Replacement Tires for 22 Stealth

[TonyR0206]

Looking for suggestions for tires for my ‘22 Stealth. (285/45-22 size tires) I live in upstate NY, 4 miles to the top of a fairly steep hill. The General Grabbers that came OEM are horrible in the snow and need replacing. I’m now in a conundrum trying to decide if I want to go with an AT tire (I ran Hankook DynaPro AT2 tires on my F-150 Platinum and loved them) or something less aggressive to keep the current look of the Expy. Anyone have a suggestion of a non-AT tire that does well in the snow? Thanks in advance!!

 

[rd618]

Michellin Defender LTX MS2 i'm in NY also, snow, rain, leaves, does a great job. Pricy, but well worth it. 34k miles on this set and still look new. same size.
my only suggestion, with our pot holes and roads, I'm going to probably swap to 20" wheels next time around. i had a loaner with 20's and the ride was far less harsh, but still planted.

 

[BigOleFordFan]

Michellin Defender LTX MS2 i'm in NY also, snow, rain, leaves, does a great job. Pricy, but well worth it. 34k miles on this set and still look new. same size.
my only suggestion, with our pot holes and roads, I'm going to probably swap to 20" wheels next time around. i had a loaner with 20's and the ride was far less harsh, but still planted.

^^THIS^^

Especially the size swap if possible, cause as far as I am concerned, 45 x 22's have ZERO place on an Expy, neither from a performance standpoint nor the appearance...

I have stock 275/55/20's on my '011 now, but next spring when it's time for new rubber, I'm gonna switch over to 275/65/18..

Some folks here have also suggested Pirelli's and Coopers, but I suggest you go look at them up close before making a buying decision.. they all are good tires, but each has it's own set of features which may or may not appeal to you...

 

[Beachums]

Just had these put on my '22 SPP.... I love them. Only driven about 200 miles, but they're great. Got them from Discount tire

 

[SilverStealth]

Ours came with Pirelli Scorpion Verdes. They were nice tires for the few thousand miles we drove with them but they're only rated for light snow. It sounds like you experience more than "light snow." We swapped out from the 22's to 17's and Wildpeaks.

 

[TonyR0206]

Michellin Defender LTX MS2 i'm in NY also, snow, rain, leaves, does a great job. Pricy, but well worth it. 34k miles on this set and still look new. same size.
my only suggestion, with our pot holes and roads, I'm going to probably swap to 20" wheels next time around. i had a loaner with 20's and the ride was far less harsh, but still planted.

I 'll look into them. Thanks!

 

[BigOleFordFan]

Got them from Discount tire

At that price, it doesn't sound like they gave you much of a "discount", hahaha

 

[TonyR0206]

Michellin Defender LTX MS2 i'm in NY also, snow, rain, leaves, does a great job. Pricy, but well worth it. 34k miles on this set and still look new. same size.
my only suggestion, with our pot holes and roads, I'm going to probably swap to 20" wheels next time around. i had a loaner with 20's and the ride was far less harsh, but still planted.

After doing some research, including a video where they mounted 6 different sets of tires on a new Tacoma, and tested them in wet, dry, and emergency lane changes, etc. The test including the Michelin tires you suggested. I think I’m going with Continental Terrain Contact H/T. They are a bit less expensive than the Michellins and performed the best out of all the tires they tested. Thanks again!

 

[TonyR0206]

Ours came with Pirelli Scorpion Verdes. They were nice tires for the few thousand miles we drove with them but they're only rated for light snow. It sounds like you experience more than "light snow." We swapped out from the 22's to 17's and Wildpeaks.

We get. LOT of snow. LOL

 

[young dude co]

Dumb question, if you wanna go smaller to like 20' instead of 22' tires, do you need to replace the OEM rims too?

 

[Left Coast Geek]

yes, changing wheel diameter requires new rims. I went with 18" rims pulled off a F150 FX4, running 275/65R18 Once the stock F150 tires wear out, I plan on using BF Goodrich All Terrain KO3 as I like to go offroad from time to time, and the KO series are just good all around tires, too.

 

[ib_jigged]

I was back and forth on this last year when we bought our '24 that had a vibration issue. It was determined that the stock General Grabbers were bad. I was looking at the Michelin Defenders and Pirelli Scorpion AS3 plus. Finally decicded on the Pirelli's and could not be happier! They were great in the northern Minnesota winter last year (what little winter we had), but they performed as required for our normal highway driving conditions.

