dnszoom

Well, I thought I would post this here versus the Tire/Wheels section as I didn't think that other gen TL owners would care about our fitment size.

First, I made a small mistake in not ordering steelies with 16" snow tires. I would have saved money as the cost of 16"s with steelies would have been less than the 17" tires alone. My rationale, I am getting 18"s in the spring. Second, inline with my first point, 235's do not make for a great snow tire size as they can 'plow' as opposed to cutting through the snow.

Okay, it snowed up here. Lots. I just had my winters mounted so the timing was perfect! Over a foot of snow and more in other places.

Fresh snow (medium to light density): the S950's performed magically. Traction control complained once and that was when I was having some fun with an A4 Quattro. Great acceleration and braking. The tires cut through the snow with no problems.

Heavy snow (wet packing snow): this was the trickiest stuff to navigate. Any accumulation over 6" with speeds over 40MPH would cause a bit of plowing. Not as much as I expected but still, you'd point the wheels in a different direction and the front would plow for 3-5 feet (at highway speeds) and then hook up. Other than, which was expected, good performance.

Mud: yes, I had to visit some friends who live in a newly developed area with no paved roads. Surprisingly, these tires are very good in the mud too.

Any type of snow under 6": these tires are markedly excellent and match up well with the TL's handling characteristics. I had considered the Blizzak LM22's and Goodyear GW3's but the S950's price (cheap!), reviews, and 5 year everything warranty made my decision easy (they're V rated too, in case you want to do a run up to 149MPH, hehe).

Most certainly, the S950's are a welcome swap to the stock summer Potenza's.

Tripp11

Good write-up!!

need4spd

Thanks, many forget Toyo has a snow line also!

rets

dnszoom,

What is the speed rating for this tire? Thanks for all your info.

dnszoom

It's a V-rated tire... up to 149MPH.

http://www.toyocanada.com/products/SnowProxS950.html

whalen

I have these installed on Type S Rims. Works great in the snow.
205-50-17. The narrower tread works well in the snow yet the profile of the tire still looks good!
I have driven many different cars with snow/ice tires and this combination work very well.

GreatWhiteNorth

Living as I do in the land of ice and snow, I budgeted for snow tires when I ordered my Silver 6MT last fall. In fact, I left express instructions with the dealer to have the tires installed BEFORE I picked up the car. Let's just say that I have vast experience with the total lack of traction that high-performance summer tires offer when the streets are white. Of course, one hand at the dealership doesn't know what the other hand is doing, and I received a phone call from the business manager telling me that I should put snow tires on the car before I drive it home. Apparently it took 3 technicians to help push the car across the snow-covered lot into the shop for them to perform the PDI. It seems that traction control and a limited slip can only do so much.

In any case, even before this call, I had ordered a set of stock sized Toyo Snowprox S950 winter radials. I had looked at several alternatives, but the Toyos were the most attractive option for the price. I've had extensive experience with Toyos, in summer, winter, all-season and autocross compounds, and they are consistently above average to excellent. One thing I like on the S950 is the "rim protector", which will help save the finish on the rims during the inevitable curb parking encounters (hey, sometimes the white curb looks exactly like the white road). I put them on the stock wheels, since steel alternatives that fit over the Brembos aren't available as of yet.

So, how are they? As dnszoom says, a 235 section tire isn't ideal for biting down through deep snow to find traction, so they tend to float a bit in these conditions. The compound is not quite as aggressive as some of Toyos other offerings (like the Observe range), so a little bit of grip is given up on sheet ice. Other than that, I'm very pleased. I've never gotten stuck, and traction on wet/dry roads (which is still 90% of driving conditions, even this far north) is excellent. The 45-series sidewall eliminates a lot of squirm that I get on my other winter car, a 1993 Audi S4 quattro. That (heavier) car has 215/65-R15 tires (Toyo Observe G-02 tires) that make it pretty much unstoppable in any conditions. The more aggressive compound and narrower cross-section give far more grip when it's slippery out, although the car does NOT give that "on rails" feeling around corners in the wet or dry. Still nothing beats quattro for getting going in a hurry though

In summary, the Snowprox S950 is a good snow tire that is somewhat of a compromise compared to a more aggressive compound, but is worlds better than just about any all season you could name (I call them no seasons - bad in winter and bad in summer). They balanced well, and I've experienced no vibration problems at any speed. Recommended.

Nadimus

Very informative post. Thanks!