Recommend a good winter tire for the 05 Legacy GT Ltd?

[Rimfaxe]

Trying to line up winter tires for the Legacy GT Ltd. Although it does not snow much in VA, I will be doing a number of ski trips and travels to NJ, Boston, Maine, etc.

Just wanted to know what some of you are going with for the upcoming season.

Rimfaxe

edit: oops- should have posted this in the wheels and tires sesction. Sorry.

[scubie02]

For the wrx I had Nokian Hakka 1's--they are mazing in the snow but because of the studs are a bit louder--though since the LGT has better insulation that might not be as evident. Anyway, they have a new studless tire that hopefully they will get made in the right size by winter. The Dunlop winter sport m3's or whatever they are called should do ok and maintain more of a sporting ride between storms.

[outahere]

See: http://www.legacysti.com/viewtopic.php?t=1327

[Max Capacity]

I have been driving to VT every weekend that Okemo Mt has been open for the last 7 years. I have never had snow tires. My son was on Okemo's race team so we traveled around Vt for races. I don't think you well need snow tires.

Even when I was driving my 1992 Honda Civic Si up there in winter, I never put snows on it. Drove it up there about twice a month in winter. The only storm that it needed a push was the blizzard of March 93 the car was buried in snow. A couple of years back in March we got more big dumps I just shovled out back of the Subby and down both sides and back out to where the bucket loader had removed the snow.

Another story, not snow tires. Late March 2001 my son broke his left leg at Sugarbush North during States. At Sugarbush South they had a x-ray machine at frist aid. Only thig was first Aid was about 100 feet up the snow from the parking lot. It was 53 degrees F. I loaded my son in the back of the subby and drove him down to the x-ray machine. I backed up onto the snow up to the First Aid, drove the car back down to the parking lot. 1 hour later backed up the snow to get him and then drove home. Never got stuck, all with out snow tire.

If you want more stories PM me, there are to many to list here.

[gtguy]

So if you put a gun to your head, pulled the trigger and didn't blow your brains out, would it be recommended? No. Any, all, and every car can benefit from snow tires. A friend puts Blizzaks on his Land Cruiser in late November.

When posing the question, ask yourself how much snow you're going to be seeing, and how often the roads are dealt with where you live.

A Z-rated tire such as the RE-92 loses more than half of its available grip when the temperature gets below 40 degrees, even though it is an all-season tire. If that doesn't scare you, it should.

This, coupled with the fact that RE092s have a high plastic content to aid in longish tread life, means the stock GT tires are NOT, I repeat, NOT recommended for winter use. Yes, you will be able to go just fine. It's that stopping and turning stuff that will be problematic. Don't be cheap. Snow tires are less than most people's insurance deductible.

Now:

If you get lots of snow, as in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, etc, go for the king of studless mojo, the Bridgestone Blizzak WS-50, which has been released in the stock GT size. This tire on a Subaru is astounding. You can do (I did in my WRX) 4K launches, and the car just takes off. Braking and turning are drama-free. The down side to the WS-series tire is that when you don't have snow, they aren't all that hot. You're speed limited to about 80 mph. Run the pressures at about 37 psi for best results, and don't corner too hard, or you will dramatically increase the wear on the tires. If you are considering the other Bridgestone Blizzaks, the speed-rated versions, there are nicer tires out there, like the Michelin Pilot (not Arctic, which is a snow tire) Alpin, or...

If you are a city person, I really like (used them last season) the Nokian WR. This is an "all weather" tire, which is Finnish for "all season," but it has the snowflake on the sidewall, which means that it is the first (and only) all-season tire that can pass muster as a snow tire. They are not as good a snow tire as the WS Blizzak, meaning that you can't quite drive with complete and total impunity. But they are vastly superior to ANY all-season tire. Period. Particularly in braking and turning. Also, unlike the Blizzak, the WS is V speed rated, and starts to get squirmy at about 115 mph in the dry.

Rumor is that the WR is now available in the GT's stock size. Previously, it was just the 225-45-17 size, which is .9 off, so when you speedo says 60 mph, you'll be going 60.9 mph.

