Winter Tires for the PNW?
 

Hi all! I am moving to Seattle on Saturday from California, just wondering what kind of tires will I need for winters in Seattle/pnw? Are studs necessary? What are y’all running? Thanks in advance


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I run Michelin x-ice3. They perform fantastically. I don't think I'd want studs unless you plan on taking your car up to the mountains.

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My coworker had the Hankook Ipike and loved them. Still couldn't get up his steep driveway but he didn't feel like he was going to die.

Of course I drove in this on worn out summer tires though.

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I have been surviving with Michelin Blizzaks. No studs as our winters aren't that extreme. Maybe get a few inches and the next day it is all slush..

They're not 100% necessary if you stay away from the really snowy/icey days but I really like having a set. It's also nice if you have dedicated summer tires instead of all seasons as summer tires lose a lot of traction under 40 degrees.

You shouldn't need studs either, if the roads are bad enough that studs would be required you won't get anywhere with this car anyways.

I run General Altimax that I got for cheap used. If you keep an eye out you can snag a whole setup with wheels and tires for 300 bucks or less.

I'm a big fan of Michelin tires, but I did a bunch of research and came away impressed with the General ArcticMax. I do not have them on a twin, but used them in very snowy conditions in Ohio on a Corolla. As a bonus they are cheap, but their performance was outstanding.

Agreed. In Seattle studs are pointless. I'd run an all season through the winter and summers during the summer. You will be fine.

Something with good hydroplaning resistance...

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I drove Continental DWS 06 up a canyon with a heavy gradient and curve on pure ice and didn't die. So there's that. DWS 06 cold/wet grip is fantastic, my main complaint is how soft the sidewall is. Don't go wide on them, you'll get a lot of flex.

I survived two PNW winters on the stock tires, but then I don't drive a lot of miles.

Now I'm running BF Goodrich G-Force Comp-2s, and they got me through this most recent winter just fine.

Awesome thanks for all the insight! I probably won't be going up into snowy mountains in the 86—a general feeling of "not going to die" when its cold/wet is what I'm going for haha. I'm currently on worn summer tires (Michelin Pilot Super Sport) on the stock wheels, but I have a set of TRD wheels that I plan to run some winter tires on.

I would say thread depth and hydroplane resistance is a higher priority over winter tires.

I ran summer tires all year (Hankook VENTUS V12 EVO2). However, if there was snow on the ground, the Forster came out with studless winter tires.

Also note, don't be an idiot like me and get your front tire rotations backwards during a very wet autocross event at Evergreen... Front washed out when I went a little too early on the gas exiting a corner and had no chance at saving it.. Played chicken with the wall... That was a fun 3800 dollar mistake.

Well shoot, I didn't realize your move here was in April...

Unless you are a skier/snowboarder/driver of mountains... You don't need winter tires, generally, outside of Dec1 to March1. The number days/nights where the temps are below 40 outside of that period is very small. I drive my FRS all year round with my summer tires (Conti Extreme Contact DW) and do great. I use the 4x4 when I go skiing.

Just make sure your tires are good at evacuating water from the pavement as that will be their primary function while driving in the pacific NW. :)

All the studless snow tires mentioned with the exception of the Hankooks are worth running. You can get away with running Continental DW all year round if it doesn’t ice up as they handle great even at temps at the bottom of Seattle’s range. The Generals (American version of the Nokian) tend to be the cheapest yet best value. But all likely cost less than your collision deductible especially if you buy them now or in the summer long before it gets cold.