Has anyone downsized their winter tires?

[TreatYoSelf]

I'm looking to pickup some Michelin X Ice snow tires for the winter here in Colorado. They'll go on a second set of 18" rims. Michelin sells these tires in 275/65R18 and 255/70R18. These two-size tires have identical diameters and load ratings. The 255 tire weighs 36 lb and the 265 tire weighs 41.3. My rims are 18x7.5" OEM wheels off an older F150 FX4 lariat that I had powder coated.

Are there any performance negatives with downsizing a winter tire?
Have you downsized and enjoyed the setup?

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[Henry Ford]

I haven't done this but that won't stop me from speculating...

A narrower tire has less contact patch with the road and should provide worse handling and grip when compared to a wider tire. However, the surface pressure will be greater which might assist in pushing through snow and slush. Presumably, that's what you want.

If I had to guess, there would be a marginal efficiency gain with narrower tires due to less rolling resistance and drag.

Personally, I'd go with the stock setup because I am not an engineer and I trust that people who are employed as engineers have put more collective thoughts into it than me.

 

[TreatYoSelf]

@Henry Ford I too love to speculate! The narrower tire will certainly have less grip on dry roads.

My main motivations for winter tires are:
1. prevent getting stuck in deep snow (10+ inches) while driving to winter trailheads
2. having control while driving through slush (and lane changes) on the interstate at 60+mph
3. stopping a 6,500 lb vehicle on snowy, icy, slushy, and wet roads

 

[Heliian]

You want pizza cutters in the snow and wide contact on dry pavement.

 

[Henry Ford]

@Henry Ford I too love to speculate! The narrower tire will certainly have less grip on dry roads.

My main motivations for winter tires are:
1. prevent getting stuck in deep snow (10+ inches) while driving to winter trailheads
2. having control while driving through slush (and lane changes) on the interstate at 60+mph
3. stopping a 6,500 lb vehicle on snowy, icy, slushy, and wet roads

The narrow tires are probably a good option for you. You haven't mentioned driving your truck like a sports car so you are probably on the right path.

I run a set of 20" stock A/T takeoffs in the winter. I don't think they are any better than the 22" All-Seasons that came on my truck but I like the way they look at least as much as the stock wheels and they make tire rotations easy. The Lightning is the best winter weather vehicle I've ever driven. Others report it gets even better with dedicated snow tires. For the little amount of snow we get in southeast Michigan I don't bother. I do, however, slow down.

 

[Wendy]

Curious with your winter driving are you using 1-pedal? I'm going from a 4wd Silverado with dedicated winter tires (and a sand bag on each wheel well) last year - to the Lighting. I'm going to get a set of winter tires, I already have spare rims (standard size). Any other suggestions for driving the Lightning in snow, primarily highway across the passes in Washington, to the ski area.

 

[Marcoux]

I have 18 inch tires and no problems to report here.

Only thing, when they originally installed the tires, they didn't take into consideration the huge calipers that we have up front and the weights were glued in a spot where my brakes ripped them clean off. Took it back and they made sure to put the weights elsewhere.

It's also worth noting that the speedometer is about 3km/h off...not a big deal, you get used to it for the 5 months they're on.

 

[21st Century Truck]

You want pizza cutters in the snow and wide contact on dry pavement.

^^ This ^^

 

[Henry Ford]

Curious with your winter driving are you using 1-pedal? I'm going from a 4wd Silverado with dedicated winter tires (and a sand bag on each wheel well) last year - to the Lighting. I'm going to get a set of winter tires, I already have spare rims (standard size). Any other suggestions for driving the Lightning in snow, primarily highway across the passes in Washington, to the ski area.

I use 1PD exclusively. I'm guessing what you are concerned about is brake regen. 1PD vs 2PD doesn't really matter in that regard, both will use regen to slow down. Traction control is always active so you don't need to worry about losing control due to regenerative braking. You still need to drive an appropriate speed for the conditions.

The Lightning handles better than any ICE truck. The center of gravity is lower and the center of mass is closer to the center of the vehicle. Without getting too far in the weeds, this means it is more difficult to upset and easier to recover. It's still really heavy and physics still exists so, you know...drive an appropriate speed for the conditions. It's like driving a regular truck, just easier.

 

[Heliian]

Curious with your winter driving are you using 1-pedal

If the roads are clear and the weather is nice then I'll stick with 1pd.

The truck is very capable, even in 1pd, but I go to 2 pedal for snow or ice. Same reason you don't want to downshift a manual in the snow.

 

[VTbuckeye]

255 70 18 have a lower load index. 112. I would have gone with narrower winter tires if not for the load capacity. I did downsize from 275 60 20 to 275 65 18.

 

[TreatYoSelf]

255 70 18 have a lower load index. 112. I would have gone with narrower winter tires if not for the load capacity. I did downsize from 275 60 20 to 275 65 18.

This depends on the tire. The Michelin X-Ice snow SUV in 20" (275/60R20) has a 115T load rating. Both 18" X-ice snows I'm considering (275/65R18 and 255/70R18) have a 116T load rating (2756 lb). There are even XL-rated snows out there.

 

[VTbuckeye]

This depends on the tire. The Michelin X-Ice snow SUV in 20" (275/60R20) has a 115T load rating. Both 18" X-ice snows I'm considering (275/65R18 and 255/70R18) have a 116T load rating (2756 lb). There are even XL-rated snows out there.

My Continental Vikingcontact 7 are 117 rated. I have not seen xl rated snow tires in the 255 70 18 size. XL tires that size are 116, so they would be perfectly acceptable. My lightning came with 116 rated tires, but I would be comfortable going with 115 .

 

[Henry Ford]

If the roads are clear and the weather is nice then I'll stick with 1pd.

The truck is very capable, even in 1pd, but I go to 2 pedal for snow or ice. Same reason you don't want to downshift a manual in the snow.

Traction control is active all the time and you can't turn off regenerative braking which means 1PD and 2PD perform the same way when driven the same.

One's comfort level and proficiency may be reduced when using a drive mode - presumably 1PD, but in theory either mode - with which they have less experience. In other words, use which mode you are comfortable with. The design is perfectly safe either way.

 

[Heliian]

in theory either mode -

True, I find the brake easier to manipulate on the finer side of things and releasing the go pedal in 2pd allows me to coast down smoother. If the abs/traction control kicks on it's also easier to let go of the pedals to regain traction.

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