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I have two work vans; the '03 E150 is fine with all-season tires on bad roads.
However, this summer I bought a 99 Chevy Astro as a second work van and I don't know if it's the high center of gravity or short wheelbase or what but it is very squirrely on ice and snow. I put new all-seasons on it in October, but am considering winter tires.
A little online research keeps leading me to Bridgestone Blizzaks. Not prohibitively expensive and seem to get good ratings. Good choice? Any better choices?
The top-rated winter tires are all of the various versions of the Michelin X-Ice tire. Whether any of the various versions come in the size needed for your van is another issue, however.
In addition to incredible traction on ice as well as on snow, the Michelin winter tires all have much longer tread life than their competitors. As a result, what might look like a more expensive tire is actually cheaper in the long run, due to the longer tread life.
So, if you can get Michelin X-Ice tires that will fit that van, I believe that they would be your best choice.
I had a set of Alpine Pirellis on a VW once. They were awesome. The treads were just thick transverse bands, equivalent to rubber chains, and rippled loudly on the highway. The bottom of a VW is like a toboggan, and the Pirellis dug in and pushed it right across the snow.
In the 50's, trucks ran on snow tires that had round rubber cleats, and were so noisy on the highway, you could hear one whining from ten miles away on a still cold night with bare pavement.
I second the recommendation for the Michelin X-Ice tires. I have them on my Subaru. That car is unstoppable and really feels connected to the road in bad winter weather. A less expensive option is the Firestone Winterforce. I have them on our other Subaru and they work really well too (although their ice capabilities are not as great as the Michelins). One advantage of the Firestones is that they can be studded (if you live in a place that allows that). That would really be fantastic in any winter weather.
Something else to keep in mind is winter tires have an advantage even when the roads are dry as their rubber compound is more flexible in cold temperatures than an all season tire.
Something else to keep in mind is winter tires have an advantage even when the roads are dry as their rubber compound is more flexible in cold temperatures than an all season tire.
That is an excellent point that most people are probably not aware of.
The good news is that this quality aids winter traction, even if there is no ice or snow.
The bad news is that this quality also accelerates tread wear, but as long as car owners remove their winter tires as soon as the threat of snow is ended for the season, most drivers can get 3 seasons (or possibly more) from their winter tires--especially if they buy the top-rated, longer-wearing Michelins.
Trade it for an Astro with AWD? RWD isn't worth messing with when you have to drive a lot and live in the snow belt.
I had Blizzaks on a '06 TrailBlazer SS with 200lb of sand in the back. Sill sucked in the snow but was better than top of the line Michelin A/S. I now stick to AWD/4x4 and top of the line all seasons.
Nokian I-Pikes, simply an awesome tire, they stick well and wear well. I had a studded set on a volvo V50 and found them unstoppable.
Agreed most cars and that drive through the Rockies here in the PNW tend to be spilt between Blizzacks and Nokian tires with a few using other brands that cost less but are adequate depending on weather conditions and temperatures.
We see these posts all the time. You should definitely have snows, not all-season tires.
From there, word of mouth is not as good as test results, so check Tire Rack and Consumer Reports. It's worth a lot more than individual opinions.
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