SPARKIE

*UPDATE* - These rims do fit the TSX. However your plastic Acura centre caps fit the rims but you will not be able to use them on the front wheels as the hub nuts extend too far out.

5o9

Thanks SPARKIE

Seems that H would be a better winter tire than V.

The Nokian salesman is telling me that the V is soo good his customers never take them off, "like riding on suction cups". Must be a big liar, but I would be thrilled if they are better than OEM in warmer months.

What is better for you, Pilot Alpin or Nokian?

Ronin317

I picked up the Honda Steelies (16"), and a set of Dunlop WinterSport 3D's (205/60/16), which are supposedly replacing the M3's (according to the Tire Rack guys...).

Anyone have a recommendation for some 16" wheel covers that will look good on an '06 CGP? I found one or two on www.autoenhance.com that weren't too bad...

MTLer

I don't think we are allowed to have studs in montreal (except for sexy me haha ), our roads are bad enough don't you think?

5o9

I go to deal on the Nokian WR, H-rated. They tell me it does not exist in America, only the V speed. Gotta find another Nokian dealer, or Pilot Alpin PA2

dereksmalls

Someone I know had studs on their Pirelli winters in Montreal. This was back in 97-98, so I'm sure she got good use of it during the ice storm. Unless they've changed the rules, I think you're allowed studs. Chains are not allowed though.

dP-

Anyone put their winter tires on their vehicle and found it difficult to remove the OEM rim? It required a bit of a shove. When I removed the rim (and my winters last year) there was rust between the rim and the rotor/axle. The winters were a real bear since I had to use a hammer to tap the tire to get it off. Would grease work, or should I got with anti-sieze compound?

dereksmalls

My mechanic recommends putting some lithium grease on the hub and any surface making contact with the wheel after sanding off any rust (from both the hub and the wheel). The white lithium grease he uses is available at any auto parts store (and even Crappy Tire). Just be careful not to put any grease on the bolts or on the surface of the brake discs.

helraiser

I bought my nokians from Kal tire and while waiting almost 2hrs for the job to be completed I heard the sales ppl give the same ol' "i've got those exact tires on my car and they work great" speech to numerous customers - even though it was different tires each time.

Frankly, I'd do the research and see what reviews there are and comparisons by independent companies. Sales ppl, even tho they're doing their job, are meant to sell you something!

ebell

Yes ,our roads are pretty bad. However, last time I checked, studs are still legal in montreal. BUT only on axial? wheels. ;;; I am guessing/hoping we should be fine with all four studded tires.

Or, I may just go Hak 4 w/o studs if they have it at the shop.

cibs

i decided on viking snowtech 205/60/16's and am picking them up on friday.... hopefully it wont' snow here until then...

Ronin317

To those putting on steelies...are you putting wheel covers on or what? care to point me to any places that sell at least half-way decent looking ones?

chuson

none of those wheel cover looks decent. I think it would look better without the cover....

dP-

Thanks!

cibs

hubcaps look cheese no matter how 'nice' they are, just rock the black steel rims for the winter... looks way better

Ronin317

Really? I had thought it might look alright...but I wasn't sold on it. Especially since I found these...(third one down)

http://www.autoenhance.com/16inch0224034.html

MikeMa

I may regret this decision, but I'm going to go with the stock "All Season" tires for this winter. So far with the smallish amount of snow this year, the car seems to be handling quite well (better than my EL with all seasons). I'm going to attribute that to VSA and stock tires with only 4700km of wear on them. My city keeps the streets plowed pretty good, so it shouldn't be too huge a deal (dad went through last winter with his 05 TL and basically the same tires, so I should be okay).

The main reasons I'm not getting the winter tires:

1. Missed the Kaltire winter tire sale.
2. They quoted me $1185 for just a set of Hakkapeliitta RSi's (no rims)....and not even in the exact right size....I'd have to go slightly higher profile, which would throw off the speedo and the odometer (which would then run slow and report less distance respectively). Next winter I guess I'll either choose WRs or maybe X-Ice (my Aunt has X-Ice's on her CRV and swears by them).

cibs

It's all personal taste i guess... if you like 'em then go for 'em, but the black steelie look is way better IMO... hubcaps look like a crappy 10k car that couldn't afford to come with rims... that and it's just a waste of money, they serve no purpose what so ever other than to hide your new steelies...


^^ it's still early in the season, but i guess if you do mostly city driving you'll be alright... here in toronto we haven't had any snow yet, but i know i'll be loving my snows when it does snow...

