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I bought the cheapest set of winter tires off Tirerack. They were $525 with a $50 rebate. Had a mobile installer come to my house and put them on. Saved me a bunch of hassle from having to transport my previous set of Nitto Motivo tires. The winter tires are the Cooper Evolution Winters.
I've had them put on 2 days ago and so far I am happy with them. They drive straight on the highway, and are quiet. They are definitely mushy feeling in some scenarios, can especially feel it in parking lots. I can flex the tread pattern with my thumb whereas my previous set of tires had a hockey puck like stiffness. There must be an upside to this which I haven't experienced yet
I've never had winter tires befores and am pretty excited to finally have some. More updates to come!
Yeah, they should be measurably better in snow. Sub'd for longer term review.
I love my Good Year Ultra Grip Ice WRTs . FYI, you can buy cheap wheels off of Tire Rack for ~$117 each so you won't have to remount when you switch tires. I use the MSW Type 12 wheels and they're great!
I'll be driving mostly in NYC. I was deciding between going cheap or getting Blizzaks or the X-Ice 3, and decided to go cheap so that I don't feel bad when I see the wear on the tires. Rebate + free road tire hazard warranty from Tirerack made my decision easier.
The mobile service was $25 mount and balance per wheel if you get 4 done at the same time. Had the guy swap out my TPMS sensors with new ones and my total was $133.89 after tax. New sensors were $40 each off Amazon.
Mobile tire service?! I feel like an idiot lol. I had no idea those existed. Would've came in handy a month ago when I needed mounting snow tires. I assume those are independent companies that you have to call and book the service?
Hmm... they will be better than all seasons, but I just wonder how long they last, and how much performance is degraded with wear. Tried to look for some tests, but can't find anything. Are they relatively new?
Sorry for off topic, but because of OP I'm seriously considering getting a set.
- In my current situation, which is living ~20 miles north of Chicago, going to college, and working part time, I can't afford much.
$900 for tires is too much, but ~$500 I could spend. BUT how much better will they be? And how long will they last?
- Right now I'm running some Goodyear all season 7/32nd tire, so there is some room for improvement.
- Last year I got stuck 3 times, where two were at my workplace's parking lot. Otherwise there were maybe like 10 days when there was snow on the roads.
So it seems like I could live without them. But then getting better tires is kinda like insurance.
If you are in 9" of snow, it doesn't matter what tire you have....you don't have enough clearance and will get stuck. If you have snow pack, snow/ice mix, or 3-4" of snow, even cheap snow tires will generally behave better than any all-season tire.
How long will they last?
- depends on how many miles you drive
- depends on the conditions you leave them on the car (don't leave them on during the summer)
- This is my second season with mine...they have about 5k miles on them and still are like new
I struggled with the winter tire expense concept until recently. In KC, we just don't get that much snow over the entire season. Usually 3-4 snow events that amount to more than 1" of snow. Our roads are normally clear most of winter, but when it does snow, they tend to stay covered and/or icy for several days. I bought winter tires last year mostly because even with new A/S tires, I couldn't get my car up my driveway into the garage if there was anything more than a dusting. Last year when I bought them, of course we didn't have really much snow/ice at all so I got the glare from the wife about why I bought them. This season, we had a major storm hit us last week and I was actually out and about trying to drive to the airport. It was slick and had to keep speeds around 25mph even on the highway, but I generally was still in control of my vehicle. I came up to an uphill stoplight and when the light turned green, I was the only non-AWD vehicle that was able to leave the intersection with relative ease.
I work from home and do not have to adventure out in the bad weather often, but I am now sold on the benefits and will always have at least one vehicle with proper snow tires. My wife's vehicle is AWD, so she has no issues with the driveway like I do. Her car even with A/S tires can easily out accelerate me in the snow...but it can't stop or turn faster than mine with snow tires.
My tires manufacturing label is 4018 which means 40th week of 2018. The first week of October. I expect two winters out of them minimum, and am hoping for 4. If I can get 4 I would be very happy with my purchase.
I have mentioned pricing in an earlier response. The prices are very competitive to my local NYC market. What made me go with the mobile installer was the fact that I did not have to transport my previous set of tires back home, and they had good reviews on Tirerack/Yelp/Google. I know for a fact I can fit 4 235/45/17 tires in the backseat of the TL but they would be dirty and I didn't want to do that. I know of a spot that would do $20 mounted and balance each but would be stuck with transporting my other set of tires.
