Observations with first snowfall

[Code54]

Bridgestone Dueler A/T Ascent - Not cheap, but I bought it in the factory size, and they are great in snow, etc. Also, I didn’t notice any additional highway noise from the tires, and mileage stayed close to factory, so I can’t really say there is a difference.

 

[PaulP]

2025 LC Premium and we received about 6 inches of snow overnight. I’ve lived and driven in the Central New York area for 34 years with many different cars but today was my first time with the LC.

Windshield wipers are garbage. Come on Toyota, put on blades that don’t freeze. Problem solved with a trip to the auto supply shop for Bosch Icons 22A & 20A.

Yokohama GV tires are terrible in the snow. They are quiet and comfortable in the other 3 seasons, but they slide and cannot stop worth shite. These are some of the worst OE tires I have experienced for winter traction. We average 120 inches of snow in the winter here and it is spread out across 4-5 months. Luckily, I have Toyo winter tires coming and will be mounted on 18” takeoff wheels purchased from another forum member.

But the thing I find most annoying are the sensors blocked by snow and ice causing the warnings popping up on my dash. No matter how many times I press the back arrow, the warnings reappear in a few seconds. How do I turn them off while I am driving without going deep into menus?????

I love this LC, but really hate the sensor thing the most.

Hello fellow Central(ish) NYer.

I bought my '24 LC last winter brand new and can confirm the stock tires were trash. Before I drove it off the lot, I knew I'd be upgrading and the first snowfall last year confirmed this. I ran KO2s for eight years on my 4Runner, loved them, so naturally I wanted the newer KO3s. Since I have the premium 20" wheel, the 275/65/20 size that I wanted wasn't available til the spring so I suffered a bit while waiting through my first winter to get what I want. Ended getting them installed this spring and they've handled excellent thus far. I haven't been able to test them in serious snow yet but that time is for sure coming here in Rochester...reviews I've read and watched on the KO3s show improved wet road driving which I can confirm, along with improved snow driving. Looking forward to the snow now!

After reading your post, it got me thinking about upgrading my wipers. Just did some research and the Bosch you mentioned came out on top so I just ordered a pair. Looking forward to those, thanks!


As for the sensors - agreed. Can be pretty annoying. I think I only ran into this "issue" once or twice last year, it wasn't often and I did drive a bit in snow. Coincidentally, I just got back from a 6 hour ride from Baltimore, drove through some shitty slush/minor snow with no issue. Sun eventually came out, roads cleared and THEN I got the same error message for system lane departure/cruise control being shut down. Lasted about 20 min and eventually cleared itself. I'm sure it was random slush/salt but annoying none-the-less.

 

[SACTOWN]

I will have to agree with everyone about the YokoJUNK!! They are absolute garbage tires for snow. I really would have thought Toyota would do their customers better with installing REAL tires on a Landcruiser knowing majority of us will use this rig in any weather.. I guess I gave Toyota to much faith. I was on my to get the OTT tune barley going 30mph and hit slushy snow I lost against a pine tree. Shame really.. I had Fifteen 52's on order during their sale and had to cancel the order since I don't know what the outcome of my claim will be. Bright side, I was still able to drive her home till I can get a tow truck to pick her up this week and take it to the body shop..

View attachment 54074

Damn sorry

 

[RUN-8]

Put X-Ice into n new 4 runner they are great, but… won’t last long on regular season driving

That’s why I have them on dedicated wheels and swap them out seasonally.

 

[gdiep]

We just got another 12 inches of snow the day after Thanksgiving. The Toyo Observe winter tires are very good. They ride with just a slight vibration, just a tad more than the stock Yokohamas. But they have handled the snow very well.

The snow was falling so hard and kept building up a layer of ice over the sensors so all the warnings were popping up while I was driving that day. Still looking for a good way to turn off the sensors if this happens when I am traveling on the highway and unable to stop and clear the sensors.

