Winter Tire Advice Wanted

I am shopping for new tires for my 2005 Sprinter 2500 which has the 15" wheels and would appreciate any advice on which tires to purchase. I live in Wisconsin and winters can be severe with snow and ice covered roads. I would like to get tires that can be used year round. Thanks.

I am a big believer in using dedicated winter tires and switching to "all season" tires for the summer months. In my experience there are no "all season" tires that really work in snow and on ice, and the extra safety and security of dedicated treads is worth the expense and hassle of the twice yearly change over.

So- for winter time use I have become very enamored with the Bridgestone Blizzak studless tires. I have been running this style:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Bridgestone&tireModel=Blizzak+W965

They provide excellent grip and are easily a match for the Nokian's I ran previously on everything but hard glare ice. I think they will outlast the Nokian's as well, and since they are studless you don't have to worry about the varying stud laws from state to state. I am beginning my 3rd winter on my set (I expect they have about 20K on them now) and there is still plenty of tread left before the "traction" rubber is worn through. I finally found a set of take-off rims so I keep a set of winter wheels and summer wheels- and swap them out myself. My set came from the Tire Rack, but a quick look at their site has them listing some other studless options. In any case, they have good data on tire testing and the differences between all season and winter tires, so there is some good reading there.

http://www.tirerack.com/index_w.jsp

I been very happy with my nokians. https://sprinter-source.com/forums/showpost.php?p=67503&postcount=1

A dedicated winter tire is surly the best way to go...i will tempt fate and try another winter with my nokians (still plenty of thread left) before i pop for dedicated winter tire.

I totally agree with mrfixit on this topic I use studded cooper wintermasters and swap to my all seasons for the other times of the year. I just don't think my 7500lb van without winters combined with that useless traction control is getting out of it's own way on bad winter days.

Thank you for your responses, I will definately look at these options. Last winter was the first winter that I owned this Sprinter and am hoping to get better performance on snow and ice this year.

We have an '06 118"WB low roof sprinter with 15" rims and we needed new tires last year. We had been running the original Goodyear Cargo Vectors ( I think that was the name) all season tires but when we went to replace them the only tire that met the weight requirements was the Continental Vanco which only came in a summer tire. I researched, I called around, I tried everything but that was it.

Recently some one told me that Michilin has come out with a 15" tire that meets the weight requirement but I have not confirmed that. I also learned not to try a tire that did not meet the weight requirements as the side walls would not hold up.

If you go to a 16" rim you will have lots of choices but there are some technicalities about getting them to fit.If you do a search on Sprinter Forum you should come up with lots more info. Watch out for the discount places as they will mount anything to make the sale. Hope this helps and good luck. And please post what you come up with so others will know.

Here it is, your all weather D tire for 15" rims for a SPRINTER found in Minneapolis/St Paul or Madison Wi.
http://www.nokiantires.com/tyre?id=11901&group=3.01&name=Nokian WR C Cargo

Needs only 1 set of rims for year round use, no changeove,r I've used them on my Honda Civic Hybrid in Canada, very happy with their low rolling resistance, long wear, superior winter & summer traction, no noise etc. Thank's go to Finland researchers who made this possible. I need a set with studs for my area, so I had to buy another set of rims for my Sprinter in British Columbia.
I hope they are still in stock for you in WI.

Unfortunately the tire suggestions given in prior posts are not available in 225/70R15 *D8 112R , only 16"

Whatever you get, get them siped, unless you're getting studded winter set of tires.

What is meant by get them siped?

