Winter Tire Review Thread (Please contribute)

[venturaII]

Very true about studded tires being noisy ..they're VERY loud. Although just keeping things in perspective, they're no louder than an aftermarket exhaust system, just a different sound. They're also heavy.

[RToyo86]

Originally Posted by churchx

BTW, am i wrong that X-Ice Snow might be what supposed to be studless X-Ice4?

I would guess the same after seeing the tread pattern compares to the studded version. I'll he curious how they are reviewed this year compared to everything else.

I ended up ordered the Viking Contact7. Few bucks cheaper than the pirellis and it's something different to compare too.

[saltywetman]

I too am very curious as to how well the new xice snows perform. will have to pick up a set in the upcoming weeks once Costco launches their promotions for winter rubber. Right now i'm debating between the xice snows and Pirelli sottozero 3's

[RToyo86]

Installed the vikingcontact7's. So far I can only comment on dry/wet performance. I will update as snow season takes full swing.

They're a step down in the dry compared to the ice zero FR in terms of road feel. They're way more wobbly feeling which I am a bit disappointed about, since the pirellis were also a Nordic class tire but hardly felt like a winter tire in terms of road feel.

They ride a bit better which makes sense as the sidewalls are a bit softer. They make no road noise and Steering weight is very light.

Originally Posted by saltywetman

I too am very curious as to how well the new xice snows perform. will have to pick up a set in the upcoming weeks once Costco launches their promotions for winter rubber. Right now i'm debating between the xice snows and Pirelli sottozero 3's

If you are interested in the X-ice snows the Pirelli equivalent would be the ice zero FR. Sottozero give up some snow traction in favor of dry handling.

[justalex]

I am torn between getting the Bridgestone Blizzak or Michelin Xi3. I am here for more ideas about these tires before purchasing it on 4wheelonline.

[StraightOuttaCanadaEh]

Originally Posted by justalex

I am torn between getting the Bridgestone Blizzak or Michelin Xi3. I am here for more ideas about these tires before purchasing it on 4wheelonline.

Keep in mind Michelin just released a new snow tire called X-Ice Snow. I had them installed on the weekend and no snow yet but dry traction is fantastic and they're quiet. MUCH better than the Xi3. Can update you on snow traction when it does snow here (shouldn't be too long)

[anticubus]

Originally Posted by justalex

I am torn between getting the Bridgestone Blizzak or Michelin Xi3. I am here for more ideas about these tires before purchasing it on 4wheelonline.

My experience is with the WS80s and Xi3s. Go with the Xi3 unless you legitimately don't see dry pavement for six months. Blizzaks are great, love them, love their snow performance, hate the fact that they last two seasons if you have a variable spring and see 50F in March but have to be ready for a snow storm through late April. The winter compound is so soft above ~50F you can hear it deforming. Not sure if WS90s are better in that regard, but that soft compound is their bread and butter for great snow and ice traction.

The Blizzak LM-32 is also good and held up better on dry roads than the WS80s, but the Michelin is similar for less with better performance in the deep snow and ice.

[justalex]

Thanks for the tips guys, I really appreciate it. I will do my own research from here to get more insights about these winter tires.

[8inchAzN]

Tire: Vikingcontact 7
Size: 205/55/16 on steels
Location: GTA Canada
Driver: Aggressive on balding tires, granny when I just dished out $800+ for new ones.
Previous tire: WS80
PSI: 38 @ 5 degrees Celsius.

They seem a bit twitchy in the wet and drive pavement; feels like a squishy all season tire. I tried driving around it around my neighborhood while it was very icey (i.e stopped the car, opened the door, put one foot out and was able to slide my feet back and forth on the road) and the grip seemed phenomenal. The sidewalls are very squishy so it may not translate to a sporty feel on dry/wet pavement.

[RToyo86]

Originally Posted by RToyo86

Installed the vikingcontact7's. So far I can only comment on dry/wet performance. I will update as snow season takes full swing.

They're a step down in the dry compared to the ice zero FR in terms of road feel. They're way more wobbly feeling which I am a bit disappointed about, since the pirellis were also a Nordic class tire but hardly felt like a winter tire in terms of road feel.