 

[RUN-8]

We just got another 12 inches of snow the day after Thanksgiving. The Toyo Observe winter tires are very good. They ride with just a slight vibration, just a tad more than the stock Yokohamas. But they have handled the snow very well.

The snow was falling so hard and kept building up a layer of ice over the sensors so all the warnings were popping up while I was driving that day. Still looking for a good way to turn off the sensors if this happens when I am traveling on the highway and unable to stop and clear the sensors.

You will have to go to vehicle settings in the instrument panel and deactivate pre-collision, and maybe a few other things. Change cruise control to conventional mode, not sure if that will turn off the radar completely or not.

Probably take some experimentation to arrive at the combo of things to turn off.

 

[StreamerJunkie]

Living in Wisconsin, we see a bit of winter weather here, and I would agree the Yoko's are garbage, as you can see by the predicament I found myself in this weekend (dead tree blocking service road, tried to turn around on heavy wet snow and incline) However, as the 2nd picture shows, airing them down to 18PSI and dropping it in 4LO with Center locked had us back in business.

That said, still replacing them, just deciding between Nokian Outpost NATs and Cooper Discoverers....

I just ignore the sensor errors at this point, nothing "flight critical" is shown there, in a blizzard I mostly just need carplay gps and fuel gauge.

 

[TakaraLC]

I agree that the stock tires suck in the snow.

Mine are the 20” Dunlops. Not impressive at all, a mediocre tire in all aspects. I’ll run them till they’re worn out in another year or so.

I bought some take off wheels from another member and put a full set of Michelin X-Ice Snow 265/70/R18 on them. Changed out wheels a week or two ago and got the TPMS to pick up after 40 miles of driving. They did great last year, and first snow this year they continue to impress. Snow tires are the bomb in the winter.

I found Dunlops to be surprisingly good with snow and ice, for a tire with non aggressive threading.

 

[omgponies]

I've yet to have the 20" Dunlops in more than an inch or two of snow, but they have been totally fine in that. I've been putting off switching, trying to get as much life out of them as possible, but I think may be at the point this year where I should. (last year I was staying in the south of the state enough and always on plowed roads, so it was not a big deal - but now I drive 2.5hrs north each weekend up into the snowiest area and end up on unplowed service roads or worse - this weekend ran into snow and it was fine, even on unplowed service roads or worse, but it was less than 2" of snow)

Need to decide between winter specials and do blizzaks and have to sort out the swapping and storage, or just get K03s. The upside of the K03s are that they will help in the spring when they service roads I use are really more active creek beds, the downside being worse gas mileage.

Also I am cheap.

And totally agree that the sensor issue is super annoying and having an easy way to say nevermind for like an hour at a time (instead of 5sec at a time) would be nice. I even cleaned mine off one trip and they were back to triggering again within a mile (depends on how hard it is coming down).

 

[mrf1025]

Hello fellow Central(ish) NYer.

I bought my '24 LC last winter brand new and can confirm the stock tires were trash. Before I drove it off the lot, I knew I'd be upgrading and the first snowfall last year confirmed this. I ran KO2s for eight years on my 4Runner, loved them, so naturally I wanted the newer KO3s. Since I have the premium 20" wheel, the 275/65/20 size that I wanted wasn't available til the spring so I suffered a bit while waiting through my first winter to get what I want. Ended getting them installed this spring and they've handled excellent thus far. I haven't been able to test them in serious snow yet but that time is for sure coming here in Rochester...reviews I've read and watched on the KO3s show improved wet road driving which I can confirm, along with improved snow driving. Looking forward to the snow now!

After reading your post, it got me thinking about upgrading my wipers. Just did some research and the Bosch you mentioned came out on top so I just ordered a pair. Looking forward to those, thanks!


As for the sensors - agreed. Can be pretty annoying. I think I only ran into this "issue" once or twice last year, it wasn't often and I did drive a bit in snow. Coincidentally, I just got back from a 6 hour ride from Baltimore, drove through some shitty slush/minor snow with no issue. Sun eventually came out, roads cleared and THEN I got the same error message for system lane departure/cruise control being shut down. Lasted about 20 min and eventually cleared itself. I'm sure it was random slush/salt but annoying none-the-less.

