Winter Tire Review Thread (Please contribute)

[rxpx2012]

I havethe bridgestone blizzak ws70's and am very pleased. I've had them for only two weeks and they are worth every penny. Night and day difference in traction in the slippery conditions.

[hattrickey]

Would there be any issue running 215 65 17 on the stock rims? I can get a great deal on some winter tires but I'm worried they will be too tall.

[Suberman]

Originally Posted by hattrickey

Would there be any issue running 215 65 17 on the stock rims? I can get a great deal on some winter tires but I'm worried they will be too tall.

A lot too tall.

How much?

Try this web page :

http://www.rimsntires.com/specspro.jsp

Or this even more interesting page:

http://bndtechsource.ucoz.com/index/...alculator/0-20

Plug in your numbers.

Sidewall height will be nearly 2 inches taller, the while wheel will be 3.4 inches taller, approx and run 14% slower rpm. That means 60 mph on your speedo will be more like 70 mph actual.

[hattrickey]

Originally Posted by Suberman

A lot too tall.

How much?

Try this web page :

http://www.rimsntires.com/specspro.jsp

Or this even more interesting page:

http://bndtechsource.ucoz.com/index/...alculator/0-20

Plug in your numbers.

Sidewall height will be nearly 2 inches taller, the while wheel will be 3.4 inches taller, approx and run 14% slower rpm. That means 60 mph on your speedo will be more like 70 mph actual.

Wow, thank you for the information! I will be looking elsewhere for tires now.

[DetroitJake]

Michelin X-ice 205/55R16 (minus sizing recommended by Tire Rack). Mounted on Sparco Assetto Gara 16x7" wheels.

The tires are a HUGE IMPROVEMENT over the factory installed Primacy HP in cold weather. Plenty of snow this winter in Michigan.

my FR-S was totally un drivable last winter but handles great on snow and bad roads now. Completely dispels my fears of RWD cars in winter in michigan. Traction control and VSC are a big help too.

[DetroitJake]

Here's a couple of pics

[Vten]

Originally Posted by DetroitJake

Here's a couple of pics

Attachment 65360

Attachment 65361

^ Ha , we have the same wheels !


Im on 17s tho, with a blizzaks LM60 225/45/17

[DetroitJake]

Nice! Ya I'd be scraping with your dropped suspension though. We really got dumped on this winter. 17"s are okay, but 16" seemed like a good way to go for winter. More sidewall to take up Michigan notorious potholes and frozen suspension in this weird below zero weather. Maybe I'll need adjustable coil overs for this summer

[MSohm]

I also went with the (16" downsized) General Arctic Altimax and have to say I'm impressed. I've put them through ice, slush, packed snow and deep snow and they impressed me every time. Way better than the Pirelli winter carving edge I have on another vehicle.

They impressed me the most in the deep snow. My commute takes me through the country where there is often a lot of snow drifts with deep snow ruts. I was worried about this light car being tossed around in the ruts, but it stays straight as an arrow with these tires even when I can hear the snow scraping the bottom of the car.

[BRZZZZZZZZZZ]

205/55/16 Hankook W310s here, they have been very good for a performance winter tire so far, about the same as the old W300s which where my personal favorite of the last few years.

[Nevermore]

Tire: Hankook Winter i*Pike RS (W419)
Size: 215/45/17 on stock rims
Location: Northern Kentucky, USA
Driver: A mix between cautious and spirited, depending on the situation and conditions.

Impressions:
I bought these tires in anticipation of the bad winter we would have this year and I am incredibly glad I did. This is one of the worst winters I've had to drive in and with my first RWD car too. The stock tires were terrible on snow, and even though I didn't want to spend money on snow tires, I knew I wouldn't survive on the stock tires. These tires have proved to be one the best investments I've ever made.

I spent a lot of time reading reviews. I didn't want an intense snow tire because I'm used to the mild winters we have here (though this year is proving to be rough). I think this is a good in-between tire. It's studdable, and I bought it without them. I read the reviews for the previous W410 and loved them. These things are nice and affordable too.

Winter performance is a good title for it. It handles extremely well in the wet and dry and I have no trouble enjoying my car with them on. I've read reviews about other tires that squirm and struggle on dry pavement but excel on snow. This tire does well on both, although I think it gives up a bit of snow/ice performance for overall dry/wet. If you live in an area with extreme winter conditions I'd say get another tire, or stud this one. It's perfect for mild winters with low snowfall numbers.

