With the new car, I'm probably going to be getting winter tires this time round...so, here's my question about winter rubber: Does the brand make a difference?

You have the Goodyears, Michelins, and then...the no-names that seem to be sold for alot less (i.e. from Walmart). Is there a huge difference between the manufacturer of winter tires?

Thanks in advance for any input/feedback!

 

For winter tires, I honestly don't know. Most people I know have good luck the Michelin X-Ice radial. I know my mom has these on her Accord as well, and after five seasons they still continue to work great.

Contact me PM if you need a good contact for pricing.


Terry

 

Yummy there are 2 ways to go, Bridgestone WS-60 or Nokian Hakapelitta. You've probably never heard of the latter, but they are a world renowned tire. Go with either and you'll laugh at any volume of snow.

 

Thanks, man...are the Nokians pricey?

 

I've never bought them, my last car came with the bridgestones. I had a set of them on my old 91' civic, the tires were probably 10 years old at the time and they were still awesome.

this should help

http://www.nokiantires.com/dealer-locator

Looks like there's a good amount of dealers in the Calgary area.

 

Cool, thanks!

 

I used Dunlop Graspic last year (swithcing back over to them tomorrow) and was very happy with them.

My advice Yummy is see what the Tire Rack has on close out. Typically it just means that they have changed the tire slightly and the closeout models are from last year. I got my Dunlops from them last year on closeout for about $90 per tire for a stock CL type S wheel.

 

I like my Dunlop Winter Sport M3s, but not sure if they come in a size for your SUV.

 

Winter tires?!?!?!

I know nothing.

 

That's like asking if there's a difference between all-season or performance tires. Of course there's a difference in tread design and technology, and sometimes even rubber compounds.

I've been running Nokian "Hakkapeliitta"s for many years - different models based on which one was released that year (I'm prob running Hakka 2, 3, or 4's right now - I need to check), and when they were due for replacement, I stuck with Nokian. The treads are REALLY beefy when new, so they have lasted me many seasons. They are wonderful tires with the option to stud, if that's legal where you are. Dan bought a set of Nokians two winters ago ("Rsi"?) and has seemed pretty happy with them so far. Prior to that, I ran Gislaved. Both are tires highly used and popular in Europe. They can be a lot harder to find here, but I've noticed that more and more tire/wheel dealers have been carrying Nokians the past few years. I've also learned over the years that most shops only receive xx amount of Nokians for the entire winter season, so once they're sold out everywhere, you're out of luck. I'd definitely buy now, even if you don't plan on mounting them yet. Both brands are rated VERY well, although most people haven't heard of Gislaved. I've also heard some good things about a few Michelin models. I don't have any plans of swaying from Nokian when my current set is through...and yes, they probably will be quite pricey.

Also note that there are sometimes differences in if you are looking for a tire that is geared more towards lots of snow, or lots of ice. Of course, they are helpful in either situation, but sometimes certain models are rated better for one over the other.

 

Thanks for the input, folks...

Anyone here have Bridgestone Blizzaks...?

Dougler: Are your WS-60s the equivalent...?

 

Blizzak is Bridgestones winter line, not a specific model. The LM series are their performance winter tires which are a good mix of dry and snow performance. The WS-60 is a a regular winter tire. It will perform better in the snow, but will not handle as well in the dry.

 

Ya pretty much, they are Bridgestones snow/slush/ice tire, the LM's off more balance of dry/quietness and snow performance. At the time, my brother on his TL-S had the Michelin Alpin PA2's and I had the WS-50's on my TL so it was a nice head to head comparison. He said next time he's getting to WS tires, way more grip in the snow and he found there was more cornering stability as well.

 

Thanks for the info, gents.

 

I had Pirelli Snowsports for the G35. Were just fine. Another option for ya.

 

I am having Pirelli Sottozero 240s installed on my CTS-V tomorrow. These are the winter tires GM tested with the V, and they get positive reviews.

I mention this specifically because some manufacturers test specific winter tires with some models, and you may want to look into that.

If the Nokian Hakkapeliittas came in the stock size for my V, that's what I would have gone with. Those tires are fracking amazing in the snow and cold weather.