I too live in Wisconsin and am close to pulling the trigger on some Goodyear Wrangler HT's.
I'm looking at 215/75R15's with a diameter of 27.7" (should be a much nicer look than the undersized 195's which have a 25.7" diameter). I've seen guys go the even larger diameter's (something like 29.4") and they just look too tall.
These have a load range of "D", are rated "Highway All-Season" and look like they'll fit well on the stock Sprinter rims.
Tire Rack seems to have the best price at $137/each.
Would be interested in people's thoughts on these.......
(BTW--I have a 2006 158wb 3500)

If you look at the picture in my link above the WR C Cargo tires have little zigzag lines over the treads, those are sipes, needed for good snow traction.
The Wrangler HTs have few sipes so would be dangerous on winter Wisconsin roads, and are not recommended by previous users on Tireracks website for winter driving. They would make a reasonable Spring-Summer-Autumn tire though.

seabiscuit said:

What is meant by get them siped?

Click to expand...

Siped is a process that a tire shop can do to almost any tire where they get numerous razor cuts through the tread. The result is a tire that is much more "grippy", just like Sperry Topsider sailing shoes. Supposedly they also wear better, because the sipes allow them to cool on hot days while driving. My siped Toyo's have about 75K on them, and still have at least a third of the tread.

I bought me a set of Grabbers AT2's
http://www.generaltire.com/tires/Grabber-ATsup2-sup

They are XL/LT and in 235/75-15 (normally I have the 225/70-15).

I could not find what the minimum load capacity should be for a Spinter (2000 year high top, mid-long body).
I use the van commercially, almost fully loaded with crates of merchandise.

I second the notion of Nokians!! It is the only tire I have on all my vehicles, ( The sprinter will get a set when the original conti's get worn!) I have drive a Subaru through 1 Meter ~(36") of sun crusted snow, 25 kms up an unplowed logging road. Snow breaking over the hood like surf! I have driven a front wheel drive Prius in snow deep enough that the grill was plowing it for much of the time.

The very best Nokian is the Hakkapelita line that comes in two compounds, one is very soft and is a winter tire without peer. They also make the same tread pattern in a harder compound that wears better when it gets warmer, so you really don't need seasonal change over.

The final is the WR G2 series (I think they are available in Sprinter sizes) They are a real all season tire, with directional tread. For all but those that very often drive in very deep snow, the WRs are a great tire. When in doubt, carry a set of chains.

Icarus

seabiscuit said:

What is meant by get them siped?

Click to expand...

Siping is cutting across the tire most of the way down and about 1/4" apart. Tire dealers are familiar with this process. It allows the tire to get better traction by opening up as it meets the pavement. Siping does lower the amount of miles you get out of the tire but the benefits outweigh that especially if you live in the north where winters are long, icy and snowy.
I run aggressive tread year round no matter what, and I keep a set of tire chains for when it snows - not those cheap ones either - I like the real chains!

diesellover said:

Siping is cutting across the tire most of the way down and about 1/4" apart. Tire dealers are familiar with this process. It allows the tire to get better traction by opening up as it meets the pavement. Siping does lower the amount of miles you get out of the tire but the benefits outweigh that especially if you live in the north where winters are long, icy and snowy.
I run aggressive tread year round no matter what, and I keep a set of tire chains for when it snows - not those cheap ones either - I like the real chains!

Click to expand...

I looked at my tires this weekend, realizing that I put them on at about 65k, and I now have 135k (70k on tires for the math impaired). They look like they still have about half the tread on them. I was a little sceptical about the Toyos because the initial tread depth wasn't very deep, but they are the best tires I've ever had. Maybe the siping extends their life, maybe not. The sales pitch was that not only do they grip icy and wet roads better, but that the sipes keep the tire cooler in hot months.

I don't often buy the same thing twice because I KNOW the grass is greener on the other side of the fence, but I'll get another set of these, siped, when I need to replace them in a few years. Unless some new miracle tire material that doesn't wear comes out, these are the best tires I can think of.

Note for snow/ice dwellers: get a set of tires, all 4, that are studded. Pop them on when the roads turn bad, take them off at the end of winter. having a rotating lineup of tires will make your purchases farther apart. Studs all the way around help your handling as well as your safety. I lived in Breckenridge CO and Bend OR, so I know.

*yes, use real chains, wire chains are only good for packed snow and ice. the GoClaws are made like crap since the company was bought out.