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Went out and check all of our tires.......
I would (and have) used older tires, particularly when I had rim mounted snows that I'd put on vehicles only for the winter. They would rarely ever get enough miles to wear out, and I'd have them for years. But since moving south a decade and a half ago, no need for snow tires anymore!!
came with tires P225/60R17 Bridgestone EL42Z
I would like to put winter rims/wheels & tires on van .
looking to find second hand vs $1000 for new set
Do I have to go with 17 inch rims & tires?
will 16 inch rim & tires work ?
Click me!
I basically need the tires for city driving when there's a dumping in the Pacific North West and for the icy streets that don't tend to get cleared until the warmer weather starts up. I read a few comments and it was reported that some tires are "squirmy". What does that refer to?
Basically, my tire size is 205/55R16 for my Mazda and the snow tires in question are:
Dunlop 3D,
newer Micheline X-Ice 2
General Artic
Any input is appreciated.
Thanks
As an aside, depending on your needs and how you drive, you might also want to check out the Pirelli Sottozero. The nice thing about this tire is that it's designed to also work well in wet not-so-cold weather like what you find in the Pacific NW. TireRack has your size on clearance at a very nice price!
I recently outfitted my '09 Forester XT from it stock Yokohama Geolanders (which I was told and read were fair at best on ice) for Nokian WRG2. A lot of research at the Nokian sites showed these folks are serious about designing winter tires, or all-season tires with winter capability.
So far the WRG2's have improved the ride and somewhat improved the gas mileage of the Forester. They have an XT rating and accept up to 51 psi - far more then the Yokos could. They also run more quietly on our very rough freeways (with a "dual pitch" sound, .vs. the Yoko's uniform, louder growl).
Winter is coming up here in Portland OR and hopefully these will perform well on icy roads we often have here.
Before these, on my older car, I had Goodyear TripleTreads which were absolutely useless on ice (My FWD Maxx often skidded sideways, and couldn't get up any hill with ice on the road). This year, it's WRG2 and AWD.
I could buy a nice used car for the price of these!
Another thing, would it be good to check with a tire dealer rather than BMW?
What I would like to do is get 2 snows on steel rims.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
As noted, check out tirerack.com.. Your dealer is the most expensive place to buy tires/rims for a BMW.
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Your suggestions sound very good, glad I asked.
Oh yes, I live in Canada near Toronto. Basically, I would say it actually snows maybe 5 times during the winter where snow or ice is a problem. Work is only 20 minutes away and my wife as an all wheel drive car for trips etc.
Thanks again.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Blizzaks are great, but they very soft and wear fast, half the tire tread is snow tire, when that wears down it becomes an all season tire (at least the one I bought was like that). During the second season I had them they turned back into all seasons and I started sliding again . The Nokia's I have now are in their 5th season and are still working great, but cost more. But nothing beat the blizzaks the first year I had them, amazing!
But as you said only 5 or so days a year I really need them, if that, it snows way more then that where I live but the roads are usually plowed and salted by the time I use them. So sometimes I wonder if they are worth it. The handling is really poor with them (especially the soft blizzaks, feels like I driving on erasers)
It may be cheaper just to call in sick on those few days I really need snows, or use vacation!
Thank you very much - this is great information. If I go ahead you have convinced me 4 snow tires are better than 2. I might just go with plan C. Another thing I don't like about changing tires is trying to get 4 tires home. Storage is $400 at the dealer.
Plan B; is to buy a Suburu for the winter.
Plan C: Not drive on snowy days, which will be about 5 times during the winter. Work from home those days which I can do. Use my wife's all wheel drive if we have to go out. Go to Florida in February. Just hope they don't make snow tires compulsory in my province, they just did in Quebec but their winters are much worse.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPE8vL5hlFA
last half of video shows a Subaru Outback sliding down the road and piling into another car.
If getting a Subaru, be sure Nokians or something decent's on the wheels. The stock Yokohama or Bridgstones are weak on snow and nearly useless on ice.
very icy conditions
That was fascinating. Wonder if snow tires would have hlped that much...looked like real slippery ice and major slope! :sick: :sick: :sick:
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
A few other pointers:
- Stick with 4 snow tires, as stated by others.
- Blizzaks are indeed excellent snow tires, for the first two years. After that, they're indeed no better than all-seasons. I've had excellent luck with Dunlop and Michelin snow tires, each lasting 4-5 years, all offering excellent snow traction throughout.
