times in 290 Posts Friends: 10	Re: Longer Tread Life From Snow Tires? All good advice. Once again it comes down to compromises. How much snow and ice do you get, how hilly are your roads, how important is it too you to get out in bad weather. Only you can answer those questions. Also keep in mind that studded tires are illegal in many areas. Tom