I have 2004 DII SE, stock. It came with 255/55/18 Continental 4x4 Contacts. First snow came this weekend in Indiana. Will I need snow tires. I plan on going on a ski trip to upper pen Mich this season. By searching, it seems that most like Toyo Open Country AT, and Bridgestone Dueler. Thanks.

 

Do you need them? No. Are they nice to have? YES!!
I run Bridgestone Blizzak's on my wifes car, I swear by them.
You can drive on ice just like it was 80*F and sunny with dry roads. Seriously. No, I am dead serious, these things stick to icelike...I dont even know how to compare. Like F1 car sticks to the track.
If they were not so expensive I would put them on my Rover too.

How ofter are you coming from IN to MI? Once? Twice? Three times a lady? Are you going to Cabrafe, Boyne?
Where in Indiana do you live? South Bend, Ft. Wayne?
Wether or not you need snows will depend on these things.

 

Personally, I dont think a snow tire is absolutely necessary. They certainly help on passenger cars with 2WD, but if youre just heading up to the ski hills on maintained roads, a good all season tire combined with the 4WD in your Disco should work just fine. Ive made many trips to the UP, even in fresh snow, and have been fine with all season tires on an AWD or 4WD vehicle.

Im in a bit worse shape than you when it comes to needing tires capable of handling snow. Ive got a set of high performance summer tires mounted with virtually no siping, so Ive been researching tire choice for the Discos 18" wheel. Heres what Ive come up with:

Cooper Discoverer H/T Plus ($100 each plus shipping):




Nitto Terra Grappler AT ($156 each @ DiscountTireDirect.com, free shipping)




Toyo Open Country AT ($170 each at Tires-easy.com, plus shipping):




General Grabber AT2 ($179 each at TireRack.com plus shipping):




Pirelli Scorpion ATR ($194 each at TireRack.com, plus shipping):




Taking a look at the tire review for your tire on TireRack.com doesnt yield much confidence (click this link to take a look).

If I was in your shoes, Id take a look at some all season all-terrain tires. In my opinion, snow tires really only make sense if you have an extra set of wheels to mount them to.

 

where at in indiana? im from anderson and dont remember seeing many rovers around. anyway i just put a new set of bridgestone dueler A/T s on my disco II and they work GREAT! ive taken them thru everything except deep mud. wet pavement, snow, trails, standing water - it handles them with aplomb. great tires!

pilsner
origionally from anderson, IN now FT lewis WA via US army

 

Unfortunately, Bridgestone does not make the Dueler A/T in the factory 18" wheel size for the Disco. The closest size I see in the Dueler A/T is a 265/70/18. I wonder if this size will fit the factory 18" wheel without rubbing? If I did my math right, it looks like youd gain almost 2 inches of ground clearance. It certainly would make your speedometer read lower.

 

The General Grabbers have holes for studs if you need them. They are an all around great tire that comes in 18".

 

Im in Indianapolis. Plan on making 1, maybe 2 trip this year to Boyne

 

Thanks for the tire research and prices. LambChop, which tires are you leaning towards. I agree that the review for my tires on tirerack was scary. Anybody havefirst hand experience with my tires?

 

Living in Southern Indiana all you need is a good all terrain tire.
Like the Toyo Open Country A/T, the General Grabber AT2 or the cooper S/T.
Any one of those tires will soot you just fine.

 

Looks like the Cooper Discoverer S/T isnt available in the factory 18" size.

Well, the Cooper is more of a highway tire than an all-terrain tire, so thats out. The Pirelli is too expensive. From what Ive read on the General Grabber AT2, its a great tire, but many owners have noted that they can be noisy at speed and the tire life usually falls in the 30,000 to 45,000 mile range.

Im torn between the Nitto offering and the Toyo offering. From what Ive read, both tires use the same tread compound - the only difference is in the tread design. Most reviews Ive found say the tires are relatively quiet at speed and generally last 50,000+ miles. Many have claimed they are excellent in a variety of on- and off-road conditions as well as very good in snow. If I can find the Toyos at a price close to the DiscountTireDirect.com price on the Nittos, Ill probably buy the Toyos just because I like the tread pattern more.


Really, if you want better selection for an all-terrain tire, its best to pick up a set of Discovery 16" wheels. If you really like the look of the 18" wheels, then youre quite limited in selection of tires (although, the Nitto, Toyo, and General offerings seem to be well-liked).