Winter is coming and I need tires

"Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras" (jegoingout) 10/19/2016 at 15:48 • Filed to: Tires

0

23

Despite it being abnormally hot for October, winter is coming and I do need tires for the impending white hell.

Oppo, I need suggestions on winter tires. I do not plan to run them past the winter. The only size option is 215/45/17 as I’ll be running the stock rims on them. I don’t exactly want to shell out my soul for a set of tires, but I also don’t want to die/get stuck/get eaten by a yetti.

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras 10/19/2016 at 15:54

5

Blizzaks. They are amazing and I have never encountered any situation they could not handle. I have had them on 2 of the 3 cars I have owned.

EDIT: Side note: it is always good to run smaller rim sizes and narrower tread width for snow tires (my summers are on a 16x6.5 and my snows are on 15x5.5). The narrower width and taller sidewall helps them to cut through the snow better and the taller sidewall has the added benefit of being less prone to damage when you hit something such as a pothole. That is why rally cars run super skinny tires with insane sidewalls in the snow.

bob and john > Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras 10/19/2016 at 15:54

1

marangoni 4 ice E+ tires. we have them in 225/45/17 on our audi A3. best fucking winter tire ever. and they LAST. we had 5 years on them and swapped them out for age reasons. still had like 1/2 tread.

404 - User No Longer Available > Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras 10/19/2016 at 15:55

1

I’ve had some used Hankook iPike W409s, worked pretty well, and now have Continental ExtremeWinterContacts, which is also pretty good. Mine are 225/55R17, which made the ride on my Sol much comfortable. Think the W409 are now W419s. Friend in Northern Alberta said Gislaveds are good too.

Tripper > Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras 10/19/2016 at 15:57

1

I have a set of the performance spec blizzaks for the M3 which are old mostly worn out now, but have been fantastic. They got me though more snow than they should have on an M3.

I have a set of 18" wheels for the s3 with Yokohama ice guard tires. Those I cannot recommend. They are great in the snow, but about as good as skateboard wheels when it’s wet.

Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow > Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras 10/19/2016 at 16:00

4

General Altimaxes are a great option for the money.

I prefer Blizzak WS80s, but if you’re budget minded the Altimaxes are your best bet.

Edit: Check craigslist, it’s usually fully of great deals on used winter wheel/tire setups. Cheapest way to get good tires and wheels, might make it so you can downsize a bit too.

Wacko > Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras 10/19/2016 at 16:01

1

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

good cheap winter tires.

i had these on 2 of my cars, they are great for the price.

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > TheTurbochargedSquirrel 10/19/2016 at 16:02

0

Other side note: Don’t buy ice tires for use in snow. My moms car has Ice-X s on it and while they are good in general winter conditions they are awful when there is actually snow on the road.

404 - User No Longer Available > TheTurbochargedSquirrel 10/19/2016 at 16:09

0

I never realized there was a distinction, always just referred to as winter tires. I only know about studdable and studless.

TysMagic > Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras 10/19/2016 at 16:14

0

I just bought some pirelli snowcontrols - reviews are great. I only had two options and the blizzaks were much more expensive than the route I went.

I vote shop craigslist though, there are hella deals there for wheel/tire combos

miadaman? yes please > Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras 10/19/2016 at 16:19

0

Used Hankook i*pike and General Altimax in the past years. Thought both were pretty good value for the money. Altimax in particular I have used in a skating rink, it was satisfactory.

for Michigan > Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras 10/19/2016 at 16:20

0

Depends on what sort of road conditions you’ll see.

If you’re going to drive through standing snow on a regular basis, be sure to go with a Snow Tire such as Bridgestone Blizzak WS-series.

If you’re going to see more ice and dry pavement than snow, go for a Winter Performance Tire such as Pirelli Winter SotoZero or Blizzak LM-series.

I ran the Blizzak WS80 on my Mazda3 last winter. It was great the one time I was in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and saw 8" of heavy snow. The rest of the season in NW Ohio where we rarely see more 2-3" of snow at once, it just wasn’t worth the compromises in handling and noise on dry pavement. The SotoZero II my brother ran on his Miata was much better suited to the local weather and is what I plan on getting once my Blizzaks are used up.

Additionally, in only 10K miles, my Blizzaks wore down past the recommended tread depth for deep snow and it really shows. At around the same mileage, the SotoZeros appear to have another season in them.

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > 404 - User No Longer Available 10/19/2016 at 16:20

0

I don’t believe there is a specific distinction between the two but there are tires which are branded as being for ice. They typically have more tread and smaller channels compared to a tire designed for snow, which makes them less effective at clearing the snow but a larger contact patch when they are on a clear surface. Ice tires will typically have Ice somewhere in their name as well.

