Hey, /o/. Looking for tire advice/recs from those of you who live in snowy winter areas. Should I be looking specifically for winter tires considering I will have to be driving in the snow consistently to and from work? Are studded tires worth investing in or just some eye-candy shit?
>>13802666
Studded tires are for ice, if you don't encounter ice very often it's not worth it. You need winter tires regardless of whether or not it snows. If it gets cold, you need them.
MightyBenz is the only one who is able to spell the name of the good studded nokian winter tires. Continental ContiWinterContact TS850 won the test in Europe for normal winter tires.
Give me this info and I'll give you some good recommendations
>budget
How much are you willing to pay
>where you live
Where in the world, and if I could get a specific region that'd be great
>size of tires
Euro-sizes (205/60/16) and such
>what type of terrain
Snow ontop of hardpacked snow, loads of ice, mostly slush with tarmac beneath and so on
Studded tires perform their best in the rougher conditions on snow and ice. What they are however worst at are tarmac, where they are a lot more noisey, higher rolling resistance (worse MPG), longer braking distance and increased wear
For icy conditions, loads of snow and driving in an area where you're basically always on hard-packed snow/ice and not gravel, tarmac or similar materials I can recommend studded tires for their added traction, and if you're only occascionally on these then a proper set of good unstudded tires will do you fine, especially the higher-end tires like the Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 2 and Nokian Hakkapeliitta R2 amongst the best
I don't know much about brands other than what's constantly advertised (Michelin, Goodyear). Are there any brands I should stay away from?
Any more models I should consider/what do you guys use?
>>13802747
Any "large" brand produces good tires, its all a question of choosing the right model for your conditions and how much you want to pay
Still, I have yet to this day never encountered or read about a chinese or indian winter tire that does well on any snow or ice
Nankang, Minerva, Sunny, Kumhol and surprisingly the low to mid-tier tires from Nordman are all brands you ought to stay away from.
The "only" chinese brand that can produce a decent winter tire that I've seen so far is Maxxis, with their newst Arcitctrekker unstudded tires. Its a decent tire, but its not amazing me in any aspect
>>13802733
About $85 per tire
Live near Denver CO, so get hit considerably due to mountains.
185/65R14
Snow ontop of hardpacked snow, check
slush with tarmac beneath, check
Sluch with snow
Hard packed snow with new soft falling snow
Black ice at times
Not sure about Tarmac, we have the trucks spilling the liquid-gaseous shit to melt ice/snow and other trucks spilling the gravel.
>>13802791
Michelin X-Ice XI3
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Michelin&tireModel=X-Ice+Xi3&partnum=865TR4XI3XL&vehicleSearch=false&fromCompare1=yes
General Altimax Arctic
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=General&tireModel=Altimax+Arctic&partnum=865QR4AMAXA&vehicleSearch=false&fromCompare1=yes
These are the only two I can find online that I can really recommend through what I know. I find it weird just how limited the availability of different tires are in the US, even in the northern parts.
You could call a Nokian dealer in the US and ask them for quote on the Nordman 5's in your size. Its a bit of an older design and Nokians "cheap brand", but they're still damned good tires that live up to the tough demands we put on tires here in Scandinavia. Also ask for the Hakkapeliitta R, athough I think that may be out of your budget
The Michelins are a better tire overall than the Altimaxes, although the Altimaxes will perform better on ice and the hardest of packed snow when studded, although this will affect your performance outside of those narrow situation
>>13802853
What does that 90T and 86Q respectively represent in those tires?
Also, I did find some of the Nokian's R2 for $89 on a website.
![HKPLR2_Nokian_Cryo_Crystal_Concept[1].png_c=innovation_image_desktop.png](https://i.imgur.com/dkgQs3d.png "HKPLR2_Nokian_Cryo_Crystal_Concept[1].png_c=innovation_image_desktop.png")
>>13802902
Did you? Link?
