looking for decent winter / all season tires for my 2003 aBP tl-S, any suggestions, don't want to spend much $$... but want to spend enough for good tires...

thanks
-Mike

 

Yokohama Guradex F721 215/50/17 Should be an excellent choice... It is a new tire... was not available last year.

 

prices?

 

lAround $100 each....

 

or Bridgeton Blizzaks WS-50 Same size $130 each.

 

thanks so much, either of those better for inclimate weather?

 

Yes,,, those are not Hight Performance tires.. Thiose are really snow tires... I Have the WS-50 Brother the MZ-02... for 205/60/16 excellent on the snow but wear fast (2 seasons)

 

sweet, this is great, all this info, however, just because they are not high performance tires, that mean,I'll be squelling them all the time?

 

You shouldn't spin your witner tires on snow, no? You have VSA...

 

sorry, i meant in regular, sunny driving conditions, not planning on removing the tires after winter... btw, my vsa was nowhere the other night when I almost fish-tailed out of control exiting GW parkway onto 495...

 

Those are not All season tires if you need a good All season and high performace too... Go buy the Michelin Pilot A/S.... excllent but pricey.

 

I think you should get a 16" winter tire such as 205/60R16 instead of 17". Get an extra set of steel wheels. It will be much less expensive than 17" winter tires.

Blizzak WS-50 tires are not recommended for durability, they only have 55% of the thread that are multicell winter gums, then the remaining are ordinary winter gums. It will only last like 1 and a half or 2 winters.

Go to Wal-Mart and get thos Dunlops Graspic DS-1 winter tires, they are very underpriced. I know that in the world of tires, the more you pay the more you get in quality. But what people don'T realize is that the premium price you pay is not relatively PROPORTIONAL to the added quality you get.

Personally, I bought a set of Dunlops Graspic DS-1 at Wal-Mart and am very satisfied and they have an aggressive thread design.

 

My next winter tire is the Dunlop Winter Sport M2... I will go this time with 215/55/16 on my Fox 2 rims.

Now I have the Blizzaks MZ-02 205/60/16

 

sorry, perhaps i'm not being very clear on what I want these tires for...

I have stock tls 17" rims too..

1. not buying a whole new set of rims just so I can get better winter tires...

2. I have 10,000 miles on my car with the factory tires, how long are they supposed to last, I don't drive tooo hard...

3. Don't need serious snow tires, just good enough to get me through winter. As far as performance tires, that is kinda secondary, but I DO NOT want ****ty tires that are crap in nice sunny conditions...

thanks again for all your input...

 

Your tires with rotation and proper (pressure) should last some 40 Kmiles. Again if you want to upgrade to an excellent all season get the Michelin Pilot A/S

 

are you looking for a tire just for winter or an all season that you are going to replace the factory tires with for good? if you want an excelent snow tire go with the michelin artic alpin, it has the longest life of the snow tires and extremly good traction. im on my 3rd winter with them and when the pavement is clear of all snow they handle really well. if you are looking for a all season tire only, there is the bfg kdws which is tons better than the factory equiped tire

 

Phatratpat,

To answer your question on stock tire wear. I have 46k on the original tires, mostly highway, rotated regularly and pressure always checked, they may make it to 60K. It is not likely that you will get a tire that will wear as long as the stock tire. A better handling tire will be stickier, and will wear faster, but will corner much better. As for the snows, that tire's rubber is softer, hence the less wear.

Living in the East coast it will be very hard to find a true all-season tire that will enable you to get the most out of the TL-S. You will be risking wet/snow traction when simply having a second set of rims will solve the problem. Tirerack sells the Fox wheels for just over $100 a piece. They look good and may save you an accident when the weather turns fowl.

 

You don't need to buy another set of alloy wheels. Simply buy a set of steel wheels for under 30$ each. Winter salt and water will damage the expensive alloy wheels.

 

Best deal that I saw was a few Bridgestone/Firestone dealers that did free mount and dismount on rims after the season. Wouldn't have been any good last year, no size fit.

Otherwise you pay enough for cheapo rims in 2-3 seasons just mounting. I also like flexibility, with separate rims you can throw them on after or during the actual snow fall.

WS-50's are scary bad performance on sunny days.

 

Riding seperate winter and summer tires is cheaper in the long run when you consider the cost of 17 inch summer/all seasons compared to the cost of 15 or 16 inch winters.

This difference will more than pay for a set of cheap wheels.

 

Check with Acura dealers. From one of the dealers in town I picked up some "take off" 16" alloy rims from a standard TL, and some Vredestein winter tires. The Rims were only $200 for the whole set!!! The Verdesteins work great in the snow and ice and the rims fit and look great on my TLs. Me be happy!