Keep summers, get wheels on Craigslist and get a second set of snows.
Tire Selection for 22 WRX
- Thread starter K20SiGUY
- Start date
Michelin PS4 are what I use for autocross on my GTI. You can get those tires in either an all season or a smoother summer version. I use the latter for the racing.
Since you don't have the car yet see if the dealer can put some all seasons on it for you. Then don't worry about new tires for a few years.
Yeah I agree, I do not look at any of the reviews, but I do look at Tireracks own personal test metrics and this is what they are reporting regarding all 4 brands. And again for the record, I will not be getting another set of rims and winter tires because as I stated in my OP I drive my Ridgeline after Thanksgiving here in PA and usually stop driving it as much in March/April depending on when winter feels like it’s done, and I do run Michelin X ice snows on it as well.
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You seem to not have a full understanding:
the DWS is for tread depth only and there arent different compounds on top and middle of tread....
you need tread depth for winter traction which is what they represent.
also the tread can harden so if you have 5 year old half worn tires they are certainly not like new ones by then.
Which is also why reviews that shave tires down then try to extrapolate performance when worn... is not real world results.
I see that now, I was under the impression their compound was improved, hence the better winter grip. I will probably just look for a tire with either emerging sipes like the Bridgestone or figure out if there is a UHP A/S tire that has a higher silica compound, or whatever the manufacturer uses for winter grip incorporated into the tread
you might want to just run those stock tires and get a set of winters or winter focused all seasons (Michelin CC2?) to run for mid-nov to april.
or you could buy the UHP All season that tire rack says is tied for the best winter traction... Michelin pilot 4 AS
I do plan to run the stock summers until October or so. Then I thought about getting an AS once the morning temps start to drop. I would love a set of CC2, have them on my wife’s Regal TourX but the price for them in my size (298$) makes me ill…
You still did not respond what you think about using DWS06+ on your WRX which you have experienced already.
Here is conundrum that you face.
If you want better winter traction than above mentioned Continental you need to go with lower performance all seasons or all weather tires. None of them have "high performance" in their design objectives. You may love them in the snow and hate them in all other conditions. Michelin or Vredestein will have similar level of performance, Michelin usually keeps their performance for longer.
If you want significantly better snow performance you need winter tires (performance - better match for WRX - or studless - worse match for WRX) and that means two set of wheels which you do not want to do as you have separate vehicle for this.
You need to decide what you want.
Krzyś
Here is conundrum that you face.
If you want better winter traction than above mentioned Continental you need to go with lower performance all seasons or all weather tires. None of them have "high performance" in their design objectives. You may love them in the snow and hate them in all other conditions. Michelin or Vredestein will have similar level of performance, Michelin usually keeps their performance for longer.
If you want significantly better snow performance you need winter tires (performance - better match for WRX - or studless - worse match for WRX) and that means two set of wheels which you do not want to do as you have separate vehicle for this.
You need to decide what you want.
Krzyś
I have my doubts if you really love them in the dry, on WRX.
How good are CC2 in the wet?
Krzyś
See what goes on sale in October, or perhaps a Labor Day sale, or, if you want to roll the dice, a Black Friday sale, if you can wait that long.
Definitely not against using the DWS 06 +, I loved everything about them except they seemed to lose that light snow traction fast. They are comfortable, quiet, handle well in wet and dry conditions. They are my go to unless someone had experience with the other tires I listed and could say for sure that they were as good in the snow as mine were when they were still relatively new. Since I have some time I will wait and see if more reviews of the Bridgestones come out. They have emerging sipes in their tread block and scored highest in ice traction ( I know it’s a UHP AS so that doesnt stand up against much) my only worry with them is road noise. Maybe after another 6 months or so there will be more of a consensus on their overall tread wear and noise.
There is no "magical compound" for snow traction. Winter tires have a formulation that reduces rubber hardening at cold temperatures. Flexible rubber is better at trapping snow in the tread, and this trapped snow enhances snow traction.
