Snow/Ice winter tires

sduford · November 2004

It all depends no how much you value your life. You probably will never get stucked with all-seasons on a FWD in Boston.

However, good winter tires could mean the difference between life and death in some situations. How much is that worth to you? To me it's priceless, so I get the best winter tires I can buy, evne though I drive an AWD car.

kyfdx · November 2004

Considering 99% of people are riding around on all-seasons, the technical answer to your question has to be: Nice to have..

I love winter tires. That said, I generally stick with all-seasons, unless the car comes with summer-only tires.. Nobody in my car has died.. yet.

I suggest trying out the all-seasons... You'll find out pretty quick if you'd rather get the winter tires.

If you are asking if I recommend winter tires, then that is a different answer... I definitely do... My wife's car has them, and they are magnificent.

regards,
kyfdx

sequoiasoon · November 2004

Just remember that all the "added" safety features (ABS, Traction Control, VSC) all depend on the same common factor....the actual grip that the tires have on the road. Nice to have, yup. Necessity, nope. That said it's a matter of your choice. Given that 99% of everybody else has the all seasons, when they lose control and spin out in front of you or cross the line and head at you head on sliding out of control how fast you can stop or swerve to avoid them depends on the banana peel on the ice on all four corners of your vehicle. Here's the Tirerack link to Turanza El 42 http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Bridgestone&- tireModel=Turanza+EL42&partnum=345WR7EL42V2#Survey 3.7/10 for snow grip and the first 10 reviews comment on the poor grip. My $35k vehicle? $900 for rims and tires mounted balanced from Tirerack shipped to my door http://www.tirerack.com/snow/preferredpackages.jsp ? $500 deductible and I'll have them for probably 3-4 winters then only need new tires.

sduford · November 2004

Our dirt road was iced-up crossing over the mountain this morning so I had a chance to try my new X-Ice tires.

They appeared to perform really well, excellent traction and braking performance on icy surfaces. I could only break traction if I floored my Outback XT and let the turbo boost build up.

It is hard to make a direct comparison with the Blizzaks since I now have a totally different car. But the X-Ice does appear to be top-notch on ice.

robr2 · November 2004

I too am in suburban Boston and put the snows on my Odyssey yesterday while it was snowing.

They are a nice to have IMHO. Here in the NW 'burbs they do a great job of clearing the snow as long as it isn't rush hour so snows are not an absolute must have.

One big reason for my getting them for the Ody is my wife hauls around the kids in it so safety was in my head. Second was that I've never had good luck with Honda alloys and winter - the ones on both my 91 and 98 Accords looked horrible after a couple of winters so steelies and snows protect the Ody rims.

arym · November 2004

Toyo GO2+ or Kumho Kw19 for my 2003 Civic Coupe (automatic)? I live in Toronto.

Also... I was thinking of placing them on my stock steelies (with covers) and then getting summer rims and tires in spring? Any thoughts? Will the winter wear be too much on the stocks?

tdi_tan · November 2004

I would probably lean towards the Toyo Observe G02, since it contains ground walnut shells in the tread for added bite. I have Green Diamonds (with silicon carbide chunks in the tread) and provide excellent traction

pluto5 · November 2004

I can vouch for the Kumho's which I have on two sedans. We don't see much snow where I live so the main advantage is better traction on slippery roads. They are as quiet as an all-season. Yes, 99% of of drivers use all-seasons in the winter but as I have learned many times before the majority is often wrong.

gxb159 · November 2004

I found BFG Winter Slalom tires at Costco for $80 mounted. Anyone have experience with these? The next best price is TireRack on a different tire, but I could avoid the hassle of shipping and then finding a place to mount them.

