Snow tires

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Nov 9, 2008
Messages
23,725
Location
NH
or winter tires if you prefer.

I think tire sales are around the corner. Could use some tires. Wife's 2011 had Yoko Iceguards for the last two winters, but they got chopped and wore badly and I can't say I'm in a rush to use again. I'm a fan of the General RT43's that I've been getting for all seasons, but Altimax Artic are $112/each at DTD. I see Continental Winter Contact for $98/each. Is there a huge difference? Wife would gladly trade snow traction for ride comfort and most of all, noise--all I want is something that can handle mild snow and ice, and hopefully go more than two years. But they have to be quiet. Figure they go on early to mid Dec, off in April, so probably 10kmiles per winter.

Michelin Ice-X are $105 but I've had bad experiences with their all seasons. So I'm not really interested.

Debating if I want to get cheapo iPikes for my Camry. They seem to work good on my truck, but I'm concerned about noise--I think my truck has more noise insulation than my Camry. 15kmiles for the winter months, I might prefer a new set of RT43's instead--I fear the iPikes might be dead after one winter. Plus the Camry has too much road noise as it is, and I have zero desire for any droning.

FWIW--not interesting an a debate about a/s vs snow. BTDT. We generally stay home when it snows, I generally drive my truck (which has iPikes for winter) if I have to go out. Just interested in a discussion about road noise on iPike, Altimax, Continental, and maybe others. With a nod towards lifespan--it'd be nice to get 30k but if 20k is the right number for cost analysis then so be it. [I'm lucky to get 40k out of a set of tires, they are at the wear bars by then, Primacy/Energy/RT43, they all are done by then.]
 
I like my Xi2s and Xi3s.
Between General Altimax Artic and Continental Winter Contact I would go with studded Altimax if one needs ultimate ice traction (and legal to do so and noise is acceptable) but Winter Contact with not studs (as it is studless aka designed to work on ice without them).

Krzys
 
Last edited:
Sorry, didn't spell it out properly. Not looking for max in ice traction. Wife would shoot me if I got her studded tires. I just want to go a step above all season.
 
Would Nokians be out of your price range? I'm seeing WR G4 in size 215/60/16 (assuming that's your size) online for about $110.
 
Originally Posted by Quattro Pete
Would Nokians be out of your price range? I'm seeing WR G4 in size 215/60/16 (assuming that's your size) online for about $110.

Forgot about those guys. I presume fourth gen is better than first gen--I had first gen but wasn't impressed with them. $110 isn't out of the question, if they are quiet and would last more than 20k.

Originally Posted by Danno
Look at the Blizzak tires. Quietist winters I've driven.

Good to know. I now realize I had been ignoring them on the basis of short life and cost as that is what I thought of them in the past, but looking they seem to be about the same price as Altimax. Maybe I should try them.
 
Originally Posted by supton
Forgot about those guys. I presume fourth gen is better than first gen--I had first gen but wasn't impressed with them. $110 isn't out of the question, if they are quiet and would last more than 20k.
They come with a 60K mile treadlife warranty, FWIW. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not.
 
Originally Posted by Quattro Pete
Originally Posted by supton
Forgot about those guys. I presume fourth gen is better than first gen--I had first gen but wasn't impressed with them. $110 isn't out of the question, if they are quiet and would last more than 20k.
They come with a 60K mile treadlife warranty, FWIW. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not.



Considering I get 40k out of 70k rated tires, probably not much.
wink.gif
When I bought the much vaunted LTX's for my truck the tire shop said to expect 40k. IIRC I was actually on track to get 60k or so when dry rot hit. Nothing else has had tread on them after 40k for me though. My FWD vehicles just kill tires.

Downside to shopping by tire warranty is having to buy from a tire chain. I've been avoiding that, not sure if I want to go back to that way of getting tires onto my vehicles. Nothing against them but I spend more money getting tires, and typically lose a morning sitting in the shop. And I'm not interested in having to go back to get tire rotations in order to maintain any warranty. I did have my LTX's warrantied, and it took a couple of months to get my money--I had to buy its replacement tires up front. In short, I just don't plan on using any warranties on tires going forward--I just don't think they work for me and my situation.
 
I don't know how your I-Pikes are wearing, but the two sets I've run both have gotten really good treadlife. I get that 15k is a lot of miles in one season, but based on how mine have worn (both used on Explorers) I'll easily get 30k out of them as snow tires... They do have more noise than an A/S, but I'm OK with that tradeoff...
 
Supton, how many miles do you figure were put on those Yokohamas in two winters? That sounds horrible. I've had Blizzaks and Firestone Winterforce snows last twice that with life to go. They only saw about 6-8K miles per season though.
 
