by "Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)" (rduncan5678)
Published 11/16/2017 at 00:41
by "Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)" (rduncan5678)
Published 11/16/2017 at 00:41
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STARS: 0
I haven’t even picked up the car yet but I’m already running through options for tires on the 2006 Subaru Wrx STI that I’m picking up on Friday. It’s currently got some crappy all seasons that need replacing so I’m looking to pick up some halfway decent summers and another set of winters. The summers will go on the stock BBS wheels and I’ll pick up a cheapo set of wheels for the winter tires. I’ve narrowed both tire options down to two front runners:
Nokian Hakkapeliitta 7 non studded tires for my snow tires. I’ve always wanted Hakkas and I feel like if im going to have a snow tire, I might as well have the best. I was happy with the General Arctics I had on the Miata but I’ll be heading into some serious winter storms for sure this year. These will live on another set of wheels so the the size may change if I can fit smaller wheels on the car.
For summer tires that will live on the stock wheels and be on the car any time I’m not heading to a ski mountain, I have been highly considering the BFG sport comp 2. I had these on my Miata and they are a pretty good budget option that can handle some rain, last pretty long, and decently handle back roads. Sure they are not autocross tires but that’s what the Miata is for. I need them to last but I want something better than the DZ102 I have on the Miata now.
Both sets I’d want to get installed at Americas tire (discount tire in California) since I can order from Discount Tire Direct and score some decent savings. This total is gonna be somewhere North of $1000 plus the second set of wheels, but such is life. I really don’t have anywhere to put extra wheels but I refuse to run a no season tire.
This was one of the funny options I was considering since the Sti shares the 5x114.3 bolt pattern with some hondas/Acuras. Would be kinda silly to see these on the car. I’m just trying to find something cheap that isn’t steelies. I won’t be using them all that often except I guess if I get lazy after a ski trip and leave them on for the week. I’ll just drive the Miata if it’s too warm out for snow tires.
One more day until I bring the new beast home! I’m also looking at how much registration and insurance is going to cost and I want to put roof racks on the car. This is gonna get pricey. Especially once something breaks too!
"kanadanmajava1" (kanadanmajava1)
11/16/2017 at 05:54, STARS: 0
Weird that they are using Hakkapeliitta 7 as a name for US market non studded tire. Here that model was a studded model like it’s successors 8 and 9. Currently their only non studded winter tire is Hakkapeliitta R2.
Here they are one of the best winter tires and their main rival is Continental.
"merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc" (merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc)
11/16/2017 at 05:55, STARS: 0
A stack of tires doesn’t take up much room, and you can wall mount a rack if need be. I used to store mine in the basement and I hated carrying them up and down the stairs. Now we have a shed where they get stored. Much better. And another option is Discount Tire will store them for you for the off seasons. Not sure what they charge, but could be a last resort option.
"Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)" (rduncan5678)
11/16/2017 at 09:07, STARS: 0
See the issue is I’m not going to be swapping them seasonally. I’ll be putting them on only when I need them. Since LA doesn’t get cold enough in the winter to warrant leaving them on full time.
"thejustache" (thejustache)
11/16/2017 at 09:16, STARS: 0
Hakkas that I have seen in the US are usually studded (or at least studdable) as well. It’s hard to tell with that small picture, maybe they have the holes for studs and you just can’t see them?
"Thir-STi" (thirsti)
11/16/2017 at 09:16, STARS: 1
I have those BFG tires on my STi. They’re great.
"thejustache" (thejustache)
11/16/2017 at 09:25, STARS: 1
Buying tires is always a mixed bag of emotions for me. This year saw me buying 4 performance tires in the spring for my XT, and now that’s it’s getting colder I checked my snows and realized they really shouldn’t be run another season. I wasn’t planning on buying 2 sets of tires this year!
