by "Tripper" (tripe46)
Published 04/04/2017 at 14:44
by "Tripper" (tripe46)
Published 04/04/2017 at 14:44
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STARS: 2
The above exit has gone from the most terrifying part of my commute to the most fun. I’ve said it before and I will probably say it a few more times, but my most recent set of snow tires are garbage!
They are just OK in the snow, but in the rain they might as well be made out of PVC. They are Yokohama IceGuard tires, and I wish I hadn’t been so cheap when I bought them. For another $200 I could have had the performance spec Blizzaks, which are great.
My summer set is back on so I pushed a little harder on the exit ramp pictured up top. The road was wet, but not a peep from the tires! It is much more enjoyable to drive.
Anyone know how the snow tires could suck sooo bad? Just the compound with warmer temperatures? We’re talking about losing the front end at 15mph in a roundabout! (wet road).Can’t blame all of that on it being an Audi!
"CalzoneGolem" (calzonegolem)
04/04/2017 at 14:50, STARS: 0
Can’t blame all of that on it being an Audi!
You’re not the boss of me!
"Rico" (ricorich)
04/04/2017 at 15:05, STARS: 2
I’ve got one of those on ramps myself not too far from me:
I used to see how fast I could go around it before my tires lost grip, made it all the way up to around 80 mph before lots of tire screeching and my maniacal laughter.
"V12 Jake- Hittin' Switches" (jbv12)
04/04/2017 at 15:21, STARS: 1
I just got my summer tires back on my LS400 and the difference is remarkable. Even in a boat like that, the car is so much more fun to drive.
"Highlander-Datsuns are Forever" (jamesbowland)
04/04/2017 at 15:22, STARS: 0
That’s odd. I have the older Blizzak WS 70's on a Mazda 3 and they are actually fantastic in the rain. Supper deep sipping and squishy rubber seem to work well in the wet. Maybe those Yoko’s are just crap tires or completely worn out.
"Tripper" (tripe46)
04/04/2017 at 15:30, STARS: 0
Yea I’ve got a set of the Blizzak LM’s for the M3 and they’re great in the rain! Believe it or not those yokohamas have less than 10k miles, and have been shitty since the day I put them on.
"Textured Soy Protein" (texturedsoyprotein)
04/04/2017 at 15:37, STARS: 0
Full-on winter (non-performance) tires are designed to give maximum possible snow/ice traction and make no attempt at anything resembling sporty handling in dry/wet.
Performance winter tires give up some of that maximum winter capability in exchange for varying degrees of sportiness.
I have Michelin Pilot Alpin PA4 on my 335xi, which I got because I wanted to use 19" summer wheels and run my stock 18" wheels for winter, and they are the only tire that comes in my stock 255/35-18 rear size. Yes, I’m that guy who bought 255/35-18 performance winter tires for $300 each.
I was pleasantly surprised with their sportiness in non-winter conditions. They’re not up to the level of my summer tires of course, but do a halfway decent impression of a performance all-season tire, while still giving much better winter traction. My wife’s Impreza has BFGoodrige g-Force Comp-2 A/S performance all-seasons on it, and while it’s tough to compare tires across different cars, I have to say the PA4s are at least in the ballpark. The BFGs have a stiffer sidewall and more uninterupted tread blocks so they’re less squirmy. The PA4 is by no means a squirmy tire but compared to a good UHP all-season like the Comp-2 A/S or a proper summer tire the turn-in feel is not as sharp or precise.
I’ve also had Blizzak LM-25 which were a couple generations ago of the Blizzak performance winter model, and the PA4 is noticeably better in the dry & rain.
According to this test , The PA4 is equal to the current Blizzak LM-60 in winter, but sportier in the dry, and the LM-60 is kinda crap in the rain. The Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3 is a bit sportier than the PA4 but not as good in winter.
"Tripper" (tripe46)
04/04/2017 at 16:10, STARS: 0
I have LM-25's for the M3. I don’t use them anymore, but they were fantastic. I have had other “non performance” snow tires and while they were not as good as the Blizzaks, they were no where near as bad as these Yokohamas. I’m not talking about missing out on sporty handling, the tires are dangerous when it’s wet.
I think it’s made worse by traction control. For example the tires start to break in a slow speed turn when they should not, TC won’t allow me to apply any power, so I just slowly drift toward the curb, another car, whatever...
I keep saying I’m going to get new ones, but it’s a hard pill to swallow.
