Need all-season tires that are quiet and good in snow

Quattro Pete · Nov 3, 2003

Hi all,

I'm looking for recommendations on 195/65/15 ('01 Jetta) all-season tires. The main requirements are:

- quiet/comfy
- good snow performance

Other things like dry grip and crisp handling are somewhat less important because the person driving the car does not drive aggressively.

I was almost ready to get the Dunlop SP A2 , but then read a bunch of reviews on TireRack (from VW owners) that they're kinda noisy. So now I'm back to the drawing board. I'm considering:

Nokian WR (expensive, but if it's worth it - OK)

Falken ZE-512 (I've heard good things about their overall performance, yet I can't convince myself that the tread design can really handle the snow all that well)

Bridgestone LH-S (don't know much about it really; priced a little on the high side as well)

Any other suggestions or comments on the above? Thanks in advance!

PS: Even though these will be used during Wisconsin winters, dedicated winter tires aren't an option. I know all-seasons are a compromise, but the person who will be driving on them is not willing to put up with two sets of tires and seasonal swaps.

userfriendly · Nov 3, 2003

The solution is another set of rims for $100,00 with dedicated winter tires.
Its amazing how people put so little value on their lives and others.
I'd bet that this person smokes $4,000.00 worth of cigarettes a year, but can't justify spending money on snow tires.
Does that sound like someone you all know??
The bottom line is a soft compounded all season tire will wear out quickly during the summer and be useless on ice and snow the next winter.

Quattro Pete · Nov 3, 2003

quote:

Originally posted by userfriendly:
The solution is another set of rims for $100,00 with dedicated winter tires.

Oh come on, I specifically asked not to touch this subject. If it were an option, I wouldn't be asking about all-seasons. I know they're not as good as winter tires - you don't have to tell me that. I have two sets of rims/tires personally.

quote:

Its amazing how people put so little value on their lives and others.
I'd bet that this person smokes $4,000.00 worth of cigarettes a year, but can't justify spending money on snow tires.
Does that sound like someone you all know??

No, it does not sound like someone I know. She doesn't smoke nor drink. It's not really money issue but inconvenience. She lives alone with no man around the house to help her stuff the wheels into the car and take them over to the nearest tire shop for a swap or put them on the car by herself twice a year. Besides, she's done very well with just all-seasons for the past two winters. If she's careful, she'll manage just fine. Do you really think everyone out there has winter tires like they should?

quote:

The bottom line is a soft compounded all season tire will wear out quickly during the summer and be useless on ice and snow the next winter.

I think you're exaggerating a little bit. It may be true of some tires, but not all.

Now, let's get on with answering my original question please.

Bob Woods · Nov 3, 2003

I have Michelin Symmetry tires on two different cars and they seem to work well in all weather conditions.

userfriendly · Nov 3, 2003

Ok use Goodyear GPS radials.
Since they have been discontinued in their original tread pattern, the old design can be found at 1/2 price.
I just bought 4 215/65/15s for $60.00 CDN each which works out to about $40.00 USD.
edit: oh yea, just because you took the bait you don't hafta' swallow the hook too.
My last post was a troll.

[ November 03, 2003, 05:11 PM: Message edited by: userfriendly ]

DJStillman · Nov 3, 2003

I have had excellent success with BF Goodrich Excentia Touring Tires on my 91 Stanza. They are 2.5 years old, have been through 2 Michigan winters with only 1 incident (really bad road).

They were a little expensive, but I found them on a good deal. The tread still has easily another 1.5 years, and another winter or two to go before they will be changed.

They have good traction, are pretty quiet on highways, and are good in rain and snow and ice. They are pretty much the best tires I have ever had, and will be going for them or a slightly better version next time around.

Hope this helps...

jason07-1zzfe · Nov 3, 2003

You have the time to help her find tires...can't you spend 30 min twice a year to swap them out for her?

Bill J. · Nov 3, 2003

We run GreenDiamond "Icelander", all season snow tires on three rear wheel drive family cars, two of the cars use the 195-65-15 size.

The Icelander version of their tire line is considered the all season/snow tire. The current price per tire is 73.54 USD for that size, plus shipping. Visit "greendiamondna.com" (North America) or "greendiamond.com."
The are sold in Europe, US and Canada. We got all of ours from Wisconsin and New York state as there is no Illinois dealership.

