Winter tire dilemma

[Waterbeach]

We are planning a February departure from Toronto to Texas / New Mexico returning in May. We tow a FC 23 FB with an Expedition max with HD tow etc. The TV has 22" wheels with Summer tires normally. The Summer tires are due for replacement in a year or so. In winter in Toronto area we use 16" wheels with winter tires - it being impossible to find 22" winter tires. However, I am told that 16" wheels would make for a worse tow experience compared to the 22". So what should we do - fit 22" new all season tires and hope for the best, or use the winters with sub-optimal 16" wheels throughout the trip?

[Daquenzer]

Originally Posted by Waterbeach

We are planning a February departure from Toronto to Texas / New Mexico returning in May. We tow a FC 23 FB with an Expedition max with HD tow etc. The TV has 22" wheels with Summer tires normally. The Summer tires are due for replacement in a year or so. In winter in Toronto area we use 16" wheels with winter tires - it being impossible to find 22" winter tires. However, I am told that 16" wheels would make for a worse tow experience compared to the 22". So what should we do - fit 22" new all season tires and hope for the best, or use the winters with sub-optimal 16" wheels throughout the trip?

Personally, I would buy the new 22 inch all season radials. You really don't want to be towing in snow anyway even with winter tires. I would only tow on clear roads; otherwise I'd stay put until the roads are clear. I live in Wisconsin, and all we use are all season radials. And I've driven in all kinds of conditions. They work fine on our vehicles. Also I wouldn't want to wear out snow tires driving on dry roads; especially in the south. IMHO. Have a great trip. Sounds fun.

[A W Warn]

I put Michelin all season tires on my tow vehicle. Excellent ride!

[uncle_bob]

Hi

The 16" wheels are less ideal for towing. It's not day and night, but you *do* notice it. The best way I can describe it is that the rig "wanders" just a bit more as you roll down the road at 60 MPH. Put another way: with the larger wheels you could take your hands off the wheel. With the smaller ones ... not so much ( no, don't do this ....). Once I get below 45, I can't tell any difference.

Bob

[ROBERT CROSS]

Boy are we off track...the Burb has the same size tires it was delivered with.

I can't relate to how just diameter affects performance, it's more the ratio of diameter to tread and sidewall width.

Go with 16 all season M&S, works well for us in the WNY sno-belt.

Bob
🇺🇸

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by ROBERT CROSS

Boy are we off track...the Burb has the same size tires it was delivered with.

I can't relate to how just diameter affects performance, it's more the ratio of diameter to tread and sidewall width.

Go with 16 all season M&S, works well for us in the WNY sno-belt.

Bob
����

Hi

On the large diameter wheels, they put really skinny tires. The small diameter ones get much fatter tires to net out to the same diameter on the outside of the tire..... Not going to work unless you do it that way.

Bob

[Dennis C]

I put dedicated 20" wheels with Bridgestone Blizzaks on my tow vehicle in winter months. They work beautifully and the Blizzaks have an excellent load rating.

[ROBERT CROSS]

Originally Posted by uncle_bob

Hi

On the large diameter wheels, they put really skinny tires. The small diameter ones get much fatter tires to net out to the same diameter on the outside of the tire..... Not going to work unless you do it that way.

Bob

Why? 'cuz the BCM won't compensate for the dia change?

Well, the skinner the "winter" tire IS better in snow.

FWIW...we gave up on dedicated 'winter' tires 25yrs ago, the Bubble Man "all season" have done us good here in WNY.👍

Bob
🇺🇸

[Dennis C]

Newer all-seasons are better than they used to be. There's also a category called all-weather, that is essentially an all-season tire that's biased more towards winter driving. It has the "snowflake on the mountain" symbol on the sidewall, indicating that it's designed for winter driving.

Up here in the mountains, all-seasons don't cut it. Proper winter tires are required.

[AlbertF]

Originally Posted by ROBERT CROSS

Why? 'cuz the BCM won't compensate for the dia change?



Well, the skinner the "winter" tire IS better in snow.



FWIW...we gave up on dedicated 'winter' tires 25yrs ago, the Bubble Man "all season" have done us good here in WNY.[emoji106]



Bob

[emoji631]

When skinny means a narrow tread width, yes. When skinny means a very low profile sidewall, not so much.