"Textured Soy Protein" (texturedsoyprotein)
04/04/2017 at 16:16, STARS: 0
Here in WI you can usually sell snow tires on craigslist for a decent amount of what you paid for them. Not sure if same applies where you are. But you could probably sell both your old LM-25 and these crap Yokos and put some of that towards different snow tires for the S3.
If you liked the LM-25, you’d really like the Michelin PA4. Having had both, I can say the PA4 is definitely a step up. I’m guessing from your pics that on your S3 you’ve got 18" wheels for winter and the stock 19s for summer, in which case the 225/40-18 PA4 is $195 each on Tire Rack.
But hey, it’s April, you don’t have to buy them yet!
"Tripper" (tripe46)
04/04/2017 at 16:21, STARS: 0
Yes, 18" winter/19" summer. I’ll keep an eye on the PA4's, thanks for the tip. Every time I think about getting tires I’m like “well I’m not really in love with those wheels either...” We’ll see when winter comes around.
"Eric @ opposite-lock.com" (theyrerolling)
04/04/2017 at 16:23, STARS: 0
On the other hand, the thing I actively hate about my performance-spec Blizzaks is that they drag like crazy and they’re pretty mushy (although the traction is good, they don’t inspire confidence)...
I’m still hoping to find something decent for my next set, since I basically never drive in actual snow (and I drive in a lot of rain, so that’s critical).
"Tripper" (tripe46)
04/04/2017 at 16:26, STARS: 0
Oh yea the Blizzaks are marshmallows for sure, but these yoko snow tires are dangerous when wet. I’m not looking to drive hard on snow tires, but I don’t want white knuckles going around a curve at the speed limit either.
"Eric @ opposite-lock.com" (theyrerolling)
04/04/2017 at 16:32, STARS: 1
I have a similar one on my commute:
The only time I can have even the tiniest amount of fun is when I exploit the oversteer that my FoST is known for and my other car will do with traction control off... Sliding around this like a madman is so much fun.
"Eric @ opposite-lock.com" (theyrerolling)
04/04/2017 at 16:36, STARS: 0
That’s always a big fear I have with Winter tires - that they are so focused on snow/ice that they ignore the wet. I was actually expecting less in the rain out of mine, but they have proven to be really great (aside from the above complaints). I have been running some variant of them when living in places where it gets cold since the early 00s, so I’m also a little reluctant to change because they’ve always done so well...
"Rico" (ricorich)
04/04/2017 at 16:53, STARS: 1
Oooh! That one looks way more fun. What are these types of roadways called? They are the unsung heroes, saving those of us that don’t live close enough to some decent backroads from dying of boredom.
"The Powershift in Steve's '12 Ford Focus killed it's TCM (under warranty!)" (steve-still-hasnt-wrecked-the-powershift-in-his-12-ford-focus)
04/04/2017 at 16:56, STARS: 0
I have Michelin xIce3s on my Focus and they’re surprisingly decent in the dry. While they don’t compare to the Pirelli Cinturatos I have on the car the other three seasons, they do a good impression of standard all seasons of similar size in dry weather, are very stable in rain, and have excellent* traction in the snow and slush.
*These are my first snow tires, so I don’t have a great frame of reference, but they blow away every all season I’ve ever driven in the snow, and are better than the offroad tires my father had on his Blazer.
"Tripper" (tripe46)
04/04/2017 at 17:09, STARS: 0
I’m thinking I might just swap out the winters for all seasons. I rarely need the a full on “snow” tire. I did two winters in a E90 M3 on summer tires and I only had to beach the car and walk home once!
"Eric @ opposite-lock.com" (theyrerolling)
04/04/2017 at 17:24, STARS: 1
It’s a single loop onramp, or some kind of partial cloverleaf (a single leaf in your case). I do so enjoy them, but they see unreasonably rare.
"Rico" (ricorich)
04/04/2017 at 17:42, STARS: 1
Super rare actually your post and Tripper’s are the only other ones I’ve ever seen.
"Eric @ opposite-lock.com" (theyrerolling)
04/04/2017 at 17:54, STARS: 1
I’m surprised you haven’t seen many more. They exist in all the major cities I’ve lived in... The only time I didn’t have one in reasonable driving distance, I was in a place that was so remote that “traffic” was seeing a handful of other cars on the road.
"Rico" (ricorich)
04/04/2017 at 18:13, STARS: 0
Maybe I should rephrase that. The one from my screen shot is nearly always empty that’s what allows me to hit those speeds or get a little crazy for 10 or so seconds. Any other ones I’ve seen always have a lot of traffic on them.