Other thoughts are that generally, Pirelli snow tires are on the mediocre side. They work, but not as well as other options. Don't consider ice when choosing a snow tire. The Blizzak WS works the best on ice, but unless you're running studs, if you hit ice at the wrong time, you're along for the ride, so buckle up.

Dunlop is a nice, low-cost alternative, but they don't wear very well. The WS-series Blizzak particularly, is good for about two to three seasons, before the magic, multi-cell compound wears away, and you're left with a mediocre all-season tire.

Snow tires also dramatically increase the life of your summer rubber, as you are only using them for a portion of the year, making them even more of a bargain.

A friend raised the argument that with snow tires, you are in more danger of being hit, because you have so much more traction than everyone else around you. I'm standing on his head and calling him stupid as I type this. You can never be too rich, or have too much traction.

Good luck with the car,

Kevin

[rao]

I hate beiing called stupid :lol:

[eamiller]

Blizzak WS-50s.. The only tire I've ever had in which I can floor my FWD light Honda in several inches of snow and actually push me back in my seat.. Braking is phonemonal, especially without ABS. If you lock the brakes on snow or ice, the car stops straight and true every time. Handling is predictable as well. They actually make you want to take the car out in the snow, even without AWD :-)

[kanoswrx]

I would really like to get the Nokian RSi's but they only come in 225/45/17. I have allways heard good things about Nokians and figure I should give them a shot. As for the WS-50's since I live near D.C we don't get constant snow, but we do get our fair share, and sometimes more so, and sometimes less. Its very unpretictable from year to year. So I would like a snow tire with good winter dry/wet driving abilities as well as good in the snow. So maybe I should look at the Nokian WR's as well.

[outahere]

....... I really like (used them last season) the Nokian WR. This is an "all weather" tire, which is Finnish for "all season," but it has the snowflake on the sidewall, which means that it is the first (and only) all-season tire that can pass muster as a snow tire. ....... The Blizzak WS works the best on ice, but unless you're running studs, if you hit ice at the wrong time, you're along for the ride, so buckle up....... Kevin

How many miles did you get out of the Nokian WR?

On the NASIOC tire forum, the Tirerack rep made the surprising statement that the Blizzak WS50 will outperform a studded tire on ice, but I do not see such a statement on the tirerack web site.

[outahere]

Rumor is that the WR is now available in the GT's stock size. Previously, it was just the 225-45-17 size, which is .9 off, so when you speedo says 60 mph, you'll be going 60.9 mph. Kevin

This is no longer a rumor. Their european website shows the following size being available: 215/45R17 XL 91V.

I am guessing the US price will be $150-$200 each!

[praedet]

I posted this a while ago in a dif. thread, but here you go,

I REALLY liked my Nokian WRs last winter, and they DO come in 215/45R17. They have an XL sidewall rating, so they are a lot stiffer than other all season/snow tires. I found that they performed excellent in snow, excellent in water, and good on dry(very little sidewall flex, but the tall tread means less ultimate grip), even putting them into 4 wheel drifts (in the dry) on a WWD car. The road noise was a little higher than normal, but acceptable and less than other snows I had heard. All in all, much better than straight snow tires across the board, especially in non-snow conditions.
Ted
Also, if you look around a little, they usually perform better in snow than many dedicated snows, bu there are a few better if you live in truly snowy places.

[CombatCQB]

Does anyone have experience with the Dunlop WinterSport M2 or M3? They're rated really well by consumer report. Tirerack rates them well too.

[bigbadboss101]

I got local price quotes on the Dunlop WinterSport M3, the Blizzak LM-22, and some Toyo Gripix or something I forgot. WS-50 works well, but don't perform as well as the LM-22? I think I will go with one of these 3. We get snow from possibly September to May. I am wonder if I should go to 16". 205-55-16 is not quite equal to 215-45-17 however.

[2ndchildhood]

I recall reading that the 2005 Legacy 2.5GT requires a 17" Rim; the 16" rims won't fit over the larger brakes. Can someone else confirm?

[c_hunter]

Trying to line up winter tires for the Legacy GT Ltd. Although it does not snow much in VA, I will be doing a number of ski trips and travels to NJ, Boston, Maine, etc.


