Anyone wanting tire recommendations? Consumer Reports has their ratings out on this month's issue

"KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time" (kngt) 10/08/2018 at 12:07 • Filed to: tires, winter tires

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Covers All seasons, Performance All seasons, UHP all seasons, Winter and SUV/Truck all seasons tires. Of course I would combine this with TireRack reviews and decide but the usual suspects do come out in the top 5.

E90M3 > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 10/08/2018 at 11:55

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I’ve got Michelin  Pilot Sport A/S3's on my 328i, I quite like them. I know ORLG is also running them on his IS-F. 

KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time > E90M3 10/08/2018 at 11:55

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https://oppositelock.kinja.com/1829585944

E90M3 > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 10/08/2018 at 11:57

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I don’t know if that was supposed to be a slight or not. 

KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time > E90M3 10/08/2018 at 11:59

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Michelin Pilot sports are like the Miatas of tires. Always the answer no matter what.

But they are excellent. I am considering them for my G , they’re expensive though . Have to wait for those promotions. Also looking at Continental DWS 06 and the PirelliP zero All seasons.

Neil drives a beetle and a fancy beetle > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 10/08/2018 at 12:01

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Interesting that they have the General As-03 and not the AS-05 on the charts as the AS-05 has been out for some time now.

MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 10/08/2018 at 12:01

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I was a bit surprised by the fact that the Firestone Winterforces are so low since I think they perform great. They actually look like one of the best tires if you mostly drive in snow/slush/water vs ice which is exactly what I do. They lose most of their points due to poor handling and noise which I wouldn’t notice anyways since they go on an old pickup which already has poor handling and noise.

KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time > Neil drives a beetle and a fancy beetle 10/08/2018 at 12:04

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Not comprehensive like Tirerack by any means but they have most of the major brands and products, I generally stick to Michelin, Continental and Bridgestones (They have the Potenza 970 not the 980 AND it’s ranked low I noticed)

KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time > MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s 10/08/2018 at 12:07

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Interesting, of course individual experience will vary . Never had to run Winter tires because I am in the South and just work from home during those rare days of <1 inch of snow and ice storms. I am most interested in UHP all seasons. They’re fine in the slush the day after the storms anyway.

LongbowMkII > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 10/08/2018 at 12:08

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Always nice to have your tire choice confirmed

KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time > LongbowMkII 10/08/2018 at 12:09

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Well don’t leave us hanging, tell us which one.

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > Neil drives a beetle and a fancy beetle 10/08/2018 at 12:09

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I’ve had a few sets of General tires, so far I’ve loved them all.

My Grabber AT2s on my van make it a tank in any conditions and have given me 40k miles of service thus far.

Takuro Spirit > MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s 10/08/2018 at 12:14

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Firestone recently updated the Winterforce to Winterforce 2. It is no longer the aggressive knobby tire it once was.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 10/08/2018 at 12:14

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I bought the Bridgstone WS80's twice now, I must be a person making terrible choices as they are not even top 5. 

LongbowMkII > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 10/08/2018 at 12:15

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Oops. the BFG Gforce2 A/S, I haven’t used them in snow yet, but the better rating gives me hope  for the mixed winters I get in KY.

KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time > LongbowMkII 10/08/2018 at 12:17

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My friend has them on his Mazda3  and gave me a glowing reviews.

KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 10/08/2018 at 12:18

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You’re lucky you’re not dead yet.

MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s > Takuro Spirit 10/08/2018 at 12:18

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How recent is recently? My Winterforce tires are ~3 years old and fairly knobby so I assume they are not the updated tires making this rating irrelevant.

Dusty Ventures > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 10/08/2018 at 12:20

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I have the Contis now. Great tires. Slightly less sharp than the Michelin, Pirelli, or the other big dog the Potenza RE980AS, but they make it up in ride comfort and in the wet. The DWS letters imprinted on the tread are also awesome for quickly and easily checking remaining tread life. The three letters are at different tread depths, so as the tread wears you lose the letters one at a time as the tires are no longer suited for each condition. First the S (which I’ve just worn off at about 30k), then the W , then the D. When I lose the W I’m planning on replacing these with another set of the same. The other car is getting the sharper Pirellis though.

Zaxbys > MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s 10/08/2018 at 12:26

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Pretty sure you have the originals, but the new ones say “Winterforce 2" on the sidewall

npc58501 > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 10/08/2018 at 12:27

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Where are they finding these prices? If these are true...tire costs are insane then in North Dakota.

benjrblant > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 10/08/2018 at 12:27

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Anything on all-terrain tires? I’ll be looking for some new ones in a month or two.

