Winter Tire Time
 

I’m in the process of shopping for a new set of dedicated snows for my stock rims and Amanda wants to replace her OEM 2009 Mazda 3 tires with a new set that doesn’t make her car feel so unpredictable/unstable. She doesn’t want a dedicated winter setup so they need to be able to get me to work in the snow (we switch cars when it snows) and be suitable for the other seasons too. The stability issue is something she only notices and she says she’s gotten used to it, but I’m hoping new tires take care of the issue. Hopefully I can find a tire known for stiff sidewalls or something. Thoughts?

This means we’ll both be taking off tires with decent life on them if anyone is looking for cheap used tires. Mine are 205/55/16 (stock size) Dunlop Wintersport 3D’s. (Scotty S, do you still want these?) She has 205/50/17 GoodYear Eagle RS-A’s. Anybody want them for $50 OBO? They have something like 50% tread left.

I'll post some resources for my research below. Please feel free to add your own thoughts, links, and ramblings to this thread.

Tire Rack

Tests

Finding the "Ultra" in Ultra High Performance All-Season Tires - July 26, 2010

Winter Testing at the Arctic Circle: Ultra High Performance All-Season - September 6, 2009

Testing Winter Weather Specialists: Studless Ice and Snow Tire - August 6, 2010

Testing the Newest Crop of Studless Ice and Snow Winter Tire - September 30, 2009

Bridgestone Blizzak WS70 Introductory Drive - January 28, 2010

Survey Results

Winter

High Performance All-Season

Ultra High Performance All-Season

Consumer Reports Ratings:

(Hover over the below images for the filename which reflects the category)

A couple more CR Ratings:

For Amanda, I'm thinking either WinterSport 3D's (she loved my car on them) or Continental ExtremeWinterContact. The Conti's are $80 less expensive for a set in her size and TireRack had this to say about them:

Their treadwear is a tad worse than the Wintersport's according to the CR tests though.

I'm thinking I want something more aggressive for my Winter setup to help us get over the pass in the Winter, etc. I'm leaning toward:

I'd have to get them in 205/60/16 since that's the closest to my stock size that they offer, but they're only $332 (minus $50 American Express Gift Card) for a set!

Thoughts?

Stiff sidewalls would make her complaints about the twitchiness worse actually. Take Nina's car for a spin on the StarSpecs if you want to know how it is. :lol: Obviously the Dunlops get high marks around here, and we just put a set of the new Contis on Carrie's STi, maybe she can chime in on how they are in good weather. Last year they got awesome reviews for winter traction, and I am still thinking about them for the FXT.

By the way, KSpeed will have tires available very soon. Just waiting on some callbacks and bureaucratic issues...

Last time I mentioned KSpeed getting tires I got this look for everyone in the shop.:huh::rolleyes::oops:

Like I said. Bureaucratic issues. :p

Yeah, we just put the Conti DWS All Seasons on Carrie's car..Dry weather performance is great so far, Looking at those tires, they should be adequate for snow and great in wet. Although we haven't had any weather to try them in.

I ran the blizzak ws60s for a season and loved them whenever it snowed or rained, but they sucked on dry pavement and my 80mi a day commute killed them rather quickly. I have never ran any other dedicated winter tire to compare them to, but have since decided to run a decent all season for more tread life and better dry handling. I never could manage to get stuck in the snow with blizzaks and I tried a few times, they never let me down.
I am now running bfg g-force super sport A/S. They have very good dry traction, wet traction is good and are still very drivable in the snow, but they have no ice traction.
just my 2 cents...

On Snows, I have been very happy with the Hankook W400s. They are not going to have the ultimate ice traction of a Blizzak, but can handle the heat of our long dry spells between storms like a champ and in our Reno snow and treks to the resorts were great.

They have been on the Audi for 3-4 seasons now and still not down to the winter bars and that is with a number of dry road trips on them as well.

Tread blocks are large, but heavily sipped. I also think they are going to make a pretty good 3 season when they do get down to the winter bars.

I would buy them again in a second. I do wish TR would pick up the Hankook line so we could see some side by side comparisons for the entire lineup. DT does carry them, so they are available locally with ease.

