My R3-SUV's I have had on the van all winter have been excellent both in wet, dry and heavy snow. I would buy another set for sure. I put about 12K Miles on them this season so far.
Credit is where it is due: Nokian Hakkapeliitta R2 SUV
- Thread starter edyvw
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Originally Posted by Virtus_Probi
Originally Posted by geeman789
On my Subaru Impreza, purchased in August, I got caught out on OE all season tires on ( Bridgestone RE92a ... ) in an early winter (October) storm. Even brand new, they were TERRIBLE ! in snow and ice. I too wondered why Subaru would choose that tire as the OE tire in Canada / Northern USA ???
A bigger question is the whole ALL SEASON, Mud + Snow designation tire makers are still allowed to use. To the average driver, ALL SEASON means exactly that ... adequate in all seasons, including winter. If the tire is NOT ADEQUATE in winter conditions, don't label ( or not be allowed to label by law ... ? ) the tire all season, Mud + Snow.
I have driven on many, many tires over my driving career. I have learned that SOME all season tires are actually pretty good in winter conditions. Others, however, have been TERRIBLE. And that is the problem. How does the average driver know what they are getting? Buyer beware.
I have for the last 20+ years used dedicated premium winter tires on all my vehicles, having learned my tire lessons. I just feel bad for those who blindly trust the car maker, the tire stores and the tire companies marketing propaganda.
On a positive note, a couple of large local tire chains are actively pushing the 3 SEASON description for " all season ... " tires, recommending dedicated winter ( mountain / snowflake labelled), or the increasingly popular " all weather ... " tires for winter use. Yes, it is marketing, and selling more tires is the goal, but at least it promotes safety as well.
And, there is ongoing discussion about making winter tires mandatory in more Canadian provinces. Currently Quebec is the only Canadian province that has passed a law requiring winter tires be used, from Dec. 1 to March 15.
We put RT43s on out daughter's Impreza and have been happy with those...she is a student and doesn't have to drive during storms. If she takes a long driving trip in the winter, we swap cars and I accept that maybe I won't go skiing if there is a big storm while she's gone.
We had to do a car swap for other reasons last month and there was unexpected snow on my way down to her school...not a tremendous amount, but the roads got pretty bad quickly and I was being very, very careful. I was apprehensive about driving her car in those conditions with the all seasons and was pleasantly surprised...the Impreza felt very solidly planted and predicable despite how slippery it was.
I started thinking about how narrow the tires are on that little car and decidedly that I have been too lazy in buying winter tires in the same size as the OEM/summer tires for my car. I knew that narrower tires were better for winter, but figured it would probably be a very minor effect...that trip in her Impreza has me convinced that I should go narrower next time I buy snows. I accept that dry handling will probably suffer as a result, no biggie. I should get another winter out of my R2 SUVs so I am talking about a ways out here...
This is exactly why im staying with 225/55/19 on my turbo CX5 despite the engine and suspension vastly outperforming the tires on dry. Ice and snow...that higher psi on the tread will pay off. Still not sure what Ill replace the A36 toyo that came on it with. Continental TrueContact Tour, Michelin Premier LTX, and rt43 are the 3 im considering. I tried Nokian wrg3 suv on my last cx5, and will never buy another Nokian tire again.
Originally Posted by geeman789
On my Subaru Impreza, purchased in August, I got caught out on OE all season tires on ( Bridgestone RE92a ... ) in an early winter (October) storm. Even brand new, they were TERRIBLE ! in snow and ice. I too wondered why Subaru would choose that tire as the OE tire in Canada / Northern USA ???
A bigger question is the whole ALL SEASON, Mud + Snow designation tire makers are still allowed to use. To the average driver, ALL SEASON means exactly that ... adequate in all seasons, including winter. If the tire is NOT ADEQUATE in winter conditions, don't label ( or not be allowed to label by law ... ? ) the tire all season, Mud + Snow.
I have driven on many, many tires over my driving career. I have learned that SOME all season tires are actually pretty good in winter conditions. Others, however, have been TERRIBLE. And that is the problem. How does the average driver know what they are getting? Buyer beware.
I have for the last 20+ years used dedicated premium winter tires on all my vehicles, having learned my tire lessons. I just feel bad for those who blindly trust the car maker, the tire stores and the tire companies marketing propaganda.
On a positive note, a couple of large local tire chains are actively pushing the 3 SEASON description for " all season ... " tires, recommending dedicated winter ( mountain / snowflake labelled), or the increasingly popular " all weather ... " tires for winter use. Yes, it is marketing, and selling more tires is the goal, but at least it promotes safety as well.
And, there is ongoing discussion about making winter tires mandatory in more Canadian provinces. Currently Quebec is the only Canadian province that has passed a law requiring winter tires be used, from Dec. 1 to March 15.
We put RT43s on out daughter's Impreza and have been happy with those...she is a student and doesn't have to drive during storms. If she takes a long driving trip in the winter, we swap cars and I accept that maybe I won't go skiing if there is a big storm while she's gone.
We had to do a car swap for other reasons last month and there was unexpected snow on my way down to her school...not a tremendous amount, but the roads got pretty bad quickly and I was being very, very careful. I was apprehensive about driving her car in those conditions with the all seasons and was pleasantly surprised...the Impreza felt very solidly planted and predicable despite how slippery it was.
I started thinking about how narrow the tires are on that little car and decidedly that I have been too lazy in buying winter tires in the same size as the OEM/summer tires for my car. I knew that narrower tires were better for winter, but figured it would probably be a very minor effect...that trip in her Impreza has me convinced that I should go narrower next time I buy snows. I accept that dry handling will probably suffer as a result, no biggie. I should get another winter out of my R2 SUVs so I am talking about a ways out here...
This is exactly why im staying with 225/55/19 on my turbo CX5 despite the engine and suspension vastly outperforming the tires on dry. Ice and snow...that higher psi on the tread will pay off. Still not sure what Ill replace the A36 toyo that came on it with. Continental TrueContact Tour, Michelin Premier LTX, and rt43 are the 3 im considering. I tried Nokian wrg3 suv on my last cx5, and will never buy another Nokian tire again.
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