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Tire Decision for Moderate Winters-what do you have?


Deepwoods

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I have an 06 Spec B with stock wheels and summer tires--215/45-18 with life left on them. I am looking at either a set of winters to swap back and forth, or a set of all-seasons (set and forget). Will pull the trigger in the next few days.

 

Considerations:

 

I want to stay with stock wheels.

I am fine with stock size, and know that limits selection, but I am fine with what is available.

Cold weather considerations drives this decision more than snow driving.

That said, I'd like snow-driving piece of mind.

The Washington DC area gets cold, but not brutally so, and snow, though not tons. Spring comes in April, Cold in November.

DC area has occasional warm days.

I live in the outer suburbs/ country

I don't mind driving into town to get the tires swapped. (I think...)

 

Other Mid-Atlantic drivers out there with first-hand experience?

 

Thanks!

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I bought a set of aftermarket 17" wheels for the winter and Dunlop Wintersport M3's for my car after trying one winter on the stock RE050A's. The difference in overall grip is much different (don't lock up as easy or spin tire as easy) and when do you do push past the limit, the snow tires are much more progressive as they loose grip, as opposed to summer tires which just let go. It's a much more relaxed drive on the winter tires, almost to the point of being boring.

 

I tried the tire dance on my Honda back in college and it's too much of hassle and the cost of having the tires switched twice a year plus rebalanced that buying a set of dedicated winter wheels isn't that much more expensive in the long run.

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Hybridandy,

 

Thanks. Honestly I go back and forth, though the upfront cost is a slight issue right now... But I may get a set of winters for the stock and then come springtime, decide on new rims and tires.

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^ That might be your best alternative.

 

I sold my stock wheels (kept the tires) and bought a new set of Rotas and a used set of OZ's and new all season tires for them for the winter. I was hesitant to buy dedicated snow tires, my commute is literally 1.5 miles and I don't even pull the car out of the garage on snowy days unless I have to. I went with all seasons and I am pretty happy how they perform in light snow.

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Pulled the trigger on a set of Pirelli Winter 240 Sottozero which should arrive on Friday at the local installer. (I basically flipped a coin between these and the Blizzaks that are the two winter tires in the Spec B's OEM size).

 

I went back and forth on the A/S vs. winter for a while. As I noted, it is cold temps, not snow, that is driving my choice. In the end, I decided that because I have regular 30 mile trips from city to country, at night (with all the winter weather that allows for), where deer are prevelant (meaning braking and swerving are more likely), and because I might want to go adventuring when it does snow, I went with the winter tires.

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Check out the BFG G-Force Super Sports. They're a solid all-season. (See the other active thread about them). The tread pattern on them is siped like crazy, so I can't imagine them not performing good in light snow although we never get any of that here in Tx. Also, Tire Rack is running them on special right now super cheap.
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Thanks all. I went with the Pirelli Winter 240s. Time (and the severity of this coming winter) will tell whether this, or an A/S tire, was the right choice.

 

They are definately not summer tires... that's for sure. But in the cold, there is more connection to the road, and there is the confidence that I won't "hockey puck" my way through an intersection.

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Anybody ever heard of a Sweedish tire called Gislaved? The best winter tire I ever drove on. Made in Sweeden, the are unstoppable in snow esp if you stud them (half pattern studding). Volvo dealers distribute them.

I liked then so much I used them year round on my old RWD '85 Supra.

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For the life of me I don't understand why anyone would bother buying a good handling car, then running all seasons. It's really easy to tell cars with all seasons at an autocross: the ones that screech through every corner. The "M&S" designation on most AS tires is a manufacturers claim: there's no performance standard. So some "All Season," tires manage to suck at both: they're "No Seasons."

 

An older but useful article comparing FWD and AWD cars with snows.

 

Another C&D comparison of summer, A/S, and snows.

 

The Nokian WR G2 or one of the other snow tires designed for central European conditions (maybe even the new Yokohama W.Drive) gives good performance in rain and snow, without being too noisy or wearing too fast. If you have expensive high performance summer tires, using snows for seven months a year might actually save you money.

http://dervish.smugmug.com/photos/421281831_EfcC5-L.jpg

 

 

Nokian video:lol:

Who Dares Wins

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For the life of me I don't understand why anyone would bother buying a good handling car, then running all seasons.

 

Because not everyone pushes their car that hard. I'll see if I change my mind about all seasons after this winter. Things got a little slick with the last snowfall, but nothing I couldn't handle by driving carefully.

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My opinion for the DC area is that if you run snows for 4-6 months you are running less than optimum tires for those 4-6 months. Snows are only optimum for the 0-10 days when there is really snow/slush/ice on the roads (and I'm probably not going to want to drive for at least half of those days anyway). The rest of the time, during that 4-6 month period, a top tier A/S performance tire is the best choice.

 

Bottom line for me in the DC area, what you gain in warm weather with summer tires you lose in the winter with snows so the extra expense and hassle isn't worth it.

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I run blizzaks on 17"RTX's for the winter where i live northern canada winter is long and cold + lots of snow so I save my summer 18's for August (summer in canada) haha but I think you would want a good all season for your ride winters sound like a waste of $$$ where you are, I only bought the winters as tire shops here charge $160 for 4 tires mount and balance
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