Tpms on 2021, store 2 sets of codes

Thing is too: snow tires should be (wait for it…) retired, when tread depth gets down to 6/32”.

the x-ice aren’t bad for wear, around 30k kms and 11 years, ours still have solid 7/32”.

 

Don't tell that to Michelin:

 

I wouldn't get too pedantic with marketing copy. They use snow/ice/winter interchangeably in their own descriptions. There are some 3rd party classifications like the 3 mountain peak with a snowflake symbol you'll see in tire shops.

Winter tires are important and there is a reason they are required in some places like Canada - The rubber compound is softer so it maintains flexibility in very cold conditions - summer/all weather tires tend to become stiff and harden in cold weather making them less likely to maintain traction. The treads for winter tires are such that they easily toss snow out and can get a grip in a road with an inch or 2 of fresh snow in it. Summer tires are made to shed water and those narrow grooves are easily clogged with packed snow and ice reducing traction.

What makes winter tires important for winter driving can also make them less ideal in the summer because the softer rubber will seriously wear down on warm dry roads. I ruined a set of winter tires after only 1 season in 2020 because of bad alignment and not being able to get in to have my tires swapped until mid-May since all the tire shops had closed in March but we were still driving 100+ miles a day to our jobs in healthcare. The rear tires were worn down nearly bald on the inside edges. They also aren't as good about shedding water in heavy rain despite their big grooves. It's sort of like how big chunky trail tires on pickup trucks aren't always great on pavement. They can sink down into mud and dirt but it ultimately reduces surface area gripping asphalt. So there are gives and takes.

Anecdotally I can tell the difference between my summer tires and a good set of winter tires. Both my Prius and Tundra felt very loose whenever I got caught in an early storm before I had my tires switched over. After putting on the winter shoes both handled much better. There is a specific spot near my house where I have a stop sign that that is on an uphill where i need to turn right onto another road that is also sloped uphill. In a snow storm my summer tires can't get me up that hill. Winter tires it's no problem.

As far as TPMS, lots of folks would still like to have a working set even on their winter tires. With Carista you can register new sensors to your car if you know the codes to add in. If you get a new set from say tirerack with a tire/wheel package and you don't know the codes for the new wheels you can either buy a sniffer/registration tool for a couple hundred online to activate and register the new sensors when you put them on the car or you can stop by a tire shop and have them do the activation and registration. If you write down the codes from your summer tires before you switch them over and then write down the new codes after you can skip the shop the next time you swap wheels and just use Carista or another OBDII tool to register the sensors each season. It would be nice if Toyota could add more code slots to the system.

 

Like the first here, directly off that marketing copy?:

 

No they are NOT in all cases.
In fact, I suspect not in very many cases.

You are doing folks a dis-service by claiming that they are the same.

 

This thread has strayed from the initial inquiry a bit. But maybe some examples of different tires labeled as winter tires that are not snow tires are needed to clarify the difference, that is if there is any difference.

I suspect "winter" tires are an umbrella term that covers a wider variety of tires that is suitable in colder climate driving conditions beyond dedicated on snow use. I am aware of some tires that are labeled as All-Weather tires (not to be confused with All-Season tires) such as the Nokian WR series and Michelin CrossClimate. But for all practical purposes, most tire shops I have dealt with call winter tires synonymous with snow tires. Certainly, my set of Michelin Xice Xi3, Michelin Latitude Xice Xi2, Sumitomo Ice Edge are all called either winter tires or snow tires by various tire shops and serve the same purpose of being dedicated winter/snow tires on our vehicles.

 

Michelin's latest line up:

Browse Winter Tires | MICHELIN

For sedans and hatchbacks, I think now the go-to choice is:

Michelin X-Ice Snow Tire | Michelin Canada