2014-2015 Winter Tire & Wheel Discussion

[rinnamon]

Subscribed, on account of I'm moving to northern (way northern) Indiana.

[Jertronic]

While winter tires are necessary and even this fact is somwehat arguable, when late March comes i can't get the winters off and my summer's back on fast enough.

We had a mild winter winter in boston and I still pretty much needed them.

Just have to prepare myself for squirminess when I decide to put the winters on.

My advice in buying winter tires is to do it early when shops have stock. You will actually have choices. In December I had little to no choice and wound up with Michelin x-ice 3's. My top choice would have been the conti's or michelin alpin A4's.

That's what i get for waiting so long.

[HunterGreene]

I have 16" Steelies with the newer Hankook I*cepts. They worked very well for me last year, and a little heavier wheel didn't seem to affect the driveability of the car. Working in Cleveland, I can tell you a more durable wheel is necessary when you can't really dodge those potholes.

Originally Posted by rinnamon

Subscribed, on account of I'm moving to northern (way northern) Indiana.

West or East part of the state? The really heavy snows usually only come to the NW part of the state (because of lake effect), as I recall.

[BRZZZZZZZZZZ]

I ran Hankook W310s last winter (didn't drive more than two months) and they are a good performance winter tire, I loved the old W300s as well.

[HunterGreene]

Oh, and unless there has been a revision, Blizzaks are no longer the top performer when it comes to snow tires, I was told by the guy who sells them for a living that Bridgestone hasnt really innovated in Snow tire tech for quite a few years. Yes, they still work well, but not as well as some newer models.

[JasperNoone]

Oh god Suberman posting in a winter tire thread. Feels like it was just yesterday...

[HunterGreene]

Originally Posted by JasperNoone

Oh god Suberman posting in a winter tire thread. Feels like it was just yesterday...

Someone needs to mention "contact patch," "drive with the traction control off" and "This is a terrible car to drive, let alone in the winter" before this is a complete winter tire thread.

Oh, and "put sandbags in the trunk."

[phobos512]

Anyone have experience with these wheels? 5x100 16x6.5 +41mm. Seems like they'd work and Summit does free shipping over $99 so 4 of them would be under $200 out the door before tires...

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/cr...6518/overview/

[SubieNubie]

When I was looking for my winter setup. I compared 205-55-16 and 215-45-17 tires on tirerack, specifically Dunlop Winter Sport 3D. 205-55-16 were about $100 bucks a set, cheaper than 215-45-17. I was initially going to get the $60 steelies off tirerack, but picked up some 02-05 WRX wheels off NASIOC for $200. They aren't, cosmetically, in the greatest shape but nothing a rattle can job can't cure. If your interested 02-05 WRX wheels are pretty prevalent on NASIOC and craigslist. They bolt right up as well.

[xxBrun0xx]

I made due with a set of cheap "Sport Edition" alloys off Tire Rack last winter. Been looking for a set of Crosstrek wheels for this winter. Loooove how they look, but afraid they might be too expensive to justify taking a loss on the 16's I've got.

[Ubersuber]

Winter tire choice is even trickier than for summer tires.

You need to know what you need, or what you expect from the winter tires you are thinking of buying.

Reason is there are ice tires and there are snow tires. To get the best ice traction you give up some snow traction and to get snow traction you give up ice grip.

Finally, to get good bare road handling wet or dry you give up some of both.

Ice tires should have more rubber on the road, per unit area of contact patch, than snow tires and should be very heavily siped which makes them squirm under loading from any direction. The better the ice tire the worse it is for snow or bare road grip. Ice tires rely on their compounding and siping more than the tread pattern per se.

Snow tires should have less rubber on the road than any other type of tire. More tread voids means more snow can be gripped into the tread which is how snow tires work. Snow tire tread compound is designed to optimize self cleaning of the tread. Best grip is obtained by 90 degree blocks but these are noisy.

High performance snow tires need high performance tread patterns to be stable at speed, under hard braking, acceleration and cornering. None of these requirements make for a good winter tire.

You pays your money and you make your choice.

My choice is for good bare road performance with good ice braking second. Snow traction is not as important because driving skill can compensate for lack of traction in snow, not so on ice. Trouble is ice tires and high performance tires are at opposite ends of the choices.

The only time you should consider studs is if you really need the ice traction. They are not good for any other type of winter driving.

[Black Tire]

Originally Posted by HunterGreene

I have 16" Steelies with the newer Hankook I*cepts. They worked very well for me last year, and a little heavier wheel didn't seem to affect the driveability of the car.

I*cept Evo, or I*cept iz ?

[HunterGreene]

Originally Posted by Black Tire

I*cept Evo, or I*cept iz ?

Evo

[Black Tire]

Originally Posted by jvincent

I used the Toyo's in 205/55/16 last winter with no issues and we had a ton of snow.

I have them on 16" alloys that came from the dealer.

Originally Posted by Black Tire

I have heard that the Toyo Observe GSi-5 is noisy on dry roads, especially at higher speeds. What was your experience with the noise from this tire?

Originally Posted by jvincent

I did not find them overly noisy. I expect a little more noise from a winter tire, but I didn't notice them at all.

The specs for the Toyo Observe GSi-5 tire do indeed show that it is relatively loud compared to other modern snow tires in the 205/55R16 size. These specs are required for tires sold in Europe, and in a couple of years these tires will not be allowed to be sold in the EU because of their noise level. Look at the spec chart on Toyo's European website:

http://www.toyotires.eu/tire/pattern/observe-gsi5