The R2's are by a mile the best winter tires on the market for snow and ice. They fall short of their competitors when it comes to performance on wet and dry tarmac, but that is a consequence of them aiming to be the very best at the toughest conditions. If you want the absolute best performance when you really need it then those are the tires for you. They even outperform some of the mediocre studded tires when it comes to grip and stability on snow
The numbers are speed rating and load rating
Load rating = 90 = 1323 punds of load-bearing capacity
Speed rating = T = 118mph limit for the tire itself. Going beyond means that there is a huge risk of damaging the tire, and also causing a blowout
Speedrating on winter tires don't really mean much, as you really don't want to exceed the speed limit in these conditions
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=35
B L I Z Z A K S
>>13802935
http://m.discounttire.com/dtcs/findTireDetail.do?c=0&rcz=80601&ar=65&rf=true&rd=14&rc=CODINT&cs=185&dVeh=dVeh&ra=filterTireProducts.do&fl=&tc=NOKSR2&yr=1998&pc=17231&vid=006054
I will be driving in equal amounts of hard-packed snow and slush (wet, melted snow which may contain gravel), so which would you recommend overall? Also, how is it you are so well acquainted with all these tires? Thanks for all the help.
>>13802961
they are bad
>>13803015
I simply deal with tires quite a lot hanging out with a buddy of mine who works at a tire store when he is at work and I've got some time off quite often, reading about them, reading tests and whatnt... I find the development and progress of them over the years quite interesting. I'm also very picky about tires in general, so I'll always try to stay updated on the latest news. I run the previous-generation studded Nokians myself, the 7's and since I first tried those I've been a bit of a Nokian fanboy
The R2's are miles beyond anything I was recommending, and I'm not sure why I wasn't able to find those at Discount Tire. The only tire I find to be comparable to these are the Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 2's I mentioned earlier, which are better all-around and perform better on wet tarmac, dry tarmac and slush with tarmac beneath, although they are a step behind the R2 on snow, hardpacked snow and ice
I'd go for the Nokians, especially at that price... I'm still amazed that they are going for that price. Here the same tires in the same size would cost me about $115
This thread has me all excited for winter.
I fucking love snow driving.
H A K K A P E L I I T T A
![The+outsider_4534c9_5733223[1].png](https://i.imgur.com/9CfeNI3.png "The+outsider_4534c9_5733223[1].png")
>>13803100
Scandic banter best banter
I have the Michelin X-Ice XI3 on my mustang, and I really like them. I live in ontario, Canada we had a lot of snow last year and they held up really well I never felt like i was going to get stuck and had allot of road confidence. There dry road performance fine, a would say they feel little squishy.
>>13802935
The 90 is actually the load index, the load rating is derived from it. Also speed ratings are that speed for 1 hour, just FYI.
>>13803683
Noted, thanks buddy
>>13803096
Literally mischievous the post.
>>13803027
They worked fantastic for me.
>T O Y O
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>>13807028
Decent tires, but from the tests I can read (they don't appear to have ever been sold here) they were never able to quite reach up to the Hakkapeliitta R, Conti ExtremeWinterContact and the Michelin X-Ice 2... and the worst part about that is that all the tires I just mentioned are at this point close to being simply outdated when compared to their successors, making the GSI-5's quite horribly outdated
>>13807114
What do you think about yokohama ice guard ig52c
>>13807210
From what I can read and looking at the pattern, rubber and features of it I'd say that it looks to be a middle-of-the-tree tire that isn't too expensive. It has a directional pattern which is always good, proper siping and a rubber compound designed for the colder temperatures. It has been tested against the Blizzak WS80, a tire I'm familiar with, and its performance on snow and ice was quite close to that of the established WS80. Now, because of this my skepticism towards the Yokohamas grow... the WS80 is worse-than-average on ice, seems to have worse-than-average grip under acceleration and braking, although it performs quite well on actual snow. Another problem is that its side-grip is quite bad, meaning that you'll lose grip quicker in turns.