What mileage impact did you see on the KO3s?

I'm also on the 20" wheels. Trying to decide how far to push things knowing I don't need an excessively aggressive tire.

 

[zxrider11]

Bridgestone Dueler A/T Ascent - Not cheap, but I bought it in the factory size, and they are great in snow, etc. Also, I didn’t notice any additional highway noise from the tires, and mileage stayed close to factory, so I can’t really say there is a difference.

I also have been happy with the Bridgestone Dueler A/T Ascents.

Went with 265/70-18 size on my 1958 Edition.

The Bridgestone's are smooth & quiet at highway speeds, and they have performed well off-road and in the snow.

Just completed a 1,500 mile round trip from Michigan to Georgia and ended up with a 22mpg average, maintaining 72-75mph highway speeds. I always use 93 octane and ran ECO mode for the trip, 34psi in the tires.

We ran into bad snow & ice conditions in SW Michigan and I was surprised at how planted the Land Cruiser was with the Bridgestone Dueler tires.

 

[PaulP]

What mileage impact did you see on the KO3s?

I'm also on the 20" wheels. Trying to decide how far to push things knowing I don't need an excessively aggressive tire.

Mileage impact? Boarderline severe hahah For example, on my recent six hour all highway trip, I was looking at 14-17.5 MPG (in Sport mode, Standard drive mode was slightly better and for some reason Eco was the worst) the whole way depending on hills ect. My tire is a 34” (275/65/20) E load which adds some hefty weight to the corners. Pretty sure the 275/60/20s weigh less so presumably better MPG there.

I don’t mind the hit to MPGs, I want an aggressive and durable tire that’ll last for a few years and perform well in the snow (or wherever I decide to take this). Hopefully by the time I’m ready for new tires the KO3 will be available in a lighter load rating

 

[PA-Cruiser 200]

We just got another 12 inches of snow the day after Thanksgiving. The Toyo Observe winter tires are very good. They ride with just a slight vibration, just a tad more than the stock Yokohamas. But they have handled the snow very well.

The snow was falling so hard and kept building up a layer of ice over the sensors so all the warnings were popping up while I was driving that day. Still looking for a good way to turn off the sensors if this happens when I am traveling on the highway and unable to stop and clear the sensors.

I was up in central NY for Thanksgiving and had a blast in that snow. Good little dump. I have the Michelin LTX trail tires (stock) and they were amazing! Really surprised at their handling. I’ve ran KO/O2s for almost 20 years and these stock LTCs did great. But I’m sure they won’t last long. No stock tires do.

As for the sensors. Ridiculous!!! So frustrating. Toyota needs a software update, cause it’s way too distracting (well, if you have OCD I guess… lol) and hitting the return button should be good enough!

It’s like Toyota let go all of their smart engineers and programmers. Ugh.

 

[ClearCactus]

I was happy enough with the stock Yokos until we got our first taste of snow a few weeks ago. I was absolutely shocked at how poorly they performed in light snow/slush. Just moving through stop and go traffic at 5mph felt treacherous and as if I was driving on bald tires. Reminded me of trying to drive my old 5 speed Mustang in the snow. Sliding everywhere with little to no control. Legitimate safety issue.

I swapped mine out for Continental TerrainContact A/T tires in 265/70R18. Very happy with them so far. Drove 2000 miles from the midwest to New England and back for Thanksgiving and they didn't skip a beat. Drove during the massive snow storm that hit the Great Lakes region this weekend and always felt planted and fully in control.

MPG took a hit from the Yoko's. I was getting around 25mpg regularly on the highway with the Yoko's. Continental's are getting me 20mpg pretty consistently.

Love the Continentals and the tire switch overall!

