Joined
·
11 Posts
Anyone running dedicated snow tires on your Metris Cargo Van ?
Metris Winter Tires
1 - 19 of 19 Posts
Joined
·
198 Posts
Yes, Coopers mounted on stock steel wheels.
I use Michilan X-Ice tires on stock rims.
Got the van in Jan '18 so took off the Hankoooks and thought I'd try the Toyo Celsius all weather tires so I wouldn't have to keep changing. They worked well, and I used them all summer, but the rears were getting thin in the centre so got some X-Ice (on steel rims) in Jan '19 and ran them till April. Put the Celsius back on and they're still good (~28 k miles on them) except the fronts (now) are a bit thin in the centre. Even wear otherwise so I guess the original alignment was good. I carry a couple of big Rubbermaid totes filled with small bags of sand/salt behind the back seat so traction is OK. (I'm trying to use the Toyos up, but will put the X-Ice back on if it looks like serious snow. Mostly bare so far). I'm off camping at a dog show with the trailer this weekend. If traction gets to be a problem, I'll back off equalizer on the hitch to load the back end.
I'm running Continental WinterContact 225/55 R17 101H on a dedicated set of aluminum rims from a MB B-class. We get a good amount of snow & Ice here in Alberta, Canada and so far so great. They are less noisy on the Highway then my summer tires ! I keep a couple sand bags in the trunk to increase traction when the Van is empty (passenger van).
Attachments
Joined
·
7 Posts
Hi all – this may be a bit of a derail for this thread but I have a question about dedicated winter tires and if there is an all-season sub that you, wise gurus of the Metris, can recommend.
I bought a 2018 Worker Passenger in November 2019 (it had been a leased vehicle) to use as both a work van for my woodshop and personal van. It has, as of now, a little under 30k miles on it. I live in Brooklyn, and last winter really didn't have any snow to speak of. It has brand-new Hankoooks on the front and Hankooks with probably 12-15k on them in the back. This winter, when we had our first actual snow, I was astonished at how poorly it handled and honestly thought something was wrong with the van – it was that bad. Drove it up to Lake Placid and it struggled there, too, in less than an inch of fresh snow.
I took it to the MB service center to be sure there wasn't an oversensitive sensor or anything and they told me that I should just switch to winter tires, but let's be real: I live in Brooklyn. Where am I going to keep a dedicated set of off-season tires? I don't want to keep them in the shop because space is tight there as it is. We keep the second-row seat in the 3rd row spot and any/all heavy things stashed in the far back, but don't particularly want to carry around 300# of sand for months.
Our last car was a Nissan FWD Murano that (while having many, many bad qualities) never met a snowstorm it couldn't manage with all-season tires, so this has me a bit flummoxed.
What do you all recommend? Is there an all-season tire that can handle winter weather well? I'll be heading back upstate in a few weeks and hate to find myself in a bad situation on a mountain road.
I bought a 2018 Worker Passenger in November 2019 (it had been a leased vehicle) to use as both a work van for my woodshop and personal van. It has, as of now, a little under 30k miles on it. I live in Brooklyn, and last winter really didn't have any snow to speak of. It has brand-new Hankoooks on the front and Hankooks with probably 12-15k on them in the back. This winter, when we had our first actual snow, I was astonished at how poorly it handled and honestly thought something was wrong with the van – it was that bad. Drove it up to Lake Placid and it struggled there, too, in less than an inch of fresh snow.
I took it to the MB service center to be sure there wasn't an oversensitive sensor or anything and they told me that I should just switch to winter tires, but let's be real: I live in Brooklyn. Where am I going to keep a dedicated set of off-season tires? I don't want to keep them in the shop because space is tight there as it is. We keep the second-row seat in the 3rd row spot and any/all heavy things stashed in the far back, but don't particularly want to carry around 300# of sand for months.
Our last car was a Nissan FWD Murano that (while having many, many bad qualities) never met a snowstorm it couldn't manage with all-season tires, so this has me a bit flummoxed.
What do you all recommend? Is there an all-season tire that can handle winter weather well? I'll be heading back upstate in a few weeks and hate to find myself in a bad situation on a mountain road.
Joined
·
295 Posts
Nokian Tyres WR G4 - All-Weather performance / Nokian Tires
The versatile Nokian Tyres WR G4 optimally combines high-performance, all-season handling and reliable winter grip to make it a true all-weather tire.
www.nokiantires.com
Joined
·
2,699 Posts
I’d really suggest getting rid of those bescheißen Hankooks and just replacing them with Michelin Defenders. It’s not that the Hankooks are bad in the snow; it’s that they are bad in every conceivable way. With those my van handles the snow with considerable aplomb; I don’t even bother shoveling my driveway for less than 6 inches.
Joined
·
135 Posts
I would also suggest chains/cables if you are not able to have dedicated snow tires. Especially if you have a habit of venturing out of the city into snowier realms.
But just carry them unless you really need them. If they come loose at any reasonable speed they can do a lot of damage. Snow tires aren't just for snow. The softer rubber is grippier on ice or even cold wet pavement. Cheaper than bodywork. Some tire shops will store them for you.
Joined
·
7 Posts
perhaps I should more accurately say: how do I even begin to know what type of chain or cable to choose?
Joined
·
7 Posts
WHY are these the dealer standard tire??
Joined
·
2,699 Posts
No clue.
Joined
·
1,560 Posts
I've tried hard to hate the 'kooks, but they are pretty good so far at 18,000 miles. They are quiet, wear evenly and dry braking is decent. I'm going to Michelin when these wear, guessing around 25k. I forgot why you don't like 'em GML?
Joined
·
2,699 Posts
Nothing major, really. They just suddenly went from working fine to having no traction at all over a four day period culminating in my van hydroplaning at 40mph in the rain, off I-81 northbound, down a 45 degree slope, across I-81 southbound where I almost got T-boned by an 18 wheeler, and head first into the rock wall just on the other side of the shoulder, causing over $3k in damage.
That was at 36k miles; the Defenders only ride better and quieter, grip better in all conditions, lasted over 20k miles longer, and had their wear known much more gradually giving me much more time to safely take it in for a replacement.
so I guess I’m biased. I don’t like tires that try to kill me much.
Joined
·
14 Posts
I’m running Michelin Ice X with socks on the rear have been very impressed with traction and performance in some pretty heavy conditions. See descriptions and photos on the north cascades snow and baja forum desert forum.
1 - 19 of 19 Posts