Your advice is appreciated!

pluto5 · November 2004

Wal-Mart will mount and balance your winter tires or any carry-in tires for about $40 with lifetime balancing. The second time around you only pay about $14 for mounting. Tirerack ships by UPS which is accustomed to handling stuff like tires so I doubt you will have any problems with the shipping. I used Costco once but they charge $40 each time you have them mounted and they did not inflate the tires uniformly. I always check lug nuts and inflation anyway.

jcabin · November 2004

I put them on my wife's Civic a couple of years ago and they work fine, if a bit noisy. They are a Q rated tire which means that they may feel a bit squirmy at high speeds on a Outback. They work fine in the snow.

atcer · November 2004

I have a 99 CRV with 205/70 15" summer tires on 15x6" alloy rims. I'm looking at placing 205/65 15" Blizzaks on 15x6.5" steel rims. Would anyone know if this is acceptable or will this cause problems. Thnks

dudleyr · November 2004

Why not use the correct size tire?

atcer · November 2004

They were a set of tires and rims that were available to me (at a fraction of the cost of new ones) and wasn't sure if I could save money while remaining within specifications. I did indeed decide to purchase new "original" size tires and rims.

kyfdx · November 2004

If the rims have the proper offset and lug pattern then they will be fine.. but, the tire size is too small for a CR-V. The tires will be over 3/4" shorter overall than stock...

Possible sizes for that rim on a CR-V:
215/65-15
225/65-15
205/70-15

ponch49 · November 2004

Thanks. I was offered to purchase a set of rims off a 2000 CRV (15"x7") for my 99 CRV (15"x6"). Could I presume that the rims from the 2000 CRV would indeed fit(offset)?

kyfdx · November 2004

The 2000 CRV has aftermarket rims? If they fit the 2000, then they will fit yours as well.. The two years are identical.

regards,
kyfdx

tdi_tan · November 2004

if possible, go thinner for snow tires. Wider is not better for snow, as it will not dig into the snow as well as thinner tires (think the kitchen knife analogy)

geoffdgti · December 2004

It's December 1 here in southern New Hampshire and the snow tires are still in the garage and the basement. The way it's looking, I might not bother swapping on the snows onto the cars for another week.

krzyss · December 2004

that your summer tires loose a lot of traction with temperature drop ?
Winter tires are called winter not only because of of snow/ice performance.

Krzys

mchuchra · December 2004

I am contemplating buying snow tires for my 2003 Mazda MPV LX and was considering Kumho KW-11's mounted on dedicated steel wheels. I've read some pretty positive press on that tire, plus it is quite inexpensive relative to the Blizzaks and Nokins. The Kumhos are quite good and quiet on dry roads, so you don't give up much for the 95% of the time the the roads are not treacherous...

Has anyone tried the Kumhos through a full winter season, and if so, what's your verdict? Any complaints or regrets?

One concern I had is that Tirerack.com seems to have discontinued this model...

Thanks a bunch!

pluto5 · December 2004

I have two sets of Kumho winter tires for both my sedans. They perform well on wet and dry roads and will get you thru the snow with good ice traction. Most people are too lazy to change tires IMO which is a shame when you realize how inexpensive these are and how they can prevent an expensive accident. There are other dealers that sell them besides Tirerack so I would go for them wherever although I got mine from them.

I get mine mounted at Wal-Mart so I didn't have to buy extra wheels. They are more convenient to store unmounted.

sduford · December 2004

Since December 1st, winter has arrived with a bang here at the lake. We have seen everything: freezing rain, ice pellets, wet snow, powder snow, and various combinations of all of the above!

My Outback XT equipped with new X-Ice got through it all with flying colors. It felt sure footed on all these surfaces, from icy dirt road to 6" of snow. Twice in the last, several 4WD vehicles with lesser tires were unable to get up our long steep hill. I never had any problems, I was even able to stop half-way up the hill to offer help, and continue at will.

I think they offer about 95% of the Blizzak's ice traction. On smooth wet ice they are not quite as sticky as the Blizzak WS-50. But on every other type of slippery surface, they did just as well. Given that they are superior to the Blizzaks in terms of handling, steering response, ride, noise comfort, and braking on dry/wet pavement, I think they are an excellent choice. This is especially true for a performance car and/or someone who does a lot of highway driving. Since they are not as soft as the Blizzaks, I also expect they will have better threadwear.