The Continental DWS06 might be what you're looking for. Great snow traction for an all-season, quiet, comfy, and generally last pretty long. I used the Goodyear UltraGrip Ice WRT for the past 2 winters on my Ford Focus and they were great in all snow conditions and ice patches. Dry performance was better than expected for a winter tire and it's about as quiet as grand-touring rated all seasons. I got a good 25+k miles on them (including 10K+ miles through 60+F degree weather in Nevada/Cali/NM/Texas) before I got rid of them.

Originally Posted by supton
Good to know. I now realize I had been ignoring them on the basis of short life and cost as that is what I thought of them in the past, but looking they seem to be about the same price as Altimax. Maybe I should try them.


I'd continue to skip the blizzaks. They're great in deep snow but lack any sort of dry and wet pavement performance and wear down like cheddar on a grater
 
Originally Posted by Pew
The Continental DWS06 might be what you're looking for. Great snow traction for an all-season,
Are you speaking from experience? If so, what other tires have you compared it to?

The reason I ask is that DWS06 is an UHP A/S tire, and as such, winter capabilities are fairly low on its priority list.
 
I emailed the tire and rubber association (who certifies the mountain snowflake tires) and they have a minimum spec for obtaining the symbol. There are some tires that exceed the minimum standard more than others, but they will never release the information as there are sure to be some low cost tires that beat out higher dollar ones. It would be quite the coup to learn that the Xice is handily beaten by a Chinese entry !

As nearly snow/winter tires become all seasons by the time they reach 50% tread (sipes all gone just standard tread remain), my strategy is to buy the highest rated lowest cost tire that have the mountain snowflake spec.

For me that tire is Altimax Arctic 12.
 
Originally Posted by Quattro Pete
Originally Posted by Pew
The Continental DWS06 might be what you're looking for. Great snow traction for an all-season,
Are you speaking from experience? If so, what other tires have you compared it to?

The reason I ask is that DWS06 is an UHP A/S tire, and as such, winter capabilities are fairly low on its priority list.



Yes, although on the older DWS (but I've heard only good things about the new 06 version too). They were probably the best all-seasons in the snow that I've ever come across and very comparable to the Michelin Alpin PA3 (tread pattern was very similar, but the Alpin PA3s were just slightly better in snow). Comparing it to other all-season tires I've driven in the snow:

Bridgestone Potenza RE970AS (tread left on this wasn't the best for snow traction though so I can't speak for how they are new, but I'm surprised I didn't end up in a ditch with the evo)
Cooper RS-3A (another great A/S tire in light snow)
Sumitomo HTRZ all seasons (surprising decent light snow traction for a budget brand)
 
Different experiences, I guess. Wife had the DWS on her C300, and I thought they were mediocre at best when it came to winter driving. But I am on the other side of the lake, so we get significantly more snow here.

I had the re970AS on my 530i. Good tires, but downright scary during winter.

Size likely plays a role, too. My previous RE960AS in size 235/45/17 on the 530i sucked during winter, too, but wife had them in size 195/65/15 on her Jetta, and they were OK.
 
Odd on your tread life. Do you have the car alignment checked when tires are mounted by a decent shop?

I have WR G3 SUV and had WR G2 SUV and would not recommend as dedicated winter tires. They are good and really incredible at slush and rain over any winter tire but not up to a dedicated winter tire on ice. I find tread life to be about 40-45k on my 07 Acura MDX. I run them year round.

You listed some good choices and have your alignment checked. The tire shop I use locally charges $40 to check alignment during purchase and $80 if it needs it, they know what they are doing. Of three checks only needed one.
 
Xice2's 215/70R16 would be a good size for winter IMO for a Camry. I think these are the best winter tires for everything but heavy snow, but then you are staying home. They are quieter than many all seasons and wear pretty well since there's so much rubber on the ground. Just put a set on the Outback and they are quieter than the OEM Duelers and only a bit more squirmy. I had a set on the CRV as well and they have alot more wet grip than any other winter tire I've owned, which is a real downfall of alot of winter tires.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted by Smokescreen
I emailed the tire and rubber association (who certifies the mountain snowflake tires) and they have a minimum spec for obtaining the symbol. There are some tires that exceed the minimum standard more than others, but they will never release the information as there are sure to be some low cost tires that beat out higher dollar ones. It would be quite the coup to learn that the Xice is handily beaten by a Chinese entry !

As nearly snow/winter tires become all seasons by the time they reach 50% tread (sipes all gone just standard tread remain), my strategy is to buy the highest rated lowest cost tire that have the mountain snowflake spec.

For me that tire is Altimax Arctic 12.


It is not big deal to have cheap Chinese tires beat expensive tires in the snow. The tricky parts are ice and dry.
I would have said wet but good snow tires have enough void space that aquaplaning is not a problem.

KrzyÅ›
 
Vitour Polar Bears. Cheap but work well. Don't know how long they will last ultimately, but they cost half as much as the name brands. Find them on ebay.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top