These results are from comparison against tires like the Continental ContiVikingContact 6, Goodyear Ultra Grip Ice 2 and Nokian Hakkapeliiitta R2, which are in their own rights the best of the best. The WS80 lacks severely in many areas, and for its price you are much better off getting a set of the Goodyears I mentioned further up, or the Michelins. The R2's are if you want to maximise your performance on ice and snow, while being prepared to deal with pretty shit performance on wet and dry tarmac
>>13802666
I spent two years working at a ski resort. I just had some basic on-road/off-road tires (LeMans A/T) on my Explorer and the snow never gave me any problems. The only time they didn't cut it was when there was freezing rain in the valley, like >>13802676 talks about.
>>13807346
>miata in the snow
muh dick
How do Miatas (NA or NB) handle on the snow? I live in the Northeast where we get snow, and I hate driving in it. Any tips or pointers?
>>13809368
Get winter tires, stupid.
>>13809377
dont fking call me stupid man
BLIZZAKS
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>>13809368
I just posted this pic elsewhere.
Miatas handle great in the snow, with snow tires.
They're like little go-carts.
Tips:
When the back lets loose, clutch.
When you take off, shift into 2nd sooner.
Use lower revs.
When trying to climb a hill of ice, cycle through the gears. You'll fishtail all the way up but you will make it.
Dress as if you aren't even in a car.
Most importantly, turn the FEAR into FUN
>>13809397
Suck my dick, retard.
>>13809463
fk u
>>13809454
Is this a good deal????
Should I pic up this miata? 2800$ canadian which is 2125$ american its a 1990 I think it's the slower 1.6 I know the 1.8 is preferred I just want a RWD toy
http://m.kijiji.ca/cars-trucks/markham-york-region/1990-mazda-mx-5-miata-convertible/v?adId=1114214676&ck=CK&from=Search&ts=1446794843138
>>13809454
Thanks brother.
I don't own a Miata yet but I've wanted one for a while now, and I figure I could pick one up now at a much cheaper price than in the Summer, since people are probably trying to clear garage space out and what not.
Oh and, how cold does it get inside the car when you have the cloth top on? And the hard top? Just wanna know so I'm not freezing my ass off. The cold weather kicks my ass.
>>13809368
According to my friend who owns it it performs as well as any other RWD car thats light in the ass... putting something heavy in the boot helps quite a bit, but with proper tires its still no issue... although driving a lowered one in a country like mine may prove a bit challenging at times
Are Nokkian R2 overkill if most of my winter drive is on slushy highway roads? I'm in New England and we had a pretty damn rough winter last year. Then again I don't live in the sticks. Budget isn't really an issue. I've narrowed my choices to Nokian R2, ts850 contis, and good year ultra grip ice 2s. Thanks for the tips :)
>>13809543
Btw there's usually a stretch of three weeks at the end of January and the start of February that's basically a continuous blizzard. Most days it's just slush with occasional ice
>>13809543
Yeah, they would be. Their performance on solid undersides are quite bad.
The Goodyears are the second best tire overall, and a much better tire for those conditions
>>13809564
Alright thanks buddy
>>13809510
They're super fun in the snow.
>how cold does it get inside the car when you have the cloth top on?
Just slightly colder than it is outside, and without the wind chill. You won't feel the need to take your jacket off, that's for sure. The Miata is not a luxury vehicle, it's just a vehicle. ie. The heater is nothing special.
Oh and buy a redtop battery eventually. The cold will never sap your battery again.
>>13810079
*slightly warmer
>>13806435
Oh they work a LOT better than AT or summer tyres, but there are much better tyres out there
>>13809564
So the Ultra Grip Ice 2s apparently wont fit my car. Is the ultra Grip Ice WRT much different? (Full disclosure. I'm fairly tire illiterate)
![2015vinterdack2015vinterdack-25[1].jpg_width=720&height=480&quality=85&mode=max&scale=both.jpg](https://i.imgur.com/cvrKVFH.jpg "2015vinterdack2015vinterdack-25[1].jpg_width=720&height=480&quality=85&mode=max&scale=both.jpg")
>>13810278
Not a tire I have experience with. From what I can read they were rated as "ok" when they were released roughly five years ago, and at this point I'd say that they are outdated¨
The Hakkapeliitta R2's you asked about earlier would very much likely perform better in absolutely all categories, even on wet and dry tarmac
Also look into the Contiental WinterContac SI's
What size are you looking for?