I have pictures below of the pricing for installers off of Tirerack. Anyways would recommend the mobile installer, I'll be giving them a call in 5-6 months time.
They look like they've got the right tread and siping. The question is how good the rubber compound is. You'll have to let us know how they do. Either way, I'm sure they'll be better than whatever all season you use. The Motivo is a pretty good all-season but nothing compared to dedicated winter tires. I've been using Blizzaks for several years and practically drive like I would if it were dry outside. Suckers are amazing. I'd like to try the Continental Wintercontact SI. It's relatively new as of last year and has really good test results on Tirerack. And it's supposed to wear a bit slower than the Blizzak. That's the only downside to the Blizzaks. They wear pretty quickly. I actually have them mounted on a separate set of wheels and swap them on only when it's snowy or icy outside. Otherwise, the OZ wheels with the Conti DWS06's stay on.
I swear by Michelin but their x-ice has narrow passages and gets noisy as they wear down. My General Altimax have been all around great regardless of price. They are amazing in snow and are not noisy. The ONLY down side so far is they are a bit squishy on hard acceleration from stop but this tends to get better as they wear down after a season.
... I'll be giving them a call in 5-6 months time.
Just to point out: If you spend $133 twice a year, after 2 years you could have bought 4 x MSW Type 12 wheels for your winter tires and swap the wheel/tire sets yourself for free.
This is my first winter with my TLS. I got X-ice mounted a couple of days before a snow storm. I saw 2 cars spin out on the interstate, I didn't even know it was icy. Then, there was this guy, pretty sure it was intentional, I hope at least. Car is great in the snow now, I just have to pick out some summer tires/wheels, I'm keeping the X-ice on the stock wheels...
They look like they've got the right tread and siping. The question is how good the rubber compound is. You'll have to let us know how they do. Either way, I'm sure they'll be better than whatever all season you use. The Motivo is a pretty good all-season but nothing compared to dedicated winter tires. I've been using Blizzaks for several years and practically drive like I would if it were dry outside. Suckers are amazing. I'd like to try the Continental Wintercontact SI. It's relatively new as of last year and has really good test results on Tirerack. And it's supposed to wear a bit slower than the Blizzak. That's the only downside to the Blizzaks. They wear pretty quickly. I actually have them mounted on a separate set of wheels and swap them on only when it's snowy or icy outside. Otherwise, the OZ wheels with the Conti DWS06's stay on.
I liked my old Continental Extreme Winter Contact's better than I like the current Blizzak WS80 on my wife's car.
The EW's drove and went thru snow very much like my old XI2's. It seems like Continental can usually be regarded as a lower priced Michelin.
I'm guessing the Continental Winter SI drives/performs like the XI3.
What about Hankook Winter i Pike RS W419? They have similar price, and are available from discount tire, if they allow me to buy tires alone, without installation. https://www.discounttire.com/buy-tir...ddable/p/15815
It still hasn't snowed yet, unfortunately. The squishy feeling is still there but I am used to it by now. Noticeable downsides are braking performance and gas mileage. Braking performance is lower on emergency stops, otherwise it is normal when driving normally. Gas mileage is down about 15%.
It still hasn't snowed yet, unfortunately. The squishy feeling is still there but I am used to it by now. Noticeable downsides are braking performance and gas mileage. Braking performance is lower on emergency stops, otherwise it is normal when driving normally. Gas mileage is down about 15%.
Hmmm, I'm thinking other factors (like colder temperatures and winter fuel formulations) are at work; there is no way tires alone will cause a fifteen percent reduction in fuel economy.
It still hasn't snowed yet, unfortunately. The squishy feeling is still there but I am used to it by now. Noticeable downsides are braking performance and gas mileage. Braking performance is lower on emergency stops, otherwise it is normal when driving normally. Gas mileage is down about 15%.
Make sure tires are properly inflated and you are properly aligned. I've run dedicated snows for 12+ years on my two TLs (04 6MT and 08 TL-S 6MT) and not seen that type of MPG drop
Originally Posted by horseshoez
Hmmm, I'm thinking other factors (like colder temperatures and winter fuel formulations) are at work; there is no way tires alone will cause a fifteen percent reduction in fuel economy.