On all seasons, the DWSs do look very promising. It will be interesting to see how Carrie feels about them in the snow on the limited.

Awesome input! I remember finding the Conti's back in March and thinking they should be perfect.

They're a touch more than she wanted to spend, but not bad at $496/set in her size. They sound like the best All-Season choice when snow traction is important. I'd really love to hear how they feel on Carrie's STi. Please post any driving impressions, especially regarding "stability feel" if there is such a thing.

I'm going to take a closer look at the Kooks for my car, Dean. Thanks.

i really like the dunlop winter sports i had them on my sti they lasted me 3 winters (one of those winters i commuted from reno to tahoe everyday). snow traction is very good. living in tahoe they kicked ass i never got stuck or slid out of control and i drive fast in the snow. dry traction feels like an all season tire i had them on when i first move to sacramento and honestly they were good in rain and dry and thats with sti power. I had used the blizzaks, where a tad better in ice but they sucked in dry i also had a set of hankooks (the ones that dean mentioned), it was almost the same as blizzaks maybe even a little better in deep snow. i have been the happiest with the wintersports d3

Dean, CR has Hankook icebear W300 (but now W400) and it's last in the ratings. Is that the same thing?

You make a good point. I really want snow tires that lasts a long time. The Wintersport 3D's seemed to wear somewhat quickly too, but I did rip them up on dry pavement a couple times. :oops:

I've gotten great life out of my 2 sets of Dunlop Performance Winters, but I never pushed them hard on dry pavement either. The Performance Winter category will definitely get better tread life than the Studless Ice and Snow category, because the soft compound is how you get more ice traction.

I am seriously considering Wintersports again, but I guess I always like to try new parts when I can.

I have the w400s, the W300s are a lower end tire. the Winter I*Pike is probably closer. I'd be tempted to go with it or the Dunlop Graspic DS-2s.

I would avoid anything with even a half black circle in hydroplaning in the CR list!!! If you can't move water out from under the tread, you sure as hell can't move Sierra Slushdge!

It's hard to stray from the 3D's with regard to value. A set for my car would run $395 (after $25 AE card).

Michelin Pilot Alpin PA3 are a close contender. But they're $466 (after $50 AE card). They are at the top of the TR Performance Winter Survey Results. They barely edge out the 3D for 1st place. I just wish they weren't a touch lower on the tread ware ratings there though. They're also ranked high, at 3rd place in the CR Performance Winter category. I'm just not sure they're good enough to justify the $71 difference in price.

Now Pirelli Winter 210 Sottozero at $310 (after $50 AE card) are quite a good bargain and they rank 3rd on TR Performance Winter Survey Results but they are mediocre according to the CR ratings.

I can't find Hankook Winter i*cept evo in 205/55/16 anywhere.

Probably on the boat and be here by Oct. would be my guess.

I wish they could be preordered or something. I can't even find a price.

These are the tires I have on my car right now. Cory mounted them last July-ish, and I still have at least 50% tread. I tear them up on every ramp I can, too.

They were great in the snow last winter. Never got stuck, and I tried. After it was snowing all night one night, with snow up to the mirrors, I just brushed the snow off the car and drove out of the spot, uphill, no problem. I also passed a snowplow that was spinning its wheels on the ice. I plowed some roads for him, since my car is so low :lol:

I don't have a lot of experience with many other tires, but I love the ContiExtremeContacts. I will definitely buy them again.

Edit: forgot to mention that they grip so well in the snow that when I would floor it to slide, most of the time I would just accelerate. If I did lose traction, the tires would grip again so quickly that I could smell clutch after doing that a few times in a row.

Thanks, Rob. Do you like the "stability feel" of them? They aren't "wandery" on the freeway or anything? Any advice regarding tire pressures? What size are you running them in and is that your OEM size?

The tread is a little soft, so when they were new it made my steering feel "mushy" and slow to respond, but nothing unmanageable. I have them in 225/40/18, not my stock size. I've had them at ~38 psi the whole time, never really messed with it until I had a slow leak that I repaired with fix-a-flat last august. I don't really mess with my tire pressure, so I don't have any advice on that.

Mushiness in the steering shouldn't be an issue. They don't make the car feel unstable or unpredictable though right? What size rims are you running? Thanks Dude!