They ride a bit better which makes sense as the sidewalls are a bit softer. They make no road noise and Steering weight is very light.
.

Update with more info now that I've got more time with them.

Size: 205/55R16
Location: Ottawa, ON, CA
Paid $609 shipped + $100 mount and balance.

Driver: spirited driver, car lowered on RCE yellows.


Impressions: Handles snow and ice well, dry pavement grip is decent, but sidewall as I mentioned is soft. Ride is good as a result despite the springs but the car feels squishy and all over the place. I did notice the tire felt better when temperatures dropped to -10c.

Compared to my previous tire which was the Pirelli ice zero FR(same size and wheel) these Conti's are slightly worse for my preference. The Pirelli performs so closely on snow, ice and slush but with stiffer sidewalls also feels more compotent if you huck it into corners.

I suspect these will last me an extra season as I'm not driving the car as hard in the dry.
I am also having issues balancing these. I'm not sure if I got a bad set but after 3 visits to the shop to rebalance them I still get a small vibration at 90-110kmh.

[bucketfoot]

I'm guessing it's getting close to the time for this thread to liven up again.

I have had my 86 for 4 months now, so obviously this will be my first winter with it. I've started my research into what winter tires I will buy, using the OEM 17x7 wheels. I have past experience with Blizzaks and Altimax Arctics on our Camry, as well as Sottozero 3s on my BMW X1 (car the 86 replaced).

I was very happy with the overall mix of dry & snow performance with Sottozeros and they are the initial front runner. The one tire that I am really interested in hearing if anyone here has had any experience with is the GT Radial Champiro Winterpro HP.

I've enjoyed plowing through this thread and look forward to following it moving forward.

[Grisha]

Originally Posted by 8inchAzN

Tire: Vikingcontact 7
Size: 205/55/16 on steels
Location: GTA Canada
Driver: Aggressive on balding tires, granny when I just dished out $800+ for new ones.
Previous tire: WS80
PSI: 38 @ 5 degrees Celsius.

They seem a bit twitchy in the wet and drive pavement; feels like a squishy all season tire. I tried driving around it around my neighborhood while it was very icey (i.e stopped the car, opened the door, put one foot out and was able to slide my feet back and forth on the road) and the grip seemed phenomenal. The sidewalls are very squishy so it may not translate to a sporty feel on dry/wet pavement.

Hi, hope you're on here frequently! Continental is doing a rebate on VikingContact 7's, and I'm considering buying them. I've also previously owned WS70 Blizzaks which lasted me 3 winters. If you had to choose between the 2 (WS VS VC), which ones would you prefer? I've read a bunch of articles/comparisons and would love to hear your perspective since you've owned both.

[RayRay88]

Originally Posted by Grisha

Hi, hope you're on here frequently! Continental is doing a rebate on VikingContact 7's, and I'm considering buying them. I've also previously owned WS70 Blizzaks which lasted me 3 winters. If you had to choose between the 2 (WS VS VC), which ones would you prefer? I've read a bunch of articles/comparisons and would love to hear your perspective since you've owned both.

I had the WS80's and last winter I switched to the vikingcontact 7's. Biggest difference was dry/wet handling of the vikingcontacts was head and shoulders above the WS80's. I hated the way the car drove with the WS80's, the super soft sidewalls and tread squirm was exhausting as I felt like I was tiptoeing the car around even in the dry. Snow performance was equal/negligible but I also live in the city plus at home a lot due to covid so didn't see anything too crazy.

[Grisha]

Originally Posted by RayRay88

I had the WS80's and last winter I switched to the vikingcontact 7's. Biggest difference was dry/wet handling of the vikingcontacts was head and shoulders above the WS80's. I hated the way the car drove with the WS80's, the super soft sidewalls and tread squirm was exhausting as I felt like I was tiptoeing the car around even in the dry. Snow performance was equal/negligible but I also live in the city plus at home a lot due to covid so didn't see anything too crazy.

Thanks for your feedback! I'm in a similar situation - living in the city, with occasional snow & ice, also work from home a lot. I think I'll go with the VikingContact! Will be mounting on the stock rims with in 215/45R17