adamb113

Any snow tire recommendations for the RL?

foam4me

I mounted Vredestein Winterac XL 225/55-17V rated on used OEM wheels for my 06RL. The size provides a lot more options, is less expensive, and the diameter is very close to stock. This past weekend was first good test. No problems on packed snow, slush or deep snow.

rpdupuis

I just bought the Pirelli Winter 210's off of tire rack. I'll post my opinion of them when they are installed and operational.

470hpGS400

iTrader: (1)

I would recommend you review the surveys on TireRack which gives pretty comprehensive info on each tire from users such as yourself and I. Been very happy so far with my tire selections from there based on their reports. Of course vehicles vary on there and rarely will you come across another RL. Sorry I could not help more as I get snow every 10 years for 3 days and I would be foolish to drop coin on snow tires. Now if I was back in NY..........

fredren

im assuming on the oem 17'? if so i'd go with the pirelli 210 snow sport but that's my opinion...as i have dunlop wintersport m3's on the 18's a-spec

tnormanchevy

I put 245/45R17 Bridgestone Blizzak's on my 05 RL and am really pleased with them. They were clearance from the tire rack for $98/each. Same width as stock and the acutal heigth difference was sightly shorter by 3/4" overall diameter. They work great and my speedometer is off by less than 2 MPH and shipping to PA was about $46.

RL06tech

Just put on a set of 18 inch Pilot Alpin PA 3. Definite thumbs up. I have a set of Yokohama S4, great UHP tire but snow performance is only fair (which is good for a UHP tire). Snow has been terrible here in WI (35 inches so far) so I took the plunge and went for dedicated snows. The Pilot alpins have fantastic stability and braking performance. Given that they are "performance" snow tires their snow capabilities are outstanding. Of course, you can get even more snow capability with blizzak W and michelin X ice but their sport performance is awful. I havent had an opportunity to try them in dry conditions, but they seem quiet and to have very good cornering. Ill have to wait for better weather but it doesn't look like that will happen any time soon, which is exactly why I bought them to begin with

Legend93

I have heard the dealer reccommend Toyo garits. I would look at Blizzaks or Dunlop Graspics too

foam4me

Today the roads were pretty icy and yet these tires seem to have fairly good grip.

Legend93

Just ordered rims and Dunlop graspic (winter) tires for the RL. Can't wait to try them out. By the way, there is not too many choices for rims for the RL. It's those damn huge brakes! I like having the winters on seperate rims so I cna put them on / take them off at my leisure. I hate having to leave the car at the garage for 1/2 a day to swap my tires out.

rtr

Michelin ice 2 very good going past trucks and everything cant belive it! 245 40 18

Rob L

I have Nokian Hakkapeliitta RSi snow tires on my 05 RL (225/55/17) and they are fantastic and I am in my 3rd winter with them. About 56 million times better than the Michelin OEM all seasons that came on the car in any type of snow. Before I got these I had slid a few times in the RL with the Michelins and that wasn't cool. I'd also say the Hakkas are better on dry roads than the Michelins in terms of noise and comfort. No doubt the handling is lower but I do not think it makes sense to buy snow tires and drive them hard.

Driving with the Hakkas in the snow makes me feel like driving on a regular road with all seasons or summer tires in the sense the car has great grip, doesn't slide, etc.

For the rest of the year I run a set of 18" rims with Bridgestone Potenza RE50A Pole Position summer perfomance tires. Those are awesome as well and have better wet road traction than the OEM Michelins. Go figure...

Sylvain

I found that the choice was very limited for the standard OEM size (245/50-17) especially for the top brands/types listed in the November 2006 issue of Consumer Reports. The top tire in CR was the Goodyear Ultra Grip GW3 (German made BTW), second was Nitto Winter SN1 and third was Continental ContiWinterContact TS810. I believe none of those are available in the OEM size. (Dunlop M3 may be but were #6 on the list.)

225/55-17 is a much more common size and is available for the Goodyear Ultra Grip GW3. These are what I got installed on a second set of wheel and I am happy with them. Note that those tires (in that size) are "V" rated and will maintain appropriate car handling when the weather is good (as opposed to lower speed rated tires common for winter).

Legend93

I just installed my rims and winter tires from TireRack. I picked up some Elbrus wheels and the Dunlop Graspics in 225/55/17. After I installed them I went for a little test drive. Let me just say the handling is phenomenal! I am stunned at the difference in handling, simply by swapping to winters from all seasons. I took a few corners pretty aggressively and the car just stuck the snow covered road like glue. Previously I would fish tail around the same corners. No problem now. And my stopping distance has improved, it is probably ½ of what it was before. Hands down, winter tires make a huge difference.