Ok so since so many people are asking questions i figure perhaps we can get a good dicussion going and move it to FAQ section once it's done.

I'm looking to get winter tires. I don't live in area that's in the mountains etc., so I don't think. It'd be warranted to purchase Blizzak LM-22 which are VERY expensive. the WS-50 seem a bit chaper. Anybody else use them? I'm also considering just getting an all season performance tire that i can run in the winter. Some are runningn the Sumitomo's HTRs. Pilot Sport A/S are TOO MUCH. What else?

 

Zap - I picked up a set of Pirelli SnowSport 210s for my G. They come highly recommended. Not sure if there are sizes to fit the CL...

I had a LONG conversation with a guy from tirerack about snow tires. He did not recommend the Pilot Alpins. He said the LM-22s were just OK. Same for the WS-50s. He said the Pirellis had the best combination of dry, wet and snow. Said I'd be more than happy with them on my G plowing through the white stuff.

 

really....nice need to take a look at the pirellis

 

I'm actually in the same boat; looking to pick up a good set of winter tires but not sure which are best. The one difference is that I live in Calgary and I need something really oriented to snow and ice (not looking for an all season). I remember an article I read in Consumer Reports a few years back. They said that it’s all really a matter of trade-offs; tires that performed better on dry roads were not as good on snow and ice - those that did well on snow and ice didn't handle as well on dry roads and were generally noisy. From what I've heard about the Blizzaks, they are good in snow but don't last very long; that and they are not very effect in for the last 1/2 of their life. I’ve also owned a set of Pilot Alpines (on a Celica) and they were ok – nothing special though. I'm currently looking at the Toyo Garit HT - they just started making them for 17" tires this year. Has anyone heard anything about them or tried them out. Would appreciate any feedback.

 

I actually decided to by a dedicated set of winter tires last fall (just in time for the bad winter ) so I went online to Tirerack and ordered the Blizzak LM-22s. About 3 minutes later I got a phone call from TireRack telling me that the LM-22's did not meat the load requirements for the TL, but the WS-50's did... so I bought 4 WS-50s to go on my spare 17" rims..... and let me tell you... that car drove like a tank in the snow. I would try to lose traction (when no one was around of course) and it would still grip. They are awesome, probably b/c the WS-50's are actually a snow and ice tire... and after having them on my car from November until April, the tread looks like it's brand new... so tire wear seams great as well.

To me the LM-22's are nice.. but seem more like a "performance" snow tire. If I'm putting dedicated snows on my car... I want something that will handle the snow with no compomises... so I'm actually glad that the LM-22's wouldn't work... b/c I love the WS-50's.

 

I have run Blizzaks since I started driving and its well worth it they are by far the best snow tire. If your going to buy tires for the winter spend the extra dough and skip the all season tires. I have run and WS-50 and they grip very I have never had the need for the LM-22. If you still want to drive your car like a racer during the winter spend the money for the LM-22 because the WS-50 makes any car feel like a battleship.

Edit: Yes the WS-50 is a snow and ice tire and I acutally found the steppest hill around with ice on it and I had no problems at all

 

Did the Tire Rack thing. They recommend a smaller size winter tire 205/60 16 which seems reasonable.

I think I may get the 16" CL rims, but want to do a bit of shopping. The package of tires and wheels is pretty dang expensive if you want to downsize your tires.

 

There is this Sweedish tire Nokyama ( or something like) it is reportedly the best for ICE and SNOW.

I have the MZ-02 and they are ok for the last 2 seasons. The were excellent when new (first season). They are noisy and really not good (handling is too bad) at speed above 75-80MPH.

Nashua.

 

It's not expensive if you figure in mounting and balance twice a year..

 

hmmm see we get snow but it varies from season to season. So to purchase blizzaks etc., would be over kill, for this area. Dunno what to do.


Perhaps the sumitomo HTR? I don't want to spend $150/tire for winter tires.