Heres a Bridgestone Blizzak snow tire: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Bridgestone&tireModel=Blizzak+WS80&partnum=25HR7WS80&vehicleSearch=true&fromCompare1=yes&autoMake=Subaru&autoYear=2010&autoModel=Legacy%20Sedan&autoModClar=3.6R%20Limited

vs a Goodyear Ultra Grip Ice: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Goodyear&tireModel=Ultra+Grip+Ice+WRT&partnum=25TR7UGIWRT&vehicleSearch=true&fromCompare1=yes&autoMake=Subaru&autoYear=2010&autoModel=Legacy%20Sedan&autoModClar=3.6R%20Limited

Note how Tirerack brands both as being “Studless Ice & Snow”.

Textured Soy Protein > 404 - User No Longer Available 10/19/2016 at 16:22

2

There’s not really such a thing as ice tires. Michelin X-Ice is a brand name for their studless winter tires. That’s it.

deekster_caddy > Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras 10/19/2016 at 16:25

1

Are you more worried about ice or snow? (what’s your local region?) Blizzaks have a reputation as the best, in all reality any snow tire is going to do wonders. But some are better on ice than others. For snow look for more openings in the tread. For ice look for more flat surface with lots of sipes. I have a set of firestone winterforce tires and they are a nice balance.

Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras > deekster_caddy 10/19/2016 at 16:39

1

North jersey

I get both ice and cocaine

404 - User No Longer Available > Textured Soy Protein 10/19/2016 at 16:43

0

Oh I know about X-Ice3. I hear a lot of people like to get them from Costco up here.

bhtooefr > Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow 10/19/2016 at 16:47

2

The Altimax Arctic is my go-to cheap winter tire. Damn effective and damn cheap.

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras 10/19/2016 at 17:49

0

The best snow and ice tires are the Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8 Studded tires:

https://shop.kaltire.com/tiresdetails1/tireid/9831/

If you want great non-studded winter tires, the Nokian Hakkapeliita R2:
https://shop.kaltire.com/tiresdetails1/tireid/8257/

I don’t use either of these on my car.

On a previous car, I bought a set of 4 season Nokian WRG3 tires that I find are ‘good enough’ in Toronto-area winter conditions AND they had a 100,000km warranty (65,000km warranty now apparently):

https://shop.kaltire.com/tiresdetails1/tireid/8181/

But on my current car, I got a cheaper budget version of the WRG3 called the Nordman WR that is almost as good (but isn’t available in the exact size you need):

https://shop.kaltire.com/tiresdetails2/modelid/389/

And the nice thing about the WRG3/WR is I only need one set of tires. They’re true all-season/4 season tires.

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras 10/19/2016 at 20:40

1

I got Nokian Nordman 5 on my DD. I’ve had good experience with them. At the time they were rated about 90% of the nokian Hakka... hakka... hakka something for @75% of the price. 

Agrajag > Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras 10/19/2016 at 22:08

2

Nokian Hakkapeliitta’s.

They’re generally regarded as the best winter tire around. I’ve been more than happy with mine.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras 10/20/2016 at 10:58

1

Since you are in NJ, you face the same/similar conditions during the winter as I do in NJ. You are more North so you might get a little more snow. But in general, the bigger issue is just cold weather. Either way, I have had much luck in this area with GT Altimax Arctics on my Miata. According to tire rack, you can get them in your size for $120 a piece (plus shipping). Discount tire direct has them for $131 a piece (shipping included).

I specifically like these tires because they seem to have good treadwear (I have about 20k miles on them) and aren’t noisy or track weird on dry pavement. They kinda just feel like all seasons in terms of lackluster grip in warmer weather. And then during my trips up to Vermont for skiing, they have gotten me through some tough stuff (Appalachian Gap on Route 17. Below but covered in snow was fun)

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Agrajag 10/20/2016 at 13:57

0

$$$$

ateamfan42 > TheTurbochargedSquirrel 10/20/2016 at 16:26

0

Side note: it is always good to run smaller rim sizes and narrower tread width for snow tires

Not only do narrower, taller tires work better for snow, but they are often cheaper in small rim sizes. Unless one is going to swap seasonal tires on the same set of rims every spring and fall (which is a pain and adds up in mounting/balancing costs fast), having a dedicated set of winter wheels+tires is the way to go. You can swap out your tires when time works for you, rather than waiting for a schedule opening at your local tire shop.

I’ll also share my opinion on studs: Unless you are going to drive on a lot of ice, I’m not a big fan of studded tires. They are louder, less smooth, wear the road surface faster, and I find they grip less on dry pavement. In rural areas where the roads get plowed but not completely cleared (leaving a layer of snow to pack down and melt/freeze into ice), studs have an advantage. In more urban areas where the roads are cleared to dry pavement in between storms, I much prefer studless tires.