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Winter Tires vs. All Season Tires for 2012 Pilot in Utah

3K views 23 replies 7 participants last post by  xGS 
#1 ·
Hi all - I recently moved to Park City, Utah and was curious about getting a more suitable set of tires on my 2012 4WD EX-L Pilot for the climate here. I’m currently riding on a set of stock Bridgestone tires (can get the exact model later but I think they are a pretty general all season tire and also have a decent amount of mileage on them). They are rated for mud and snow but I’ve noticed some compromised handling when there is a bit of snow on the ground.

I originally thought about getting a set of pure winter tires, but upon some further investigation here and talking with some friends in the area, it seems like a set of winter rated all season tires should probably do the trick. While there are mornings in PC where I’m driving on pure snow, they do a really good job plowing and clearing the roads.

Based some some of the comments by Yahooligan in the thread below, I feel like a solid set of winter rated all season tires should do the trick for me, but would welcome some others opinions. Additionally, if anyone has good recommendations for winter rated all season tires for my 2012 Pilot it would be greatly appreciated! I’m planning on calling tire rack to get their take on things as well.

Also apologize for the lack of detail - this was a vehicle I inherited from a family member. Please let me know if you have any questions on specifics and I can find out more.

Thank you

 
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#2 ·
Consider buying a set of "all-weather" tires - as opposed to all-season tires.
All-weather tires have the three-peak mountain/snowflake logo on the sidewall - so they meet the legal definition of winter tires - yet they can still be used year-round.
Two examples are the Michelin CrossClimate2 and the Nokian WR G4 SUV.
 
#3 ·
Agreed, if this won't work, you need more than tires then LOL

I use lesser 'All seasons' in Milwaukee- and they work well as well.
 
#6 ·
I use lesser 'All seasons' in Milwaukee- and they work well as well.
Until that one time when they won't. Just sayin', my friend.
 
#8 ·
Until that one time when they won't. Just sayin', my friend.
And that's for the FWD, my 15 4WD also has some lesser all seasons- been great so far. We've had some good snow already, where I had to drive it before it was plowed too.
When these wear out, I'll go to a slightly better set.
In the 11 yrs I've been 'up north', I've never had 2 sets of tires. Yet anyways.
I'd like one set to run well/quiet on the road, which is dry almost all the year anyways.
If it ever becomes a problem, I'll change things up a bit.
 
#5 ·
Also just to add to the thread the tires on the car now are Bridgestone Turanza EL440... not sure if these are the stock tires that would come with the 2012 model but a quick google search yields a lot of poor reviews for these tires in snow/wet conditions... seems in line with what I've experienced in Utah thus far
 
#10 ·
We had Bridgestone duelers on our CRV and they were just plain awful. I honestly thought the car was garbage especially in the snow (Chicago), until we put on some all-weather tires on. We went with Goodyear Assurance Weather Ready tires and it's now a completely different experience. I'm almost convinced that These tires perform just as good maybe it a little better than my Blizzack WS80's in the snow.
 
#11 ·
I've been stewing over this thread ever since it was written. What would I do for tires if I were moving to Park City? Having been there a couple of 3 times, I know I'd have to turn in the High Performance Sumitomo HTR A/S P02s. But what really has kept me silent is the fact that most "All Weather" tires for a 2012 Pilot threw me into the Touring tire category. I'd do everything possible to stay out of squishy tires for this vehicle. I'd go to an All Terrain first. But I was pleasantly surprised that there was an "All Winter" tire that had a Performance label. Me..., I'm buying these for PC. They are one tick slightly taller than factory size.
144611

The consumer reviews are great.
 