 

i'm a Noob to where i live... but does it snow alot in the Lehigh Valley? I was from North Jersey and it snowed alot there last winter... Winter or All Season?

i heard the Sumitomos are a good set of tires too... my buddy has them on his CLS w the stock rims... but i dunno if i should get em.... i AM gonna be driving up and down Rt. 78 everyday from Jersey to PA....

 

lol, yea a bit early to be putting on winter tires unless you are doing it for some other reason.

You'll get a bit more snow than i do. ShawnS will give you more appropriate info for sure.

Right now, the sumitomos look GREAT. Shit at $90/tire, how can i argue?

 

1. Get winter tires -> all seasons = suxors

2. Decide what you need (true snow/ice tire or performance snow for occassional sprinkle)

3. If you need a true winter : Blizzak WS50 have rubber studs. Once those wear out they suck. If you need a true winter tire there are better choices, namely Nokian Hakka 1, Arctic Alpin, Yoko Guardex

4. If you need a high performance winter, any old H rated winter will do (LM22, Nokain WR, Pirelli wintersport, etc.)

5. Make sure you downsize to 16 or even 15 inch wheels for winter. Tires will be cheaper and the extra rubber will allow the snow to shake out of the tread better.

 

Dedicated snow tires on all four corners are the way to go if you want to be safe in the snow.
If you have STOCK rubber with good tread, the car will be “OK” in 2-3 inches of the white shit, but more then that and you’re in trouble.
Throw a couple of turns and hills in the mix and you’ll be spinning like the BMW drivers that I pass in the snow.

Yuppie, I’m not sure how well they take care of the roads out where you are, but my area doesn’t see much snowplow action.
I regularly have to blast through 6+ inches of snow when the storms hit.
Plus my long driveway is on a hill too and that’s never clean until I do it.

BLIZZAK is the way to go.
I’ve been running their tires in the winter since the early 90’s.

The good thing about having an extra set of wheels is you can wait until virtually the day before the first storm to put them on.
I usually pull them down off the rack and check the pressure and stuff in mid November.
Then I wait until the first storm hits to put them on.
It only takes about 45-minutes with a good floor jack and a heated garage.

Shawn S

 

hemants,
i see what you are saying and in toronto i could justify spending 150--> for dedicated set of snow tires, but in this area it doesn't get as bad. I guess i should've labled this thread allseason tires for the snow....

 

neighbors tell me our area never sees a snow plow either.
my immediate area isn't as hilly as yours, but i am gonna be drivin down 78 east and those hills get trecherous now even in the rain.

i think i'm gonna have a hard time finding snows for my 17's....

 

Wanted to resurrect this thread and keep the discussion going.

 

I just bought the Dunlop Winter Sport M3s and they got high reviews. i didnt get the artic alpines cus they are rated at 99mph and i heard they squeel in the rain. all i know is the dry and wet traction is 10000x better than my stock mx4s. cant wait to take my car out in the snow. the tread design is cool looking also. oh yeah they are as quiet or quiter then the stock rubber

 

Snow tires what are those???:P

 

I've had a few sets of Blizzaks. Nothing like them in the snow. THey are real crappy on dry pavement though. The stock MXM tires on the CL remind me of them in dry weather. To me all season tires are really "no season" tires. I've never seen any that come close to a dedicated snow tire in the slick stuff. I would like to try the Semperit Sport grip that Discout tire sells. They are cheap. My just get some cheap 16s and get blizzaks though.

 

I'm trying to get snows for the stock 17" cls rims, and get new rims.tires in the spring (18" chrome prob). What size snows can I get away with on the 17" wheels? Or would I do better with more sidewall give with 16"? I really don't want to buy another set of wheels.. rather put that into new "nice" wheels next year.

For example, the pirelli winter240 & dunlop winter M2 & M3 has 205/50VR17 sizes. Can I use this tire size okay?

 

I have the Sumitomo HTR+ for all-seasons in the Philly area.

