CD4TNF
Well-known member
@Aminorjourney did a Lightning video on the Nokkian Hakkapeliitta R5s and showed the winter driving conditions. Looks like they have a Walmart link if you want to support their work.
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Winter Tires vs All Season
Aminorjourney
Well-known member
I don't - but I really do like those tires. Currently have a different set on
They are a LOT louder, but pretty good so far - awaiting the first snow of the season to test them out properly!
They are a LOT louder, but pretty good so far - awaiting the first snow of the season to test them out properly!
SpaceEVDriver
Well-known member
I used to run a separate set of wheels and tires for winter. I haven't bothered with the Mustang because it handles itself quite well in the snow. But the Lightning's Hankook OEM tires are garbage and I will likely get a set of winters to replace them and then get a set of 18" wheels and smaller diameter tires for the rest of the year and for road trips.
If you go to a drastically different tire size or weight, remember that the brakes don't stop the vehicle. They stop the wheels from rotating and the tires stop the vehicle. If you get a larger tire or heavier tire, the brakes will be less effective at stopping their rotation and the vehicle will require more stopping distance.
If you go to a drastically different tire size or weight, remember that the brakes don't stop the vehicle. They stop the wheels from rotating and the tires stop the vehicle. If you get a larger tire or heavier tire, the brakes will be less effective at stopping their rotation and the vehicle will require more stopping distance.
fhteagle
Well-known member
Dedicated winter tires are a problem up here, where I can be driving in 10F up here at elevation in the morning and 80F down in the city in the same afternoon. True winter tires wear super fast at those temps, on gravel, etc. CC2s were a very good balance between winter traction (shockingly good stopping distance on ice) and not wearing out in 15000 miles. So the "does nothing badly" tire tech is a real thing now.
Giving Nokian Outpost nATs a try up here in the high country of Colorado. Found them priced about $90/corner lower than usual on Amazon for some reason. I will report back more thoroughly once it gets into serious snow and ice season...
Giving Nokian Outpost nATs a try up here in the high country of Colorado. Found them priced about $90/corner lower than usual on Amazon for some reason. I will report back more thoroughly once it gets into serious snow and ice season...
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MattVT
Member
- Thread starter
- #20
So I stopped in at my local tire shop today to have a chat with the owner - he's very well respected around here and the tire shop in general has a great reputation.
He says they have 3 other F-150 Lightnings, and in each case the owners had opted to do a new set of wheels with winter tires on, and swap those on / off each year. But, that was because each of the 3 does quite a lot of interstate driving - commuting specifically - and he said that's where the winter tires really shine.
Knowing where I live, how bad our road can get, and that I don't do much interstate driving (and when I do use the interstate, it's not journeys that I absolutely must do at a certain time, and I can wait for conditions to improve if they're bad), he thinks a good all-weather tire would be my best bet. His recommendation is the Falken Wildpeak A/T4W as @WXman had suggested, and after reading some reviews the past couple of days it looks like a great tire.
I looked back at our temperature data and temps are consistently below 45°F (7°C) from early December to early March, so about 3 months of the year.
The tire shop is booked out for the next 5-6 weeks (which gives you a sense for why scheduling tire swaps is an issue around here), but here's what I'm thinking of doing.
1. Have the tire shop install the Falkwen Wildpeak A/T4W in about 6 weeks
2. If at any point during the winter I don't feel they're working for me, I'll buy a set of dedicated winter tires and wheels.
3. Probably next year buy dedicated winter tires and wheels anyway and just plan to run them December-March.
We're going to be away for a good chunk of the coldest part of this winter anyway, and when the tires are new they'll perform the best (he says some guys even run the A/T4W tires on their plow trucks for the first year).
I plan to keep my Lightning for 5 years, so I'll likely get through a set of tires in that time anyway. If that's the case, it would make more sense to switch between two each year instead of running one set until they need replacing and then buying a new set. That means I can have the best of both worlds - some dedicated winter tires (probably the Nokian R5) in the very cold part of the year, and switching back to the Falkens for shoulder (mud) season and summer.
He says they have 3 other F-150 Lightnings, and in each case the owners had opted to do a new set of wheels with winter tires on, and swap those on / off each year. But, that was because each of the 3 does quite a lot of interstate driving - commuting specifically - and he said that's where the winter tires really shine.
Knowing where I live, how bad our road can get, and that I don't do much interstate driving (and when I do use the interstate, it's not journeys that I absolutely must do at a certain time, and I can wait for conditions to improve if they're bad), he thinks a good all-weather tire would be my best bet. His recommendation is the Falken Wildpeak A/T4W as @WXman had suggested, and after reading some reviews the past couple of days it looks like a great tire.
I looked back at our temperature data and temps are consistently below 45°F (7°C) from early December to early March, so about 3 months of the year.
The tire shop is booked out for the next 5-6 weeks (which gives you a sense for why scheduling tire swaps is an issue around here), but here's what I'm thinking of doing.
1. Have the tire shop install the Falkwen Wildpeak A/T4W in about 6 weeks
2. If at any point during the winter I don't feel they're working for me, I'll buy a set of dedicated winter tires and wheels.
3. Probably next year buy dedicated winter tires and wheels anyway and just plan to run them December-March.
We're going to be away for a good chunk of the coldest part of this winter anyway, and when the tires are new they'll perform the best (he says some guys even run the A/T4W tires on their plow trucks for the first year).
I plan to keep my Lightning for 5 years, so I'll likely get through a set of tires in that time anyway. If that's the case, it would make more sense to switch between two each year instead of running one set until they need replacing and then buying a new set. That means I can have the best of both worlds - some dedicated winter tires (probably the Nokian R5) in the very cold part of the year, and switching back to the Falkens for shoulder (mud) season and summer.
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1RMDave
Member
Definitely not my experience with the Wildpeaks. They slip and slide in the winter almost as bad as a K02. Have you ever used an actual good tire in winter conditions? Like a dedicated winter tire?
VTbuckeye
Well-known member
I have continental vikingcontact 7 winter tires on my lightning (well not on it now. It is not yet winter). 275 65 18, about an inch smaller diameter. They are quiet and gave been great the last few years.y only complaint would be the balance seems off just a bit with a vibration from the upper 30s to low 50s mph. They have been balanced a couple times..maybe it's the wheels. Since moving back to VT after college I have always put winter tires in the cars. Not cheap, but all it has to do is prevent one collision and it has paid for itself. Also it makes the spouse feel much more comfortable driving in our winter weather.
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