Well I just got the winter boots on. 265/70 R17 Nokian Hak 5 studded all around. A little noisy buy not as bad as other studded tires I have had. The tread pattern is alittle goofy but they are supposed to be one of the best snowtires out there.
Problem is since I went up to a 70 ratio, and kept the stock wheels, I barely have any room for my front tirechains!!
Plan is to get a second set of rims and tires in the spring. Probably Toyo OC MTs on ATX Mojave rims.
Looks good, but where are you at that you need studs AND chains?? I have all 4 studded and find that to be plenty enough, although they won't be going on for another month or so.
Ive got studs. Never needed chains though. Looks good btw.
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*06 Access Cab 4x4 TRD Off Road, Debaged, 3" Front spacer, 1" shackle and 2" Blocks in the rear, Painted steel wheels wrapped with 285's, Pinstriped tailgate, Foglight mod AC w/DRL, Black headlight mod, Smoked signals and taillights.
Well I just got the winter boots on. 265/70 R17 Nokian Hak 5 studded all around. A little noisy buy not as bad as other studded tires I have had. The tread pattern is alittle goofy but they are supposed to be one of the best snowtires out there.
Problem is since I went up to a 70 ratio, and kept the stock wheels, I barely have any room for my front tirechains!!
Plan is to get a second set of rims and tires in the spring. Probably Toyo OC MTs on ATX Mojave rims.
Gas Can
Really nice tires, i was looking into those tires when i was looking for snow tires but way out of my budget range so... i got the artic claws and they worked great for me during last years winter storms down here at SW colorado, I'm about to get my winter tires mounted again for this year winter lmk if you want pictures of the artic claws.
once more, nice shoes
Looks good, but where are you at that you need studs AND chains?? I have all 4 studded and find that to be plenty enough, although they won't be going on for another month or so.
I'm curious, too. I have a set of 265/65/R17 Michelin Snow tires (I forget the exact kind, and it's too dark to go look now.) I've never had them studded or needed chains. I mean, I carry a set of chains with me just in case, but we get some nasty winters here (nothin' like waking up to a fresh foot of snow on the roads!) and whether it's deep snow, or slick, compact snow, the 4WD is more than enough. Then again, it's a heavy DC and I usually carry a pair of sand bags if it gets really bad. But still, studs AND chains?
Maybe get a 4" lift? Not only will you have clearance, but it won't look too bad either.
Not to go off topic, for those of you who live in area's that get snow every winter...Why do people insist on having a 2WD car as their only vehicle? People have lived here for years, and get snow every year, yet they insist on keeping a 2WD car, when a nice Tundra DC will more than meet their needs of people hauling, not to mention great in snow.
Last edited by TheDarkOne; 10-31-2009 at 04:43 AM.
Not to go off topic, for those of you who live in area's that get snow every winter...Why do people insist on having a 2WD car as their only vehicle? People have lived here for years, and get snow every year, yet they insist on keeping a 2WD car, when a nice Tundra DC will more than meet their needs of people hauling, not to mention great in snow.
I grew up in minnesota and south dakota and still live there kind of but growing up in the midwest you just get used to snow and learn how to drive in it with what you got. you don't need 4wd to drive in snow and I rarely turn mine on in the snow unless i am about to do something stupid. Its just what your used to, and actually some front wheel drive cars can actually do better in the snow than some 4wd trucks, but we don't have to go up and down many hills.
Andrew
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2005 Toyota Tundra Access Cab Limited
Goodyear Wrangler Silent Armor LT285/70R17, Bilstien 5100's, 1" Rear Blocks, Rough Country Rear Shocks, RevTek Diff Drop, Total Chaos Steering Rack Bushings, Downey HD End Links, CV Boot Mod, K&N CAI, Borla Split Side Exit Exhaust, Removed Resonator, Summit Nerf Bars, Bullett Bull Bar, KC Highlights Long Range Slim Lights, 1.25" Spidertraxx Adapters, Herculiner Roll On Bed Liner
Full LED Conversion with HIDS, Panasonic CQ-VW100U, Panasonic CA-PANSC1U, Sirius SC-C1, Infinity 6022i, Infinity 6020CU, Q-Logic QL-C1TTX208, Kicker ZX400.1, Rockford Fosgate P2D28 x2, Cobra 9540, Scanguage 2
I live in the mountains. We don't see a lot of snow each year... several feet spread out over the season. It gets pretty cold and the ice can be treacherous as I found out the hard way. I have driven in snow and ice for years but last year I lost control on a long patch of black ice (still can barely believe that happened). It was dusk and most of the roads were dry and not bad but this stretch of road was nasty and I just didn't see the ice until it was too late. Granted I wasn't driving in 4wd at the time and I did not have studded snow tires.
As soon as I got my DC studded snow tires were my very next purchase. I did a bit of research on those Nokians. They are supposedly the best tire in the world for snow/ice. I could not stomach the price and went with the Nokian "knock off" brand Hancook studded snow tires. Tread pattern is virtually the same and they were more than 50% less... and in stock.
I love having 4WD, it has come in handy especially when pulling a trailer. My driveway is a 1/4 mile dirt road and there are parts that are pretty steep. I actually need 4WD in the winter to make it up. One corner doesn't see the sun and is 13% grade. Even with 4WD engaged I could still slip on that corner. There were when it is one big ice sheet and I wasn't running studded tires so I had to chain up to get home.