I live in the Lower Merion area and work downtown. Honestly, I think we get too little real snow here to justify a complete winter setup. Even with the 'bad' winter last year, there was really only one day that the plows were delayed to get to the tertiary roads. I'm not sure why you'd need dedicated winter tires on plowed urban roads outside of a snowbelt zone.

 

Unfortunately I'm smack-dab in a "snow-belt" zone--just east of Cleveland. The intersate (I-271) is usually a skating rink during both rush hours. With a $32K car (that I love) I'd rather not take any chances.

Thanks tho, I'll check out the HTRs.

 

just got the blizzak lm-50's from tirerack....

pavdog... why not just go with the stock size of 215/50/17 on the stock rim? thats what i did... we'll see how the perform once i smack em on....

 

Nashua, You mean Nokian? RIght now I've got Nokian Hakkepilita (sp) NRW+ they ROCK in the snow

 

I have a 2003 cls-6 (had a 2001 cls before with the same winter tires)
I use Avon CR85, in 215-55-16. I live in montreal canada where we get a lot of snow and those are great, I never have to shovel to get out of the snow, even when my car is buried under 3-4 feet of snow.

 

Blizzaks all the way! Used a set on a CL-S for 3 years and they still had 70% tread left. Dry weather handling is akin to dancing in big floppy clown shoes!

 

I just bought a set of Blizzak WS-50's for my Z... The guy at Tirerack recommended the WS-50's over the LM-22's as the WS-50's are supposedly much better in the snow. I bought a new set of rims so I can swap easily when a dry streak appears so I don't care about dry performance as much.

The WS-50's have a micropore technology which the LM-22's lack:

"The Blizzak WS-50 also features Bridgestone's Tube Multicell Compound, which helps disperse water to reduce the risk of slipping on the thin surface film of water that makes ice so dangerous"

They now make the WS-50's for 17 inch rims. I got mine in the size 225/55/17

 

My BLIZZAK’s are ready to be installed, but right now I’m playing Russian Roulette with Mother Nature until the last possible minute.
I still have a good amount of tread left after three seasons of use.

 

Will the 225/55 work on the stock rims? Or should I say "how well" do they work? I like the idea of going to 55 for winter. Plus I could use the stock 17s for the winter setup & get nice shiny chrome 18s for summer!

 

3 winters, that's amazing... every winter I have to change my front ones.
And I had the auto with VSA, this winter I have a new cls6... without VSA... those tires are gonna be spinning a lot... hope I'll get through winter

 

I'm not sure if they would work with the stock rims, but I guess they will. I bought separate 17 inch rims to run the Blizzak's to make it easier to swap out. I'd call Tirerack and they will tell you for sure

 

Zapata,

The only 4 season tire I would consider would be the Nokian WR - it's an all season tire as defined by Finland's seasons!

 

I purchased Blizzacks two years ago from Tire Rack. Got them in the 16 in .You should down size when you change over to snows. You want a more narrow tread with and thicker side wall. They came on 16 inch RL take offs. cost about $760 total.
They work great. Just put them on to start their third season.

 

just bought 4-ws 50's yesterday from tire rack $380 delivered. i am going to use my clp rims and buy 17's in the spring can't wait.
i should get em in a coupla days and mount em before the sno comes this weekend

 

they were out of steel wheels

 

Looks like my BLIZZAK’s are gonna get installed tonight or tomorrow.
They’re calling for the first dose WHITE SHIT on Friday.

Shawn S

 

My commute is 15 miles round trip. During severe weather work will close. I'd rather spend 600-1000 on a beater for the winter weather days I have to drive.

With the money I'll save having a beater on my insurance policy it will pay for itself.

The downside would road trips (or a long commute). A beater is not worthy.

 

Yeah, I'm strongly considering putting mine on before this weekend also. MA peeps: think I should do it?

Your tread looks really good after 3 seasons! How many miles do you have on them approx.?