 

[cptbligh]

Dumb question, if you wanna go smaller to like 20' instead of 22' tires, do you need to replace the OEM rims too?

Yes, and just for more clarification

18, 20, 22" etc is referring to the wheel diameter, so a corresponding tire would say R18, R20, R22 etc on the sidewall

Example 275/60R20 is a tire that would fit on a 20" wheel. The tire's diameter in this case is 33" and generally what you see discussed in regards to potential rubbing

Tire Size Calculator

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[ktreem]

After doing some research, including a video where they mounted 6 different sets of tires on a new Tacoma, and tested them in wet, dry, and emergency lane changes, etc. The test including the Michelin tires you suggested. I think I’m going with Continental Terrain Contact H/T. They are a bit less expensive than the Michellins and performed the best out of all the tires they tested. Thanks again!

Not trying to persuade you one way or another, just pointing out a few flaws with the review you have seen.

Tests on brand new tires are one thing, but you've got to keep in mind the mileage and long term performance too. The Continental is rated for 70k, the Michelins are rated for 75k. Even though the tire price is 15% more for Michelin - that added mileage drags it down to 8% if you get the rated mileage.

Tirerack reviews put the Michelin performing better in every category over the course of the tire's life, I've personally put both on vehicles and Michelin has exceeded the rated mileage where Continental has not gotten the rated mileage on the 2 sets I put on. I've been happy with the Michelin performance out even up to 80k miles, where as the Continentals got loud & had noticeable performance degradation around 40k miles.

Usually what happens is that they'll prorate the mileage you've gotten out of the tires and provide a credit to get them replaced, but it's not when you have performance degradation and it was when they hit the wear bars. So in my case, I got a credit for like $40/tire because I was at the wear bars at 60k after 20k miles of poor performance and could prove that I had normal alignments and rotations - that credit went right to Michelin where I didn't notice performance degradation until closer to 65k miles and made it through summer at 80k before replacing with another set of Michelin. For me, if I'm putting tires on something I'm going to keep then I now default to the Michelin.

I've had the '22 SPP since I got it brand new, other vehicles we've had between an Explorer ST, pick up trucks, Jeeps, we've messed around with a variety of tires. I do a tire rotation at every oil change and an alignment once a year because I want to get the most mileage out of the tires. The General Grabbers that came stock on the SPP were terrible, I've been very happy with the Michelins and have about 35k on them now. We do a lot of driving here in NH where we get plenty of snow, ice, and have a cottage with a long dirt road - only issue I've had was picking up a screw in a tire from my shop.

 

[ZigZagFred]

We've run Michelin Defender M/S tires on four different vehicles over the years. We've driven on ice and snow, and on long road trips. We love them. Give them a look.

 

[Scooter455]

Looking for suggestions for tires for my ‘22 Stealth. (285/45-22 size tires) I live in upstate NY, 4 miles to the top of a fairly steep hill. The General Grabbers that came OEM are horrible in the snow and need replacing. I’m now in a conundrum trying to decide if I want to go with an AT tire (I ran Hankook DynaPro AT2 tires on my F-150 Platinum and loved them) or something less aggressive to keep the current look of the Expy. Anyone have a suggestion of a non-AT tire that does well in the snow? Thanks in advance!!

I have the BFG Trail Terrain 285/45-22 and they ride and handle great. I also have the LTX MS as well. The BFG seems to be a little better in the snow

 

[LanceExp2025]

After doing some research, including a video where they mounted 6 different sets of tires on a new Tacoma, and tested them in wet, dry, and emergency lane changes, etc. The test including the Michelin tires you suggested. I think I’m going with Continental Terrain Contact H/T. They are a bit less expensive than the Michellins and performed the best out of all the tires they tested. Thanks again!

