Winter is on the way . . . .

[gary1949]

It's that time of year!! I have a 2011 Avalon that came with the Michelin Energy MXV4's. Tires only have a couple of thousand miles on them.

So . . . how's the Avalon act in snow? I can turn off the traction control and I have a fairly long and steep driveway which I normally back up to keep the weight on the front tires for traction.

Been thinking of getting the Michelin X-Ice (Xi-2), but I'm not sure if they will be that much better than the MXV4s that are almost new.

Opinions?

[boosted-fc3s]

The oem tires are not great in the snow. I did ok with them. I am much happier with my continental extreme contact dws. But since the tires are pretty new you'll probably be fine. Unless you really need snow tires. I can tell you from experience any snow tire, even the cheapest ones, will be vastly superior than any all season tire.

[avalon35]

Originally Posted by boosted-fc3s

The oem tires are not great in the snow. I did ok with them. I am much happier with my continental extreme contact dws. But since the tires are pretty new you'll probably be fine. Unless you really need snow tires. I can tell you from experience any snow tire, even the cheapest ones, will be vastly superior than any all season tire.

100% agree on the snow tire comment. They are also superior in weather below 45 deg F. There are definitely better snow tires than others, but like previously mentioned - even the cheapest will out perform an "all - season" tire that only has to meet the MINIMUM requirements and have to compromise to be a on size fits all approach. On a side note there is only 1 true all weather tire (Nokian WR) and they are awesome (have them on my wife's Subaru legacy) I went with X-Ice for my Avalon as they are a better value when factoring price in and I have my stock wheels for non-winter time.

-chad

[gary1949]

Originally Posted by boosted-fc3s

The oem tires are not great in the snow. I did ok with them. I am much happier with my continental extreme contact dws. But since the tires are pretty new you'll probably be fine. Unless you really need snow tires. I can tell you from experience any snow tire, even the cheapest ones, will be vastly superior than any all season tire.

Originally Posted by avalon35

100% agree on the snow tire comment. They are also superior in weather below 45 deg F. There are definitely better snow tires than others, but like previously mentioned - even the cheapest will out perform an "all - season" tire that only has to meet the MINIMUM requirements and have to compromise to be a on size fits all approach. On a side note there is only 1 true all weather tire (Nokian WR) and they are awesome (have them on my wife's Subaru legacy) I went with X-Ice for my Avalon as they are a better value when factoring price in and I have my stock wheels for non-winter time.

-chad

My Toyota dealer offered me "buy 3/get 4th free" pricing on the Michelin Ice, $667 installed, out the door. I thought that was a good price, so I ordered them and we'll get them put on next week and we should be ready for the snow to start. Forecasters are predicting a tough winter in the NorthEast.

Thanks for the suggestions.

[avalon35]

Originally Posted by gary1949

My Toyota dealer offered me "buy 3/get 4th free" pricing on the Michelin Ice, $667 installed, out the door. I thought that was a good price, so I ordered them and we'll get them put on next week and we should be ready for the snow to start. Forcasters are predicting a tough winter in the NorthEast.

Thanks for the suggestions.

I went with a set of 16" steel wheels and tires so that I could swap them easier each year. Sounds like you got a fair price from your dealer.