It can be a bit noisy, but after a while you don't really notice it, especially if you turn the radio up. Comfort is a bit difficult to rate because of our stiff suspension, so any tire would bump hard, but they're pretty close to stock tires for comfort.

Last thing, they do not like warm weather at all, but they are snow tires, they work better the colder it is outside. If it gets warm out they seem to squirm a bit at highway speeds. You just need to take it easy if it's 50 or higher out.

[Captain Insano]

Great review, agree with everything you said. I have the Altimax as well and I've run them last winter and this winter. I'm using them on the OEM wheels in exact same size as the OEM tires.

I'll just start by saying this is the worst winter I can ever remember in my area. We have had lots of snow and ice and extreme cold. In these conditions, I think the Altimax are a great bargain bang for buck winter tire. I like that you pointed out the rear weight. I am running with no weight in the trunk. In fact, I'm running extra light with the spare, tools, carpet and board removed from trunk as I never bother to put them back in the winter! That said, I can tell a little bit, as the traction will slip kinda easily when starting from a dead stop on ice or snow... But I must say the care is SUPER predictable when it does slip and it doesn't slip nearly as much as I thought it would being a RWD light car even with snow tires.

These tires are a champ in snow and slush. They exceeded my expectations. This car is very driveable in winter conditions with these tires provided you are a sensible driver and not driving at dangerous speeds.

The tires are a little bit squishy at speed. I can feel them moving a little weirdly sometimes at 80 mph or so, but I rarely drive that fast in winter on the interstate anyway so not too concerned. Even so, I don't feel it's dangerous, feels similar to a windy day moving the car around a little bit. I've never felt like I would lose control at that speed with these tires. I've never taken it above 90 mph with these tires so cannot comment beyond that.

Originally Posted by TRev

I chose the General Arctic Altimax in a 205/50-17 on the stock rims. I already have one set of rims for summer/autox and will be picking up a second set for National events so the stock rims made sense as winter tires. That and I think they are kind of ugly so I don't really care what happens to them.

I have been ice racing for a number of years and for the money you cannot beat the Generals. The Blizzaks are only quicker on glare ice. Any type of snow pack, deep snow, or chewed up ice from the studded cars and the Generals beat the Blizzaks. They also wear much better and perform better at shallower tread depths than Blizzaks do. I have ran Blizzak WS50, REVO1, WS60, and WS70.

Additional weight in the trunk is a must for a RWD car IMO. I started out with 50lbs of lead shot and it helped but was still a bit meh from a dead stop. I then added another 50lbs and it is getting pretty good. Noticeably better from 50lbs and a world of difference over stock. Balance is now pretty neutral and it takes significantly more throttle to activate the nanny or induce oversteer without the nanny. We had a couple inches of really heavy wet snow and the roads were fairly slushy. The car tracked straight as an arrow at highway speeds. I also have ran 70+ mph and the car feels rock solid. I ordered another 50lbs of lead shot today and plan to experiment some more and will post my thoughts on 100 vs 125 vs 150. Lead shot is not cheap. I buy reclaimed stuff from Rotometals and the 2x25 pound bags come USPS with free shipping in a flat rate box. My mail person must be starting to hate me haha. The good thing about lead is that in the last 10 years the price has gone up five fold. A little over 5 years ago it was at an all time high of a 9 fold increase. Not a bad investment to have sitting around and very handy for a number of things.

I went with lead shot as I wanted to take up as minimal space as possible. Sand bags work great too but are messy and take up way more space. They do come in very handy when getting stuck on an icy area though. Salt is also popular but also takes up way more space and I don't like the thought of something corrosive in my trunk. As you can see below, 100lbs of lead fits easily in the spare tire well once the foam is removed and still provides support for carrying items in the trunk area.

[WRB-DZA-BRZ]

Update... my 205/60-16 Firestone Winterforce (non-studded) tires work fairly well in 12" of heavily rutted snow/slush. I was kind of all over the place, but I never got stuck. I left traction control off.

[swansons]

Blizzak LM-60 in stock size on Kosei K4R. Excellent traction in snow. Still fun to drive when dry. Doesn't keep the salt off though.