My girlfriend is moving to eastern OR for a new job at the end of the year starting in January

I’ve been living in the no snow zone for many years now and don’t have a clue on what the good tire versions for winter driving are any longer

What would be good suggestions for her. She has a 2 yr old Highlander with deep south summer street tires currently which I told her are unsafe to drive across country at that time of year

I’m sure they will have to be ordered in from a northern tier state so I’m wanted to get ahead of it instead of waiting until last minute

Thanks

I lived in snow country for 52 years

All season tires are all season for the first year, after that they become 3 season tires

I discovered that it was safer to get a set of winter snow tires and a set of summer tires

never had any problems after my first wreck on all-seasons

quote:

Originally posted by nhtagmember:
I lived in snow country for 52 years

All season tires are all season for the first year, after that they become 3 season tires

I discovered that it was safer to get a set of winter snow tires and a set of summer tires

never had any problems after my first wreck on all-seasons

Agreed, that’s the direction I’m guiding her to mounted on their own rims

Nokian Hakapellita snow tires

Current snow tires are Yokohama IceGuard iG51v. They are studless, directional tread and have served me well.

Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V2. They’ve been top rated for years and years.

I've been very happy with my Continental Cross Contact all weather tires. The Discount Tire manager recommended them after I told him I was disappointed with the last Michelin tires I had. I'll buy them again based on my current experience with their performance.

Jim

I have used Firestone Winterforce tires in the past, they are fairly cheap and I highly recommend them. This year I got a deal on a slightly used set of Mastercraft Glacier Grip II tires, I will find out how the are soon enough..

Michelin A/T 2

For mostly paved roads and occasional snow/ice conditions the Yokohama Geolandar A/T G015s are pretty highly rated- popular with the CUV/SUV crowd in the North.
https://www.yokohamatire.com/tires/geolandar-a-t-g015

You did not mention whether it is AWD or not.
Our AWD Highlander has Yokohama Geolandar G055s and the thing is a surprising beast in the snow.
I couple years back we had a bit over a foot of snow and I was trying to get it stuck and had trouble doing that.
Oregon gets a bit more snow than we do so I would step up to the GO15 suggested above as it has a bit more aggressive tread and is actually snow rated which the GO55 is not.
I have been debating stepping up to the GO15 when ours need replacing.

quote:

My girlfriend is moving to eastern OR for a new job at the end of the year starting in January

quote:

She has a 2 yr old Highlander

She's gonna drive that distance (NOLA to E.OR) in January...that's a long ways on winter tires. Michelin AT/2 for the entire drive.
Folks living in regions with dedicated winter conditions will do an in-season change, in which case, Bridgestone Blizzaks are very good. Eastern OR is more cold & windy, than snow accumulation, you can get into some deep drifts though. I'm sure some members living in that region can give more insight.

Use the comparison tool from TireRack.com.

Great tool that uses actual car owners responses to rank the tires.

You can also order tires already mounts on wheels from them too.

quote:

Originally posted by Black92LX:
You did not mention whether it is AWD or not.
Our AWD Highlander has Yokohama Geolandar G055s and the thing is a surprising beast in the snow.
I couple years back we had a bit over a foot of snow and I was trying to get it stuck and had trouble doing that.
Oregon gets a bit more snow than we do so I would step up to the GO15 suggested above as it has a bit more aggressive tread and is actually snow rated which the GO55 is not.
I have been debating stepping up to the GO15 when ours need replacing.

It’s FWD

quote:

Originally posted by corsair:
[QUOTE]that's a long ways on winter tires

I ran studded retreads year round for almost 5 yrs while living in MT

Grew up in snow country back East and am living in midwest snow country now for several decades. Over the decades have used numerous brands and types of winter tires from the sticky "blizzak" compounds to studded numbers.

Family has two vehicles equipped with General Altimax Arctic (non-studded) winter tires for a good number of years now. One is an AWD, the other FWD. Tire wear is astoundingly good as is performance in snow and ice. We recommend them to everyone.

As an aside they're said to be rebranded Gislaved Nordfrost 3 as both are Continental products. The Gislaved are very popular in Europe.

https://tirereviewsandmore.com...imax-arctic-reviews/

quote:

Originally posted by snwghst:

quote:

Originally posted by corsair:
[QUOTE]that's a long ways on winter tires

I ran studded retreads year round for almost 5 yrs while living in MT

You were THAT GUY

quote:

Originally posted by PowerSurge:
Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V2. They’ve been top rated for years and years.

+1. I put them on all four corners of my Porsche and have never come close to a problem on snow or ice.

BLIZZAKS or faux blizzaks. End of story.

The tire various tire advice above all makes sense to me. Depending on the area in Eastern Oregon and how far out of town she will be driving, you should probably consider keeping a heavy duty coat, boots, pants, and gloves in the vehicle. Additionally, a visability vest can be a good idea.

Silent