danmm7

iTrader: (1)

I am going to use my old, 17" OEM wheels to install dedicated snow/winter tires on them. I am going with size 225-55-17. I have a dedicate set of 18" wheels/tires i use for summer/wet driving.

I will use the car for ski trips to the Sierras (lake Tahoe) on weekends and the rest of the time these tires won't see any snow. Most likely i will be taking them on/off a few times during the season. I live and work in warm area. (SF Bay area)
These tires will not be used 100% of the time on snow since 2/3 of the drive to lake Tahoe will be dry/wet freeway, but when i am up in the mountains, i will need good performing tires on the ice/snow, etc. It gets nasty during winter months.

My choices for tires, based on my budget, so far are....

1. General Altimax Arctic (Q-speed rated tire, looks less performance oriented)
http://www.generaltire.com/tires/T13/AltiMAX-Arctic
2. Continental ExtremeWinterContact (T-speed rated, looks more high-perf. oriented)
http://www.conti-online.com/generato...en,tabNr=.html
3. Dunlop Winter Sport M3 (H-speed rated, it's a high-perf winter tire)
http://www.dunloptires.com/dunlop/di...rktarea=Winter


-- Generals are the cheapest and have some really nice reviews for snow/ice behavior. I am just not sure how my heavy RL will behave on the dry roads on the way to the ski resorts. These tires may be too "soft" for the 2 ton RL.

-- Continentals look like a good compromise between snow traction and sportiness ... but since i am not super impressed with my current all-season Continental DWS tires (flat spotting, etc) ... do i want to get stuck with two pairs of Continental tires?

-- Dunlops have good reviews for both snow and dry behavior ... but they are 1. a bit more pricey, 2. only 50% of the rubber on them is snow rubber and after they wear 50% or more, they will become all-season tires.


For those who have experience with the RL and snow tires ...what do you think? Which tire will you go with given my requirements? Do you have experience with any of the above 3 tires?


Thanks!

Mr.Tea

I have had good experience with the Firestone Winterforce: Size: 225/55R17
Sidewall Style: Blackwall
Serv. Desc: 97S
$95.00 Each on Tire Rack.

danmm7

iTrader: (1)

How do they handle in DRY weather and on the freeway?
Are they too noisy?

Thanks!

08A-SPEC

iTrader: (3)

Continental ExtremeWinterContact

Just ordered a set.

This test may change your mind about them.
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/testDisplay.jsp?ttid=135

Not_Rice

Nokian "Hakkapeliitta" 5 for studs; hands down the best studded winter tire you can buy.
Nokian Hakkapeliitta R for studless; one of the best if not the best studless winter tire.

jhal

I also had good luck with these. I also got the 225/55R17 size. I purchased them last October for $87 each and about $52 for shipping. I had them on the RL from 10/26/09 to 3/26/10 and had great luck with them for the Utah winter. Did a lot of driving up to the ski resorts where the roads were not always plowed and salted right away. They handled beautifully and I felt very confident in the snow with these on.

They seem to handle really well in dry weather and on the freeway. They are a bit more "floaty" than summer tires when taking corners, but not too bad. I work about 45 minutes from home and the majority of my driving is on the freeway. When there was no snow on the ground during last winter, they were definitely louder than my summer tires, but I thought it was a good tradeoff for the confidence I felt with them in the snow.

tnormanchevy

Loved my Blizzak's WS-50. They were 245/45 17. Best snow tire i've ever ran. So much better than my four wheel drive truck...car was pushing snow. Car was a little soft at high speeds but I was being dumb

ABboy

If anyone has a set of factory rims they want to part with please let me know. Thanks

bluesxtreme

Bought the Continentals EWC as well. I do a lot of highway driving so I think this will be a good compromise on tread life.