Snow tires...wow...
 

So I cheaper out and bought some Federal Himalaya ws2's to fit the stock rims.

Sure they are cheap but the reviews seemed decent. I just got them on two days ago and I am amazed how dangerous the car feels. Traction comes on in wet in 3rd and 4th up hill, around every sharp turn and the car feels very unstable. I am comparing them to the stock all seasons which are known to not be the greatest but I didn't expect the difference to be this big.


Can anyone comment on this?

Have you tried them in the snow yet?

My soft sidewall winters tire on 16" steelies feels incredibly unstable (BF goodrich winter slalom). Especially when you come off the stiff stock 17". The traction light comes on when I do any kind of sharp turn without even coming close to losing traction.

You'll get used to it pretty fast, it changes the car for the worst. This car communicates the wheels and tires strongly to the driver, so it is to be expected.

However they got me through some nasty shit last winter, can't hate on what they are supposed to do well.

I was hoping someone would say this. I have yet to test them in snow which like you said is what they're made for ,so I'm assuming it will be a lot better.

I have General Altimax Arctics and they feel like I'm driving on firm Jell-o when in the dry. Traction light constantly, squirmy at speed, all that jazz. They really come alive in the snow though. Better than running it off into the woods, right?

Perfect description. I'm pretty excited to get some new wheels this spring with something stickier and wider than stock. The transition should feel awesome.

I have Toyo Observe Garits on 16" steelies. These tires are high performance winters designed with handling in mind, and they still feel like I'm on the edge of grip everywhere I go in the wet.

It just a part of having snow/ice tires on.

Putting the summers back on when it gets warm out is so amazing. Makes the car feel like a go-kart. :party0030::burnrubber:

I have Hankook winter i*Pikes on my car now. I'm kind of happy to see the responses to this thread because the car doesn't feel squirmy or like it's slipping, but the steering feel does appear to be looser. I feel less inspired on them so I don't take off as fast or take corners as fast as I did on the stock tires. But other than that, I haven't had any issues out of them. They slipped once on some dirt on a turn out.

I'm waiting to see how they handle snow.

Have Toyo Observe G0-2 on their last legs mounted on 16" steelies. Have to be careful to not drift every sharp turn in the wet even with traction full on. Had no issues in the big snow storm last winter. That just the price you pay for having a specialist item. I have R888s for the track, and winters for the winter, going with Michelin Pilot Super Sports for summers next year.

Drove a customers car with 16" Dunlop snow tires on today. Just from the parking lot to my bay I could tell the difference in body roll and grip.

I'm running 16" Xi3's, and while granted I did not get a lot of running in on the Primacy's as I only got the car a month ago, I find these tires surprisingly good.


I find that they behave a lot like an all season, but I'm used to running studded winter tires with less dry/wet grip and a lot more noise.


You'll appreciate the drop in dry/wet performance once the temperatures drop and the roads get snowy though.

I always used that crappy feeling to remind me not to push it on the dry, they will wear out super quick. But when it does snow nothing can replace them, especially with a RWD

Snow tires flex, that's a big part of how they work. No getting around it.

First real test of my new Blizzak WS in the snow today, and that kind of grip on snow is well worth the squishy feel the rest of the time.