I'll schedule an alignment for this weekend. My PSI is standard 35F/32R. The fuel economy isn't terrible but I did notice a change after putting the tires on
My MPG drops in the winter for a couple of reasons:
- warm up time, lots more time spent idling waiting for the cabin to warm up enough for the kids
- winter fuel blends
- winter tires
Squishy feel is the biggest I have had in the past with winter tires. I specifically went for winter performance tires to minimize that feeling knowing I will sacrifice some ice performance. On dry pavement, my car feels no different than it did with my normal A/S tires on it....although there is more tire noise.
Here in New England one almost needs two separate cars, one with winter tires and one with all season tires. This last weekend was a prime example, ten inches of snow and freezing rain followed by sub-zero temperatures on Monday and Tuesday; today we're going to hit 40°F, and tomorrow we're going to be up over 50°F. Yeesh!
Here in New England one almost needs two separate cars, one with winter tires and one with all season tires. This last weekend was a prime example, ten inches of snow and freezing rain followed by sub-zero temperatures on Monday and Tuesday; today we're going to hit 40°F, and tomorrow we're going to be up over 50°F. Yeesh!
You are currently describing over half the country.
In the central plains we do the same all the time....bounce from 15 to 60 from time to time during the winter months. We just don't usually get to sub-zero often.
I'm sure Tire Rack is a good company, but tires are one of those things you should buy from whoever installs them. That way, you have only one entity to deal with if there's ever a problem. Also, tires are one of those things that you should NEVER go cheap, because as a tire salesman once told me, "You're Riding On Your Life". Not going cheap also goes for brakes as they and tires are too critical for safety.
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Hmmm, I am an advocate for buying online, but also an advocate for using the best tires for the intended driving environment.
For my TL, it is riding on a new set of Pirelli Cinturato P7s from Tire Rack, but they were installed at Park Avenue Acura down in New Jersey (they're right next to my mom's nursing home).
I bought my snow tires via TireRack mostly due to no tire store in KC stocking any of the Pirelli winter tires nor even admitting they could order them...I tried...I could only get Blizzak WS-80 locally. I have the same view that I don't want to deal with mail-order issues with tires if the need were to arise. Now I had a local shop from tirerack's list install them for me and I did establish that they are a Pirelli dealer. So the tires on my wife's vehicle and my summer TL tires both came from that local shop that were price matched with TireRack.
I'm riding on Bridgestone Blizzaks and bought them from a seller on Craigslist who traded in his BMW before mounting his new tires. I had them installed by my mechanic at the local Honda dealer. Saved $$ on both ends.
My Tirerack experience was very smooth from start to finish, including install. Even the rebate went smooth, I got it last week.
For some reason my "Honey" app on my Chrome browser logged the Tirerack purchase and it got me $36 worth of points. I can transfer $10 out of the account into the form of a gift card (Amazon or other). Much appreciated value right there
Anyways I got an alignment, hopefully my MPG improves. I'll monitor it
Mobile tire service. Gotta look that up for my area then. PITA taking loose wheels & tires to the shop all the time
Using a floor jack and jack stands twice a year in the garage negates the need for taking loose wheels & tires to the shop all the time. I bought a Craftsman set from Sears years ago (~$130 for 3 ton jack and 2 stands) and one of the best investments I ever made. I swap snows on my wife's RDX and my TL-S in Nov/Dec and April, but also use to rotate all season tires on my daughter's car.
the winter season has been tame this year here in NYC. the picture below is pretty much the extent of the snow we have gotten. past years were much rougher. i would have gotten by with the all season tires
the alignment definitely did help with the MPG issue. i'll grab pictures of the tire wear when i swap them out
Haha...the first year I bought my winter tires I think that was about the extent of our snow as well. My wife gave me hell for "needing" winter tires.
But this past winter in the mid-west has been brutal and I have greatly learned to appreciate having winter tires vs standard A/S tires. I have still gotten stuck a few times, but most of those were either due to being high centered on snow or it was just a really steep hill and no way a 2wd vehicle was making it no matter what.
12-02-2018, 10:46 AM
I bought cheap winter tires