- Even if you don't deal with snowstorms every week, I've found snow tires to work well in cold weather, dry or wet. They're a HUGE improvement over ANY summer tire, and most all-seasons, when the temps drop below freezing.
- The peace-of-mind they offer is stunning, especially if you've driven on all-seasons during the winter. Both my cars came with decent all-seasons as standard equipment, but they run snow tires/wheels from Thanksgiving to mid-April, and I can't imagine driving ANY car without snow tires anymore...
Thanks for the valuable info. :shades:
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Called 3 tire stores and total packages with rims were about $2000 Cdn or about $1600 U.S. Then I realized they probably weren't giving me prices for Run Flat Tires, so I checked and they weren't.
One dealer had tires for $200 each and he said there was no advantage to putting them on rims...in fact it was more costly because of the air pressure sensers, so he could put on snows for under $1000. He said run flats would be $500 each - $400 U.S.
Then I thought, maybe the dealer price of $1700 on with rims was better especially if they are talking Run Flats. So, the dealers price includes 4 RFTs, on steel rims, all balanced and ready to go, plus 4 tote bags, they know 2 will fit in the trunk and 2 on the back seat....and thats about $1300 U.S. installed so not bad considering.
They are Blizzacks and I just looked up a great article that explained why the Blizzack won't last as long;
Michelin claims its new tire will last 75 per cent longer than its main rival. The unnamed rival, I suspect, is the Bridgestone Blizzak. And that vast difference in wear rate would be based on the fact the Blizzak is a multicell compound for only 55 per cent of its tread depth. The remaining 45 per cent of the tire is a standard winter compound.
To read more; Snow Tire Info
Your comments were a big help. I really thought 2 snow tires would be enough, and I thought I would try to get through the winter without snow tires. But for $1700 the peace of mind is well worth it.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
mz6 I had to go with the Blizzacks because that is part of the special package to get it at that price, all balances, with wheel covers, BMW knowledgeable staff (air pressure guage to be considered) and tire totes. I would like to have gotten the tires that last twice as long - Michelins and Dunlops, but I only do about 12,000 miles a year so these should last longer than I keep the car.
This is part of what the article said about how long tires last.....
Michelin claims its new tire will last 75 per cent longer than its main rival. The unnamed rival, I suspect, is the Bridgestone Blizzak. And that vast difference in wear rate would be based on the fact the Blizzak is a multicell compound for only 55 per cent of its tread depth. The remaining 45 per cent of the tire is a standard winter compound.
Blizzacks are supposed to be extremely good along with Michelin and Dunlop, with the other 2 lasting longer. They all are far superior to the other tires that don't have the latest technology.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Mr_S, I wouldn't have wanted to be on those roads with studs and chains on my tires!
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
If I get winter rims that are 16 x 6,5, Can I put P225 60 R16's on them and what effect would the larger size have.
A friend is willing to GIVE me some one year old winter tires, but I was wondering what the larger size might do?
I could be wrong, but I don't think those big rigs have snow tires on them. Do they change 18 wheels every season?
I get my 4 snow tires next week. though I don't like paying $1700, I think it will be worth it in that one accident would cost way more than $1700.
I am going ahead based on the comments from this site and the facts it lead me to look up.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
The WRG2's worked fine on 1 - 2" of snow, less well on ice (every so often, a wheel would lost some traction on an especially slippery spot of road, and the XT would momentarily slip sideways, but would quickly recover).
For XT "Hoons", accelerating in a turn on an icy road will definitely cause the XT tail to swing out. Stop accelerating to let the XT recover.
Disclaimer: I'm not being a Portland basher at all - I have family there, it's a wonderful place to visit, but maybe not when everybody's sliding around.
Cheers!
Paul
In my apartment lot, in which the road has turned to ice, several cars were spinning tires wildly, others needed chains, a few (including mine) managed OK on their winter tires, as long as we were careful.
Do I NEED snow/winter tires? I travel over the Siskayous all the way up to Salem. I have NO clue whatsoever whether chains are good enough, and, if so, what kind of chains? Or do I have to get snow tires?? AArrrgggh! He'p!
Wrt chains, if your car/truck has room in the wheel wells, there are "quick fit" chains that are a little easier to install than most, but expect to take some time with them. I do not know which brand is best.
An alternative are AutoSocks, which are easier to install and work well on ice and most snow and (up to 30 mph) on bare roads for brief periods.