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#20 ·
I've been stewing over this thread ever since it was written. What would I do for tires if I were moving to Park City? Having been there a couple of 3 times, I know I'd have to turn in the High Performance Sumitomo HTR A/S P02s. But what really has kept me silent is the fact that most "All Weather" tires for a 2012 Pilot threw me into the Touring tire category. I'd do everything possible to stay out of squishy tires for this vehicle. I'd go to an All Terrain first. But I was pleasantly surprised that there was an "All Winter" tire that had a Performance label. Me..., I'm buying these for PC. They are one tick slightly taller than factory size.
View attachment 144611
The consumer reviews are great.
[/URL]
[Bump for lack of comments]
I'm surprised no one commented on the Performance Snow Tire. No one wants their Pilot to be like....
144681

I guess.
 
#12 ·
I spent a bit of time in Park City a few decades ago. A neighbor had a vacation home there, and I could use it a few weeks around Thanksgiving, go to instructors school for really cheap. He kept a car there that had mediocre tires on it, and it took some careful inertia management to get it up the hill to his place. Based on that, plus some more recent experience living in ski area towns in Mammoth Lakes and now near Mt Bachelor, I think real winter tires are a necessity. Not so much here as in Mammoth, but still quite desirable. I compromised with Michelin Defenders since I wasn't ready to keep a set of mounted tires for seasonal swap, so drives up to the mountain (~12 miles away as the crow flies) need a little more care than they might on Blizzaks or similar. Oregon still allows studded tires for almost five months of the year here, and those are amazingly popular among a different part of our local population. Not for me though. The Defenders are about 15 months on the car at this point, and so far have been adequate but not outstanding on snow-covered but plowed roads, as you would find in most of Park City. I haven't tested them in deep snow, but in 8" new over a packed base they have done OK. No testing on glazed snow or ice though. I'm pretty comfortable driving on them in our winter conditions, but stay off the snowy roads especially during the early 'learning' season, as other drivers either remember to drive different in snow or succumb to a 'natural selection' process that punishes the ignorant.

This year we have had an influx of cov-immigrants from California, offset by a much lower tourist load, so not too bad. We've only had a few snow events in town so far.
 
#13 ·
Sound advice, as always.

No testing on glazed snow or ice though.
Lots of that in the city here, which is my main motivation for going with dedicated winters.
 
#16 ·
I get to experience deep fresh snow tonight and in the morning!

144627


I live where the big yellow 8" possible is .
 
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#23 · (Edited)
Many many moons ago, my Saab 900 Turbo purchase included a four day winter driving class at Vail in Colorado. I lived in SoCal, but it was an excuse to load the car with skis and GF and mosey off for a vacation. The classes were held in snow-covered lots, taught by factory rally drivers. Their cars, some with hybrid winter tires and some with Hakka's. Serious difference between them, and a significant difference in driving technique. Not quite as extreme as NG's video clip, but the instructors seriously promoted a three-footed driving technique in snow. Change down, full throttle (heel) and modulate the brake (toe) and steering to get around corners at "speed". Glowing front rotors in 15º weather. It was a 'safe driving' program, but illustrated that FWD pre-ABS cars could drive around a lot of things that otherwise would bend a lot of metal.

By far the best/easiest solution was the Hakka's. I had a home in Mammoth Lakes, and would too regularly commute up and down from the beach in Orange County. I was supporting about a 60 days a year skiing addiction program at the time, so kept separate wheels/tires mounted for the getaways.

If you want serious no-questions performance in town in winter Park City, get serious no-questions winter tires. For our conditions here near Mt Bachelor, the roads are kept clear enough that the defenders do just fine. I carry cable-chains but have only used them a couple times when they were required by ODOT/OSP on the way up to the mountain in an active storm. I'm not as immortal or hard-core in my 60's as I used to be, so It's just easier to pick nicer days to go up.
 
#24 ·
How long does the OP plan to keep this 9-year-old Pilot?
Has it had the timing belt replaced, yet?

Does the OP want to go to the extra expense of a dedicated set of winter-only tires?
If so, does the OP want to go to the extra expense of a separate set of wheels for those winter-only tires, or is having two sets of tires changed over (on the same set of wheels) semiannually acceptable?
Does the OP have a place to store the second set of tires when they're not in use?

Or, would one set of all-weather tires have sufficient winter performance and be more economical and convenient?
 
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