replacement tires

[itsaysjack]

i need a recommendation....i need to replace my stock P245/60R18 STOCK tires.
i’m not interested in “how big” just a good tire that is more aggressive than the original tires. (i want to avoid any trimming) i’m looking for something that would handle well in the snow....(i do a lot of winter mountain driving) not a lot of off roading. i need tires to help me stay on the road vs. off...
any input would be appreciated.
thanks stan

[Cobrajet]

I think your two criteria conflict. An aggressive street tire is not going to be as good in the snow as a purpose built snow tire. You might want to invest in another set of wheels and tires just for the snow.

I just put a set of Pirelli Zeroes (285/55-18) on my stock rims this past weekend, so I really can't comment on anything but the awesome looks and fact that they do not rub even on rough back roads. They are only slightly taller than the 245/60's, so I'm not worried about my speedo either. I originally tried to get the 285/50's, but they are on national back-order until late December, and my VX is due for inspection next month. The old tires might have passed inspection, but would have been miserable if we got any snow or ice. I'm actually looking forward to testing these tires in the next snow storm. I did drive in the rain yesterday and felt no hydroplaning like the old Bridgestones.

Do a search and you should find lots of comments on Pirelli, Yokahama, Michelin, Khumo, and even BF Goodrich. Good luck!

[itsaysjack]

let me clarify....im looking for something that would handle better in the snow (and and off road) then the original tires without dramatically increasing the size

[TucsonVX]

I have nitto tera grabbers 265/70/17 they also have them in 18 size just get the same size as your stock tire to keep everything the same. They worked very good in the mud and on the trails in Arizona, no snow yet, also not too noisy on the highway.

[David Wiltshire]

Hi,
I think you have a problem trying to find a tyre that will do both as this is a problem I had a while ago. I live in the U.K. and it rains a lot here so I opted to fit Pirelli Scorpion Zero's as most of my driving is on the tarmac road. These tyres are very very good for high speed road use in the wet and dry and when the time comes to replace them I will opt for the Scorpions again. Now on the snow issue I was going to buy a spare set of wheels and fit some dedicated snow tyres on them and just fit them for the short winter period when snow is likely. I think that if money permits this is the only option.

[johnnyapollo]

I too bought the Pirelli Scorpions (V-rated) and like both the appearance and riding characteristics. They are noisier (I keep them inflated to 46 psi and I think the extra firmness of the "V" rating and bounce makes them noisier) than the Bridgestones but much more grippier. Of course in the south, where there is almost no snow, these work better as they seem more suited for rain than snow/ice.

I've detailed this before, but if you go armed into an NTB with a price quote from Tirerack.com, they should price-match. I ended up with these for a little over $100 each plus tire disposal/tax and road hazard. NTB's retail was over $200 each, so I saved over $400. The advantage of buying local over the web is the road hazard (free tire replacement/fix based on tread life). Also I get free balance/rotation for the life of the tire.

I also looked at Yokos and Kumhos. The extra sidewall patterning turned me away from the Yokos (but some may like it and they handle/perform well). I couldn't get past the "cum-hoe" name on the Kumhos, though they also rate extremely well and appear to be a terrific value (they were about $90 each on Tirerack - seems like they wer ST rated instead of V rated though - I'm not sure if they have a V-rated version - they didn't when I compared earlier this year).

-- John