Im looking for a good set of winter tries for a decent price, any suggestions? BTW I live in Montreal, so a local shop or a canadian base company would be good. Thanks in advance.

 

Ok, first thing first!

What is your decent price?

How much do you value your safety?

Are you willing and able to downsize to 16 inch (Automatic Transmission Only) as the 16 inch Steel Wheels will not fit over the Brembo.

THis is a preferred option as it permits to have a narrower thread patch which is more desirable in the sleetand slush of Montreal's winters.

FYI, Acura sells their OE 16" Steel Rims for $75 each. At this price it is not worth the trouble of getting the cheaper aftermarket steel wheels.

If you are looking for the same speed rating as your summer tires, be prepared for a sticker shock.

Otherwise, you have Michelin X-Ice, Bridgestone Blizzaks, Nokian Hakkapeliitta2 or RSI.

Be warned that if you do select the Nokian, they are not inexpensive but once you experience them you will never go back to another brand of winter tires.

I am going through my winter tire options right now and it is going to be a bit more expensive then the winter tires of my Odyssey last year.

Wheels - 4 X $75CDN.

Tires - Nokian Hakkapeliitta2 (205/55R16) @ $190 each (215/55R16XL) @ $213.98 each

or Nokian RSI (205/55R16XL) @ 185.33 each (215/55R16XL) @ 198.18 each

Alll those price are from an on-line for a business located in Laprairie (South of Montreal) www.pneuradial.com and do not includes intallation/balancing and taxes.

I have been using Nokian Winter tires exclusively for the past 15 winters and in my opinion, they are the best winter tires money can buy and they should last you 2 to 3 season minimum depending on how many miles you put on.

The Hakka2 is a studdable tire and the RSI is a studless tire. THe RSI should outlast the Blizzaks 2 to 1.

Best regards from somewhere north of you

frenchnew

 

Great info Frenchnew! I am looking to spend 900 - 1000. Do all Acura sell OE rims for $75 or is it just your dealer? I bought my car from Acura of Blainville, oh yeah BTW I have an MT... will the OE still fit on those?

 

You mean Acura Plus of Blainville, same dealer as mine.

The M/T has the Brembo Brakes and those 16 inch Steel Wheels will not fit over the brake calipers. The A/T has slightly smaller brakes and those wheels do fit according to the parts counter guy at Acura Plus.

Also, the guy in the parts department told me that they usually have a winter tire promotion and it should start soon. Better call them up.

Your only option will be 17 inch winter tire if you have 17 inch wheels and these are going to be expensive and you will be kind of limited in tire brand choices. Since you will be using your alloy wheels, coated them with something like FluidFilm to prevent them from getting damaged by the road salts during the winter.

Looking at the website I indicated in my previous message, Dunlop Graspic DS-2 @ $160.93CDN plus installation & Taxes is the least expensive winter tire they have for your car. @ other dunlop models are $223.93 & $230.66. Other brands are from $250 to over $300 each.

I can't vouch for this tire dealer as I never bought anything from them and also I have no experience with the Dunlop tire brand.

I would suggest that you take the wheels off the car to coat them inside and out and since they will be off the car, there is less chances for that stuff to get on the brake pads and rotors.

Next spring, just wash them with lukewarm water with dishsoap and re-apply a coat of wax after you dried them. The wax will make it easier to clean the wheels of the brake pad dust.

Best Regards and start saving for those winter boots.

frenchnew

 

i use 17" winter...Hankook W300 ICE BEAR....can't go wrong with the performance with its price
search it in www.tiretrends.com...it's canadian based...

 

I was looking at the Hankook W300 ICE BEAR for my 05-tl.


ckya aer they any good?

thanks

 

I have friends that swear by their Nokian Hakkapeliitta's but I was so impressed by the Blizzak WS-50 on my wife's car that I got them for my TL. I know they wear faster but I get a lot of storms right around 32 deg f. And that is some slippery stuff. Blizzaks just stick to that like glue. If you are way up north you probably don't get the same slippery conditions (you probably have just plain snow or packed snow) and my fair just as well with something else. But for the icy stuff the WS-50s are great. Supposedly much better than the LM-22s

 

it's a little dated...from Consumer Reports:



Winter tires
By type, in performance order






Brand & model Price
Overall score
Snow traction
Braking
Handling
Hydroplaning
Recommendations & notes

Ice
Dry
Wet


H-RATED WINTER TIRES Designed for speeds of up to 130 mph--and better performance at lower speeds.
Click to see photos
Goodyear Eagle Ultra Grip GW-2
Note: Discontinued.
$132
An excellent all-around choice. Best dry and wet braking among H-rated tires. Best ice braking without ABS.

Dunlop SP Winter Sport M2
Note: Discontinued.
126
An excellent all-around choice, with responsive handling.

Pirelli Winter 210 SnowSport
140
An excellent all-around choice, but pricey. Best dry cornering.

Bridgestone Blizzak LM-22
145
An excellent all-around choice. Best emergency handling.