18x7. At times it feels like I'm driving in a crosswind, but it's not intolerable. It goes away as they wear, so it's basically gone now. I'm used to my steering being funky from my bent rims tho, so I may mind it less than your girl. My girlfriend never said anything about it tho, so it may not be that noticeable.

I LOVE my WS60's. I was able to plow through snow and ice with no problem last season. I highly recommend them.

I also love the WS60s, getting another set this year, very satisfied with them in every part of the spectrum.

Did they wear out quickly? I got 3 Winters out of my Wintersport 3D's and they still have half the tread left so I'm selling them for $50.

Mine did last year although I had a trip down to Lake Havasu and Vegas before the temps became "friendly" for snow tires (80+) in those areas and with the roads I drove they wore down to wear bars near the middle of March. To be honest though I am slightly hard on tires since I drive a ton and do a lot of road trips to hotter spots even in winter so YMMV.

Anyone know of a good resource for good tread life data on Winter tires? The only place I can find that is on the TR survey results, which are hard to trust.

I liked mine as well.

Mine lasted two winters. I may have been able to get a third, but it would have been close. Mostly due to some camber wear, but I popped one so I will be getting new ones anyway. I got them for the GF as well before last winter, so I will have to look at hers and see how the wear is. She drives alot more than I do on her commute.

I ran the Wintersport M3's on the SVX for 3 winters. The first winter actually lasted into July... I clearly remember driving to CA for the 4th of July weekend in 90+ deg temps thinking "many, I'm trashing these snows, aren't I?".

But in the end even with the winter tread worn away, they've still got plenty of life in them just for getting around on. I would have run them one last winter this season if I didn't have to upgrade to 17" wheels to clear my new brakes.

I'm sure you have seen this thread, but you could post up and Luke from tirerack will give some recommendations.

http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/show...9#post32048919

I forogot all about that thread. Good idea.

Discount Tire says they won't have them for at least a month and a half. They're $118/tire in my size, anyway...more than I expected.

They quoted me $108/tire ($529.37 out the door with me keeping my existing set) for a new set of Wintersport 3D's. But he also said, "just let us know what we have to do to earn your business," so I'm sure there's room to talk them down with a competitive quote.

If it's at all helpful to know, I just bought a set of 245/45/17 Wintersport 3D's from TireRack for the SVX this winter.

Also, I think I'm going with the new Bridgestone Blizzak WS70's for Lisa's Outback. The WS60's have awesome reviews and the WS70's sound like more of the same. My only concern is that they may be kinda loud... at least louder than the Wintersport 3Ds I just put on the SVX... as the Outback will be the car we take on trips over the pass on the freeway.

But I figure, the Outback doesn't benefit much from the sportier dry handling of the Wintersports, so I might as well get a bit better snow/ice traction and save some money with a set of the WS70's.

<shameless plug> BTW: I still have that set of barely worn Falken ziex 912's in 225/45/17 that are fantastic all-seasons for sale! </plugless shame>

The conti extreme contacts are an amazing tire (as far as rally cross is concerned) and usually i see a very high connection between rallyX grip and snowy road grip. the sidewalls are a bit soft, softer than the M3s , J.stewart had a few Debeads on the conti's while rally crossing (he loves to huck his car sideways into ruts and never lifts) ...

the general articmax studded tires are amazing in the snow, they only problem you'll have is fighting off over confidence.

Pretty sure I already know the answer to this, but is running snow-specific tires truly worth the cost?

I have the RE070s for summer, not thinking of running them anymore until March-ish. But, been considering either snow-specific or all-season tires (yes Scott, I know you have some Falken Ziexs available :P).


I've run both all-seasons and studded snows on my 4-wheel-drives in the past, and truly loved how solid the Grand Cherokee was on studded Winter Force, but the "hassle" of maintaining a lower freeway speed, and not being able (or at least wanting) to drive the car into warmer areas is indicative that all-seasons might be a better choice.


At this time I'm leaning more towards running some all-seasons (something like a set of used Falken Ziexs, for example :P) year round and keeping the RE070s for fun (when does next season start???).

