alex16882

Hi, I need help deciding which snow tires to get on my winter car. The stock tire is 185/60-15. The local tire shop has Kelly Springfield (Goodyear?) Wintermark Magna Grip studdable snow tires. However, they are only available with 185/65-15. I did some calculations on http://www.eunos.com/tirecalc/ and this is what I come up with:

Specification Sidewall Radius Diameter Circumference Revs/Mile Difference
185/60-15 4.4in 11.9in 23.7in 74.6in 850 0.0%
185/65-15 4.7in 12.2in 24.5in 76.9in 824 3.1%

Speedometer will be off by 3.1% too slow. When I am going 60mph, I am acutally going 61.8mph.

I am confused why the guy at the tire ship said the 185/65-15 will fit on my car.

Anyway, my next choice is the Continental Viking Snowtech. They come with 185/60-15, same as the stock OEM tire. However, they are not studdable. My Ex insists on getting studded snow tires. The Viking Snowtech is ranked #2 according the Consumer Reports 11/05 isssue of winter tire comparison.

So, is there any tire expert out there who can help me. I appreciate it.

P.S. I have considered Michelin X-Ice and Nokian H-2. But they are a bit pricey and slightly out of my budget. But I am open to suggestions. Thanks!!

gdcwatt

What are you driving? I trust you've checked out tirerack.com, and looked at the surveys and individual tire specs. There are some decent performing low-profile snow tires you might want to consider, but they are generally more expensive, too.

I thought about 185/60-15's for my Mazda Protege; the minus 1 size for this car is 195/55-15, however, and although it's an unusual size there is more choice there than of 185/60-15's. Note that generally a 185/65 has a narrower tread width than a 185/60, but it's not always the case; the Bridgestone REV01 has very narrow tread width for the quoted "size" of the tire.

Are studs allowed in NH? Is a 185/65-14 and option? Finally, unless your car has too much power, or is too low, I wouldn't increase tire diameter dramatically, especially if I had an automatic transmission.

Edr0e

Maybe your brake calipers won't clear especially if you have a 3rd gen TL. Don't they come with brembos on the 6spd?


Your best bet is to find a set of curbed stock rims and put some blizzaks or something of the sort...

Remember a set of snow tires can last up to 5-10 seasons...

GreenMonster

Ex insists on getting studded snow tires ?? If she's the ex, who cares what she thinks

I know that studs aren't allowed in MA anymore (haven't been for years and years).

<--- 24 years of new england driving and never had anything but all season tires...

gdfthr

I highly recommend Bridgestone Blizzaks. They are the only winter tire I have had any expierence with but I have never had a problem with them at all. I have used them on both front and rear wheel drive cars with no complaints.

derrick

I have Nokian tires on my OEM rims for winter. There is no substitute for winter tires VS all-season (aka "3 season" tires).

Going back on-topic -- don't bother with studdable tires. Is it legal in NH? The studs kill the road on dry conditions -- that's why many states ban them. There are some excellent tires that do not require studs and can grip the road just fine (ie siped).

To name a few:

Toyo Observe
Yokohama Iceguard
Bridgestone Blizzak WS-50
Michelin X-Ice
Nokian Hakka 2
Nokian RSI

But if you really need a studdable tire -- Nokian Hakka 4. They are referred to as 'the king' due to the position of the studs on the tread.

Good luck on your search but the old impression that 'studable is better' isn't necessarily so. You sacrifice performance, noise, (and the road surface) for a little extra grip. Go with the siped, studless tire.

Greenie -- I have seen many a 'noreaster that has crippled / stranded people by the roadside. I can't believe you would dare do another winter on all-seasons.

GreenMonster

And my CLS is my first FWD car

20 years of driving RWD cars with all seasons... and I've never gotten stuck to the point where I couldn't get my self out...

There are probably 2-3 times a winter where dedicated snow tires would be nice, but I don't think it's worth the hassle of changing rims before and after winter... The plows usually do a good job with the roads around here.

If I ever get to the point where I forget how to drive in snow or start driving like my mother, I'll get a 4x4

iTimmy

First of all forget what consumer reports tells you, they have no clue how to rate a tire let alone a winter tire.

Secondly industry standard is +/-3.5% in over all diameter is acceptable

There is no substitute for a true winter tire, in winter the tire is pushed much harder and must do more then just drive on snow or ice. The tire will see huge temperature swings, dry roads, wet roads, snowy roads, slushy roads and icey roads... depending where you live the temperature can be -30 or even lower with wind chill, its very difficult to make a tire perform with these extreme conditions. The only all season that I feel is safe for winter use is the Nokian WR or W(which is the old NRW), its the only all season in north america that has the mountain snowflake pictograph on the side wall and still maintains a mileage waranty(50k miles) and can perform well all year round. Even though they cost a bit more then most all season's, you don't have to swap them back and forth in spring and fall(which saves monting and balancing money), you only have one set of tires, a great waranty from a company focused on customer safety and satisfaction. If you don't have them I'd strongly recommend snow tires.