Your Continentals didn't lose snow traction because a "special outer layer" was worn off, it was because you lost tread depth.
Make Sure Your Tires Have Enough Tread for a Snowy Winter - Consumer Reports
In wet and wintry weather, all-season tires begin losing traction long before they appear worn out, according to Consumer Reports testing. Here's what you need to know.
Your first paragraph contradicts itself. Winter tires have a formulation that reduces rubber hardening at cold temperatures. That is the "magical compound" Even more magical is with Blizzak WS-series tires with the microcell tube compound on the first half of the tread depth..... as back in the day, the main difference between a WS60 and LM60 is the microcell tube compound on the WS-60 on the first half of the tread blocks.There is no "magical compound" for snow traction. Winter tires have a formulation that reduces rubber hardening at cold temperatures. Flexible rubber is better at trapping snow in the tread, and this trapped snow enhances snow traction.
Your Continentals didn't lose snow traction because a "special outer layer" was worn off, it was because you lost tread depth.
Make Sure Your Tires Have Enough Tread for a Snowy Winter - Consumer Reports
In wet and wintry weather, all-season tires begin losing traction long before they appear worn out, according to Consumer Reports testing. Here's what you need to know.www.consumerreports.org
But tread depth is correct affecting traction, which in the case of Blizzak WS series, the special microcell tube compound is good to around the legal limit for tread depth for certain states and countries.
OP said he has the Honda Ridgeline with Xice Snow for winter duty.
Yes, I know it's TL;DR.
If snow is that important of a consideration, then UHP is not for you. The DWS is said to be the best in snow for that category.
If you can only use one set of tires year-round, you should use a 3-peak.
I love all season UHPs. I’ve had several that are discussed here.
first, if you want to push the car, while I own 2 sets of Michelin CC2s, what they gain in wet handling, they lose in lateral grip. It’s a soft-letting go, they give you warning, which can be good if you can figure out how to drift it. But if I’m truly driving aggressively, that’s not the one.
I had the potenza RE980… got about 15k out of them. They are fairly quiet and seem to do everything well. Just…. good, soft rubber, not unlike the old Yokohama AVS DB, which I hated to see discontinued. My son and I both had the potenza tires and I can firmly suggest them as a solid buy.
prior the the Bridgestones, I had the previous generation of the DWS06. This tire has a cult following. They were a little too soft in my Lexus, and “sang” on the freeway, though overall they were near silent. while it shouldnt matter, they had rounder sidewalls which looked better to my eye than the Bridgestones. In the end, I gave the DWS06 back to discount tire because they turned my Lexus into a dental chair every minute above 55 mph.
the Michelin pilot AS/4 is the gold standard in this category - you probably can’t go wrong there, but for some reason that seems too easy.
first, if you want to push the car, while I own 2 sets of Michelin CC2s, what they gain in wet handling, they lose in lateral grip. It’s a soft-letting go, they give you warning, which can be good if you can figure out how to drift it. But if I’m truly driving aggressively, that’s not the one.
I had the potenza RE980… got about 15k out of them. They are fairly quiet and seem to do everything well. Just…. good, soft rubber, not unlike the old Yokohama AVS DB, which I hated to see discontinued. My son and I both had the potenza tires and I can firmly suggest them as a solid buy.
prior the the Bridgestones, I had the previous generation of the DWS06. This tire has a cult following. They were a little too soft in my Lexus, and “sang” on the freeway, though overall they were near silent. while it shouldnt matter, they had rounder sidewalls which looked better to my eye than the Bridgestones. In the end, I gave the DWS06 back to discount tire because they turned my Lexus into a dental chair every minute above 55 mph.
the Michelin pilot AS/4 is the gold standard in this category - you probably can’t go wrong there, but for some reason that seems too easy.
No contradiction. No magic is involved. Just chemistry, materials science, and engineering.
OTOH if the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 All Season had snow and ice traction equivalent to that of the studded Michelin X-Ice North 4, that would be almost magical.