I just dropped close to $1 large on a new exhaust and a tune (getting done tomorrow!) so spending even more on the car hurts. At the same time, I really don’t want to finally have the tuned turbo car of my dreams only to wrap it around a tree the first snow storm either. To complicate matters further, my wife’s car really needs snows too, although she only works 2 miles from home. I can work from home when it snows and haven’t been snowboarding too much the past couple years, so if we get tires for the outback instead of hers we’ll have one awesome winter car she can use to get to her work when it gets bad and I stay home. On the other hand, that makes me look selfish for only spending money on my car... decisions, man. Good luck with the Hakkas though, I’ve always wanted to try them!
"kanadanmajava1" (kanadanmajava1)
11/16/2017 at 09:53, STARS: 0
I have seen that there are studdable tires in US markets. They seem to have some kind of spots where you could install the studs.
Here studding your own tires is illegal yet of course possible. The studding hardware is sold as studding off road tractor tires is still common. These studs are slightly different as they have screw section at the end. The factory installs the studs into ready made pockets.
"uofime-2" (uofime-2)
11/16/2017 at 10:13, STARS: 1
biggest factor for wheels on the STI is going to be caliper clearance, those brembos stick out pretty far, you need a spoke design that is meant to clear them (or similar calipers).
Do not recommend the SC2s multiple friends (with WRX/STis) have had issues, they’re really loud when half work, they chunk pretty badly even from (very)aggressive street driving (tail of the dragon), and have belts get displaced.
A better option is RE760, those can take serious abuse and come back asking for more.
"Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)" (rduncan5678)
11/16/2017 at 10:57, STARS: 0
Yup I have had a good experience with those and figured since they were available in my size, why not. The set on my Miata got eaten by my fenders since I had them on STUPID zero offset wheels that just did not fit. I would have gladly kept those tires instead of getting the DZ102s I have now. But im glad someone with an STi has chimed in to say they dont suck on there!
"Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)" (rduncan5678)
11/16/2017 at 10:59, STARS: 0
The ones I screencapped did state that they are studdable. Meaning they are the same tire just without the studs. I didnt want to deal with the annoyance of studded tires on dry socal roads. Not even sure if they are legal but I wouldnt use them either way.
"Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)" (rduncan5678)
11/16/2017 at 11:02, STARS: 1
I think I will get the summers first since the car needs tires ASAP and I need to drive it to work. I dont need the winter tires until I actually go skiing and that will be once the snow is actually flying. Since its still warm up in the mountains, it will be at least a month and a half before I really consider heading up there anyways. But I dont want to be caught seeing a massive snow storm and having to sit around and wait because I dont have tires yet. Plus I have to actually pay for the car too so that is going to put a dent in my available money.
"Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)" (rduncan5678)
11/16/2017 at 11:12, STARS: 0
I will certainly be driving them aggressively, my commute is about an hour through canyon roads in the Santa Monica mountains. Its rather perfect for the Miata actually but the Sti should be pretty good too and offer a different experience through there. I almost want to just pick up a set of RE71Rs and hate my life when I need to replace them again in a few months but I always regret getting less grippy tires. Perhaps a nice 200TW set will go on the Miata instead but again why not have them on both??
Haha good point though, I will look at the RE760s as well. I just know I enjoyed the SC2 when I had them on the Miata although I didnt really use them long enough to get a picture of longevity. I did run like 4 or 5 autocross events on them, one of which was 30 runs of test and tune, and another in POURING rain. They held up VERY well for that but of course the Miata is way lighter, slower, and less abusive to tires.
"uofime-2" (uofime-2)
11/16/2017 at 12:14, STARS: 1
The noise was so obnoxious my buddy replaced them even though they had lots of tread left, granted he’s a bit nutty/anal about that sort of thing.
I ran hankook R-S4s on my wrx all spring ,summer, fall (coming off today). After 10k+ miles, 4 track days of abuse and they’re maybe half worn. Depending on how many events I do next year, I might get another whole year out of them and for my 255-40zr17 size they were 150$ each. Highly recommended if you want something sticky. WRX/STI’s can wreck re71s if you drive hard a different buddy of mine destroyed a set, to the chords, in 2 track events and maybe 5k street miles.
"Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)" (rduncan5678)
11/16/2017 at 12:26, STARS: 0
Good idea, I have always wanted to try the Hankooks as well. You are not the first person to recommend them for any real use. Plus I imagine I will end up autcrossing the STi just because it is really fun to autocross with power! But I think I will avoid track days just so that I dont break the car and I dont care if I break the Miata. The Miata will again get some 100TW or less tires for that anyways but not for a while, need to pay off the Subaru first.
I wonder if the R-S3s are still around, may be cheaper to get the older version for pretty much the same tire. But yeah thats definitely my first choice now, thanks!
"CaptDale - is secretly British" (captdale)
11/16/2017 at 13:22, STARS: 0
For my big kind of heavy American Australian V8 I love my Nitto NT555 G2 s. They keep the car on the road. And as a summer tire they work year round in CA. Except in the snow, but cold mountain roads to the ski lifts they seem fine. I wouldn’t push them there, but yeah.
"Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)" (rduncan5678)
11/16/2017 at 15:57, STARS: 0
Not a bad idea depending on the price. I wouldnt bother with bringing a summer tire up to a ski mountain though. Other than like June I suppose, seeing as I did ski at Squaw in June last year. Although I am thinking that was a fluke of a year rather than the standard. But anyways, I dont want to be that idiot with the “I HAVE AWD SO I DONT NEED SNOW TIRES”. And my main goal is to go chase storms so I am going to be driving through the worst of it.
"CaptDale - is secretly British" (captdale)
11/16/2017 at 16:24, STARS: 0
You are going to chase storms in CA? All of our storms are rain and unless you are off pavement a high preformance summer tire will be great in the wet.
Also They work fine on the mountain as long as the roads have been plowed.
"Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)" (rduncan5678)
11/16/2017 at 17:13, STARS: 1
Well exactly, roads that have been plowed. Most likely these trips will be up to Mammoth and I dont really know how often the plows go through there. But I also want to make shorter trips to places like Big Bear, Mt Waterman, and Mt Baldy when those ocassional snow storms come through. I know I will not need the snow tires for my daily commute but if this year is anything like last winter, I want to be able to make it to the mountain. I generally ski at least 30 days per season so its more than an ocassional thing.
"CaptDale - is secretly British" (captdale)
11/16/2017 at 17:23, STARS: 1
Yeah the big ski resorts are usually plowed a lot, but I feel you there.
In that case maybe I’ll get a season pass and join you
"Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)" (rduncan5678)
11/16/2017 at 17:56, STARS: 1
My only thing is that I have the Mountain collective pass so I will actually end up flying often for most of my ski trips. I only get three days covered at Mammoth and 2 at Squaw. I can’t really forsee driving to the others but I certainly will be using the 50% off all further tickets at Mammoth. Unless I really dont like Mammoth, I would probably just get a season pass there next year for the driving to the mountain convenience.
Really makes the snow tire plan seem pointless and an all season seem appropriate. But then I give up the summer performance for the other 90% of my driving needs. Maybe driving to Salt Lake isnt that bad of an idea, its only like 12 hours away lol.
"CaptDale - is secretly British" (captdale)
11/16/2017 at 17:58, STARS: 1
Fine I will drive and you’ll miss out ;) Yeah I’ll usually end up at Big Bear because I can go surf in the am and snowboard in the pm.
"Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)" (rduncan5678)
11/16/2017 at 18:05, STARS: 1
I get 50% off at Big Bear too since its owned by Mammoth, which is convenient. I would definitely go there for a powder day. None of that groomed crap though, I hate that stuff. I dont know why they get rid of the trees on the mountain either, I dont need no damn trails to figure out which way is down!