We used to have separate sets of snow tires for winter,and we had the "all season" Nokians, etc. Not anymore. We run these tires year round. Rotate them like you would any other tire. We have about 15 thousand miles on each of the cars and are going into the second winter. The wear has been negligible. These Green Diamonds are quiet, long wearing and will perform as well or better than a brand new set of Blizzaks in snow. Blizzaks effective life is only a couple thousand miles as they quickly wear out on dry pavement.

In snow the Green Diamonds are on par or better than a brand new set of Blizzaks. On dry pavement, whatever season, they ride like comfortable all season tires. No noise. Paradoxically, they handle like all season tires but perform like snow tires when needed. On ice there is no better non-studded tire than a Green Diamond that I am aware of. For our RWD cars we won't use anything else, as long as these tires are available, and as long as we're in the snow belt.

rpn453 · Nov 3, 2003

I've found BF Goodrich's tread compounds to be reasonably good in the winter. Cooper Cobras and Lifeliners work alright too.
Since that tire size is relatively narrow with respect to vehicle weight it's not that bad to use all-seasons in the winter, as long as you maintain a good tread depth. So make sure you get something with good tread depth to begin with. A winter tire will give you better traction on ice and snow, but it's not a dramatic improvement over an all-season tire in good condition. The difference is more noticeable if you get studded winter tires.
I just put some 195/65R15 Studded BF Goodrich Winter Slalom on my mom's car. Her 205/55R16 Goodyear RS-A's were horrible in snow, so I bought her some decent mid-90's cavalier 15" alloys at the wrecker for cheap and convinced her to get some tires. Can't even hear the studs with the windows up and boy do they have traction.

[ November 03, 2003, 08:23 PM: Message edited by: rpn453 ]

Patman · Nov 3, 2003

Despite my car club swearing up and down I could never get through winter with all season tires on my 95 Formula, I made it through with no problems last year running Dunlop SP Sport 5000s. These are Z rated all season tires and if they come in her size I highly recommend them.

This will be my first year buying dedicated snow tires, I honestly don't think I need them (but am getting them anyways), considering I've gone through 17 or 18 winters now with various cars, most of them high performance rear drive cars, and in some cases I ran summer tires!! When you live close to the city, deep snow is not something you often have to drive through.

VaderSS · Nov 3, 2003

quote:

I made it through with no problems last year running Dunlop SP Sport 5000s.

While an all season tire can get you through the winter, having winter tires on in the winter, is like having summer tires on in the summer. I've driven a 2wd vehicle with winter tires, and a 4wd vehicle with all seasons, and it was the 4wd that put me into the snow bank..., course with 4wd, I was able to back out of the snowbank.

[ November 03, 2003, 11:58 PM: Message edited by: VaderSS ]

Patman · Nov 3, 2003

quote:

Originally posted by VaderSS:

quote:

I made it through with no problems last year running Dunlop SP Sport 5000s.

Click to expand...

While an all season tire can get you through the winter, having winter tires on in the winter, is like having summer tires on in the summer. I've driven a 2wd vehicle with winter tires, and a 4wd vehicle with all seasons, and it was the 4wd that put me into the snow bank..., course with 4wd, I was able to back out of the snowbank.

That is why I finally broke down and decided to go with the snows, since even though all seasons have been good enough, I wanted the extra margin of safety, especially if I need to travel out of the city (which I may need to do for work) and especially if I get a car seat for my son for my Firebird.

Back on topic, I just checked Tirerack and they do make the Dunlop 5000 in the size she needs. They also show Yokohama AVS dbs, which I know from experience they are very quiet but I never drove them in snow (I had them on my 97 GTP)

Neonmike22 · Nov 3, 2003

The SP Sport A2s you were considering aren't exactly the longest wearing tire. They also don't do very well in the snow to begin with.

I got a set of cheapo Kumho 716s and I'm pleasantly suprised with them compared to my old dunlops.

edvanp · Nov 3, 2003

I have the Yokohama AVS dbs on my Regal GS and they perform quite well. I got into a big snow storm 2 years ago in March, driving from Columbus to Toledo, 8-10 inches of snow, and I made it home. I was really impressed with them. They handle well in all conditions and they won't break the bank either. If you want one tire for all, this is a good one.

novadude · Nov 3, 2003

Patman... how is wear on those SP5000's? What kind of life can I expect?