>>13810316
225/45/ R17
2014 mk6 golf
Again. Thanks for the help dude.
>>13810416
The Ultra Grip Ice 2's are available in your size, you'll just have to go up to 50 on the profile, which should not be an issue at all unless your wheelarches are already 100% filled up and have absolutely no extra room for 5mm of tire
>>13810429
Yeah the car is bone stock. Haven't lowered anything. I'll definitely look into them. The contact SI are fairly new and I can't really find a solid review of them.
This reminds me to buy new tires for my w210 benz.
STUDDED tires, since winters and ice around these parts never fun!
i need those spikes!
>>13810450
The tests I've read show that they're a good tire, and Continental has yet to make a premium tire that doesn't live up to its name
Still, R2 and UltraGrip are my two main recommendations, its up to you to decide wether you want very strong performance all over with the Goodyears or putting all your points into snow and ice-performance and living with reduced grip and handling on tarmac with the Nokians. Mind you, they're not like shitty chinese all-seaons that'll lose grip on any surface, you can still drive around normally and not feel like the tire is lacking - its simply has a longer braking distance and loses its grip sooner than the other winter tires it fights against
>>13810469
Honestly, since I don't live far outside the city the R2s are just not worth it. Even if they would be the best choice for blizzard conditions. I'll more than likely have the day off anyways. Ill shoot for the goodyears and I look at the contis. Thanks for all the tips
>>13810491
No trouble, stay safe and drive according to the conditions
>>13810505
Are Goodyear ultra grip ice 2 EU only? Can't seem to find ICE "2" anywhere online
Yokohama is terrible. Stay clear of them. I'd recommend Michelin desu
>>13811766
It would appear so.... I had absolutely no idea that they apparently aren't sold in the US. I would've thought that to be weird if a US-based tire manufacturer wouldn't sell their best tires in their home country so I didn't bother checking, but I am actually not able to find those tires for sale over there... what the fuck Goodyear
>>13811983
And I was looking forward to checking them out tomorrow. Shit bro :(
>>13812336
Just go for the Hakkapeliitta's if the Goodyears aren't available
Canadian here.
Michelin Pilot Alpin PA4
I am looking to purchase a commuter vehicle to replace my current Hyundai Santa Fe beater.
A little bit about my driving habits. I drive 25k miles a year for work and leisure. Living on Lake Superior makes for very harsh and long winters. I have done fine with a fwd and snow tires, only getting stuck twice *hooning related*. My commute to work is 72 mile round trip on back roads and gravel.
My wish list for new vehicle.
Highway mpg 27 or better
Comfortable
Safety rating and airbags is a big concern
Awd preferably but I can make do with fwd
Under 20k
I bought a Subaru Outback for my fiancé, enjoy driving it and the mpg is much better then the Hyundai. This has me looking at newer subarus 2013 and newer, would prefer the newer motor and amenities. Besides the subarus I also been eyeing up used luxury cars and impressed with what’s around. The Lexus GS awd, vw cc 2.0 or vr6 awd. Vw golf or Passat tdi.
Also Volvo has caught my interest. Especially the s80 2007 and newer, does anyone know much about them
Anything else I should be looking at?
>>13815005
Subaru Legacy
>>13815005
VW cc is AIDS desu. I'd stay clear of that. But yeah Subaru Legacy is a really nice option in my opinion. I've only heard good things from the two people I know who own them
>>13802853
Michelin X Ice get poor reviews compared to the Bridgestone Blizzak WS80. And they're more expensive.
Considering winter tires are strictly a utility piece, and will need to be replaced in 3-4 seasons, there's not a lot of sense in spending more than ~150-170 dollars a piece.
