Tires For Ontario Winter

[JTF]

I purchased a used Ford Ranger/Supercab Edge/6cyl/auto/ with Michelin LTX A/T p235/75 R15 tires. how will these tires fear this winter. most of my driving is paved surfaces about 6kms per day to and from work. I have not driven a pickup in years normally a car with all seasonal tires. thanks for any tips or advice on the tires.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Personally, I hate all-season and summer tread tires. But I also typically do not have long commutes and I have to be able to not only get off the side of the road on muddy jobsites, but be able to get myself back on the road. For several years I ran my 2wd Ranger on a regular basis, but for the past year and a half I upgraded to a 4x4 F-150 for work.

Because I do sometimes travel long distances, I didn't want to drop money on mud tires, so I pick the baddest looking all-terrain style tires I can find. Something with big voids between the tread blocks and the knobby blocks with factory siping. So far that has done me right with tires. My 2wd Ranger went surprisingly well in the winter with a good aggressive AT tire - I ran Remington Rimfire XT tires (no longer available unfortunately) and Sport King AT tires (also no longer available locally) on my Ranger. Both did quite well. My F-150 I had some "all season" tires on it when I got it, and it required 4x4 to go anywhere in the winter. I got fed up halfway through last winter and bought a set of Nexen Roadian ATII tires (31x10.50x15) for it. Surprise! I didn't hardly use 4x4 after that because I didn't need it.

My test for picking tires is to look at one of them in my size and stick my fingers down in the voids between tread blocks. If my fingers hit the bottom of the void without really any force and I like the pattern, I give 'er a try. FYI, BF Goodrich AT KO tires do NOT pass this test for me, and I have tried running them before - haven't been happy with 'em.

 

[JohnnyO]

A/T's are generally fine for winter driving in snow, ice is iffy. Since you're in Canada I'd recommend Bridgestone Blizzaks, hands-down the best snow tires there are. Have them on the wife's Taurus and she says it will climb a ski jump.

 

[Jason]

Grabber AT2's are also severe snow rated as well as being a decent AT. I researched my butt off for a good year round tire in Buffalo and chose them.

 

[Mark_88]

I guess it depends on where in Canada you are and how often the roads are cleared/sanded...living in south-central Ontario the roads are generally cleared within a few hours of snowfall and rarely get accumulation worth worrying about...

However, as I've found out, I usually ended up driving on roads that were yet to be cleared and sometimes rather slick due to quick freezes...and hills, well, let's hope they are sanded frequently because I've had to throw my Zuki into 4x4 a few times (6 or 7 times in six years isn't bad)...

I used a few different tires over the years, but I found that my Widetracks were the best...still have them on the Ranger, but the tread is getting a bit too low for my liking...

The stock tires on a Ranger from what I've seen are generally great for Canadian winters, as I've rarely seen a stuck Ranger on the road...the side of the roads and in ditches are another story, but I don't recall seeing too many of them stuck...

If you really need to change the tires due to wear, some of the suggestions here might be worth looking into...but I've found the price tags on new tires is a bit excessive for my liking, especially in the larger sizes...

Try a local junk yard if you just want to throw on a set for the winter...you'd be amazed at the price and selection, and if you're close to TO then Standard Auto in Scarberia usually has a great selection, and can even install them (not sure about balancing because they couldn't do that last time I was there)...

 

[Ruffinit]

Those Michelins were what I used to run on my GMC Safari with RWD and a 4.3 Vortec. They were surprisingly good here in Iowa winters. My wife drove 80 miles/day taking the kids to and from school. They should do you fine with 4x4 especially on a short commute like that.

 

[-Nathan-]

get a set of winter tires and stud them. choose your flavor. any winter tire with a good amount of siping and studs will do just fine on your truck. also, add a couple hundred pounds in the bed.

 

[Mark_88]

I think studded tires are illegal in Ontario...I haven't seen them for years, but we can still buy them...

I think they outlawed them because they were tenderizing the road kill before it was skinned...

 

[strvger]

look for Winterforce tires as a less expensive alternative to Michelin's. they are strictly a winter tire. state police use them here in Minnesota in the winter. and as Nathan said, a couple hundred pounds of sand/salt/floor dry/kitty litter will help as well.

and, most important, Drive Like You Want To Live Til You're 100 !!!!!

 

[Nhaz]

Winter force. I had a set last winter. excellent tire.

Another alternative. is the General Tire Altimax snow tires They are rated in the top 5 tires pretty much on the planet. And they are a good price. hard to get though they are always sold out.

 

['99 EB Explorer]

I think studded tires are illegal in Ontario...I haven't seen them for years, but we can still buy them...

I think they outlawed them because they were tenderizing the road kill before it was skinned...

They were dis-banned a couple years ago. You can now buy studded tires in Ontario again

 

[06RangerXLT]

Personally, I hate all-season and summer tread tires. But I also typically do not have long commutes and I have to be able to not only get off the side of the road on muddy jobsites, but be able to get myself back on the road. For several years I ran my 2wd Ranger on a regular basis, but for the past year and a half I upgraded to a 4x4 F-150 for work.

Because I do sometimes travel long distances, I didn't want to drop money on mud tires, so I pick the baddest looking all-terrain style tires I can find. Something with big voids between the tread blocks and the knobby blocks with factory siping. So far that has done me right with tires. My 2wd Ranger went surprisingly well in the winter with a good aggressive AT tire - I ran Remington Rimfire XT tires (no longer available unfortunately) and Sport King AT tires (also no longer available locally) on my Ranger. Both did quite well. My F-150 I had some "all season" tires on it when I got it, and it required 4x4 to go anywhere in the winter. I got fed up halfway through last winter and bought a set of Nexen Roadian ATII tires (31x10.50x15) for it. Surprise! I didn't hardly use 4x4 after that because I didn't need it.

My test for picking tires is to look at one of them in my size and stick my fingers down in the voids between tread blocks. If my fingers hit the bottom of the void without really any force and I like the pattern, I give 'er a try. FYI, BF Goodrich AT KO tires do NOT pass this test for me, and I have tried running them before - haven't been happy with 'em.

i just bought a set of bfg at's. this should be good. lol

 

[04sd]

i just bought a set of bfg at's. this should be good. lol

I used BFG AT's on trucks that plowed snow, no issues.
That said, your best winter tire would probably be Blizzaks or Winterforce. The best winter traction also requires a different rubber compound that these tires have.

 

[JTF]

Thanks for all the awesome replies, much appreciated.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Dunno how those exact tires are, but my mom's Explorer is a tank in snow with Michelen Cross Terrains.

Also has automatic 4x4 with a limited slip too though... just point and click.