Wrt tires, if you have space for dedicated winter tires, there are many to choose from. Oregon allows studs for a few months per year.
If you want to have only one set of tires, M&S won't do it as they loose traction fast once freezing temperatures arrive. The only All Season Winter-rated tires I know come from Yokohama and Nokian, and the Yoko's won't work as well in summer as the Nokians will.
However, that was not what disappointed me. These tires are marketed as a studless ice and snow tire,. Ice comes before snow and studless is promoted. One can get the impression that this rubber compound can be just as good as studded tires. Well, no....absolutely not. These tires adhere to ice better than all seasons only when driving exceptionally slow, barely moving. Not practical unless you're in an ice rink coasting applying the breaks while barely moving.
Another thing. The tire/tread is not made for pacific west coast climates like Seattle or Vancouver where they get lots of wet and slushy snow. This tread is simply not aggressive enough. It doesn't have the bite to get you going and surely no bite to stop you unless you're traveling less than 2 mph.
My suggestion before buying these tires is consideri going for something cheaper, say, chains or cables. These work exceptionally well and are easy on your pocket book. They'll also last longer too. If you must get snow tires, get the least expensive you can afford but are also Transport Canada severe winter rating approved. These tires are way too overpriced for the Pacific Northwest Region.
Perhaps Nokian knows something Michelin does not - the Canola oil compound Nokian uses? :confuse:
My tests of the WRG2 were on a number of side streets with some moderate hills. Nearly all the roads were a sheet of ice covered by windblown snow in places.
Temperature was 32 - 24 degrees.
If the ice was wet, I would loose traction on one or more wheels momentarily, but the Forester XT never got stuck, including on a 10 - 15 degree hill with that wet ice.
I got up to around 5 - 10 mph and was still able to stop reasonably well if I was gentle. Jack rabbit starts or stops would definitely break the wheels loose.
This is the worst case I can think of.
If ice was typical (shiny but no visible water) or covered with snow, the traction was much better. There the XT started and stopped without trouble provided I was gentle with throttle and brakes.
These are winter rated but not dedicated winter tires. More aggressive winter compounds and/or studs would do better. But I'm very pleased with how the WRG2's work. Roads I tackled this year would have positively stopped my former TripleTreaded Malibu Maxx.
By comparison, a lot of FWD / RWD cars were slipping like mad, unless they had chains (quite a few did).
I wish there were more tire review sites that I could post my review so I could share my opinion on these new tires.
I do not know if ODOT has approved AutoSocks as a workaround.
Most of those streets were covered with snow-swept ice, occasionally sprinkled with a few cinders. Some hills approach 20 - 25 degrees.
One hill's lack of traction had sent a Jetta and a small MiniVan down their slopes. A number of FWD cars were spinning wheels as they tried to get going.
The XT with Nokians, in all but one case, just went up and down the hills. As before, speeds had to be kept low, but the XT stopped and restarted on any hill, and stopped when going down the same hills. The worst case was when the ice was wet - the ABS definitely kicked in for those braking situations. Accelerating, I did not see any VDC/TC warning lights but felt some of the wheels alternating traction. There was little hesitation and no violent spinning of wheels.
Only time the XT lost traction was when it was bounding/turning over a small hill at 5-10 mph. Loss of weight allowed tires to drift momentarily.
Overall, WRG2's seem to work
That's interesting. Perhaps the tires weren't spinning due to traction control? The Michelin Ice Xi2s are one of the best if not the best studelss tire out there for ice. I was doing some more starting and going on ice today and my tires were spinning, irregardless how easy I was on the accelerator. I wish I could test drive these tires going up a snowy or icy hilll; however, my Mazda3 does not have traction control. I doubt it would make it.
Cheers!
Paul
shows a lot of cars failing to climb a snowed/iced hill in Waterford (near Portland, OR).
Cheers!
Paul
98 Camry-thanks in advance....
1) There is a very good chance that you will have fender clearance issues both during turning and when hitting bumps. Why? The 215s are fully 1.1" larger in diameter and 0.8" wider than the 195s that are currently on his car.
2) If you mount the 215s on the car, you will be traveling roughly 5% faster than your speedometer reads. Said another way, if you happen to roll through a speed-trap in a 65 mph zone on the highway and you "think" you're going 72 (per the speedometer), you'll actually be moving at just over 75. That might be just enough to get you a ticket.