MVR 155

I currently am running a set of 4 Continental Conti Extremes which I took off my previous Acura (06 TL).... Im not a fan of the factory Michelins as they are ok for dry they blow for rain/snow duty so I shelfed them at 4K miles (I will put them back on the car when I trade it in sometime in 2010). The Conti's are 2 years old and although they have alot of tread left they are not up to the task of handling the cold/snow very well. Im not sure if the stiffer suspension of the Type S along with more aggressive alignment specs coupled with better brakes and more power are part of the problem but I had to do something as the car is horrible in the snow.

I ordered a set of 4 General Arctic Ultimax in stock sizes, these are rebranded Gislaved Nordfrost 3's and the reviews are excellent, they were only $105/each from tirerack. I will have them tomorrow or Friday, will probably get them mounted on saturday and will report back after we have had some white stuff to drive through here in the Chicagoland area.

norway71

Let me know how those generals are working out... I was all over the place this morning again! I thought I could ride out this winter as I want some 19's when summer comes and use the stock rims for winter tires but not sure if I should wait that long.. the stock MXWs is the worst tires I think I ever driven on.

MVR 155

The stock Michelins are about as bad as it gets in the snow. I had 2 appointments this morning where I had to go to residences that had some unsalted/plowed subdivision streets..... with less than 1 inch of snow the tires were braking loose with hardly any throttle input, steering was numb at best and braking was horrible. I cant wait to get these winter tires mounted and start tackling the snow. I have hardly had to use this car in any type of snowy conditions as I normally drive the Hummer, my fiance takes the train downtown and we live within a block of the train station, with both of our schedules being so busy for the last month (and they will likely be that busy through feb.) Im finding both vehicles in service more so I have to make sure I can get around easily in the TL..... especially if she is gonna drive it, she is not the best driver in inclimate conditions

I will let you know how they work.

norway71

haha know what u mean... Its really the braking u feel it worst. Allthough both myself and my wife is from Norway, where we have these conditions 6 months a year... but all cars over there come with separate wintertires/rims, also when you buy used cars. Even my old M3 back then was great in snow with some proper Hakkapellitas. My dad even drives with spikes on his car so you can imagine. These all seasons tires is the worst crap ever, not good in either snow or dry. I just put winter tires on my wifes Pilot, (Winterforce on Sport Designs 17's from tirerack), its a huge difference so when the snow comes I am drifting that car on any empty parking lot I see!

MVR 155

Off subject but when the weather breaks I would still like to hear what your car sounds like with that exhaust set up.

norway71

anytime!

krash489

I just bought a set of 4 Continental Conti Extremes off on tirerack.com. I got them today and just had them mounted on. I had a set of Bridgestone Turanza on before which were horrible in even one inch of snow. These new ones have a better rating for the snow so I hope they are better. MVF 155, how did the Continental Conti Extremes run for you? I have an extra tire that I want to buy a rim for now so I can keep it as my spare instead of a donut in the trunk. Does anyone know where I can get a extra rim for a good price?

blkaspec

i just bought some Michelin X-Ice Xi2, and they are awesome!!! i big improvement over my pirelli pzero neros in the ice and snow. i havent had them in real deep stuff yet, but in slippery conditions they perform as expected from a snow/ice tire. this is my first set of dedicated snows, but in the short time i have used them i would recommend.

MVR 155

The Contis are really good when they are new, mine are 2 years old and were run on my 06 TL and have been on my TL-S for over a year..... I noticed the first snow of this year that they are pretty bad now, they still have a good amount of tread ~65-75% but maybe that the rubber is a couple of years old or the reduced tread is what has made them less effective in the white stuff. The Type-S is noticeably worse in the snow than my 06 TL.... not sure if the stiffer suspension, alignment specs and added power are part of the culprit. I can tell you that the Contis are waaaaay better than the OEM Michelins I took off the car with only 4K miles on them.

My winter tires actually arrived yesterday and I did have a chance to get them mounted last night, we are getting a decent snow today so I will get a chance to try them out a bit

MVR 155

UPDATE:

Drove to my office this morning (only a few miles from my house) and it snowed a few inches here. The tires only have about 15-20 miles on them and the release compound isnt even worn off yet. These things are fantastic in the snow, short of being quite aggressive the do not break loos or understeer around corners, braking is waaaaaaaay better too. We are expecting quite a bit more snow throughout today into tomorrow so we will see how they do in the deep stuff. So far so good.

norway71

MVR 155, surprised you didnt take the Hummer to work today.. crazy out there again..one car was stuck in the trees along Busse Rd. Whats that old traffic school mantra: adjust your driving to the road condition...? I had Dunlop Graspics D2 on my beemer, good combination of wet tarmac and ice/snow and they were quiet too..

betweenthepipes

I put four General Arctic Altimax winter tires on my 2004 TL the first week of December, and all I can say is "WOW." They are truly impressive winter tires and they have made getting around in New England so much better. While the tires do have an "older" design, they are fantastic for their purpose and the price simply cannot be beat.

MVR 155

I wanted to test out the tires, I ended up doing little driving yesterday and when I did the roads were pretty cleared up by then. My fiance was off work yesterday and had some errands to run in the morning, I would rather have her in the Hummer when its bad out.

norway71

cant argue with that one, hows the Generals in the deep snow and going thru the walls of snow after the ploughs came thru ?

MVR 155

Well I had to show 9 properties yesterday and drive all day in the snow, I was able to pull into driveways with snow as deep as the bottom of the car without issue, they also behave very well on the main roads that have snow tracked/rutted lanes, lane changes are not an issue at all (car used to get shoved and pushed around badly when changing lanes). I can honestly say I wont do another winter without them