I also live in VA (Williamsburg) and do a lot of travelling during ski season. In my opinion, dedicated winter tires are not practical because of the overwhelming majority of the time that you will spend on clear roads. You will suffer the downsides of winter tires (noise and poorer handling) and wear them out pretty quickly during the 95-99% of the time that you will be on dry roads, all for the 1-5% of the time you may encounter snowy/icy roads.

I have been travelling to WV and VT to ski for years, and never felt I needed winter tires. Good all-season tires have been more than sufficient, even in some pretty hairy conditions.

Now if I lived in WV or VT full time and spent more time on snowy/icy roads, I would definitely consider winter tires. But when I drive hundreds of miles on clear roads to arrive at a snowy destination, it's clear to me that all-season tires are the proper choice.

Look back at your last couple of ski seasons, and try to get a feel for the % of miles you are on clear roads versus snowy icy roads -- that is what should dictate your tire choice.

Craig

[c_hunter]

also -- consider a set of chains if you want to be prepared for off-highway snowy roads in a pinch. Actually, I used to consider chains to be standard equipment for VT winters when I lived in New England. The newer cable style chains are pretty nice, and not noisy at all. Slap them on your all-season tires and you should be good to go.

Craig

[bigbadboss101]

Unless you get lot of snow I think the All-seasons will do. The Proxies and Neros seem to rate better than many of the summer tires. So unless you live in warm climates all year, might as well go with all seasons. Last longer, don't ride too much worse, and cheaper.

I will surely replace the re92 with one of the two. My decision would be if I should get a set of snows. The all seasons would do, but I want the added security and might look at the LM22, the Dunlop M3, or the alpins

[RedSectorA]

I use both the Dunlop W210 (H rated) for an 02 Legacy and Goodyear (yeah I know I felt the same about those B4!) Ultra Grip GW3 (V rated) on my 325i, both do the job very well although the sidewall on the GW3 is stiffer. All in all if you do alot of travelling in weather below 40F I would recommend winter tires.

[outahere]

I got local price quotes on the Dunlop WinterSport M3, the Blizzak LM-22, and some Toyo Gripix or something I forgot. WS-50 works well, but don't perform as well as the LM-22? I think I will go with one of these 3. We get snow from possibly September to May. I am wonder if I should go to 16". 205-55-16 is not quite equal to 215-45-17 however.

The LM22 should be available at heavily discounted prices, to clear out the remaining inventory of this tire. It is now superceded by the LM25.

[gtguy]

I got local price quotes on the Dunlop WinterSport M3, the Blizzak LM-22, and some Toyo Gripix or something I forgot. WS-50 works well, but don't perform as well as the LM-22? I think I will go with one of these 3. We get snow from possibly September to May. I am wonder if I should go to 16". 205-55-16 is not quite equal to 215-45-17 however.

The LM22 should be available at heavily discounted prices, to clear out the remaining inventory of this tire. It is now superceded by the LM25.

This is true.

If you have a Legacy GT, you can't run 16" wheels, as they won't fit the front brakes.

The WS-series Blizzak is for those people who don't mind compromising dry performance, for "Snow? What snow?" performance in the white stuff.

Kevin

[cptplt]

One can always "get by" without snows but one gets by better with snows! I used to think FWD was the best thing since sliced bread in the snow till I discovered FWD and snowtires, then I thought AWD was , till I discovered AWD and snow tires.

The most informative anecdote I have personally had was when one of my colleagues in a E320 4matic (probably the best AWD sytem in a car) tried to follow me in my WRX with snowtires. When we got to our destination, he wanted to know how often my traction control kicked in. Because his was on all the time as was his ESC. When told I don't have any fancy electronic traction gizmos in my 5MT WRX, he was astounded as he could barely keep up the whole way. He got snowtires right away and he says the lights on his dash hardly come on now when he drives in the snow and he can drive a lot faster than he could before. Yes, you can get by without snowtires esp on plowed roads , but you get by faster and safer with them. Not only traction but braking. CR did a test once where snowtire equipped cars stopped something like 1-2 car lengths quicker on snow than the best all season. They were also the ones which found the original Blizzak WS15 did better than studded tires.