I bought Hankook I'Pikes for my last vehicle, and they were really good. But I doubt they're any better than my Blizzaks, which were $45 less per tire.
south east michigan here
>general altimax arctic
>no studs
>miata
pretty consistent starts and stops in cold wet and snow covered roads, some control over ice patches too
would recommend/10
If you drive consistently on ice or hardpack snow and your state allows studded tires, get them.
>>13817758
In what aspects do the XI3's (make sure that they are X-Ice XI3's and not an older generation) score lower than the Blizzak WS80s on those tests?
The large drawback of the WS80 is its lack of grip on ice, where the XI3 performed a lot better. It also lost some points due to its bad performance on wet tarmac. Its a good tire in snow with its unconventional design, proper siping and large groves, but like I said; its low grip on ice is what pulls it down
>>13817857
Tire rack disagrees.
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/testDisplay.jsp?ttid=191
![2015vinterdack2015vinterdack-12[1].jpg_width=720&height=480&quality=85&mode=max&scale=both.jpg](https://i.imgur.com/XZs2nED.jpg "2015vinterdack2015vinterdack-12[1].jpg_width=720&height=480&quality=85&mode=max&scale=both.jpg")
>>13817758
Here are some statistics of the WS80 vs the XI3
Car; Ford Focus
Tire size; 205/55 R16
Braking on ice, from 30mph/50kph to 0
Bridgestone Blizzak WS80; 64,3 meters, the tests worst result, being beaten by low-end tires like the Nankang Ice Activa Ice-1 with 64.2 meters
Michelin X-Ice XI3; 55,6 meters
Braking on snow, 50mph/80kph to 0
Bridgestone Blizzak WS80; 53,0m
Michelin X-Ice; 52,7m
The difference isn't large, but with the Bridgestones positive point being that they perform decently on snow and still not doing better than the X-Ice 3...well, you know what I mean
Braking on wet asphalt, 50mph/80kph to 0
Blizzak WS80; 43,9m, shared last place with the Nankangs mentioned earlier
X-Ice XI3; 41,9m
The only thing the WS80 scores the best on during these tests, compared to both unstudded and studded tires, is the road noise... and that is really not an aspect I find to be very important when I'm shopping for winter tires, or tires in general
>>13817937
And then you'll find OTHER tests that list them as being not better or worse, but almost the same as one another.
Protip: 90% of what you read is carefully crafted shilling from Bridgestone/Michelin/Nokian/Hankook/etc.
Best to read individual reviews from all over, talk to guys at a TIRE place (not a dealership), and get a general feel for who makes good tires.Even asking coworkers this kind of stuff is a good indicator, it'll at least give you an idea on tread life, handling, etc.
I had to buy some new winter tires this year, and after doing a lot of homework I chose the Blizzaks because they were a good price, and I'm a student who needs to save money. I've use Michelin Pilot Exaltos before, and they're fucking FANTASTIC tires. I've also used Generals, Good Years, and Continental. Only ones I found to be shitty were the Continentals, but they were just a basic all season.
TL;DR I'm sure they're both good tires, take every review with a grain of salt. If there's one objective thing I can say about Michelin, and it's not meant to be disparaging, it's that they market VERY aggressively. I hear their radio adverts, tv commercials, see posters up, pop-up ads, etc. constantly. I hope they keep producing good tires, and don't go the route of Apple where it's all flash and no substance.
>>13817980
>it's that they market VERY aggressively
apply this to Bosch as well, they hound people about their "superior" winter wiper blades
i tried them last year, they fucking sucked after 3 weeks
returned them and bought some basic RAIN-X wipers, they work great and are still streak-free 18 months later
![studless_goodyear[1].jpg_width=720&height=480&quality=85&mode=max&scale=both.jpg](https://i.imgur.com/O94mAGq.jpg "studless_goodyear[1].jpg_width=720&height=480&quality=85&mode=max&scale=both.jpg")
>>13817980
Myeah... one thing I wish they would disclose a lot better in these type of tests are tire pressure and temperature, which can have extreme results on the performance.
