Big Horn Snow Tire Help

[royf]

I have the 275/55/20 stock Nexen tires on my 4X4 Big Horn. I plan to keep it totally stock. I bought it as a kid hauler to and from the ski resorts in the Seattle area, and a couple trips to Whistler a year. When I first started to buy snow tires I decided to get a set of the stock 18 inch rims and put a 275/65 wildcat studded tire on them. I found a set of Laramie 18 inch wheels on Craig's list for $250 bucks so I bought them.
So now I have the original wheels that look like they are 20 inch chrome clad and the 18s that have different finish. I thought the 18s would give me more rubber on the road but now I don't know. As far as looks I don't care, but my first thought is that the Laramie rims will be easier to maintain with the grime from winter driving?? I have looked at so many different set up ideas that I have lost myself in the weeds. Any suggestions?

 

[Jako]

I have the 275/55/20 stock Nexen tires on my 4X4 Big Horn. I plan to keep it totally stock. I bought it as a kid hauler to and from the ski resorts in the Seattle area, and a couple trips to Whistler a year. When I first started to buy snow tires I decided to get a set of the stock 18 inch rims and put a 275/65 wildcat studded tire on them. I found a set of Laramie 18 inch wheels on Craig's list for $250 bucks so I bought them.
So now I have the original wheels that look like they are 20 inch chrome clad and the 18s that have different finish. I thought the 18s would give me more rubber on the road but now I don't know. As far as looks I don't care, but my first thought is that the Laramie rims will be easier to maintain with the grime from winter driving?? I have looked at so many different set up ideas that I have lost myself in the weeds. Any suggestions?

Sounds to me like you did good. Settle down and let time go by for a while otherwise you will end up with more sets of wheels. My neighbor the BMW auto mechanic recommends 18 over 20s. By the way the proper way to store tires from my understanding via the internet is in black plastic bags with as much air removed as possible in a cool dark place. Tires on rims stored flat and tires stored standing up. Tires are big and I had to order bags from the internet for my spare "sets".

Best wishes

 

[Fantastipotamus]

Agree w/ Jako, keep the 18” for winter. More sidewall height should mean a better ride on the rougher winter roads (in theory - definitely its an issue here in New England, our roads get destroyed every winter). If they use salt in your area, just wash your truck a couple times during the season.

 

[royf]

Agree w/ Jako, keep the 18” for winter. More sidewall height should mean a better ride on the rougher winter roads (in theory - definitely its an issue here in New England, our roads get destroyed every winter). If they use salt in your area, just wash your truck a couple times during the season.

OK thanks. Whats the favorite tire then?? I thought it would be Wintercats, but any better ideas?? Now that the ski resorts are shut down I am not in a hurry...

 

[Fantastipotamus]

I have Yokohama IceGuards on a set of 20” wheels, and they seem to be okay. Honestly didnt get a great chance to test them this year as the snow here in my area was trash this year. So I didnt have a decent enough storm to venture out during the worst of it.

I think some folks here run Bridgestone Blizzaks? Or maybe Nokian Hakkapelliitas, both of those would be about as good as you can get, I think.

 

[royf]

Thanks, I buddy of mine has the Hakkapelliita 8 tires on his Ram 3500 and loves them. I crossed the blizzaks off the list because I really want studded tires.

 

[Rock6]

I have the 275/55/20 stock Nexen tires on my 4X4 Big Horn. I plan to keep it totally stock. I bought it as a kid hauler to and from the ski resorts in the Seattle area, and a couple trips to Whistler a year. When I first started to buy snow tires I decided to get a set of the stock 18 inch rims and put a 275/65 wildcat studded tire on them. I found a set of Laramie 18 inch wheels on Craig's list for $250 bucks so I bought them.
So now I have the original wheels that look like they are 20 inch chrome clad and the 18s that have different finish. I thought the 18s would give me more rubber on the road but now I don't know. As far as looks I don't care, but my first thought is that the Laramie rims will be easier to maintain with the grime from winter driving?? I have looked at so many different set up ideas that I have lost myself in the weeds. Any suggestions?

I to am running the same setup like you , 275/55/20 Bridgestones for the summer & 275/65/18 Firestone winterforce for the winter . Really good snow tires , great ride & quiet . My dealer says it's there best selling snow tires that doesn't break the bank .up here in Quebec Canada , winter tires are the law .

Sent from my moto x4 using Tapatalk

 

[royf]

Perfect, thanks. I think i am sticking to buying the studded Wintercats, unless somebody changes my mind between now and the end of summer. For some reason I am stuck on studded tires.

 

[Fantastipotamus]

So, for what it’s worth... if you’re spending most of your time in and around Seattle, where (please correct me if I’m wrong) you don’t end up with much snow accumulation, right (in the city, I mean)? Studded snows would be - at best - unnecessary, and might be dangerous. On dry/non-snowy roads, studded tires could increase stopping distance during hard braking because of the studs sliding on the pavement.

I’ve run studless for the last .... 15 years? on several vehicles, and I’ve never been turned around due to traction issues. However, I will say we do not get the volume of snow in the Northeast that you guys do.. Anyways, just my $.02.

Do you need studded winter tires?

What are winter tire studs?

www.tirebuyer.com

 

[royf]

So, for what it’s worth... if you’re spending most of your time in and around Seattle, where (please correct me if I’m wrong) you don’t end up with much snow accumulation, right (in the city, I mean)? Studded snows would be - at best - unnecessary, and might be dangerous. On dry/non-snowy roads, studded tires could increase stopping distance during hard braking because of the studs sliding on the pavement.

I’ve run studless for the last .... 15 years? on several vehicles, and I’ve never been turned around due to traction issues. However, I will say we do not get the volume of snow in the Northeast that you guys do.. Anyways, just my $.02.

Do you need studded winter tires?

What are winter tire studs?

www.tirebuyer.com

you are probably right, but when I am in the cascades in the winter, I really feel better with the studded tires.