winter tires help...suggestions

steck · 11-12-05, 04:01

four door sedan vehicle in reletively slushy and snowy winter right through to April.

any tire suggestions??

i've looked at the Michelin X-ice but a bit pricey at $148 CDN per.

any cheaper but still good winter boots to buy??

White95Max · 11-12-05, 06:42

I just installed my snow tires today, since we have a chance of snow tomorrow night and into the week, plus temperatures barely reaching above freezing for the highs.

Anyway, I bought the Dunlop Winter Sport M3s from http://www.tirerack.com

Since they've only been on for less than a day, I haven't gotten a chance to get the feel of them yet. I did go for a short drive (~5 miles) after installing them, and they were identical to my ultra high-perf summer tires when driving straight. VERY little noise, ride is not floaty at all. Around corners, they aren't even close to the summer tires, but I don't expect that. It's a 185/65/14 compared to a 205/50/15 too.

The Winter Sports have an aggressive tread pattern, which I enjoy looking at.

Oh don't mind that nasty scrape on the front bumper. Previous owner damage.

kpounds · 11-13-05, 05:47

Tirerack.com just sent out their free Winter Tire Catalog. You might call or write them and ask for it. They also give recommendations for your vehicle on their website. ('Shop for Winter Tires' link on lower left)

FalconGuy · 11-13-05, 05:51

I have a set of the Dunlop MII, not much difference from the new version. They made my RWD BMW with summer tires a real animal in the snow. This will be my 3rd season with them I highly recommend them.

Go with a narrower tire than stock, I didn't but I would imagine the performance would be eve more impressive. These tires are also great on dry pavement, just take them off when temps dictate or they will wear like crazy.

MyZmZm · 11-13-05, 09:35

Personally, I'd recommend the Nokian Hakkapellitta RSI. I'm going into my third winter - and probably have 2-3 more left - with the predecessor, the Hakka Q, and I love them as much as the day I first bought them. Great in all kinds of snow and slush, ice and dry pavement (they don't wear excessively fast either on pavement like the blizzaks and others do). They're made by a company in Norway, so I figure they'd know about winter driving conditions.

They are also a 100% winter tire, unlike blizzak and the michelins, to name a few (not sure about the dunlops, toyos, etc). Most so-called winter tires are a winter tread on only the outer half of the tread; the inner half is actually an all-season. You can find them at Kal-Tire.

Hope this helps!

ZaneO · 11-13-05, 09:47

I've heard *very* good reviews of the Bridgestone Blizzaks.

White95Max · 11-13-05, 09:57

The reason I passed up the Blizzaks was due to the 55%/45% tread compound. I didn't like the fact that there would be a significant change in traction when the tires wore down only half way. The Winter Sport M3 is a performance winter tire, with the same compound throughout. It's meant to be a great tire on dry roads, and have great traction on snow/rain/ice. We'll see...because we're supposed to get some rain/snow on Tuesday here.

The Blizzaks are said to be excellent on snow/ice, but once they're worn down to the other compound, they're not so excellent. Accumulator has the Blizzaks on all of his winter-driven vehicles, so maybe he'll chime in.

ramp · 11-13-05, 11:04

If you're serious about getting the best/right tires for your car go to The Tire Rack Website and check out all of the research they have done on winter tires--it is amazing what they have put together. Or just call Luke at their tollfree # and he will just tell you what will work best, once you tell him what you want and how much you want to pay. He is a genius when it comes to tires & wheels.

paco · 11-13-05, 11:11

Blizzaks have come out with a new tire this year (REV-01). You may want to have a look at those.

The question you should be asking yourself is if you want a Ice Tire or Deep Snow Tire.

I have Toyo Observe's on my EL and they are great for snow but a bit less in slushy conditions or black ice.

Personally, DON"T EVEN LOOK at Cost. If your snow tires help you stop just an inch sooner and it prevents you from one very very minor fender bender, the of the accident will easily be 2-3x as much as a set of top rated snow tires. There no passing on a quality winter tires. With the cost of insurance and repairs today, skimping $20-30/tire just doesn't make economic sense.

The 3 I woud consider are:

Blizzaks
Perelli
Michelin X-ice
Toyo

Which model you go with really depends on what type of winter conditions you face (here in Toronto, it's more ice then deep snow typically so my next set will be based on ice stopping power where the REV01 really are a step above). If you are worried about deep snow, then the other Blizzaks or Toyo's work really well for you.

marko · 11-13-05, 11:26

I'm not sure if you're going to find less expensive, worthwhile alternatives. that price point is right in the sweet spot for better performing winter tires.

I bought a set of dunlop m3's 205/55vr16 season before last and I'm a big fan. sidewall flex is minimal, they're quiet, and wet / dry pavement performance unlike any other snow tire I've owned. you'd never know they were snow tires but for the aggressive pattern, which is also very cool. they're stellar in slush and snow and do pretty well on ice. deeper puddles under overpasses don't phase tracking. I've had them mounted on my last two cars (both acuras), and the only problem I can imagine is that they might instill too much confidence. also, they wear extremely well.

the dunlops were a replacement for michelin arctic alpins, which were my first attempt at studless tires with stud-like performance. they were perhaps slightly more amazing on ice and snow and everything but dry weather, where the high flex turned my car into a boat, albeit a very stable boat. they also produced a high pitched humming near highway speed that was a subtle annoyance. the ice-x I think is michelin's next generation of the arctic alpin, but I hear it's substantially quieter. can't answer to ice-x wear, but the alpins wore pretty quickly.

the only issue I'd have with the ice-x is the speed rating (q), which implies high flex like my arctic aplins. the m3's are available in h and v, of which the v is my choice.

my summer wheels have wr rated yoko dbs mounted, same size. not that there's any real comparison, but the dunlop's behave surprisingly like a higher performance touring tire.

I'm debating whether to switch them today. we're supposed to have a little snow this coming week, and this time of year that can mean an inch forecast and a blizzard in real life.

White95Max · 11-13-05, 01:08

Marko, you just made me even more anxious for snow/slush to arrive, so I can try out my M3s!

We've got it in the forecast for Monday night and Tuesday.

JoshRed · 11-13-05, 01:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by MyZmZm

Personally, I'd recommend the Nokian Hakkapellitta RSI. I'm going into my third winter - and probably have 2-3 more left - with the predecessor, the Hakka Q, and I love them as much as the day I first bought them. Great in all kinds of snow and slush, ice and dry pavement (they don't wear excessively fast either on pavement like the blizzaks and others do). They're made by a company in Norway, so I figure they'd know about winter driving conditions.

They are also a 100% winter tire, unlike blizzak and the michelins, to name a few (not sure about the dunlops, toyos, etc). Most so-called winter tires are a winter tread on only the outer half of the tread; the inner half is actually an all-season. You can find them at Kal-Tire.

Hope this helps!

I live here in Winnipeg, as they say its the winter capital of Canada. It gets to -51 C here in a bad winter months and a LOT of snow and ice. Like MyZmZm says Nokian Hakkapellitta is the tire for all weather especially winter (I've used there all weather tire, not specifically the winter tire). You can visit there site at nokiantires.com or nokiantyre.com and they are only distributed by Kal-tire. I'm going on my 4th winter and is still a lot of thread remaining and I also use it in summer, let us just say I've used it all year long for at least 3-4 straight years now. There threads and blocks are larger and thicker so you can assure that it will last for a long time. Its made in Finland. Well good luck in tire hunting.