Once you go a full winter season with decent snow tires, you can't go back to all-seasons...

dereksmalls

Did you consider the Tirerack? I ordered a set for my TSX back in September. They delivered within 5 days and with the current CAN/US conversion, the price was very good. Only thing you have to factor in is GST, around $50 for brokerage, and $50 for duties (depending on where the wheels and tires are manufactured). Even after all that, the price was worthwhile. For roughly the price KalTire was quoting, you could get a set of winters with alloys from the TireRack (including the GST, duties, etc...)

MikeMa

Hmmm... then I'd have to get someone to also mount them, which I guess shouldn't be too bad. On the other hand, I probably wouldn't get to use the repair policy from KalTire (I developed a small hole in the WRs from my EL, took the car in at 15 minutes before closing, and they fixed it right there...no charge).

Which tires did you get? Do you like them?

helraiser

Strange... I don't know when Kaltire had their sale on but I got mine for under $900, 4x 205/60/16 Hak RSIs. Steels were about $55 from the dealer each although I think now I should've hit up a scrap yard for them.

We had about 8" of snow dump on us and the tires performed extremely well. There was some slipping and sliding and VSA kicked in a fair bit but the combination of VSA and the RSIs made it hard to get stuck or fishtail. I would even crank the wheel fairly hard and it would hold steady. My snow rating is a 9/10

The day before however we had icy rain and the roads were slick. Well these tires didn't work worth a damn. I mean they were a LOT better than the stocks as I wouldn't've had any traction whatsoever but with these it was go at 20km/h or go into a ditch. Even that was fast in some places. The tires would definitely need studs in order to perform well on ice. My ice rating is a 4/10 - because they're better than stock but useless on ice still.

Go with the Hak 2s or Hak 4/5s with studs (I think the Hak 4s are on their way out as old models.)

Ronin317

Good point. I was thinking of it the other way - driving a $30k car with just steels..

I'm going to get them put on tomorrow morning (I think), so I'll run them without covers...and see how I like the look (I think I will, actually).

cibs

It looks kinda hardcore i think.... lol and ya if you end up not liking them you can always buy some covers in a week or so and throw them on.... i just find they look cheap...

i REALLY wanted a set of '06 civic rims to use for winter tires, but everyone around here was trying to sell them for an arm and a leg... maybe next year some of the prices will come down and i'll be able to do that instead of steels...

dereksmalls

Mounting shouldn't be an issue. The Rack mounts the tires and balances them prior to shipping. All you have to do is bolt them on the car. They'll even provide the lug nuts, since the stock wheels use spherical seats (the wheels I got have conical seats). There's no better time to learn where the emergency jack is and how to use it!

I'm conservative with my winters, so I picked up some Michelin X-Ices. Although I'm glad after the freezing fog we're getting today in Calgary after the snow yesterday.

MikeMa

The sale was on until November 4....and the wait times (since it's first-come-first-serve) were in the 8-10 hour range, the person said... one of the reasons I gave up.

I've decided I'm either going to get Nokian WRs or Michelin X-Ices, since I want to maintain the same tire diameter. I can't get a set of RSIs that will fit onto the stock rims and maintain the same tire diameter (and, by the numbers, I couldn't even get a set of 16" ones that are exactly the same size).


The problem with the mounting would be that I want these on my stock rims....and I don't intend to buy my new set of "summer" rims until later.....so Tire Rack would have nothing to mount the tires onto (unless I put the car on cinder blocks and sent them my stock rims....after taking off the stock tires, of course). I will have to consider Tire Rack when I go get tires for next winter.


So they're pretty good? My aunt has those on her CRV and swears by them. We have Nokian WRs on my brother's car (my old car--went from the stock Firestones to the Nokians....what a difference in every single weather condition) and our family MPV, and they seem not too bad either. I'm just wondering which one gives you better grip in icey *and* snowy conditions?

ebell

just put Hak4 w/o studs last night. Now just hoping for snow
I hope they'll last 3+ years considering how much $$ I paid for them.

Just got rust proofing this morning and I am all ready for the winter

dereksmalls

The X-ices are pretty good, if you're looking for a winter tire. I had them on my Gen6 Civic before getting the TSX. The X-ices are Q-rated and are NOT performance winters. If you also factor in the 205/60R16 size, they do have an impact on ride and handling. They do soften the ride (which is good in the winter), but they numb the steering a bit. They did create a bit more noise in the beginning, but this seems to have worn off after breaking them in.

Nothing will help you more on glare ice than a set of studs (the X-ice is not studdable), but in the snow, the X-ices do well. I also like the directional tread which helps prevent hydroplaning when there's water or slush. We've got Yok IG10s on our other car (Mazda Protege5), and they can hydroplane pretty badly. I don't find the IG10s any better than the X-ices in the snow even though the tread is even more conservative (i.e. blocky).