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Leo
Anyways about 2" of very wet snow came down Friday afternoon. This must have caught the salting and plowing crews by surprise, because most of the roads I travelled were still very slippery and snow-covered. Other than one serious accident - a truck rammed a car north of us - most handled the white stuff pretty well. There were the usual people in ditches, etc., but this always happens with the first snow.
Our Honda Odyssey with the Toyo Observe GP-4's performed very well in these conditions. There was a little wheelspin on takeoff, since the traction control came on, but the van tracked very straight and true. I piloted the van through one turn which a car had missed, the latter hitting a curb at about 10kph and rebounding. ABS came on only once, when stopping at an intersection. No problems there.
Tire noise levels were hard to determine, due to the spray of snow hitting the underside of the van, and the fact that we were all going slowly. I felt safe going about 50kph in a posted 80kph country road, but most people were going slower. In my other car, that speed made for a white-knuckle drive on the exact same route.
So I can recommend the Toyo's. I'll reserve the wholehearted recommendation until we see how well the tread lasts.
I also read two reviews there by Forester owners and was interested in what they had to say about the Bridgestone Blizzack WS-50 and the Michelin Arctic Alpin. Will those two be okay year round, or are they winter only?
Any experience with any of these? Any other recommendations. The consensus on Tirerack seems to be (and I agree) that the Bridgestone Dueler H/T D684 need replacing too soon. Ours has less than 30,000 miles.
Thanks!
My dad has had really good experiences with his Blizzaks on his '90 MPV. He said he's gotten 4 seasons out of them, but now they are about done.
Remember all- season tires are a compromise 100% of the time. They are not as good in the dry or rain as summer tires, and they are not as good in the snow as winter tires.
You want deep snow performance but want to keep the tires on all year for highway trips
How about an aggressive tread type tire (ie Michelin LTX M/S)? With the 4WD of your Sub this should do OK in deep snow while being acceptable on dry highways. This is a step back from an off-road tread so it might be OK on the highway.
As stated by others tire selection is always a compromise but this is shifted to the snow side and might suit your needs.
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Steve
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Pat
I also have a small FWD car (integra), and I have 4 Q rated snows. The handling is not as sharp in dry conditions, but is still fun, and boy can I zip around in the snow - what a hoot! It is like driving a snowmobile. I actually drive down alleys that never get plowed just so I can plow through the deepest drifts.
I am waiting to see what packages my dealer puts together to compare to what I can get myself elsewhere. My MINI has runflat tires and no spare so I'm going to see how much the runflat winter tires will be before deciding on that or regular winter tires and a can of fix-a-flat (already have a compressor back there).
Thanks for the advice though. A friend had Arctic Alpins last year and said they handled alright and were quite good in the snow.
If you are interested in snow tires, you should look at the article.
So I'm wondering if the Pilot Alpin would be a good compromise relative to the Arctic Alpin. Does anyone have any experience with these? I know that the Arctic Alpin is very popular in these parts and performs admirably. I am more interested in any experiences people have had with the Pilot.
thanks
and
http://www.high-tec-retreading.com/diamond.html
testimonials:
http://www.high-tec-retreading.com/testimonials.html
sizes and prices:
http://www.high-tec-retreading.com/sizes.html
TRAIL MASTER A/T
The Trail MAster A/T provides excellent rideability. This tire is a perfect blend of ice biting traction and quiet comfortable performance. For front and rear axle applications.
http://www.greendiamondna.com/products2.HTML#
I just piked up a set and they seem quieter than my stock tires (Potenza P195/55R15)! So far, I'm really happy with them.
Anybody have winter weather driving experience w/ the NRW's?
The Hakka Q's were the winters the guys at KalTire recommended if I wanted a full on winter tire.
Noelle
Other good choices were the Nokian Hakkapeliitta Q $85 which they called a very good all-around tire and BFGoodrich Winter Slalom $60 A very good all-around tire, though slightly less capable than the Nokian in winter driving. Studdable.
For H-rated, they liked the Goodyear Eagle Ultra Grip GW-2 ($132)--with Dunlop SP Winter Sport M2 ($126) and Pirelli Winter 210 Snow Sport ($155) very close behind.
and
http://www.saabnet.com/tsn/faq/stires.html
Looks like the best bang for the buck!
I just ordered a set of 4 Arctic Alpins for my wife's Dodge Stratus from the Tire rack. Great deal only $66 per tire. However, I surprised how much local dealers want to charge to mount balance and new stems. I'm sure they are unhappy about losing business to internet companies. Many are around $60 dollars although I may have found a couple of service stations for under $40. If I purchase a wheel and tire package they still want to charge $25.
Hope the Alpins work well. I've never had winter tires before. Its cold more than it snows here and plowing is good in Wisconsin, so I'll do alot of driving on dry pavement.
Finally, when did you put your winter tires on? I'm thinking Thanksgiving.
You could get the green diamond ones, which don't deteriorate in snow/ice capability as they wear. I REALLY want to get these next time around.
If I were you, I'd tell the local place what kind of a deal you can get, and see if they'll match it. You might be surprised. Look at Coopers.
As for when to put them on, it depends. With winter tires that aren't special ice compounds that wear quickly on dry pavement, you can put them on earlier but with special soft compounds (Blizzaks, etc.) you probably want to wait. My summer performance tires weren't doing the best in these wet, near or below freezing mornings so I decided I might as well switch now. If you have all seasons you can probably wait longer but summer tires designed for July drought conditions don't do well around freezing.
I've been looking into it and will probably go with Nokians.....they seem to be about the best around and are no more expensive than Arctic Alpins, Blizzaks, etc. My tire dealer recommended the Nokian NRW's (which Nokian actually classifies as an All-Weather-Plus tire rather than a winter tire, although it does meet the severe snow conditions criteria) over the Hakka....1's and Hakka...Q's. Anybody have experience with any of these? I guess this will be the first winter for all of us Aerio owners, as it wasn't available until last spring!
"With winter tires that aren't special ice compounds that wear quickly on dry pavement, you can put them on earlier but with special soft compounds (Blizzaks, etc.) you probably want to wait."
With the green diamonds, they don't wear quickly. In fact, as they wear, the gripping surface remains the same. They also provide better grip than the Blizzaks, and are FAR FAR less expensive!
Also, I wanted runflat tires. My MINI Cooper doesn't have a spare tire (came with summer runflats) and I don't want to rely on roadside assistance in the case of a puncture.
IMO $125/tire isn't too much for H-rated 195/55R16 runflat snow tires.
I bet they could point you in the right direction. Perhaps a local dealer could get them for you. They are a new product, and I bet a good deal could be worked out. (Can you say "trial basis"? I knew you could....meaning between producer/dealer/customer... maybe get a free evaluation set?...)
BTW, have you even used these tires? You seem really hot on them but I don't see ANY reviews around, just stuff on their own website. Not sure I want to be a guinea pig with their retreaded tires anyways.
No, I haven't tried them yet. I will most likely buy them next time I need snows, however. I have heard good things about Blizzaks, and if these are better, then ... well... that's even better!
I have new (last year) Dunlop snow tires on the jetta, and am considering some for the wrangler. I want to see how the BFG AT's work, first.
I think they seem like a great idea. The reason for no reviews is because they are a new product. I would LOVE to be a guinea pig for these tires.