Winter tires..

[Brian Miller]

I had mentioned on the other forum I got 54K out of 12 year old Hankook AT-Ms on my SUV before I got a rock puncture on a logging road in August 2020. I researched all makes of OR-AT tires on CU & Tire Rack. I found the AT2s are replacing the AT-M and are rated mid-tier by CU and 91% of best at Tire Rack. They were quite a bit cheaper than the higher rated tires at Discount Tire so I checked several other 4-wheeler websites on that particular tire and decided to purchase them from Discount Tire (again). There was 6K miles of warranty left so I only had to pay for 3 tires + the m&b for the 3 saving me well over $200, which was a nice surprise. They add a 3PK rating to M&S and I immediately discovered the AT2s are noticeably quieter, have a noticeably less bumpy ride, and are reported to have other improvements; i.e. tread wear, mpg... I don't have anything to compare it to but in February 2021 they were excellent when I drove it in 10" of fresh snow up a 500' driveway with a 13% gradient from a cabin we stayed at off of 101. I did put it in 4 low to get through the snowplow berm.

As far as tires for my Mazda CX5, I've got my eye on the Michelin CC2s but the Skyactiv AWD was amazingly surefooted with the stock Toyo A36s during our recent snow & ice episodes and the stock tires only had 1mm of tread wear at the last oil change.

 

[majpreal]

My daughter runs those during winter on her Outback. Lives on Spokane South Hill where the ice can get trecherous. Swears by them.

I have them on my Outback as well. I live on the East slope of the Cascades (Cle Elum) and my street is halfway down a steep hill and they are a excellent in tandem w/ the Outback's AWD.

 

[Robert Engleheart]

Robert, I think the CrossClimate would be the perfect tire for my granddaughter that lives in Spokane. I don't see it as an all terrain tire for here on the tundra though. I live up a dirt road and have the Subaru on some primitive roads that are little more than a goat trail. The Geo's hit that sweet spot of being good on the highway and very good off road without going to something as extreme as a Goodrich A/T KO2. But after a boulder strewn trail that Krusty and I drove down last year I have thought about the KO2's.....

I agree, it’s not an off road type tire. Read a review that spoke to that. It fits my daughters needs perfectly; wintertime she goes from 300’ elevation on dry or rarely wet roads to 5500’ in Ice, slush and snow. only about 10K on them so far as she has a Honda that gets much better mileage when roads are dry. I was impressed that they are quiet and handle well in the dry. Only noise I noticed was on grooved concrete.

 

[longputt]

These are crazy! I wonder if they work? Seems like they would wear out pretty fast.

I often carry a set of chain in my 4runner (running snow/ice rated, though not winter specific, tires) just in case we get stuck going skiing or the roads turn to shit. But they are kind of a hassle to store. Seems like a set of those snow socks would pack up pretty small/light. Might be just the ticket for an emergency sort of slow speed "get unstuck" sort of thing.

Or maybe they are the Pocket Fisherman of tire chains.

I've been wondering about the icy boat launch...slow speed not too far.

I've had some scary times on a frozen launch.

 

[SurfnFish]

Was at Costco auto center today picking up a battery for my Suburban, talked to the gal behind the ocunter about the Cross Climate I had bought there, how much we like them. She tells me..
"My dad has them on his Lexus, hates them"
"Huh. Why?"
"Says they grip too much, so the car doesn't drive as smooth"
lol