Hi Tony:
I am most likely NOT the perfect person to ask about tires in heavy snow because I live in SoCal. But, I have ALWAYS been a Michelin guy for 40 years. We had Michelins on our 2012 Expy and took it snow skiing at Mammoth Mountain often. They worked excellent in the snow (but maybe only 1 to 1-1/2 foot deep, most times) and when I stepped out to put on CHP mandatory tire chains, the slope was so slippery that I couldn't stand up but the Michelins were NOT slipping 'without' chains. I recently also bought a 350 Ford Transit Van 148WB, LR, cargo van and it came from Ford w/ OEM 16" Continental VanContact A/S Tires on it. I decided to just run them until it was time to buy 4 new Michelins. My Transit only has 4900 miles on it and they are 1/2 way worn out, already! Loaded w/ tools and parts, my van weights in the 8200-8500# range (3500-4000# more than an empty Expy) but these 16" Continentals are wearing awfully FAST, it seems to me. On my 2013 E350 Econoline Van (same 8200-8500# weight), I always ran 16" Michelins and could get 50,000-55,000 miles out of them, by the time they got down to 20-25%. So, I don't know how many miles you may get out of Continentals on your Expy?? (however, your choice of Continentals, are a different model) Never have driven my Transit in snow but in heavy winter CA rains here, my Continentals have hydroplaned on the freeway at 65MPH a few times. No loss of control (thankfully) but a little disconcerting, to say the least. (never had that happen w/ my Michelins) On dry pavement, these Continentals handle absolutely fine. No criticism intended on Continentals, just my personal recent experience with them FYI & thought. Thanks, Lance

 

[byathread]

I ran Firestone Destination AT2s that performed solidly season after season on mine.

 

[TonyR0206]

Not trying to persuade you one way or another, just pointing out a few flaws with the review you have seen.

Tests on brand new tires are one thing, but you've got to keep in mind the mileage and long term performance too. The Continental is rated for 70k, the Michelins are rated for 75k. Even though the tire price is 15% more for Michelin - that added mileage drags it down to 8% if you get the rated mileage.

Tirerack reviews put the Michelin performing better in every category over the course of the tire's life, I've personally put both on vehicles and Michelin has exceeded the rated mileage where Continental has not gotten the rated mileage on the 2 sets I put on. I've been happy with the Michelin performance out even up to 80k miles, where as the Continentals got loud & had noticeable performance degradation around 40k miles.

Usually what happens is that they'll prorate the mileage you've gotten out of the tires and provide a credit to get them replaced, but it's not when you have performance degradation and it was when they hit the wear bars. So in my case, I got a credit for like $40/tire because I was at the wear bars at 60k after 20k miles of poor performance and could prove that I had normal alignments and rotations - that credit went right to Michelin where I didn't notice performance degradation until closer to 65k miles and made it through summer at 80k before replacing with another set of Michelin. For me, if I'm putting tires on something I'm going to keep then I now default to the Michelin.

I've had the '22 SPP since I got it brand new, other vehicles we've had between an Explorer ST, pick up trucks, Jeeps, we've messed around with a variety of tires. I do a tire rotation at every oil change and an alignment once a year because I want to get the most mileage out of the tires. The General Grabbers that came stock on the SPP were terrible, I've been very happy with the Michelins and have about 35k on them now. We do a lot of driving here in NH where we get plenty of snow, ice, and have a cottage with a long dirt road - only issue I've had was picking up a screw in a tire from my shop.

You've definitely gave me some food for thought!!

 

[TonyR0206]

Hi Tony:
I am most likely NOT the perfect person to ask about tires in heavy snow because I live in SoCal. But, I have ALWAYS been a Michelin guy for 40 years. We had Michelins on our 2012 Expy and took it snow skiing at Mammoth Mountain often. They worked excellent in the snow (but maybe only 1 to 1-1/2 foot deep, most times) and when I stepped out to put on CHP mandatory tire chains, the slope was so slippery that I couldn't stand up but the Michelins were NOT slipping 'without' chains. I recently also bought a 350 Ford Transit Van 148WB, LR, cargo van and it came from Ford w/ OEM 16" Continental VanContact A/S Tires on it. I decided to just run them until it was time to buy 4 new Michelins. My Transit only has 4900 miles on it and they are 1/2 way worn out, already! Loaded w/ tools and parts, my van weights in the 8200-8500# range (3500-4000# more than an empty Expy) but these 16" Continentals are wearing awfully FAST, it seems to me. On my 2013 E350 Econoline Van (same 8200-8500# weight), I always ran 16" Michelins and could get 50,000-55,000 miles out of them, by the time they got down to 20-25%. So, I don't know how many miles you may get out of Continentals on your Expy?? (however, your choice of Continentals, are a different model) Never have driven my Transit in snow but in heavy winter CA rains here, my Continentals have hydroplaned on the freeway at 65MPH a few times. No loss of control (thankfully) but a little disconcerting, to say the least. (never had that happen w/ my Michelins) On dry pavement, these Continentals handle absolutely fine. No criticism intended on Continentals, just my personal recent experience with them FYI & thought. Thanks, Lance

Thanks! I've definitely got some thinking ahead of me!!