My driving consists of 30-40 miles commute daily from Stead to Sparks, with absolutely no leeway for being late because of snow. I head over to Tahoe often, but not regularly - hoping to get the snowmobiles out more than a few times this year, but last year we only got them out once. Also, my bum knees mean I don't ride much if at all.


Anyway, looking for thoughts here as to the what would truly be more cost-effective in the long run, yet still dependable to get to work - snows (studded or not) or all-seasons???



My current options are used studded snows for the stock 17" wheels for $150, used all-seasons for the stock 17" wheels (or a 17x8 ) for roughly $250, or used all-seasons on 18" wheels for $500. And being the materialistic, fashion over function kinda guy that I am, I'm leaning towards the 18" set up for daily use.

The only good reason for running all-season tires is the lack of ability to run multiple sets of wheels. They're a compromise 100% of the time, so stick to real winter tires around here. It's possible that in the long term the winter tires could end up costing you a little more, but the peace of mind from the better snow performance is worth it IMO.

Oh, and FWIW in the thread- I'm going with the Continentals on the Forester.

Used all seasons are probably gonna suck the first time you hit snow or ice on them. The big exception seems to be the Conti All Seasons discussed earlier in this thread. They are really Performance Winters with decent "All Season" type road manners, basically a nice compromise for those on the fence or like Amanda, those that want to run the same tire all year but not die in the Winter...

Otherwise grab some Wintersport 3D's since they are also a "do it all" Winter tire, but probably better in the snow and ice than the Conti's.

I don't really like any of your 3 proposed options, unless you're okay with dealing with the studded tires in good weather or don't have to drive when there's snow/slush/ice on the ground (then do the used all seasons).

Which ones?

Thanks guys, I was leaning towards the studded route for cost but would prefer studless snows for noise and flying studs. Been on studded snows the last three years and the 5.9's torque definitely warrented the studs. But don't think they're necessary for the WRX.

Now, looking for a smokin deal on Wintersports or similar for the stockers.

x2

If my G Forces were Hyper Black or another silver color I'd throw them on Jenn's '10 with Scott's Falkens or the Conti all-seasons - she's starting to want to play more :) which would allow me to pick up some RPF1s for summers on the WRX. But she's not at all ok with black wheels.

(she's a teacher, and never HAS to drive in snow/slush/ice)

The ExtremeWinterContacts of course. Or have we brought up another Continental snow tire here? :lol:

In this thread the Continental ExtremeContact DWS have been discussed at great lengths. They're a great All Season choice for this area.


:lol:

My 2 cents echos the replies above.

If you've got the space and the money up-front, a set of dedicated studless snow tires is awesome. In the long run, the cost is hardly more because event though you've got two sets of tires for the car, you're wearing them out half as fast. Really the only added cost is the cost of the wheels for the snow tires.

If you don't *have* to drive in the snow, then I would recommend some good all-seasons for the car and just forgo the hassle of swapping wheels (not that it's a huge hassle). Simply put, Subaru's AWD system is pretty damn awesome, to the point where getting caught out in the snow on all-seasons isn't ever a big deal... you're not going to get stuck somewhere.

But if you have to drive in the snow regularly, you might as well run some snow tires since they're so much better than all-seasons, esp. on ice. Plus, now you can run a sticky no-compromise performance tire in the summer for autocross.

As far as studded tires... I wouldn't ever bother, unless I lived in Truckee or something. The snow in Reno is infrequent enough to make studs overkill. Also, for similar reasons, I tend to look for snow tires that have the best dry road ratings rather than snow/ice ratings. 90% of the winter, the roads are dry around here. Even driving over Donner, it's usually pretty clear because they plow so much. It's only on the days where it's actively snowed that you really need the snow/ice traction, so I like tires like the Wintersports as they're still very competent tires in the dry.

That's what I meant, got the name wrong. Continental's worse than Bridgestone about giving every tire they make basically the same name so I never really bothered to try to decipher it. In my brain it's just been "the new Continental winter tire" for like 5 months. :cool:

The Conti ExtremeWinterContacts look like a great Studless Ice and Snow tire and considering that they're only $254 (after $50 AE card), they're $141 less than the 3D's ($395 after AE card) in my size. Decisions, decisions.