Sly

solargus · December 2004

I live in the DC area, and being that we're in snow season, I really need to get a tire that can give me at least *some* stability in the snow. However, finding a perfomance tire rated for snow is no easy thing. The best I've been to find is the Continental ContiWinter Contact TS790V and with one caviat: they do not make it in 19".

Can anyone suggest a tire available in both 18" and 19" that is rated for snow?

Thanks!

kyfdx · December 2004

Do you have a Crossfire?

mchuchra · December 2004

After several weeks of research, I finally resolved to purchase a set of the Kumho KW11 for our Mazda MPV. I had already priced a set mounted on steel wheels from TireRack and went in to order today (12/16/04). Much to my chagrin and disappointment, they have run out of stock and don't plan to reorder! Does anyone know of any comparable outfits (in quality and pricing) that you know of that carries those Kumhos KW11's and steel wheels (and does the mounting/balancing)? I have done some "googling" this morning and cannot seem to find a place that carries that tire!

dudleyr · December 2004

I would just get some steel rims and a smaller tire 19" snows are probably rare - give tire rack a call.

stever · December 2004

Connor has a good post about snow tires today:

connortirerack, "Ask Connor at The Tire Rack" #574, 17 Dec 2004 5:14 pm

Steve, Host

toyotadriven · December 2004

What size are you looking for?

inkblot · December 2004

I'm running Goodyear Eagle Ultra Grip GW3 195/55/15 on my Protege5, and I'm a little disappointed with their grip on ice and hard-packed snow. ABS is kicking in A LOT and I'm spinning my tires at low rpms. I went with the manual's recommendation for snow tire pressure and set them at 4 psi higher than stock, so they're at ~36psi. Should I try lower pressure for better grip? Does anyone have any experience with the GW3s?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

kyfdx · December 2004

I have V-rated GW-3, in a lot bigger size than yours...

I run them at my regular pressure and they seem fine.. Setting them at a higher inflation would help in theory, since you would have less tire on the ground, and more pounds per square inch of contact patch..

But, if you are spinning, it is possible that the high pressure is keeping the "grippy" part of the tire from making contact... lower your pressure and see if that helps...

regards,

kyfdx

63corvette · January 2005

I have posted a Goodyear Triple Tred tire report on the 2005 Subaru page, #5988 if anyone is interested.

nine51 · January 2005

I was questioning my decision to mount winter tires on two of our vehicles this year, since we have had no true "winter weather" yet so far, until this week. I put a set of Dunlop Wintersport M2 winter tires on stock rims on our 02 Legacy GT wagon. We were up in Door County WI this weekend and had an ice storm. We were staying at a friends house along lake Michigan, at the end of a long narrow gravel driveway and curving, gravel/sand road with trees on both sides. That thing was a sheet of ice. We got out of the driveway (uphill about 3 ft)and down that ice road with no problem, crawling at about 5 mph. The real test came at the end of Waters End Rd in Sister Bay. There is a long hill, with about a 60 ft drop, with a stop sign for Hwy 57 at the bottom. It was about 11 AM and I thought they would have salted it down pretty well by then. I was wrong, it was ice all the way to the bottom.

I hit the crest of the hill and started down at about 10 - 15 mph, and immediately hit the brakes, with the ABS going all the way down. The Legacy stayed straight down the center of the road and came to a stop at the bottom. White knuckles, but OK. If I had been on the RE92's we would been in the ditch.

It's snowing on Mad Town today and now I will get a chance to try the Blizzaks on the Civic! Yee Haa!

rwoods · January 2005

Chuck,

You are a true believer. Thanks for the great post. I enjoyed every word of you experiences in the WI ice. Keep us posted.

