2010 xc60 T6 Off Road or Aggressive All Season Tire

quirozson · Post by **quirozson** » 20 Feb 2014, 20:20

Looking for options for an aggressive tire for winter driving. I'd rather not get a dedicated winter tire. I live in Denver but am up in the mountains often during the winter. Looking for an all season option that is geared toward snow.

My tires now are 235/60r18

Nokian? (How long can I expect them to last and maintain snow traction?)

Will a 255/55r18 fit?

Other suggestions?

Thanks for ideas!

Post by **oragex** » 28 Feb 2014, 22:10

First, any all season tire on the market doesn't go on snow. Not even in city driving.

There are a couple of all "weather" tires- not to be confused with all "season" tires. Those all weather tires are supposed to be relatively good in snow, and still got good grip in summer. The one that is worth somehow is the Nokian WR. It seems that when the threads wear, it looses the grip in snow, but it's still good for summer driving. You can expect it to last 2 winters and 3 summers with 10-15k miles/year.

Among the dedicated winter tires, Nokian have the best traction in snow, good on ice, and good thread wear. Also the most expensive.

Bridgestone Blizzak's are among the best winter tires, perhaps second to Nokian, but wear fast. Excellent traction on snow and grip on ice. Not so good when the road is dry (they are too soft).

Other brands such as Goodyear, Michelin and Toyo GO2 also have good winter tires.

Usually, a winter tire will be either better on snow, or better on ice. For a good snow traction, look for more 'separate' threads type. In tire that has better grip on ice, the threads will be 'closer'. I think, Blizzaks and Nokians are an exception to this rule, those tires seems to have found the ingredients to grip well both in snow and on ice.

quirozson · Post by **quirozson** » 15 Mar 2014, 18:56

Thanks for the info... thinking I want to avoid mounting/balancing twice a year.

would 255/55R18 Grabber AT 2 by General fit on this car?

Would I get more than 2-3 years from these as compared with the Nokian tires?

Post by **combatkarl** » 03 Apr 2014, 10:02

Living in MN, I've become a big believer in winter tires. I have had Bridgstone Blizzaks and Pirelli winter tires for several cars- prefer the Blizzaks, but the Pirelli is good as well. I've been pleased with TireRack. For your XC60, a set of four 18" tires will be ~$750, while a minus one size (17") set of painted alloy wheels and tires is ~$1,100. The winter set seems expensive, but you don't have the re-mounting issue twice a year and both sets of tires would presumably last "twice" as long. You don't have to get the TPMS monitors with the winter set if you don't mind the TPMS light staying on- can over it with tape?

Post by **oragex** » 03 Apr 2014, 11:36

quirozson wrote:Thanks for the info... thinking I want to avoid mounting/balancing twice a year.

would 255/55R18 Grabber AT 2 by General fit on this car?

Would I get more than 2-3 years from these as compared with the Nokian tires?

Indeed, an option is to get a used set of steel wheels for around $200 or new for $600 and put the tires on them. The problem is putting the wheels in the trunk to get to the garage and have them installed every year. Some garages offer to keep your wheels all year around for a fee.

I would suggest not going for a cheap winter tire. Saving $100-$200 for a set is not worth because the gripping difference between a cheap tire and a medium priced tire is significant. A very good and moderately priced tire is the Toyo GO2. Also with a long life thread.