 

[dkhorse74]

Could not have described it better myself. This is EXACTLY how it felt this past Saturday.. Might as well have been driving on drag slicks..

 

[ultane]

I was happy enough with the stock Yokos until we got our first taste of snow a few weeks ago. I was absolutely shocked at how poorly they performed in light snow/slush. Just moving through stop and go traffic at 5mph felt treacherous and as if I was driving on bald tires. Reminded me of trying to drive my old 5 speed Mustang in the snow. Sliding everywhere with little to no control. Legitimate safety issue.

I swapped mine out for Continental TerrainContact A/T tires in 265/70R18. Very happy with them so far. Drove 2000 miles from the midwest to New England and back for Thanksgiving and they didn't skip a beat. Drove during the massive snow storm that hit the Great Lakes region this weekend and always felt planted and fully in control.

MPG took a hit from the Yoko's. I was getting around 25mpg regularly on the highway with the Yoko's. Continental's are getting me 20mpg pretty consistently.

Love the Continentals and the tire switch overall!

Welcome to the asylum.

 

[Ike582]

I just swapped out the Yokohama's for the same size KO3's. Since we've only got snow flurries here today, it's too early to really comment on snow and ice performance. I can say that thus far there's no noticeable difference in road noise, but I can sense that I'm driving on a heavier tire, and the road feel is a more firm than the prior cushy passenger car feel. Fine with me.

While I'm much more focused on performance, the KO3's certainly look a lot better than the OEM tires.

 

[basicxj]

I just swapped out the Yokohama's for the same size KO3's. Since we've only got snow flurries here today, it's too early to really comment on snow and ice performance. I can say that thus far there's no noticeable difference in road noise, but I can sense that I'm driving on a heavier tire, and the road feel is a more firm than the prior cushy passenger car feel. Fine with me.

While I'm much more focused on performance, the KO3's certainly look a lot better than the OEM tires.

View attachment 54347

Yes, cosmetically a big improvement. While I haven't driven on the K03 tires, if they retain any of the K02 DNA they should be decent in almost any condition.

I had the K02s on my Rubicon and while driving in a blizzard a few months after install I missed a turn. I had to turn around on a side street with snow up to the bumper and I was impressed, never spun a wheel. Even on bare pavement I found them to be pretty sticky. Decent in the wet, and beyond decent in snow & ice. They are no replacement for a dedicated snow tire, but with 4WD and driving for conditions I expect it would be pretty hard to get into trouble with a set.

If the right 18" wheels didn't turn up for me, I imagine I would have put K03s on my factory 20" wheels. I prefer to run an all terrain year-round when possible.

 

[ATbuckhunter]

I only drove through the snow one time back in April when the hudson valley had its last snow storm. I had a completely different experience with my geolander tires. I didnt lose traction at all while driving the worst parts of the Taconic parkway while I counted no less than 10 accidents on my side of the road. I did start to slip when I hit a left turn a bit too fast, but it corrected its self very quickly. Now it was only a few inches and not the best data set, but I wasn't mad at its performance. I'm going to keep these tires on until they're worn out and replace them with Michelin MS2 tires.

 

[basicxj]

I only drove through the snow one time back in April when the hudson valley had its last snow storm. I had a completely different experience with my geolander tires. I didnt lose traction at all while driving the worst parts of the Taconic parkway while I counted no less than 10 accidents on my side of the road. I did start to slip when I hit a left turn a bit too fast, but it corrected its self very quickly. Now it was only a few inches and not the best data set, but I wasn't mad at its performance. I'm going to keep these tires on until they're worn out and replace them with Michelin MS2 tires.

Good to know. My take on the OEM tire choice was that I wouldn't want to trust them in the worst conditions. I am saving mine, intend to run them out in the fairer months until those tires are done. I'll revisit tires in 20" size at that time.

When I need to get to work, I really need to get there and do so on time. I won't let the cost of a set of tires stand between me and my obligations. Just one of the reasons I have been choosing 4WD and AWD vehicles over the last 25 years.