LSD is very helpful as well because as we know 4WD is actually one front and one rear wheel engaged at any given time. My AC did not have LSD. The first time I came up my road after getting the DC the LSD was way impressive.
If you pull a trailer in the snow and ice you need 4WD and chains to get around some places. A few years ago I needed to access a friends house at the top of a hill and that was a good reason to chain up on all 4s. Her road was about a 1/2 mile long all up hill. There was 2 - 3 feet of thick snow and the AC with chains on all 4s plowed right through. Without chains it wasn't happening. I have actually gotten stuck in 4WD with chains only on the rears.
A lot of people around here do fine with 2wd. They either run studded snow tires or chains when needed and drive a little slower... and stay on roads that are plowed.
Clearly what is "needed" depends on where you drive.
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Rob K.
2006 DC, SR5, 4.7L, 5 speed, 4WD, LSD,
Silver Sky Metallic, Keyless Entry, Tow Package
Westin wheel to wheel step bars
Rackit (powder coated)
Leer 100 w/Windoors
Air lift Ride Control w/Quick Shot and Onboard Air
Pop & Lock
Bedrug
Slide Master bed-slide
Bilstein 5100s (middle notch)
Wheeler's AAL
Toyo 265/70/17 10 ply (back on stock wheels)
Scangauge II
Waiting to be installed:
MB Quart Speakers
Eclipse Amp
TC steering rack bushings
TC diff drop
Downey end links
Kartec CV boots
Wish List:
Spidertrax
SS exhaust system
HD front bumber (Reuenal or ARB)
Mile Marker Winch
Changing professions or purchasing a service truck so I can make this one all about fun!
Studs work well for ice and hard packed snow that you will see on roads, but they only stick out around 1/16". The pictures show just how much more traction surface you get with chains.
For unmaintained fireroads and bush trails studs really have nothing to bit into. While making a 90deg turn uphill on a trail I lost my forward momentum and got stuck. Put on the rear chains and just drove right up. This was last year on the OEM Dunlops, but on loose semipacked snow I'm not sure the Nokians would do much better. I have never had to put on chains on a paved/domestic road, just bush trials. I almost put them on during a storm as I was going through the Crownest Pass in BC on my way to a ski hill.
I grew up in Winnipeg MB which is north or North Dakota. I manged to get around with my 77 rwd Nova just fine but in the foothills of Calgary, its a totally different story. It dosn't take much of an incline to leave 2wd vehicles at a stand still, espically if they don't have winter tires. After every early fall snowstorm there are 2wd cars littered all over the uphill roads around town.
Will I need chains now that I have the Nokians?? Time will tell but I will have them in the back espically if I am first up some of the unmaintained backroads.
We usually don't get much snow/ice here in NE Georgia, but it does happen.
March 1st 2009 we got over a foot of heavy wet snow... Even though the
streets were littered with abandoned vehicles my winter set-up and previous
winter driving experience allowed me to drive whenever and wherever I pleased.
I am looking forward to this winter season
4WD, LSD and Michelin Michelin® XPS Traction® tires.
Thunder Gray Metallic
2002 REGULAR CAB - LONG BED - 4WD - V8 - SR5
TRD / Kazuma LSD made by EATON
Bilstein HD shocks
Michelin 8 ply E series radials
JBA headers
Hellwig rear bar
Line-X over the rail
2005 tail lights
OEM Door Sill protectors
TRD Off-Road front coil springs
Color matched LEER Hi-Top cap
Wet Okole Sport Seat Covers
Tinted Windows
OEM Rubber Bed Mat
OEM All-Weather mats
OEM Towing Package with Remote Transmission Cooler
Studs today are not the same as they were years ago. Back then they used to fill the tread pattern with lots of studs. You could really feel them biting down on glare ice. Today you get a fraction of the total number of studs, placed in two thin strips. I just wore out a set of Nokian Hakkapellitas with studs and they were marginal on ice or hard packed snow, even when they were new. Good tire in deep snow though.
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I have a 4wd, but it was more the braking and turning that made me switch to a winter tire.The studs are alittle over kill for day to day city driving for me. I dont drive the truck everyday. If its a nice winter day I take the car, but I live alittle out of town on and its a bit of a drive to get to a major road. So if I am driving the truck to work, its a sh*tty day out.
I really wanted a no compramise snowtire for going to the ski hills. I have a place in Fernie, and Hwy 22 and Hwy 3 though Crownest Pass can get very sketchy in the winter.
For my daily driver, I have studless Dunlop Wintersport M3s on a RWD BMW M3.
The chains are totally off the hook and for blasting through the bush!!
Growng up and spending most of my life in the desert, I didn't have much experience driving in snow, ice, etc. except for the occasional ski trip. Since moving to Indiana 5 years ago and now So. Idaho I've gotten a little more practice. I've had few scary moments, but no accidents. I attribute my winter survival to having a good truck (4x4), good A/T tires, and probably most of all, common sense.
A good friend used tell me a long time ago - "Use your brain, its free"
Just threw mine on too....went with different wheels and tires
16" steel Tundra rims replaced the 17" Limited alloys
245/75R16....outside diameter identical to my stock sized summer 265/65R17's
Hankook i-pike's this time around....looks like a nice tread pattern, we'll see! I don't mind going a little narrower for the winter. Never had studded tires....never saw the need. Only used chains when dealing with 1' ++++ of snow on bush roads.
I work at a ski resort and have never used chains. BFG All Terrains is all you need all year long. Got the snow symbol on em so you dont have to chain up like all the others.
Winter setup.
Linear Mode