Sovande > LongbowMkII 10/08/2018 at 12:27

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I had a set that lasted for 25,000 miles. I really liked them a lot for 20,000 miles. I am running Nokian Zline A/S now and like them more (stiffer sidewall, better grip) . We shall see if that remains as the miles pile up.

KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time > Dusty Ventures 10/08/2018 at 12:27

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Good to know, thanks! Yeah it is a tight race between all 3 for me. Might just come down to price.

KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time > benjrblant 10/08/2018 at 12:28

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No I believe that’s the list. I guess Tirerack’s your best option.

KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time > npc58501 10/08/2018 at 12:30

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I guess they’re averaging them out based on multiple sources online ? It didn’t say in the article.

Takuro Spirit > MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s 10/08/2018 at 12:37

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This year... maybe last? They look waaayyyy different, and probably suck more now.

benjrblant > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 10/08/2018 at 13:21

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Thanks for checking!

Shift24 > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 10/08/2018 at 13:25

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Why im such an advocate for General Tires , they are great inexpensive tires. They are normally toward if not, according to Consumer Reports All season category , at the top competing against Michilen, BF, Bridgestone, and even their parent company Continental. Which is nice to see Conti doesnt restrict them as a lower tier brand

My 540i has the last gen Ultra High performance and while probably not the best, they are very good and at the time 1/2 the price of the competition. Both my sisters run Altimaxs and they have been great tires.

Also thanks, Bookmarked for later use

The Snowman > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 10/08/2018 at 13:31

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Can you post the key to wtf the little circles mean, I get that green= good but not all the lines and such in them.

VajazzleMcDildertits - read carefully, respond politely > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 10/08/2018 at 13:33

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Did they do summer ones as well? Or not, because tis the season?

TheStiggyOne > E90M3 10/08/2018 at 13:48

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On my E90 M3 I ran Conti DWS:

...because Michelin is like the “Gucci” brand, tending to cost a bit more than its competitor in the same category.

F or Vancouver “winter” these were great. Sidewall a little bit soft in the summer, though, so I tended to inflate them slightly higher than suggested. For that couple of days of actual snow, no issues at all.

Once the Cadillac needed tires, though, my GM dealer gets Michelins CHEAP... so I “splurged” on a set of A/S 3 :

REALLY good in the dry, good enough that for my driving I did not miss the PS2s that they replaced. P lus, I gained 2x treadwear and good winter traction... or so I thought.

I got them in July 2015, when the A/S 3 have been on the market for a couple of years. Right after I got them, I noticed that Michelin started phasing them out in favour of the A/S 3+. Tires usually last in the market for more than a few years, so that made me go “hmm” but alas too late for me.

Turned out, apparently the rubber compound for the A/S 3 did not get soft enough in the cold. A/S 3+ came out with the exact same tread pattern, just with new rubber chemistry. Just from that, they claimed ~25% improvement in snow traction.

I found out the hard way that that meant the A/S 3 would perform ~25% WORSE than its peers, as this happened in that one snow storm I had to drive through last winter:

The banking of the ramp was enough to pull my car down and I could not drive out. Thankfully no damage (to me, nor to others) , but I did ended up calling roadside assistance and had to stand on the side of the highway for a few hours.

Now that the Michelins are finally done, and with another winter coming up, I am going back to the Conti DWS, now the 06 version. I can get the A/S 3+ for ~$50 cheaper per tire at my dealer, vs. the retail price that I am paying for the DWS 06... but no, not after what happened.

I am expecting the Contis to arrive later on this week.

KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time > VajazzleMcDildertits - read carefully, respond politely 10/08/2018 at 13:55

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They might do that in one of the spring issues .

Zaxbys > The Snowman 10/08/2018 at 14:03

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Two arrows up - great

One arrow up - good

line - meh

One arrow down - bad

Two arrows down - butt terrible

JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 10/08/2018 at 14:16

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I still don’ t understand how the Michelin X-ice XI3's conti nue to get such good ratings. A t least in my application (195/55-15 on 2014 Fiesta ST) they were some of the worst winter tires I’ve ever owned. I found them to be so dramatically biased toward traction in the forward direction that I often couldn’t back out of parking spaces, and the braking performance was ABYSMAL on ALL sur faces. I had Khumo Solus T A71s on my Hyundai Elantra T ouring and I would rate them better in all winter conditions as ide from deep snow and glare ice than the POS X-Ices.

