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- - What Winter Tire for NY Weather? (https://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19871)

I'll be running Bridgestone Blizzaks WS70 205/55/16s on 16in black Steelies.

Quote:

Originally Posted by cnk (Post 525262)

That is what the Generals provide.

Define 'bang/buck'.

Altimaxes are Ice&Snow category tire, so they aren't better in the dry. They suck all around relative to Xi3/Conti EWC/WS70 (incomplete list of decent tires, but these are probably the easiest to source in the U.S.). For just $100-$200 more you'd get a tire that will top those in all areas.

For similar money you can get 'winter performance' tire, if you say you don't need much ice/snow traction. Those would be far superior to these altimaxes/hankooks in the dry.

I can understand getting cheap tires, if one was try to keep the tire size stock, but that's not the case here.

I'm not gonna argue with people who already got these tires. They clearly didn't bother doing research and probably at most looked at some green digits on the tirerack.com. For all other who didn't get the winter tire orders yet - stay away from Altimaxes, iPikes and the like. They are mediocre and not worth the money. They are cheap options using old thread designs and outdated compounds, I'm not sure what's their target markets.

Quote:

Originally Posted by dsgerbc (Post 525288)

Nice to generalize and assume that someone doesn't do any research before buying. I did my research and chose the tire that suited my needs and others make those decisions for themselves as well. Believe it or not, your opinion is just that. . an opinion. It is not the end-all, be-all truth that satisfies all folks. If that were the case, then there would only be 1 tire choice. But there isn't. So why don't you come down from your high horse and stop arguing with folks about a question in regards to a winter tire for NY weather. Especially considering that you're not even from the NY area and are from the midwest where weather conditions are vastly different.

Not everyone needs the best of everything. They are happy with what will suit their needs from both a cost and performance aspect. Constantly saying, "it's just a few hundred more and you could get X,Y,Z" doesn't do anything other than make you come off as arrogant.

if i could like this as we do in facebook i would haha ^^

Quote:

Originally Posted by dsgerbc (Post 525288)

Quote:

Originally Posted by cnk (Post 525320)

Totally agree cnk. I did my research as well and if I can get a decent winter tire and save a couple hundred over other "ultra high performance winter tires" (this is a fallacy/joke, these are winter/ice/snow tires we are talking about. When is the last time you drove 100 mph in snow - I don't need the dry traction in the winter, I'm buying the tire for the snow). The truth is, any winter/snow/ice tire, even if it is mediocre in that class, is going to have much, much, much higher/better traction in all winter conditions compared to all-season general tires. That's good enough for me. I'm doing point A to point B driving the winter. I'm not racing anybody through the snow/ice/rain/dry parts of the winter months.

Quote:

Originally Posted by cnk (Post 525320)

Nice to generalize and assume that someone doesn't do any research before buying.

I read a ton of winter tire tests. I'm yet to see one where those tires justified their price. I've lived in different climates, NY not that special. If anything, NY needs better tires than MI, since there are more hills and the likelihood of having wet ice with temps around freezing (the worst kind of ice for traction) are higher.

100mph comment is beyond silly, as well as "I'm not racing" comment. Winter tires are to avoid the worst during regular driving. Better winter tires will stop from 20-30mph tens of feet sooner on ice than the marginal ones. The pace of research in winter tires is pretty impressive, and tires that were decent a few years ago are subpar these days.

I like to save where I can, but $100 on a crappy tire option is not the place to pinch pennies.

Quote:

Originally Posted by dsgerbc (Post 525475)

The OP is from the NYC metro area. It's pretty flat here and winters are mild. We rarely get snow accumulation that isn't gone within a day or two. Iced roads also not that common.

Might be different in upstate NY but that place might as well be Canada :)

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

Quote:

Originally Posted by Foobar (Post 525570)

The OP is from the NYC metro area. It's pretty flat here and winters are mild. We rarely get snow accumulation that isn't gone within a day or two. Iced roads also not that common.

I understand buying 'winter performance tires' in that case. Decent ones.

Altimaxes/iPikes that people go for because of the price aren't that kind of tire.
If one goes for tires meant for ice and snow - these aren't the choice. I'd venture to make a conjecture - newest models of performance winter tires are better than these altimaxes on the ice due to advanced new compounds, and miles ahead when it's dry.

So buying these in conditions you're trying to justify buying these instead of decent winter performance tires - is like shooting oneself in the foot. Don't gain anything on ice and lose a lot in the dry.

Quote:

Originally Posted by dsgerbc (Post 525627)

I've got LM60s. Pretty happy with them.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

Quote:

Originally Posted by Foobar (Post 525647)

I've got LM60s. Pretty happy with them.

That makes perfect sense. But not the ipikes/altimaxes.

Quote:

Originally Posted by dsgerbc (Post 525248)

It surprises me how many people choose to forgo lots of ice stopping power that top-of-the-line tires provide for only 1-2 hundreds more and go for a mediocre option.
Yes, the altimax is an example of the latter. So are hankooks.

You've obviously never owned a set. They are on par with the Blizzaks. I've owned performance snow tires from Dunlop and Pirelli as well as the WS-70s and Altimax Arctic.

The Arctic's perform as well as the WS-70's did, with equal ware. I've stopped using performance snow tires as I feel you compromise deep snow performance, but don't really have any dry "performance" to speak of, so what's the point.

Even now, when I have plenty of money to buy the Bridgestones, I specifically buy the Arctic's because they are THAT good, but $100 cheaper for a set.

Quote:

Originally Posted by dsgerbc (Post 525627)

Don't gain anything on ice and lose a lot in the dry.

But with a performance tire, you do -ok- in the dry, but suck in deep snow.

You will always face some compromise when driving on a winter tire, it's just which one you will choose that determines what you think is a good tire. For me, I'd rather drive a bit milder in the winter, and know for sure that I won't get stuck. I've driven on most brands of snow tire either in my car or others and have found the Altimax tires to be as equally surefooted as any of the other major brands.

This will be my 3rd season with them on both cars and I have zero complaints. /shrug

Quote:

Originally Posted by dsgerbc (Post 525475)

I read a ton of winter tire tests. I'm yet to see one where those tires justified their price.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...y.jsp?ttid=123

Honestly...Just read the reviews on Tire Rack. They actually have a higher "Would buy again" rating than the WS-70's, and rate higher in a handful of categories.

I know, I know, you're going to blather on about how were all idiots, and you've looked at the -real- data...but the real world data that myself and TONS of other drivers have found is that the Arctic's are a great winter tire for a great price.

http://forums.subdriven.com/showthre...c-vs.-Blizzak-

Quote:

Originally Posted by Superhatch (Post 526644)

You've obviously never owned a set.

Unfortunately, I did. They weren't up to snuff on ice. Sold them used right away.