Nokian Hakkapeliitta NRW
Note: Discontinued.
157
A fine choice for snow, though not ideal for wet weather. Least capable in wet cornering.

Michelin Pilot Alpin
Note: Discontinued.
116
Best suited to areas where snow is less severe. Quiet ride.

Q-RATED WINTER TIRES Designed for speeds of up to 99 mph; test group includes tires rated S (112 mph) and T (118 mph).
Click to see photos
Kumho I'zen Stud KW-11
54
An excellent choice where snow is less severe. Best dry and wet braking among this group. Studdable. T-rated in size tested.

Michelin Arctic Alpin
Note: Discontinued.
85
An excellent choice where snow is less severe. Excellent cornering.

Dunlop Graspic
DS-1
Note: Discontinued.
55
A top winter performer, although only fair emergency handling.

Gislaved NordFrost II
Note: Discontinued.
75
A very good choice where snow is less severe. Studdable.

Nokian Hakkapeliitta Q
85
A very good all-around tire.

BFGoodrich Winter Slalom
Note: Discontinued.
60
A very good all-around tire, though slightly less capable than the Nokian in winter driving. Studdable.

Goodyear Ultra Grip Ice
77
A fine choice for snow and wet weather, but only fair handling.

Bridgestone Blizzak WS-50
88
A very good all-around tire, though less capable in emergency handling than top-rated models. Stiff ride.

Yokohama Guardex F720
Note: Discontinued.
75
Most susceptible to hydroplaning.

Firestone Winterfire
Note: Discontinued.
53
Unimpressive ice braking compromises an otherwise fine, economical choice. Studdable.
S-rated in size tested.

Cooper Weather-Master XGR
Note: Discontinued.
52
Long dry stops and only fair emergency handling.

 

i must say the hankook W300 are pretty gd for wut u paid for...gd dry performace and they r H,V-rated..... overall it's a gd all-around tire i must say.....since this tire is more performance based, based on my 1 winter experience with the hankook, they perform the best in low-medium snow situation....partly becuase wider tires doesnt' perform as well as skinner tires in snow...also, it is studless tires....it's quite around town and highway......and i believe it gets the job done during the winter in toronto if u r not living in country side....never got stuck in snow even i purpose drive across those snow band...well, actually i got stuck once, and then i turnned OFF the VSA to get me out of trouble...


$800CAN for a set of 17" snow, i assume it's a pretty gd price

one more thing, it comes with free road hazzard warrenty...i got one of my tire replcaed with $50 including labour....wut a bargin..

 

never use rubbers, they take away the feeling.

 

hmmm.....wut about wooden wheels? i guess it should provide better road feedback than rubbers...

 

BTY, i believe Michelin owns 10% of Hankook ...so bascially Hankook is Michelin in some way...only WAY cheaper price...
google it and u will find more info

 

im sorry but my mind was in the gutter when i read the title of this thread. must be getting late for me.haha

 

Most comparison on Blizzaks done 2 year ago where mentioning that the Blizzaks does have a little edge on bite but that goes away away driving moderatly 2 weeks when compared to the Nokian Hakkapeliitta Q.

Also, FYI - While Montreal gets colder in the winter then your area, they use a ton of road salts up here so dring a snowfall, you get hard packed, slush then wet an if it turns really cold - ICE because road salts dont work that good once the thermometer dip below 0 deg F.


Best regards from Montreal

frenchnew

 

I just bought some Vredestein Wintrac Extremes. These are top manufacturers of tires in Europe. Check them out:

http://www.vredestein.com/autobanden/Index.asp?TaalID=3

 

I had the Dunlop Wintersport M3s on my TL last year and was quite pleased. Plus, you can get them at tiretrends.com, a Canadian company.

 

I do not know how open minded tire dealers are in the US but up here, if you have a problem with your tires, do not expect to get any type of warranty from the dealer if you did not buy your tires from them.

Tiretrends is locate in British Columbia and with the added cost of shipping, you will be able to find a dealer which will give you a similar price or less once you factored the cost of shipping.

Best regards

frenchnew

 

I recently purchased the Nokian WR's. They are not official winter tires...they are "all-seasons", with the severe weather logo on it though (the snowflake). Since there is no snow yet, I can't quite rate it, but in terms of reviews, they seem like great tires for the winter, with a relatively good tread wear.

 

I put Nokian WR's on my wheels before last winter. They are terrific true all season tires. In dry conditions they are quiet and handle very well, under wet conditons they handle nicely, and it got me through numerous New Jersey snow storms last year. I have a 42 month lease on my TL, so I've been putting the Brdigestones on for the Spring/Summer seasons.

 

i will probably get the hankooks.

ckya, what rim are you using? size(width etc)? I have a 6spd MT and know that I can not get away with getting anything less then a 17.



Thanks
O

 

same as OEM 235/45/17

 

Where did you buy your Blizzak WS-50s for the TL? Also, what size did you get and did you get a complete tire / wheel package? If you got a complete tire / wheel package, which wheels did you get?

Thank you,
TL-Rocket

2004 SSM/EBONY 6MT NAVI HPT