 

Yummy there are different types of snow tires, just like summer tires. There are performance snow tires and snow tires. Some are a little more sports orientated than others. Some are better at deep snow but have softer sidewalls and are squishier to drive. I myself prefer the Dunlop Wintersport M3 and 3D. The Blizzaks are great but i never liked the squishy sidewall. The Xice is a good tire too. Nokian's are a Awesome tire and i would probably run them if they were easier to come by here.

 

I had some Blizzak MZ-02s mounted on a set of 16" 2003 CL wheels. I used them on my '03 CL-S when I had it and they worked just fine for me. They were noticably better in the snow than the OEM Michelins. I bought them slightly used (maybe one full season), ran them for two winter seasons, and three of the four tires still have 50% tread left. They're not performance-oriented tires, but they did the job for me in Western PA winters.
I also had a set of Generals on my accord a number of years ago, and they were amazing for cheap winter tires.

Actually, I still have the Blizzaks and wheels and they're for sale....if you're interested. PM me if so. Good luck with your selection.

 

Thanks again for the input guys...So, basically, stick to the namebrands (i.e. Dunlop, Michelin, Bridgestone, etc.)...

Yeah, thought the Walmart offers were too good to be true.

 

The Bridgestone Blizzaks use mica to stick the snow to the tire. The mica only goes half way through, so you are getting half a snow tire.

I got two tires with mica left and two without, and there is a big difference in traction. Going to move the tires w/o mica to the rear this winter. Not a great solution, especially considering the lack of weight at the rear. Stability controll might help straighten the car out

 

I wouldn't worry too much about the name, but more about the tread. The tires with the bigger treadblocks will be able to grip and compact the snow, giving you traction. That said, you should be able to find a good deal on name brands. I used to run the blizzys on my CL, they were a little soft on the dry conditions, but gripped the snow like crazy. I run nokian wr's year round on my Legacy, those things are awesome as well. I bought them two years ago and paid about $160 per, but it looks like the prices on them have gone well above $200.

If you are only going to run them in the winter I wouldn't go for the most expensive, maybe take a look at the winterforce tires, they have a deep tread and are about the cheapest winters on tirerack or discount tire direct.

 

Not necessarily true. Most of it has to do with tire compound and the small sipes on the tire. Ive driven snow tires that have almost no tread blocks that were better than snow tires with larger ones.

 

Consider what kind of weather you have where you live. That should dictate what kind of tire you get. Read the tire descriptions/reviews carefully.

Nokians are supposed to be great, like others said above. Probably a good option for your Canadian climate.

We don't get pounded with snow every day in Jersey, but we get more wet snow, slush, and ice. I use the performance winter tires because they are still good on dry pavement.

 

Thanks again, everyone...

Go figure...I think only Bridgestone makes tires for my vehicle.




I'll continue calling around.

 

I read many comments on many message boards about winter tires, and this is what I found:

- Most people only ever tried a couple of different tires, never side-by-side in the exact same conditions. Hence a true tire-to-tire comparison is out the window.
- You're going to hear people talk about the brand they have. You'll always hear something like "they work well".
- Some people who tried their tires in very snowy conditions are going to remember that and say "yeah they work great!"

You're not going to get a lot of quantitative data.

My conclusion is that pretty much all winter tires "work well", i.e. noticeably better than all-seasons, and as long as you don't buy the tire with the cheapest MSRP you should be ok. It's really hard to find that "awesome snow tire", for that I would really go to a place like Tire Rack that tested several tires side by side. But snow tire tests are even harder to find than regular tire tests so you'll have no idea how most tires actually perform.

PS. If I had all the money in the world I would also buy Nokian, but deep down I know the only reason I'm saying that is because a) they're from Finland, b) they're expensive and c) they're rare, which makes them desirable to me. I have never seen actual empirical evidence to show that they're "better" than your average Blizzak or X-Ice or whatever.

 

I was speaking in general terms. I know what you are referring too, I think those tires are said to be better equipped to handle ice conditions. My personal favorite is a nice tread block design with the sipes for added grip. Out of all the tires I looked at the Nokian WRs are my favorite, but given the price that they have risen too I could get around with something less expensive, especially with awd.

 

Thanks for all the input everyone...Picked up a set of Bridgestone Blizzaks for the FX and Michelin X-Ices for the Mazda3. Getting them installed later today...