I love nokian winter tires, they have such a unique approach to building a winter tire that gives them a HUGE advantage over all other manufacturers. All entry level snow tires, private labels, etc... are built on the company's all season "green tire", in other words there is no difference in the construction of their winter tire then their generic all season tire, slightly different tread compound and tread pattern and they have a snow tire, which is also never tested in snow, its designed on a computer and then built. That's why they are less money. Nokian was the first and I believe is still the only company to build a winter tire from the ground up and I know they are the only manufacturer who operates a year round winter tire test facility, which gives them a HUGE advantage over everyone else. That is not to say that other companies aren't building good snow tires, just not as good as nokian's, there are good offerings from Bridgestone, Pirelli and the michelin X-ice isn't a bad tire(just not as good as a nokian). Before I ramble on much more, in the value priced arena I'd recommend the Winterforce(its private label bridgestone/firestone made tire), its studable, its directional and holds up quite well. If you want to up the ante a bit further, the hakkapeliitta 2 is a home run studded or unstudded, the hak. 2 is being discontinued this year and the Hak. 4 and 5 will replace it next year, currently there are some 4's and 5's available depending on the size. the 4's and 5's are only available factory studded. I believe the 5's are available in your size. I got a set of 4's as prototypes two years ago and they are with out a doubt the most amazing winter tire I had ever driven on, granted last winter was not that bad, but the previous winter was moderatly bad and they were unstoppable! I can't say enough good about nokian's studded tires, other then the noise they create and a bit of extra wear on the roads(which due to nokian's studs and stud system does less damage then any other studded tire) there are NO downfalls to studs, they will give you a HUGE advantage when driving in many snowy conditions, both laterally and longitudinally.

I would stay clear of the RSi from nokian, while its winter performance is good for a studless tire, they just don't wear well and handle very poorly, I would advice getting an unstudded hak 2 or another brand tire before I'd recommend he RSi.

GreenMonster

Tim, Excellent post...

I need to buy tires within the next week, so this thread is kinda timely... I just did a little research on the Nokians and the WR's seem like a winner... Cost and a lack of an easily accessible dealer will likely force me to go with something else tho'.

Derek, You forgot to post a link to your tire thread:

https://acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=98283

Maybe I should try some dedicated snows one of these years... Buy some old beat up CL or TL rims...

derrick

Hey ... that's what I use (for winter use). The only reason why I swap them in the summer is because I have 18" Volks 'sitting' in my garage.

I like the WR -- they work very well where I live.

Greenie -- I didn't want to direct him to my 2nd gen TL thread on tires because ... I'm not too big on tooting my own horn (and more importantly, I didn't know if the tires tested are made in those sizes ...)

derrick

If you buy a set ... you will never go back. Get a set of 16" rims ... way cheaper than 17s ... believe me, I struggled on whether to sell my 17s and buy 16s. The added stability will pay itself in dividends. It does not mean, however, that you're allowed to have a lead foot on trecherous roads. Newtonian physics still applies (unless the Greenie machine can reach near light speed...)

iTimmy

I should have mentioned that as well, some folks are not willing to compromise performance much yet still want a tire safe for winter use. In a case like that I will recommend the WR or W for people, it is better then most entry level snow tires in winter conditions and can still be pushed like you would a performance tire. Or in area's that don't get long winter storms, or much for snow its a great "snow" tire, that is less of a compromise for driving on dry roads.

fsttyms1

I also recomend the Dunlop Wintersport M3s They are the best winter tire ive driven (and they have been many-cant fine nokians to try though) they will handle as good as the oem tire on dry and wet pavement and are unbelievable in the deep white stuff. What will shock you most is the braking and cornering. They also last a long time.

LuvMyTSX

I just got these on my car yesterday. Can't wait till the first snowfall to try them out. So far, they are handling better than my OEM Michelins that were not yet down to the wear marks, but slipping and screeching in wet weather (at only 30k miles!). Hope I made a good choice getting this tire for the winter.

For 17s on the TSX, they were $134 each from Tire Rack...I thought that was pretty decent.

fsttyms1

You did. I love mine. Had them 3 winters now (going on 4)

gdcwatt

I thought about 215/55-16 M3's, but I'm not the only one driving the car, and I now go miles across country to see one kid at university, and miles across country the other way to see the other kid at university, so I went with 205/60-16, just to be sure. Then I can decide if the rest of the family is ready for a new comptech/progress rsb, in the snow.

derrick

tirefactory.net ... based out of Michigan. They will mail it to you and then you can mount them in WI.

I drove all the way to Owosso, MI from where I live (2 hrs one way) to have these installed at one of their factory outlets. (Yes -- I am *that* much a tire freak and also *that* cheap to avoid Canadian import taxes...)

FYI: I think I paid US$140 each for a 205/50/17 ... 16s have to be way cheaper than that!