Choosing right winter truck tires is a complex problem, because there are not so many stores who deal with them and the prices are quite high. Moreover, finding a qualified review for truck tires is not as easy as for passenger car tires.
Winter tires for trucks are manufactured by many world-known brands such as Michelin, Nokian, Bridgestone, BFGoodrich, Firestone, Matador, Goodyear, Continental, Fulda, Dunlop, Toyo and others.
The common dimension types for truck tires are R17-R23. According to the vehicle position truck tires are classified into:
- steering tires
- rear axle tires or drive tires
- trailer tires
Winter tires are recommended for use when temperature is lower than 7C and summer tires become not enough elastic and tend to lose grip with the road. For your safety, always watch over the tread condition of your truck tires. If the treads are worn, the tire cannot have good grip and will go into a skid in the snow.
Tips for buying winter truck tires
Truck tires are also called heavy duty tires so due to different tasks they have slightly different specifications. Truck tires have to be very sturdy and durable, they should also facilitate high passing ability of the vehicle. To choose the right winter tires for your truck you need to consider two main things:
- recommendations of the truck manufacturer
- purpose of use: good roads or cross-country, the amount of load
Depending on the needs you can choose low-profile or wide cross-section tire. The first has better handling and stability on turns while the second is better for off-road. Freight trucks usually do large mileage so such parameter as rolling resistance is very important for fuel economy. When you plan to use your truck in bad road conditions, tires with adjustable pressure are preferable. If the roads are good, then ordinary pneumatic tires will be OK.
Speaking about winter truck tires, you should pay attention to the tread pattern and compound. Especially for snow and ice surface, manufacturers develop tread patterns with asymmetrical design, lots of curved sipes and with addition of silica to the compound. If you want to save some money, you can purchase cheaper tires for trailer, but not for drive or steering tires. The consequences of using low-grade tires may bring considerable losses especially if you carry valuable freight.
