Delica Canada | Mitsubishi Van Club

Hi. I'm a soon to be owner, and my new Deli will have Yokohama Geolander AT/S tires.
they look really sweet and I'm sure are.

Just wondering if anyone who has these tires has driven much in the snow, and can tell me what it's like?

Because they are still just AT/S tires I was thinking about also getting actual snow/ice tires for the winter.
I live in the Kootenays, so I need something safe and reliable.

But if the Yokohama's are good enough I'd rather not have an extra set to switch around every season, adding up costs etc.

( I know this topic may have been covered but it's I looked way back and didn't find it.. sooo.... any help is greatly apreciated. )

thanks.

Have the same tire on my Deli and also ran them on my Honda Element up to 122,000kms on
one set! Then bought them again. They definitely won't last that long on the Deli, but they work out
in the mud/snow that I have experienced with 4x4. However, the snow you experience is much more
in the Kootenays, than in Vancouver.

Cheers,

Joe

Had both AT/S and Snow Traction Yokohamas IT/S, used lots, in very difficult conditions.

AT was fine in the snow if you were just messing around, but really not a patch on the IT/S Snow Tires when on hard-pack or ice.

Sold the ATs to my snow plow guy, he hated them because of the lousy ice traction.

Went to a set of Bridgestone Winter duelers eventually, they worked great, but not as good as the Yokohoma Snow Tires.

Glen has just put a fresh set of HT/S Yokohamas on BunBun for summer use, will move to IT/S on spare stell rims for winter use.

George

Thanks for the tips folks!

I gather that I may just be better off with winter tires if I'm going to be driving on ice and snow. ( usually the case anyway )

However:
Any more info from experienced winter drivers, that have use in snow and ice is still appreciated for this thread.

thanks.

I have been driving in the winter for 25 years and must say that I am finally sold on the new winter tires, this is the first year I drove with snow tires. Had to buy them due to a blow out on my trip back to Alberta at Christmas. I have Nokian Hakkapellita 5's without studs. Compared to my studded all terrain tires I had waaaayyy better traction on Highway 16 through the Red Pass between Prince George and McBride. I estimate having quality winter tires saved me 10 to 15 km/hr and I didn't feel a need to use 4wd. The only problem is, with the great new winter tires, it is easier to go faster than the conditions warrant and get into real trouble!!!

James

Thanks James,
again another handy tip.. this time from the experience I'm looking for.

One thing on that note,, how much does it cost you to switch over the tires each season?

{see I never drove my old vehicle in winter... so I never had this issue,, but now I will need to. so... I better get on it and do it right!}

Thanks!

$40 bucks to change tires and re-balance on existing alloy rims. I figure to shave that to $20 or so by leaving the snow tires on their own steel rims and just swapping wheels.

George

I'm re-posting this PM George sent me cause it's useful info:
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That's 40 for all four Simon. There is a little Hercules Tire guy here who is pretty reasonable.

I really like thos Yokohma IT/S snow tires. My son has used a couple of sets of Nokkian snow and really liked them too. Same kind of high end snow tire as the Yokohama. The Bridgestone Winter Dueler is a good SUV-type snow tire too, but not quite in the same class as the Yoko or Nokian.

I am not a big fan of the Yoko AT/S. OK in the rough stuff, but not as good as their MT/S (mud traction). Pretty noisy on the highway, wears quite fast.

I really like the HT/s for everyday use. Quiet, long lasting, great on the pavement. Not quite as good in the rough stuff, but not bad. OK on ice and snow if you get caught by an early storm before you get your snows on.

My two cents worth! I do about 55K Km per year through all sorts of crap in central Ontario, much of it highway miles, but about 10% on forestry trails or worse. We have had 8' of snow so far this year and the temps have hit -38*C to put my suggestions in context.

I concur with George regarding Yokohama tires. A few guys had them on their forestry trucks, and were not satisfied. They plug up in mud and don't seem to last long. My personal experience on cars was similar - short life span. The only Yokohama that is consistently used in the forest industry (lots of bad gravel roads) is the Y742S a light industrial tire - unfortunately it only comes in 2 sizes. Most industry people run BFG A/T's or M/T's and some of the other light industrial brands.

That being said, most Delica's don't get the use that forestry trucks get. My van came with brand new Bridgestone Duelers which were unsuitable for my application and horrible in winter. My next tires were Big O Big Foot X/T's a good tire that compromises some mud performance for better all round performance - but not an AT. I haven't decided on the next tires. I am going to 16" rims to give me a few more options in the 32" range. I am thinking the Dunlop Radial Rover RT or something along those lines.

Good luck

James

There was a lot of discussion on this topic on a previous thread here:

http://www.delica.ca/forum/feedback-on- ... -2081.html

With a couple of the options listed here, you do not have to change your tires in the summer.

I installed the Vatiiva A/T tires last week and was back skiing at the Columbia Icefields on Monday/Tuesday. I tested the tires by causing them to break out in 2 wheel drive mode on hard packed snow in the Mosquitoe Creek Winter Camping area, and they were noticably better than the Yokohama Geolanders they replaced in terms of where the breakout threshold was.

The only thing I have noticed is a bit of a 'rumble' when I am turning as though the side lugs are rumbling, but they are dead smooth on the pavement.