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Toyota 4Runner, Tacoma, and Tundra: Winter Tire Reviews

Winter tires have come a long way since they had giant studs sticking out of them. Here are some of the best options on the market to help you enjoy superior traction in the snow and ice.

By Brett Foote - February 10, 2016

This article applies to the Toyota 4Runner, Tacoma, and Tundra (1984-2015).

Winter tire technology has come a long way over the last decade or so. While we used to rely on studs or chains to help us gain traction in the snow and ice, these days a regular looking set of rubber can provide you with a pretty amazing increase in traction over a set of all-season tires. For those of you who live in the snow belt, investing in a set of winter tires is well worth not only the increase in traction, but the safety net they provide when roads get slippery. If a set of tires helps you avoid even one fender bender, they are well worth the investment. Any modern winter tire is going to provide you with better performance in the snow than all-seasons, but which one is best? Let's take a look at the top winter tires currently on the market and how they stack up against each other.

Winter Tires
Nokian
Bridgestone Winter Dueler
Dunlop M/T Maxx Traction
Price
 $125-$215 $160 $215
Size
 265/65R-17 235/60R18 265/65R17
Performance
 Excellent Good Good
Lifespan
 50,000 miles 60,000 miles 50,000 miles
Warranty
 5 years/ 50,000 miles limited 5 years/ 60,000 miles limited 5 years/ 50,000 miles limited
Best Quality: Nokian

Best Value: Nokian

Nokian

Price – $125-$215

Size – 265-65R-17

Performance – Excellent

Lifespan – 50,000 miles

Warranty – 5 years/ 50,000 miles limited

Look anywhere, and you'll be hard pressed to find any bad reviews on Nokian tires. They've won awards from multiple magazine shootouts and other media outlets, and owners of their products rave about their performance both on snow-packed and icy roads. Performance in the slick stuff is on par with dry road performance with regular tires, making even non-four wheel drive vehicles behave on the ice. And, unlike many winter tires, dry road performance is reportedly on par with all-season tires as well.

Bridgestone Winter Dueler

Price – $160

Size – 235/60R18

Performance – Good

Lifespan – 60,000 miles

Warranty – 5 years/ 60,000 miles limited

You'll find a lot of mixed reviews on the Bridgestone Winter Dueler, mainly because it isn't a dedicated winter tire so to speak. More of an all-season tire designed to provide better traction in light snow, the Dueler tries to bridge the gap between a tire that you have to swap out when the roads are dry and one that gives you adequate traction in the nasty stuff. The compromise is that traction on ice and in deeper snow isn't that great, and they tend to wear out quicker than their 60,000-mile rating.

Dunlop M/T Maxx Traction

Price – $215

Size – 265/65R17

Performance – Good

Lifespan – 50,000 miles

Warranty – 5 years/ 50,000 miles

Dunlop M/T Maxx Traction tires get rave reviews for their performance in the snow but reportedly aren't so great on ice. Their aggressive tread pattern means that they also perform well in the mud and deep snow, but it also means that they are quite noisy and cause some vibrations at highway speeds on dry pavement. Tread life is reportedly pretty accurate, with most everyone getting between 45,000 and 50,000 miles out of these tires with no problem.

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