Bob

ray80 · January 2005

Good post. RWD,FWD,AWD all just have 4 little patchs of rubber preventing diaster, and when going gets real dicey, I also like to have winter rubber in contact with the slop

sduford · January 2005

Good post. RWD,FWD,AWD all just have 4 little patchs of rubber preventing diaster, and when going gets real dicey, I also like to have winter rubber in contact with the slop

Well said! I'm always amazed at how many people are willing to compromise on the single most important safety feature on their car: those 4 little patches of rubber!

seiken07068 · January 2005

Is there a "rule of thumb" for when winter tires need replacement, such as the thickness of the tread that remains? In my 3d year of Michelin Artic Alpines, (on a Subaru Forrester) they don't seem as sure-footed as they used to be.

Thanks.

Bernie

kyfdx · January 2005

MY rule of thumb is three seasons.. by then, I've got 13K-17K miles on them... Sometimes, I'll run them into May or June on the third year.. as there is usually enough tread for normal driving, but definitely not enough grip for a fourth winter season..

But, that is just me..

kyfdx

sduford · January 2005

I think 5/32nd of thread remaining is the norm. The tire is still fine on dry/wet pavement, but it loses it's ability to bite in the snow if you go below that.

63corvette · February 2005

I'd like to interrupt for a minute to discuss tires again. I mentioned that when I got my Goodyear TripleTred tires, there was a rebate on them. Well it took me more than 2 months, but I finally got my check for $50.00 last night. That brings my total cost to $105X4=$420-50=$370 delivered to my door, or $92.50/tire. I like the tires, but if they last 80,000 miles like they are supposed to it will be one helluva deal:-)

(And Yes, they are great in the snow.)

tdi_tan · February 2005

I don't know what is the actual measurement --

The one of the things about winter tires is that they are heavily siped (for increased "bite"). When the tire is worn down to the point of there is little to no more siping visible, it's time for new tires

cptplt · February 2005

below 6/32in tread you are starting to lose a lot of snow traction

kjemison · March 2005

I entered a conversation yesterday on the ski gondola about driving in winter conditions. One person said that they put little slices in their tires so that they will "spread out" on the road to get better traction, especially on black ice. Have any of you ever heard of such a practice? It soulds 'iffy' to me, but who knows? Anything's possible.

kyfdx · March 2005

They had their tires "siped"...

Heard of it.... no experience..

kjemison · March 2005

thanks. That's what I thought they said. I'll 'google it' and see if I can find out anything.

stever · March 2005

I thought about getting my minivan's all season tires siped. I think I read on here that you can do that up until around 15,000 miles on the tires (or maybe there was a depth limitation). Try a Search This Discussion in here or in Tires, tires, tires too.

Steve, Host

kjemison · March 2005

Thanks, Steve. I did try to search this site and got nada. Google had tons of sites, however. With all the ups and downs here in Colorado, it might be a good idea

kyfdx · March 2005

kjemison..

Click on the link that Steve provided... then just search that discussion for "siping" (no quotation marks).. You'll get quite a few messages about it....

slider3 · April 2005

Hi, the Air Force decided we want to move to Fairbanks this summer for about two years - I have a 2-wheel drive Yukon XL that I'm thinking of taking there, intending to run snow tires on it during the winter months. We'll be living on an Air Force base and our other vehicle will have 4-wheel drive -good idea or bad? Thanks.

akangl · April 2005

My husband drove a 2WD F-150 for almost 10 years before I traded it in on a 4WD truck. If you run a good snow tire it should be fine, lots of people have 2WD in Fairbanks. Just make sure you run good snow tires (Bridgestone Winter Dueler is a very good choice and what I have on my Titan).

Most times in the winter the roads are fine for 2WD, I drive a front wheel drive Focus as my commuter, rarely do I need to park it in favor of my 4WD Titan.

Just remember not too get overconfident with your all season tires, make sure you buy winter tires. Lots of people make that mistake and end up rubber side up in the ditch.

Snow/Ice winter tires

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