Dr. T · Nov 4, 2003

Why not check with the VW dealer to see what they're recommending. I think a lot of German cars are coming with the Continental "ContiTouring" tire which should be a very good year 'round option. It's priced well too.

Dr. T · Nov 4, 2003

That GreenDiamond site is something else. They advertise the "Icelander" as both a snowtire and an all-season tire. Which one is it? If you study it carefully, you will see that it's more resembling of an all out winter tire. It probably then has a harder compound to allow for warmer-temp. use. Best of both worlds? Not really (if true) because you are diminishing dry winter traction as well as ice traction due to the harder rubber. Second, wearing them down during the rest of the year also dramatically diminishes their effectiveness (and safety) the following winter season. Why do that? For a couple bucks? One slip (as another gentleman posted he has a couple days ago) requiring even a new wheel or suspension part will cost a lot more than a set of winter wheels/tires...let alone replacement/repair of auto body parts or injury...

And lastly, where does this company come from? They're designs resemble major brands. eg. Alpin looks awefully a lot like the Pirelli SnowSport 210. The Ultratrack looks awefully a lot like a Michelin Pilot. I personally wouldn't trust this company...

moribundman · Nov 4, 2003

quote:

Jason Troxel wrote:l
You have the time to help her find tires...can't you spend 30 min twice a year to swap them out for her? [Wink]

Yes, Pete, why don't you get on that plane already? It's only a 7 or 8 hour flight from Poland to Wisconsin.

I can't give you advice on all season tires, but I can tell you the Goodyear RSA M+S that came as OEM equipment on my California-bought A4 were blah. Not enough tire for the car...

Bill J. · Nov 4, 2003

Dr.T. .... I too was suspicious at first when I discovered Green Diamond Tires by accident on Netscape. After several conversations with a northern Wisconsin tire dealer who used them on his family vehicles, and his personal assurance that they would work as advertised, we got our first set.

Having actually experienced the performance of the first set, additional sets were purchased for the other two family RWD cars. This will be the third winter for the first set, the second winter for the other two sets. Same tires all four seasons, no changing. No increased wear, no compromised handling, quiet and capable, and reasonably priced. Better than a brand new set of dedicated snow tires.

My experience with tire chains ended with the spring of 67'. We can't use chains here in Illinois. I won't put any other tire on a RWD car, as long as these are available. If I had a FWD car Green Diamonds would be purchased as replacement tires. The number of distributorships in North America is growing. I think they are getting more popular, even without advertising. Green Diamond is the only manufacturer with this technology. They license it to Nokian in Europe, but only for European manufacturer and European sale.

Don't shortchange these tires, or base an opinion on the layout of their website, or their tread designs. Tread designs are licensed and fee shared by different tire manufacturers. I believe the "Icelander" version is a Continental tire design. Green Diamond technology does work and it works better than the others. Only Green Diamond tires have it.

It may sound like an advertising pitch but I am not in industry and do not profit from it. I like to spread the word if I find something good, and that's what I'm going. My previous post about these tires is based on personal experience with three family RWD cars. I don't know anyone else who has these tires. People are somewhat set in their opinions based on what they have had available to them, and what they've been exposed to - word of mouth and advertising. I have used other brands of "all season" tires and dedicated snow tires through my 40+ years as a driver in the upper Midwest. Now I use what works the best.

Quattro Pete · Nov 4, 2003

quote:

Originally posted by moribundman:
Yes, Pete, why don't you get on that plane already? It's only a 7 or 8 hour flight from Poland to Wisconsin.

Yeah, I need to do that soon. Maybe at the end of January if I can get a visa.

quote:

I can't give you advice on all season tires, but I can tell you the Goodyear RSA M+S that came as OEM equipment on my California-bought A4 were blah. Not enough tire for the car...

The RSAs are actually half decent compared to the Goodear LS that she has on there now (OEM tires for Jetta). If I can get her local Nokian dealer to come down with a price a little, I think I'll get her the WRs. The GreenDiamonds may be good too, but I just have a personal aversion to retreaded tires, no matter how they do it.

Thanks for all the comments everyone.

Need all-season tires that are quiet and good in snow

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