Snow/Ice winter tires

708 messages, Last post on Nov 10, 2009 at 12:57 PM

You are in the Maintenance & Repair Forum. Your Host is mr_shiftright

What is this discussion about? Tires, Wheels

For the general tire discussion topic, have a look at the Tires, tires, tires topic.

Outline

Messages Page 3 of 71: 1; 2; 3; 4; 5; 6; 7; ...; 71; Prev; Next; Last

#21 of 708 Pilot Alpin by md2002 Dec 17, 2000 (11:20 am)
If you have a car the normally takes H rated tires you should consider the sister tire of the Artic Alpin known as Pilot Alpin. My wifes car was originally fitted with a standard Q rated Ice Compound tire and she found it make the car hard to handle. We had them switched (free guarantee) to Pilot Alpin when I found out really needed a better performing tire for her Solara. The difference between the H and Q rated tires is dry vs snow traction. H rated will give you a 8 out of 10 on snow and 10 out of 10 on dry. Q rated will give you a 10 out of 10 on snow and maybe a 6-7 out of 10 on dry. Since in upstate NY you get maybe a total of 25 days of snow covered roads that are not clear yet the dry performance was just as important as snow. Check out www.tirerack.com they offered the price that was lower than the local shop by almost $200 less.
#22 of 708 Winter tires for pickups by rs_petty Dec 18, 2000 (6:53 am)
Have read with interest the above topics. Does anyone have experience or an opinion on the value of a winter tire on a 2wd pickup versus a normal all season tire one would find as original equipment on pickups. I carry Z-chains now, but wondering if winter tires would be a safer and better performing alternative.
#23 of 708 '91 NISSAN - TIRES SIZING? by xanadu2u Dec 18, 2000 (9:17 am)
Does anyone have a great recommendation for the sizing of tires for my Nissan. The manual recommended one size and the dealers often use another when replacing. I live in Virginia and will also be up against snow and ice. Please let me know, need to replace them this weekend.
#24 of 708 Toyo Observe Snows by persamp Dec 18, 2000 (1:08 pm)
Anyone out there have any experience with the Toyo Observe snow tires? Local tire dealer here in Boston can get me a set of 4 for significantly less $ than other brands (Blizzak, Arctic Alpins, Pirelli...)
#25 of 708 Virginia and Boston by pcleveland2 Dec 18, 2000 (7:52 pm)
Here's another board to check "http://autopedia.com"
#26 of 708 Observes by ramon Dec 19, 2000 (7:33 am)
I think they have walnut shells embedded to them for ice crunching. GOod for icy roads. Otherwise an overkill and it's loud!
#27 of 708 Snow Tires on 4x2 truck by md2002 Dec 19, 2000 (6:00 pm)
I would say it depends on the truck. Is it heavy enough by itself, do you have extra weight in the back? The bigger issue is if people put snow tires on a car why not on a 4x2 truck. I would say it truly depends on where you live and how much snow you get, if you live in New England I would say "yes", if you live in NYC I would say if you live in Georgia, no. Good Luck.
#28 of 708 Arctic Alpins and Nokain/Gislaved by robr2 Dec 19, 2000 (7:15 pm)
I too live in Boston and just got a set of Arctic Alpins for my Y2K Odyssey. First time I have used snows since 1984 - decided it was worthwhile for the wife and kids (and myself too!!) as it is our primary weekend vehicle. First impression - excellent. We had about 4 inches of snow last week and the Ody made it up the hill to the main street and the traction control barely kicked in. My Accord would have been all over the place. Although 4" isn't much snow, it was slick enough out there and the tires I believe did their job. Ran them the following day on the highway at 70 mph and they were not much louder than the standard Michelin Symmetry. I got them from Tire Rack with steel rims - neglected to order wheel covers. The black rims look pretty ugly. Maybe Santa will bring them. As for the Nokian and Gislaved brands - although people rave about them, they were hard to find here in Boston without going to a Volvo or Saab dealer or a couple of exclusive tire emporiums. Essentially, they did not present a very good value to me.
#29 of 708 md2002 by rs_petty Dec 20, 2000 (7:33 am)
The problem is I live right where you could get some big snows or nothing at all, DC. But when traveling occasionally to PA or NJ it would be nice to know I've got the right stuff. I don't doubt that winter tires are better, what I can't get a read on is whether they are that much better than regular LT tires. What I'm really trying to decide is should I get a set of Nokian's on regular steel wheels and then mount Michelon Pilot LT's on factory rims for the other three seasons or just stay with the factory Dunlops which have given great service so far. Probably won't know until I try it for myself, just looking for someone who maybe already has.
#30 of 708 Gislaved by drew_ Dec 20, 2000 (11:22 am)
A friend of mine was using this brand (bought from his dealer) on his Volvo 850 for the last 2 years. He switched to the Michelin Arctic Alpins and immediately noticed a significant improvement in snow/ice over the Gislaved. I can't say that I've ever been particularly impressed with those Swedish tires. Not like they were inexpensive either! Drew Edmunds.com Townhall co-host Vans and Aftermarket & Accessories conferences