Winter tires

[si]

I was wondering if there were any others that were planning on daily driving their frs/brz this winter and if there were any suggestions for a good set of winter tires.

[Sasquachulator]

-Michelin Xice (I think its called the XI2 or something now)
-Bridgestone Blizzaks (the snow/ice variant, not the performance winter one)
-Continental Contiwintercontact
-Nokian hakkapellita (These were the standards for studless winter tires for awhile...but expensive)

I think those are the best ones out there right now.

[engsr]

Hankook iPike w409, used them since 2007 with no problems. I've lost count of the number of people I know that run these tires as well and have had zero issues. I'll be getting a set for my BRZ from my buddy that's selling his WRX, steelies and all.

[Ziggyzag420]

Another vote for the Hankook ipike had them on my corolla last year plan on using them on my frs this winter and my father runs the same on his Camry hybrid no problems with them so far

[neutron256]

Lots of good winter tires out there, but hard to go wrong with Blizzaks!

If you're looking for a deal I suggest craigslist. Lots of people get new cars and have snow tires with little to no wear on them. That's what I did.

[SkAsphalt]

I am going to be trying michelin Xice (i am pretty sure that is what my corolla has now) so i will just be switching over my winter rims from that car to the FRS and trying it for this winter. if I can drive the FRS all year round, Corolla goes for sale next year!

[Superhatch]

I've been running General Altimax Arctic on my FWD cars for about 4 seasons now. They are GREAT tires at a great price. They are about 30-40 cheaper per tire than the Blizzaks WS70's (which I've also had on two cars) and I think the performance is identical if not better.

I plan on running these on my OEM wheels for the winter season. I'll also note that I find winter performance tires to wear -extremely- fast, and tend to stay away from them for that reason.

[QC-FRS]

Must admit i loved my nokian veeeery much and will try to find them for my frs... If not would probably go for michelin...

[JSK]

I know I'm a little off topic but the oem tires are all seasons right, not summer tires? I thought they were all seasons but I read an article saying they were summer tires...?

Anyway, to keep it relevant, I live in Vancouver so I think I will stick with the oem's this winter cause we get no snow and see how it goes.

[Jidonsu]

Originally Posted by JSK

I know I'm a little off topic but the oem tires are all seasons right, not summer tires? I thought they were all seasons but I read an article saying they were summer tires...?

Anyway, to keep it relevant, I live in Vancouver so I think I will stick with the oem's this winter cause we get no snow and see how it goes.

The OEM tires are summer tires. They belong in the grand touring summer tire category though.

[moniz]

Originally Posted by JSK

I know I'm a little off topic but the oem tires are all seasons right, not summer tires? I thought they were all seasons but I read an article saying they were summer tires...?

Anyway, to keep it relevant, I live in Vancouver so I think I will stick with the oem's this winter cause we get no snow and see how it goes.

It's not about the snow but temperature. All season and performance rubber start to harden below 7*C and you lose flexibility ergo lose traction much easier. Winter tire stay flexable to roughly minus 20*C before they start to stiffen up and reduce traction. It's flexibility that gives the extra traction on snow and ice but also on bare cold asphalt.

I know Vancouver doesn't get much snow but you guys do stay below 7*c for a good chunk of the winter. Plus if you start to head north you're gonna be safer on anything other than the OEM rubber in winter.

[JSK]

Originally Posted by moniz

It's not about the snow but temperature. All season and performance rubber start to harden below 7*C and you lose flexibility ergo lose traction much easier. Winter tire stay flexable to roughly minus 20*C before they start to stiffen up and reduce traction. It's flexibility that gives the extra traction on snow and ice but also on bare cold asphalt.

I know Vancouver doesn't get much snow but you guys do stay below 7*c for a good chunk of the winter. Plus if you start to head north you're gonna be safer on anything other than the OEM rubber in winter.

Thanks for the info, but now i have to buy more tires.

[FR-S,M.D.]

So hard to decide whether to winter drive this car. On the one hand, I'd much prefer it never sees snow (and all that nasty sand/grit in it) and salt. On the other hand, I can't bear the thought of not driving it for months. What to do?

[moniz]

Originally Posted by JSK

Thanks for the info, but now i have to buy more tires.

Gotta pay to play!

But seriuosly, just think of it as part of the ownership cost of a car. I have winter tires for both cars in our family and will never rely on all seasons to get me through the winter safely. Once you've driven with proper winter tires, you won't want you or most importantly, your family riding on anything else in the winter. The difference is that noticeable in the cold weather. And it's not about how carefully you drive(I hear that all the time from people when running all seasons in the winter), it's about the other guy, where difference may be a few feet between contact or completely avoiding someone who spins out, or gets in you way, while you were driving properly, giving enough space, etc. Instead of paying the insurance deductible(at best!) and dealing with that hassle, I'd rather take that money and get winter tires, and try to avoid the insurance hassles all together!