Also, I still laugh that the General G-MAX AS-03 is is an “all season” tire... I mean, they are ok in slush and rain, but as ide from the more compliant rubber compo und in cold weather, I’d barely rate them better than my Dunlop ZII * specs in real winter driving.

I like the Toyo Observe Garit KX, its a real “ driveable” three-season tire with good braking performance in snow and enough traction to keep you on the road through real crappy stuff.

Dunlop Winterforces have always treated me well, and the The General Altimax line is a so li d choice for real winter driving, I mean snow and ice and drifts, not “OMG! I t snowed today i n Virginia!!! ” winter driving. They are pretty much no fun on dry roads in my experience , though I may give the RT43s a look...

KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time > TheStiggyOne 10/08/2018 at 14:25

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This is very helpful. I have always been a fan of Continental’s extreme contact series and I am reading a lot of good things about the new one. My concern is more wet traction and lower noise as far as comfort priorities go, and I guess they’re all somewhat close in grip and feel in daily driving anyway.

KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time > The Snowman 10/08/2018 at 14:27

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https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/2012/04/a-guide-to-new-car-ratings-and-reviews/index.htm

Roundbadge > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 10/08/2018 at 14:28

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I picked the General Altimax R T43's for my Tacoma last fall. I’ve put all of 3-4000 miles on them since, but I’m pretty happy with them. They didn’t see snow last year though, so I don’t know how the winter weather performance is.

Rico > TheStiggyOne 10/08/2018 at 14:31

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Wow how did you not let out a single “wtf” in your video.  I would’ve been so annoyed at the situation. 

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 10/08/2018 at 16:04

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Potenza 970/980 are not great in my experience. Often wear funny and don't perform where they should for their price point.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 10/08/2018 at 16:06

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I run DWS and recommend those to everyone who doesn't want to pay for Michelin. I almost never recommend Pirelli. Take that as you will.

KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 10/08/2018 at 16:06

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Yeah they’re not on my list anymore compared to years before. It’s either Michelin Pilot sport AS3+, Pirelli Pzero or Continental Extremecontact DWS 06 for me.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Dusty Ventures 10/08/2018 at 16:08

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The Pirellis don’t tend to last as long. The Bridgestones tend to wear funny. In my experience on all of the varied Benz models that is. I always recommend AS3 or DWS, depending on what people want to pay.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > TheStiggyOne 10/08/2018 at 16:11

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I can barely tell the difference between Blizzaks and DWS06 in the snow on my E55, FWIW.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 10/08/2018 at 16:12

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If you value snow over dry performance go Conti. If you value dry over snow, go Michelin. Wet performance is more or less a wash. 

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 10/08/2018 at 16:14

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Historically they were the best, but they're basically unchanged for, what, a decade now?

wafflesnfalafel > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 10/08/2018 at 16:17

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very nice, thx for posting - good to see the conti DWS gets good marks, been waffling between that and the Pilot Sports.... the conti tread pattern is super cool.  

KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 10/08/2018 at 16:18

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Rain> Snow performance for me, I mentioned in another comment that I get l ess than 4 days of snow a year <1 inch and the occasional ice rain. Anything more I work from home and everything shuts down anyway.

I value dry grip and handling but not at the expense of road noise. It might just come down to price. For a daily driving situation they’re all very close.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 10/08/2018 at 16:33

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I think the original Blizzak, the WS70's came out about 10 years ago. The WS80's were released in 2014. I would hope they make incremental changes to them as time goes on... I feel bridgstone is still at the forefront of winter tire technology as far as tread compounds and patterns are concerned. At the end of the day, a good snow tire, is a good snow tire and will perform leagues beyond an all season M&S tire.

Eury - AFRICA TWIN!!!!!!! > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 10/08/2018 at 17:37

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I read that issue the other day. It’s really pretty impressive how well rounded the new All Weather tires they reviewed are. I’m a hardcore believer in snows for winter and all season/summer  the rest of the year for NH weather. Those ratings have convinced me that my next set of new tires for a boring car will be a set of All Weather. I’m willing to give them a shot in winter based on those reviews and others I’ve looked at. 

