Snow tires

Thought I'd give you guy's a heads up. Tire Rack has there summer specials on now. I just bought 4 Blazacks for $114.00 each 215/45-17 and 4 205/45-16 for $88.00 each.

Damon @ X-643 said they had plenty of them.

is that a very good price?

Thought I'd give you guy's a heads up. Tire Rack has there summer specials on now. I just bought 4 Blazacks for $114.00 each 215/45-17 and 4 205/45-16 for $88.00 each.

Damon @ X-643 said they had plenty of them.

 

Great price, I'll have to check them out. Thanks for the heads up.

LM25 on tirerack site is at 99 each, but their rating only rates it slightly better than the top model bridgestone all season. so I dont know maybe should be pushing for better winter tires?

LM25 on tirerack site is at 99 each, but their rating only rates it slightly better than the top model bridgestone all season. so I dont know maybe should be pushing for better winter tires?

 

The LM25 outperforms the best Bridgestone all-seasons in the snow, no questions asked. The TR ratings are very subjective, and that is a fact.

blizzaks are far superior to my RE-92's in every way. they even handle so much better in the dry...might have to do with the fact that i got 225/45/17, but i am extremely satisfied with my winter setup.

blizzaks are far superior to my RE-92's in every way. they even handle so much better in the dry...might have to do with the fact that i got 225/45/17, but i am extremely satisfied with my winter setup.

 

The RE-92 should not even be mentioned here . It is not a performance tire, it does not provide great performance in any category except tread life, etc etc. Only performance tires should be compared to other performance tires in this instance, as the RE-92 isn't even in the picture if you care about performance.

 

That said, my LM25s are surprisingly grippy, and they say a lot about what a performance winter tire can do. The technology is so good in general that if you do your homework you will not be disappointed no matter what you pick.

LM25 on tirerack site is at 99 each, but their rating only rates it slightly better than the top model bridgestone all season. so I dont know maybe should be pushing for better winter tires?

 

 

 

In the real world, how much better can they be for the dollar difference. We all know AWD is the big plus here. My Michelin's PA2 cost me $176.00 each, got me through 4 Winters and are still on the car today, July 17th. I'm using them up so I wouldn't be tempted to run them one more Winter.

 

I'll know in 4 years how these held up for me. Most people don't even need snow tires. I made it from 1982 to 2004 with out ever having snow tires on my car's, yes I have lived in the same area all those years.

So far (1 winter) I'm impressed with my Pirelli Sottozero's (215/45/18), more so than the Michelin PA2's (205/55/16) I had on my old RSX-S. But obviously comparing AWD to FWD in snow is apples to oranges. I do find in extreme cold (I live in one of the coldest areas of civilized Canada) the Sottozero's stay a little softer and grab better than the PA2's especially on ice.

In the real world, how much better can they be for the dollar difference. We all know AWD is the big plus here.

 

Incorrect to a large extent. AWD is great for acceleration, BUT braking and turning is the big concern that makes a snow tire make sense to the consumer, and AWD does very little to help either situation in the snow. You can argue about turning with AWD in snow all day long, but in reality if you want to grip when you stop or turn on snow, then snow tires are going to make much more difference than AWD vs not.

 

However, if your concern is slogging up a snowy mountain road, or to accelerate from a stop or a low speed in snow, then AWD is a saving grace.

 

Having recently retired from a semi-pro ski racing career, I can say definitely that at the end of the day ANY car with AWD or 4WD and all-season tires is easily defeated by a civic with chains if there is even a lick of ice or slick snow.

 

But then if you actually know how to drive, snow tires are much more a convenience than a necessity. The trouble is it takes a LONG time to learn how to really drive in the snow. I did 200+ ski days a year for several years straight, and I still don't have it down like a good ski coach.

AWD is completely useless if you don't have appropriate tires in the snow. And AWD does not makes you stop or turn better on the snow either.

definitely not completely useless, but with snow tires it is amazing.

 

just did a season on some Blizzak WS-60s and I am amazed at how well they grip the snow. i went through some coming-over-bumper deep snow and it did very well as long as i kept my foot in the pedal. the WS-60's wear faster than the LM-25's I think, so I'm a little concerned as to how long they'll last.

ClimberD,

 

I also ski and my son raced for Okemo in the late 90's. I would take a friends daughter back to Burke Mt Academy in my 00 Legacy GT with all season tires. One time was 5 hour drive in a snow storm. I ski 65+ days a season for the last 13 years. Started going to VT in the Civic with all season tires in 95/96 season. I have a ton of winter driving stories with out snow tires. None of them bad, it's about knowing your limits.

ClimberD,

 

I also ski and my son raced for Okemo in the late 90's. I would take a friends daughter back to Burke Mt Academy in my 00 Legacy GT with all season tires. One time was 5 hour drive in a snow storm. I ski 65+ days a season for the last 13 years. Started going to VT in the Civic with all season tires in 95/96 season. I have a ton of winter driving stories with out snow tires. None of them bad, it's about knowing your limits.

 

Small world... My old English teacher from Sugar Bowl now runs the J3 program at Burke, or something like that (not sure on the details, or if she is still there... I went off the deep end, sold all but 2 pairs, and moved to Texas)

 

I would agree, but add that the muscle memory and feel takes a long time to become part of your immediate reaction process. I guess it's the same for skiing or driving. My old coaches were incredible driving on snow in ways I will forever be amazed at. Kind of like in racing, when the most experienced racer slips and moves forward instead of back or neutral, and softens and lets the ski find its edge again instead of stiffening up, etc, etc... Knowing limits, and not needing to think twice about what to do when the limit is crossed. Damn now I miss racing again...

 

I should mention my nickname for a couple seasons was DQ... I'm still young and willing to test my luck in snow, which is why I have the LM25s (still on the car in TX lol)

LM 25's are amazing compared to RE-92's I did 2 seasons on the the RE-02's driving

 

to Stratton at least twice a week and to other ski areas around the east coast all

 

winter . ( I have a cool winter snowboarding job)

 

Last season was a pleasure on my LM 25's for $99 you can't beat em

Small world... My old English teacher from Sugar Bowl now runs the J3 program at Burke, or something like that (not sure on the details, or if she is still there... I went off the deep end, sold all but 2 pairs, and moved to Texas)

 

I would agree, but add that the muscle memory and feel takes a long time to become part of your immediate reaction process. I guess it's the same for skiing or driving. My old coaches were incredible driving on snow in ways I will forever be amazed at. Kind of like in racing, when the most experienced racer slips and moves forward instead of back or neutral, and softens and lets the ski find its edge again instead of stiffening up, etc, etc... Knowing limits, and not needing to think twice about what to do when the limit is crossed. Damn now I miss racing again...

 

I should mention my nickname for a couple seasons was DQ... I'm still young and willing to test my luck in snow, which is why I have the LM25s (still on the car in TX lol)

 

 

Texas and snow tires, they must think your nut's lol. I agree, skiing gives you a better feel for the car. It's is awesome to ride the edge and feel the control. But that's a different forum, epicski.com. I work at Okemo on weekends.

 

 

 

 

 

I did spend the first winter on the RE92 with my 00'GT and the 98'GT. After that went to the Michelin MXV4 like my Civic had.

Texas and snow tires, they must think your nut's lol.

 

I'm pretty sure most Texans don't know what a snow tire looks like. Sadly, not an exaggeration

 

I have Dunlop Sport Maxx whatevers sitting in the corner, just need to get them swapped on for the endless summer.