Swapped on my snow tires. Y'all were right.

"MrCrash" (MrCrash)
11/22/2014 at 20:54 • Filed to: None

Coming from my summer rolling stock, the snow tires drove me nuts with their taller sidewall and limited traction. I'm not used to taking turns at less than the posted speed limit. My mind changed once I noticed that they drove almost the same regardless of the weather. The consistent traction made me a believer. I could actually use 1st gear in the snow!

For laughs, here's a shot of the summer and winter tires together.

DISCUSSION (11)

DancesWithRotors - Driving Insightfully > MrCrash
11/22/2014 at 20:58

Those look similar to the ones I'm running on the Volvo... What are they?

MrCrash > DancesWithRotors - Driving Insightfully
11/22/2014 at 21:05

They are General Altimax Arctics.

DancesWithRotors - Driving Insightfully > MrCrash
11/22/2014 at 21:06

Very good choice.

pip bip - choose Corrour > MrCrash
11/22/2014 at 21:32

winter tyres? who needs them when we're coming into summer. ;)

shop-teacher > MrCrash
11/22/2014 at 22:23

They are pretty sweet to have. I'll never go without them again.

Stang70Fastback > MrCrash
11/22/2014 at 22:25

I've used Blizzak WS70s for the past two years. Those were on my AWD Outback. This year, I've got a RWD BRZ, and I'm also trying some General Altimax Arctics. So far, they seem to be doing a good job, and they'd damned well better since I'm living in an area that gets a lot more snow, and only have half as many tires propelling the car, lol.

Winter tires definitely are soft. On the BRZ, they are so soft that they actually confuse the stability control system on the car with their slow response. I took a video to demonstrate (I was too busy trying to film that I used the wrong words, by the way. It's STABILITY CONTROL that I was referring to, and it wasn't the lack of grip of the tires, so much as the deflection due to the soft rubber compound):

gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee > MrCrash
11/22/2014 at 23:16

I ran the Grabber AT2's on my Jeep, and loved them in all conditions. Only time I ever got stuck was when I was pushing snow with most of the front bumper, and the Comanche was "floating" on the belly pan. The best part is the Grabbers are an all-terrain that happens to be winter-rated, so they can be run all year with no issues, and I know people down in Georgia and Arizona who run them too. I would have gone with the Grabbers again for the Lada, but they don't come in a small enough size so I've been looking at the Altimax's. They look like an excellent tire for the money.

It's nice to hear actual "reviews" from real people. Everyone I know either goes with whatever their dealership pushes at them and don't really care what it is, or else don't care what it is and run the absolute cheapest they can buy... because "all tires are the same". I actually had a friend ask for recommendations and then said that when I gave her a couple.

fiverguy > MrCrash
11/23/2014 at 09:38

Fantastic choice. I'm running the same tire, and have for two vehicles now. Did well with the Buffalo snowpocalypse I had to deal with yesterday as the travel bans lifted.

Yesterday my neighbors had to borrow our driveway while they cleared their own, and I noticed the tread pattern—all of their vehicles had Artics.

If that's not an endorsement, I don't know what is.

fiverguy > Stang70Fastback
11/23/2014 at 09:42

The Altimax Artic is generally sloppy when coming from just about any other rubber (at least that I've used). But man, the snow performance you gain far exceeds the little bit of slop you have to deal with by comparison. I've noticed that I need to slow down at certain ramps, lest I understeer myself into a jersey barrier or ditch.

Haven't seen the stability controls come on in my vehicle on the snows (a '14 Taurus, non-SHO and naturally aspirated—not exactly a BRZ) yet, but there's a first winter for everything.

Stang70Fastback > fiverguy
11/23/2014 at 09:58

Indeed. What's always funny is come spring when I put my summer tires back on, and then promptly proceed to almost veer off the road and into a guardrail the first time I go to change lanes on the highway because of how much more responsive the tires are, lol.

sellphones2493 > MrCrash
11/23/2014 at 11:20

Mine are going on today. I have Altimax Arctics as well!