"CaptDale - is secretly British" (captdale)
11/16/2017 at 18:15, STARS: 0
I am with you on all of that, but I’ll take what I can get I suppose. Especially since it has been like 6 years since I was on a mountain last.
"Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)" (rduncan5678)
11/16/2017 at 18:18, STARS: 1
I feel like its been forever since Ive been on my skiis and its only been since June. I gotta ski as much as possible before my joints dont work anymore, make use of my youth while I still have it. Couldnt picture missing a whole season!
"CaptDale - is secretly British" (captdale)
11/16/2017 at 18:21, STARS: 0
Let alone six... Well that is what happens when life takes over. I NEED to go this coming season. Hopefully we get all of the snow, but projections show this winter being 13% warmer than last year or some such BS.
Yeah my Mom is 58 and still skis pretty hardcore. So hopefully I’ll be as fit at that age lol.
"Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)" (rduncan5678)
11/16/2017 at 19:09, STARS: 1
Even in the WORST of seasons, you can still find conditions on the right days. You just cant plan ahead or try to go whenever you please. You have to go right after a storm hits and then the rest of the season is irellevant. If it snows 100 inches or 600 inches for the season, its not gonna really matter much if the day before you go it snows 50 inches.
With the amount of tree skiing I do, I dont imagine making it too long without any sort of injury. I certainly ski safely enough to avoid death or horrible disfigurement, but Im surely still at risk of torn ACLs and busted knees and crap. I suppose I could still heal, but it wouldnt really be the same after that.
"CaptDale - is secretly British" (captdale)
11/16/2017 at 19:32, STARS: 1
Yeah I am going to have to go up a mountain with you
"Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)" (rduncan5678)
11/16/2017 at 20:08, STARS: 1
Hell yeah man, I left most of my ski crazy friends back home on the East coast. Surely they want to make trips out west if its anything like last season but that costs $$$ for the flights and all the hassle. I almost want to learn how to surf though too just so that I can surf and ski in the same weekend. For the true California experience! But I am at most a terrible body surfer, never tried anything with a board.
"uofime-2" (uofime-2)
11/17/2017 at 09:28, STARS: 0
I saw a nearly new set of rs3s (Still had the art on the tread blocks) in a facebook subaru for sale group just a couple days ago, so yes you can definitely find them in the private used market still
"CaptDale - is secretly British" (captdale)
11/17/2017 at 10:37, STARS: 1
Yeah I may not be as crazy as you are, but I am down for being pushed for some harder runs.
Surfing is easy! I have plenty of boards, I am sure one would be suitable for teaching you on.
"Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)" (rduncan5678)
11/17/2017 at 11:16, STARS: 1
In general I’ve gotta find some good used markets here that aren’t Craigslist. I had a few for Miatas back east but I’ve gotta start fresh here I guess
"Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)" (rduncan5678)
11/17/2017 at 11:18, STARS: 1
Honestly I’ve found that woods runs are in a way easier than the crazy steep double black marked trails. But that’s generally because back east those runs are made out of ice instead of snow. I look at it as like the whole slow car fast thing. Due to the obstacles you can go a lot slower and still feel like it’s crazy fast. Plus it’s never the same trail even if you do it 100 times in a row.
"CaptDale - is secretly British" (captdale)
11/17/2017 at 11:55, STARS: 0
Sounds right. Now I really want to go!
"Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)" (rduncan5678)
11/17/2017 at 16:59, STARS: 1
Mammoth just got 6 feet of snow at the top these past few days! I need to get my snow tires on order.
"CaptDale - is secretly British" (captdale)
11/17/2017 at 17:46, STARS: 0
Damn, it might not last long though.
"Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)" (rduncan5678)
11/17/2017 at 18:25, STARS: 1
I usually don’t bother with early season anyways. With only a few runs open, it’s not worth it to me. It would be fun though for sure!
"Thir-STi" (thirsti)
11/20/2017 at 10:41, STARS: 0
I felt compelled to reply lol. 2008 hatch btw.