I would agree that a mild all-terrain tread design might be a good compromise.

[AlbertF]

Originally Posted by Daquenzer

Personally, I would buy the new 22 inch all season radials. You really don't want to be towing in snow anyway even with winter tires. I would only tow on clear roads; otherwise I'd stay put until the roads are clear. I live in Wisconsin, and all we use are all season radials. And I've driven in all kinds of conditions. They work fine on our vehicles. Also I wouldn't want to wear out snow tires driving on dry roads; especially in the south. IMHO. Have a great trip. Sounds fun.

I agree with these comments completely. Watch the weather. If there’s snow, delay your departure for a couple of days.

And unless your car is a garage queen only driven in summer, all seasons are arguably the way to go. Even with winter tires, you may get caught in snow in October or April, and all seasons will get you home.

[Boondocker]

All that crap they put on the roads to melt the snow is not your campers friend.

[Dennis C]

Originally Posted by AlbertF

Even with winter tires, you may get caught in snow in October or April, and all seasons will get you home.

We put winter tires on our cars in mid October and take them off in mid May. But your point is well taken. For some people, an all-season or all-weather tire is a good choice.

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by ROBERT CROSS

Why? 'cuz the BCM won't compensate for the dia change?

Well, the skinner the "winter" tire IS better in snow.

FWIW...we gave up on dedicated 'winter' tires 25yrs ago, the Bubble Man "all season" have done us good here in WNY.👍

Bob
🇺🇸

Hi

Well, if you drop the diameter down far enough, the transmission sparks a lot as it rubs on the highway .....

Bob

[TRIPPPIN]

You don't state your size so I will assume it is 285/45R22 110H. There are many options available. Michelin Defender LTX MS are available and are excellent tires. I have used them on prior Mercedes ML SUV Mercedes Sprinter and many pick ups. Great wear good in snow. If you prefer ALL SEASON there are may options too. The BF Goodrich Advantage TA Sport is an LT designated tire and look like the tread is not too aggressive so maybe it won't sound like a truck tire.

[AlbertF]

Originally Posted by Dennis C

We put winter tires on our cars in mid October and take them off in mid May. But your point is well taken. For some people, an all-season or all-weather tire is a good choice.

I could do that, but I usually go with November 1 and April 15 to 30. I really don’t like winter tires on dry pavement. We can get snow in almost any month of the year, and that’s why I wouldn’t use actual summer tires on a daily driver. Even accumulated hail on the highway is very slippery.

[Dennis C]

Same here. The only months that we see zero snowfall are July and August. I run all-season tires as my summer tires on the truck and my wife’s SUV. I do run proper summer tires on the sports car, but it’s a fair weather weekend toy.

[Cyclist]

Originally Posted by Dennis C

Newer all-seasons are better than they used to be. There's also a category called all-weather, that is essentially an all-season tire that's biased more towards winter driving. It has the "snowflake on the mountain" symbol on the sidewall, indicating that it's designed for winter driving.

Up here in the mountains, all-seasons don't cut it. Proper winter tires are required.

+1 if this tire is available in the poster's size.

[JJTX]

Originally Posted by Waterbeach

We are planning a February departure from Toronto to Texas / New Mexico returning in May. We tow a FC 23 FB with an Expedition max with HD tow etc. The TV has 22" wheels with Summer tires normally. The Summer tires are due for replacement in a year or so. In winter in Toronto area we use 16" wheels with winter tires - it being impossible to find 22" winter tires. However, I am told that 16" wheels would make for a worse tow experience compared to the 22". So what should we do - fit 22" new all season tires and hope for the best, or use the winters with sub-optimal 16" wheels throughout the trip?

I would not change from anything factory sized on the tow vehicle. You are changing geometry, height, weight that is not needed. Buy the best quality all season tow vehicle tires with best weight rating.

Buy tire-chains that fit the drive tires on the tow vehicle and know how to use them.

Enjoy your trip.

[richard5933]

Curious what difference the 16" wheels make in towing vs. the 22" wheels. The outside diameter should be virtually the same, with the difference being how tall the sidewall is. How does this affect towing?