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 10/08/2018 at 17:57

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The Pirellis are rated better for noise, but in my experience they are more likely to feather and develop noi se over time. For the extra dry performance that the Michelins give, for me, they’re not worth the extra money. But I li ve in a place that gets 9 months of rain. I think you'd be very happy with the Michelins or the Contis, but probably don't need the Michelins.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 10/08/2018 at 18:16

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T he ws80 was new in 2014.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 10/08/2018 at 18:16

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True. Blizzaks are my snow tire of choice.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 10/08/2018 at 18:18

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Drive them on pavement on a warm day and it’s like driving on goo.

Enginerrrrrrrrr > Zaxbys 10/08/2018 at 18:24

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This is mostly random and only because I saw your screenname, but I have been seeing ads for Zaxby’s on TV recently. I got excited because I liked zaxby’s when I lived in AL.

I checked and there are zero Zaxby’s in my state despite seeing an ad on TV.  I was deceived!! (Colorado)

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 10/08/2018 at 18:24

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Absolutely. I usually swap out just before it's supposed to snow. Then swap back if it isn't going to snow for a while.

Enginerrrrrrrrr > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 10/08/2018 at 18:26

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I don’t get how the Falken Eurowinters (first pic) got 8th because of rolling resistance and noise.

I’m here to get tires that perform better in shitty conditions, who cares about rolling resistance and noise. That just means I have more traction...

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 10/08/2018 at 18:34

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Where I live the road are 100% covered in ice and snow from December - March. Last year we had 4 feet of snow in our yard.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 10/08/2018 at 18:52

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I remember the posts!

CRider > benjrblant 10/08/2018 at 20:59

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BFGoodrich TA KO2's are generally considered the standard in the AT class.

Zaxbys > Enginerrrrrrrrr 10/09/2018 at 08:05

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Well for extra i rony, the Zaxby’s closest to me is 341 miles away. I’ve never even been to one. You’ve been doubly dec ei ved!

Enginerrrrrrrrr > Zaxbys 10/09/2018 at 09:46

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Noooooooooooooooooooo

Enginerrrrrrrrr > Eury - AFRICA TWIN!!!!!!! 10/09/2018 at 09:50

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I’ve been rocking Cooper All-Seasons for over a decade now in Colorado. Never let me down (except for the one time I drove into the neighborhood ditch I couldn’t see due to snow accumulation).

Of course this is the year I decided to get a second set of wheels for winter tires. I drive a 2000 Accord for reference (boring car) .

Eury - AFRICA TWIN!!!!!!! > Enginerrrrrrrrr 10/09/2018 at 12:13

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I ran all seasons for 20 years or so until about 5 years ago a friend with winter tires let me try his car. That week everything got dedicated winters. The difference in braking and handling is night and day. Yes I got by fine before but it’s the difference between controlling slides when braking to having it feel like a dry road. 

Enginerrrrrrrrr > Eury - AFRICA TWIN!!!!!!! 10/09/2018 at 12:51

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That’s what I’m excited to experience.  I’ve always just adapted to using all-seasons and done fine, but I’m hoping the winter tires are everything everyone’s been touting them to be.  Sounds like it.  I think I’ll be going with some Blizzaks.

TheStiggyOne > Rico 10/09/2018 at 16:13

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Well, since the incident did not cause permanent hardware damage, I would now say that it was nothing to get excited about :-P

My pride, on the other hand, did suffer damage... as a few people pulled over / slowed down to see if I was doing okay (“yes I’m fine” / “ no it’s alright, the tow truck is coming”), and the conversation inevitably turned to what kind of tire I am running on my obviously stock wheels:

“no they are not summers” / “they are actually M+S“ (Mud + Snow, a form of All Season marking) / “yeah they obviously failed the Snow part”

So, despite what the published ranking posted in the OP, I am afraid that Michelin is no longer getting my business....

BaconSandwich is tasty. > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 10/09/2018 at 17:46

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This was actually very timely. Thanks for posting!

Eury - AFRICA TWIN!!!!!!! > Enginerrrrrrrrr 10/09/2018 at 20:56

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You won’t be disappointed. I have Michelin X-ice 3 on my Outback and General Altimax Arctics on the other cars. It turns everything into winter beast mode. I like them both but the Michelins feel more like a regular tire on dry pavement  

My old house had a long steep driveway that was shaded so it would get very icy. The first year we lived there I had a Jeep JK Rubicon on All Terrains and my wife had a TDI wagon (fwd) on the Generals. Multiple times I couldn’t get up that driveway no matter what I did in the Jeep and we’d put the Jeep back in the garage and motor up in the VW like it was nothing. Made me a believer.

mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/ > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 11/07/2018 at 10:33

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Good looking out!