Winter tires general altimax
 

Hi Guys.
I live up north and soon snow will be here. Presently I have summer tires 255 70R16. I am wondering what size I will put on my Ranger for winter. Winter 255's look nice but not very practical for winter as far as traction goes. Could be O.K with studs but I hate the sound and I travel in a big city most of the time so snow is rather removed quickly....

I was thinking going with 235/75-16 GENERAL ALTIMAX ARCTIC Snow Tires on 16 X 7 rims. Would that be a decent choice for winter?

Thanks.:smile:

That size would be a bit smaller diameter than stock, but pretty close.
If you are worried about with width of the tire giving less traction, I don't think it would make that much difference. I am running 31x10.5R15 in winter and they work just fine (basically a 265/75R15).
As long as you go with winter tires, you should be good.

Unless you drive on ice or are up in the mountains all the time you don't need studs, and even the worst winter tire is 100x better than the best all season tire. As for the width of tire, its better to be tall and narrow to allow the tire to cut into the snow to give you traction where as a wide tire tend to sit on top (think of how a snow shoe works) so if the price is right and the tire fits i say go for it.

edit: i just noticed you're in MTL, i'm sure you are aware that you must have winter tires on your vehicle in quebec, but afaik LT tires are legal in the winter. Most of my buddy's run Yokohama Geolander A/T-S and are happy with them, but they aren't dedicated snow tires.

The narrower bite will help in the snow...I definetly wouldn't go wider for winter tires. The 235/75 is basically the same size as your 255/70.

Just installed a set of four studded General Altimax Arctic 245/75-16 on my FX4.

Dave

to my knowledge(working in a tire shop) if you have 4wd and all terrain tires it is considered a traction device regardless even if the tires aren't snow rated

Blizzak DM-V1s and yes, you're better off going with a narrow snow tire. Remember, if you go Blizzaks (and most ice & snow tires) you need to run them at all 4 corners.
MikeR

I finally went with General Altimax Arctic 235/75-16. I am scheduled to pick them up later this week. I don't think I want them studded. I'll see how it goes. If I see traction is a problem, I can always do this later.

The problem with studs is that you need to make a decision BEFORE the tires go on the road. Otherwise, the tire dealer won't stud them LATER.

Where are you getting your Generals? I got Talon Tire in Quebec to ship them to me in early 2010.....was $664 shipped to my door. This winter, the same tires at Talon went up like $15-$20 per tire.

Dave

$538.99 Can (after I cross the border and taxes are collected). I get my stuff delivered to freeport forwarding, which is 1 hr from Montreal on the U.S side. The tires were bought at tireteam.com because they accept paypal and I can get the stuff shipped where I want (which is not the case with credit card as I would have to get the shipment to my Montreal address and pay broker fees).. I usually buy all kinds of stuff on ebay (auto parts, ink, aquapel, tools, printers, etc...) and pick everything up at Freeport forwarding so it's worth the trip. Buying in the states is cheap and I save all the broker fees by crossing the border myself with what I buy.

What bothers me with studs is the freaking noise. I will do without them.

And for those wondering, tires in Canada are way too expensive. They are usually 50 to 75% more expensive than what we can find on the web in the states. At $664, that was a pretty good deal.

Actually, the noise isn't too bad with the Generals. Has less noise than a set of studded Arctic Claw TXI on my Mazda truck.

Did you get a set of steel rims too? I got mine from a local Ford dealer at about $100 each. Probably cheaper elsewhere....but I didn't want any fitting issues since the 2010 Rangers now have rear disc brakes (read that 15 inch rims won't work on this model).

Also, I skipped on the TPMS sensors.....dealer wanted $440 plus taxes for a set of four. Rip job!

Dave

I skipped the sensors. Note: I read that original sensors with straps can be replaced with LE6L2T Tire Pressure Sensors (do a search on the web you will find these). Perhaps someone here has experience with these.

To save a little, I bought qty4 16 in/ 7 in wide steel rims (used ranger ones). They were in acceptable condition. Paid $125 for all 4 and painted them myself as they needed to be buffed and refreshed. Might try to find some decent used wheel covers to put on so they look better.