Why not ask your local first aid squad what tires they use ?
I asked.
No one knows and they have different vehicles.
I am a volunteer firefighter and our ambulance has the rotating chain device which moves down and spins to throw chains under the tires.
Our ambulance sounds like a sleighride yearound!
(Must a certain time interval elapse before one can post a reply?)
I answered someone and it disappeared.)
Thank you, Road, for the information. 2008 Expedition XLT
Anyone knowhy the spare is 17" when wheels are all 18"?
I’m guessing that the spare is only intended to get you to the shop for a replacement. It’s not meant for daily use.
Check out tirerack.com for sets of four mounted and delivered to your home or mechanic. Purchase real winter tires, they make an extreme difference in the ability to turn or stop in winter conditions. Bridgestone Blizzacks and Michelin have some top tier tires.
Where do you live that you have all these blizzards at 2am and people need blood they don’t have and they don’t plow the roads??? If a 4WD vehicle can’t navigate the roads with aggressive but still “all-season” tires, going to “winter tires” will NOT make that much difference. If you feel you MUST have them, (your money or the taxpayers?) then just buy and maintain 8 tires and wheels…
I cannot agree enough with the other posters who have suggested getting dedicated winter tires.
However, if you do insist on having an all-season tire, you might look at the Goodrich KO radial all-terrains. They are one of the most aggressive treads you can get on a still primarily on-road tire. They are also one of (if not the only?) all-season tires that has the severe winter service “snowflake” rating. They’re not going to be anywhere near as good as winter tires for steering and braking in light snow and ice, but they are astoundingly good in deep snow and they will at least make it a lot harder for you to get stuck.
“The MOST important feature of a tire for driving in snow is how aggressive the tread is.”
Mike you need to get up to date. Modern WINTER tyres are new technology. The tread pattern is only part of the deal. The rubber compound is also part of the deal Often winter tyres will not look much different than all season tyres, but they perform a great deal different. Under most conditions they will significantly out perform M&S tyres.
Mike you need to get up to date. Modern WINTER tyres are new technology. The tread pattern is only part of the deal.
Re-Read my post…I NEVER said other features didn’t matter. I said that the MOST IMPORTANT feature is the tread design…The rubber compound is does help…but no where near as much as tread pattern. I’ll take a set of tires made of the older compound with GOOD AGGRESSIVE tread…and you take the tires with the modern rubber compound with a much less aggressive tread…I GUARANTEE YOU I’ll make it through deep snow better…NO QUESTION…
You’re telling me you get blizzards…GREAT…how much snow is that… A HUGE snow storm here in NH is about 12"…Huge in places like Pulaski NY is anything over 50"…6"-12" is an every day occurrence in Pulaski. Here in NH…any decent M&S tire will easily get you where you need to go…Pulaski?? - You need some real good aggressive tires.
One thing few people realize is that your non-winter(3 season) tires are not wearing during the winter season. So cost overall starts to balance out. Also rotations only occur at switchover time so you avoid any costs involved with a single set and tire rotations. You do pay a smaller fee for simple rotation ($20 usually for bolt and unbolt by an honest shop during an oil change or other vehicle operation on the lift).
I have owned winter/summer sets and just all-seasons. There are ups and downs to each.
I said that the MOST IMPORTANT feature is the tread design…The rubber compound is does help…but no where near as much as tread pattern.
The information I have seen says otherwise.
First, always carry a shovel and a tow strap. I hope the vehicle has something at each end to which a strap can be attached.
WRT tires, yes, they will make a huge difference. The only thing I have to add to the ongoing thread is this: in mud WIDER, FLOTATION type tires are best. But no vehicle floats in snow. So, go with narrower aggressive winter treads. Go no wider than original equipment, but if you feel the need to occasionally go through the deep stuff, go even narrower.
– Sam
The information I have seen says otherwise.
Show me…If the compound made so much of a difference…then why would they even bother to make aggressive tread tires. Maybe you’ve never driven in much snow…I have…in many different tires…And the TREAD is what made the difference.
WRT tires, yes, they will make a huge difference. The only thing I have to add to the ongoing thread is this: in mud WIDER, FLOTATION type tires are best. But no vehicle floats in snow. So, go with narrower aggressive winter treads. Go no wider than original equipment, but if you feel the need to occasionally go through the deep stuff, go even narrower.
Can’t agree more. Narrow aggressive tires is the way to go.
Still waiting for the OP to tell us HOW MUCH snow we’re talking about.
Not to drag this thread in another longwinded direction, but I would disagree with this (sort of). The idea of having wider tires in winter isn’t so much about “flotation” as it is reducing the amount of torque per inch of tire tread required to get the vehicle moving. This is why a 4wd vehicle is good in the snow-- because by having four driven wheels instead of two you’re halving the amount of torque per tire required to get moving.
I think the narrow tire approach is also legitimate, but the trouble is that narrower tires will handle much worse on dry, wet or icy pavement (which it sounds like is where the OP will be mostly driving). Also, the retort to “no vehicle floats in snow” would be that if the snow is deeper than your ground clearance, there’s nothing to “dig into” so you’re stuck.
I think the stock tires are generally a good compromise between the two approaches and that unless you’re driving primarily in deep snow, it’s best to focus on tread design and tire type instead of messing with the width.
We may encounter deep drifted snows alternating with bare highway.
This vehicle is authorized to travel on highways and interstates closed due to inclement weather.
When bad weather, we load shovel, chains for four wheels, tow straps, kitty litter, food, water and blankets, TP. In good weather we unload all the extra weight to lower fuel costs (We are all volunteers.)
NARROW aggressive tires for snow?
I expected wide tires with big tread “segments(?)”!
On the Expedition are Bridgestone Dueler H/T P255/70R18 112T M&S
DOT 7XOP
When bad weather, I would put on the snow tires and use a Dueler as the spare.
Use a snow tire as a spare at other times.
Or should we just keep the P265/70R17 spare and buy four 18" wheels instead of three 17" wheels?
Thank you.
Best snow tires I used were the “Pennsylvania Turnpike” design, but then I only had them in bias ply,seemed to work better then the"Town and Country"(chevron design)-those things would really grip wet snow-Kevin
We may encounter deep drifted snows alternating with bare highway.
And I’ll ask again (third time now)…
HOW MUCH SNOW IS THAT…Deep drifts have different meaning in different parts of the country. Deep drifts in Boston is anything over 5".
Oh. Sorry. Must have missed your question.
Drifts can be anywhere from 2 to 5 feet on the highway or interstate.
Often we can drive to a shallower part of the sloping drift.
We carry a gloves and shovel.
Usually it is just me doing such deliveries. (No onelse is that stupid.)
Would an H3 be better than the Expedition?
Thank you.