I like to dicuss tires and performance and whatnot, but the truth of the matter is that even with a cheapo tire like the Nordman RS, Nankangs and all that you will be able to get around ans drive safely as long as you know how. Sure, there exists tires that are pretty much guaranteed suicide to trust in winter conditions although they are marketed as winter tires, but as long as you don't buy the absolute bottom of the barrel you will be able to survive
Most of my coworkers, family and whatnot drive on Nokians. For our conditions there is absolutely no point in choosing anything else if you want the best grip, but at the same time I've known a lot of people who have bought the cheapo tires and went "OH LAWD THE GRIP IS SO AMAZING", having previously been driving on ten year old BFG All-Terrains with terrible siping, so I'd also take that with a pinch of salt
You're in the US, right? I cannot remember having seen any tire ads or heard any at all for a long, long time except for Nokian when they released the new 8s... are the stuff I hear about advertising and so on in the US true, that you really cannot avoid it?
>>13818004
I'm actually Canadian, but we get bombarded with media non-stop. Ads on radio, television, internet, etc. are incessant. Fucking billboards, bus stops, ON BUSES THEMSELVES, people putting shit on their cars as "mobile ad space", etc.
It's horrendous. As soon as winter creeps near, the winter products are thrust in everyone's face. Tires especially. Shitty automakers like GM start pushing ads about how their cars are "made for the Canadian winter" and such, it's pathetic.
Tire pressure is a good thing to consider, there are some people who run really low in the winter (like 22-25 PSI) and others who just maintain the same pressure all year (38-42 PSI). I kind of keep it in the middle, and go more by vehicle specs than what the tires say anyways. It's always been within 1-3 PSI anyhow.
And about driving on shit tires, yeah, anything is going to seem extraordinary by comparison. I drove a full winter on all-seasons...holy fugg. Never again.
Hektik skidz aside, I did almost go into a ditch when I hit a big dip in the road that was filled with ice and slush. Winter tires are well worth the money. I'm surprised though, that we only have 1 province in the entire country that makes them mandatory. And it's not mine.
>>13818059
We don't have a law here that says you HAVE to be equipped with winter tires, but you are legally obliged to be equipped to handle the conditions in a way that does not pose any danger to yourself or others, and also does not hinder or slow anyone else down. Aka if you're driving without winter tires and there is frost on the ground/snow and so on the police have every right to stop you and take away your license for it. That, combined with the actual conditions around here; nobody drives around on summers or all-seaons during the winter. There are laws prohibiting studded tires outside of certain timescales, but even then you can be stopped in the middle of July and say that you're heading into the mountains and there might be snow, and as such they can't actually fine you on it anything.
I run 40 front and 40 rear on my Merc since most of my driving are on highways and really well-tended (translation; scraped and salted to fuck) small roads where I study and the commute between here and my hometown for work, but for the next winter I'll be living back in my hometown and pretty sure I'll be dropping them down to 35 or something, depending on how the new tires will perform (replacing my Hakka 7's with Hakka 8's)
>>13802666
just get all seasons and 4wd
>>13818133
You've got to put more effort into it
Call people who buy winter tires shit drivers, talk about how your 4WD truck all-seasons got you back home just fine as you were going 10mph on a lightly carpeted highway, followed a convoy of other motorists wanting to go home
>>13818173
>I drive a pretty shitty commute every day in the winter
>Did it fine with a FWD car and some winter tires
>Routinely see idiots in giant 4WD boxes upside down in the ditch
Kekkkkkkkk "muh driver aids"
Tires are the most important thing, next to driver skill and experience.
Gonna use Michelin CrossClimate this year, latest type of all seasons, supposed to be amazing, but we'll see. Have real winter tires on the car my wife drives.
>>13818262
Yea. I have a 4WD car and in the winter I don't even engage 4WD.
>>13818306
I have a set on my bmw. Really nice tires. No complaints so far
