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Bender2000
Bite My Shiny Metal Ass
Premium Member
join:2002-05-06
J7W 8E4

Bender2000

Premium Member

2014 Winter Tire thread

well, it's that time of year again, and I need a new set of winter tires. I know dirtyjeffer's answer already: Michelin X-ice3 from Costco lol.

Yes, they're a great tire, but they are pricy. Anyone have access to consumer reports list of best tires for 2014?

I'm considering getting Bridgestone's replacement for the Blizzak WS70, which is the Blizzak WS80. It's a new tire with today's new technology, so absolutely no reviews.

Anyone planning on purchasing winter tires this season?

kingb71
join:2000-10-09
Mississauga, ON

kingb71

Member

X Ice and Hakka's regularly top the list anyway. I have some Firestone Winter Hawks, that while awesome in deep snow, aren't in the wet, slushy stuff

LazMan
Premium Member
join:2003-03-26
Beverly Hills, CA

LazMan to Bender2000

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to Bender2000
I've got a set of Nokkian's on my work truck. Don't like them at all. Overpriced, and while they're good in deeper snow; slippy as sh-t on wet roads.

I have Green And Ross "WinterKings" on my personal truck - they're made by Michelin and for the price, I think they're great...

Wife's new (to her) Edge came with a set of Michelin snows, as well - although I can't think of the specific model off the top of my head. We've only had it about 2 months, so haven't driven on them yet, no idea how they are.
telco_mtl
join:2012-01-06

telco_mtl to Bender2000

Member

to Bender2000
said by Bender2000:

well, it's that time of year again, and I need a new set of winter tires. I know dirtyjeffer's answer already: Michelin X-ice3 from Costco lol.

Yes, they're a great tire, but they are pricy. Anyone have access to consumer reports list of best tires for 2014?

I'm considering getting Bridgestone's replacement for the Blizzak WS70, which is the Blizzak WS80. It's a new tire with today's new technology, so absolutely no reviews.

Anyone planning on purchasing winter tires this season?

just a heads up, try FCP warehouse in ste-catherine. they are pretty good on price and selection

Maxx2006
join:2013-02-02
Guelph, ON

Maxx2006 to Bender2000

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to Bender2000
said by Bender2000:

Anyone planning on purchasing winter tires this season?

This is something we need to do this year as last year was a real challenge with the wife's 300. I will be in touch with our mechanic of 20 years for his opinion on winter tires. Need to get tires and rims.

I have not read any reports at this time.
mr weather
Premium Member
join:2002-02-27
Mississauga, ON

mr weather to Bender2000

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to Bender2000
said by Bender2000:

I'm considering getting Bridgestone's replacement for the Blizzak WS70, which is the Blizzak WS80. It's a new tire with today's new technology, so absolutely no reviews.

It's been a few years but on my previous car (Pontiac G8) I had a set of WS60's and they were a fantastic tire.

My current ride (CTS-V) has Hankook i-cept evo's and they're decent but not as good as the Blizzaks. And before anyone argues that I should park the V during the winter and use a beater, I bought the car to drive not to be a garage queen.

Anav
Sarcastic Llama? Naw, Just Acerbic
Premium Member
join:2001-07-16
Dartmouth, NS

Anav

Premium Member

I ride the Honda Van which eats through tires unfortunately (cant be my driving . Blizzaks worked well in the past. These days I am using the General Tire AltimaX Arctic as a decent bang for the buck tire.

Its good for our weather which is a mix of slush, snow and ice. If I had icier conditions I would probably go for the Xice regardless, or perhaps the altimax with studs. if I was in a heavier snow belt region I would opt for probably a more aggressive treaded tire. Now I have a new tire to read up on ws80.
hosedagain3
join:2008-02-18
Canada

hosedagain3

Member

try Tire Rack for reviews

»www.tirerack.com/

Hydraglass
Premium Member
join:2002-05-08

Hydraglass

Premium Member

said by hosedagain3:

try Tire Rack for reviews

»www.tirerack.com/

Don't. It'll drive you nuts. Not ONE tire out there doesn't have a dozen reviews of "I like this other one better" - you'll never be ablle to find a winner.

The Blizzak WS70's I got in '12 have 50,000km on them now and still have 2/3 of the tread left so they have quite a few more km on them. They worked well in everything I could throw at them - from city to highway to cottage country roads. Very happy with the ride, noise level, handling, and traction from heavy rain, to slush, to packed snow, to soft snow, to ice... I'd buy the Blizzak WS80's if I needed new ones this year.
btech805
join:2013-08-01
Canada

btech805 to Bender2000

Member

to Bender2000
I too need some snows. First time I have actually ever shopped for snows. I just sold my truck and purchased a Mitsubishi lancer and need some advice on snow tires as I have no clue, I've always ran all terrains in the winter and mud terrain in the summer.

I was quoted by my favorite mechanic a set of 4 toyo g-02 + winters plus 4 steel rims for 780 mounted, balanced and installed. Are they any good and is that a good price? The lancer has 18" rims on the summers so I need to drop to 16" for winter.
MaynardKrebs
We did it. We heaved Steve. Yipee.
Premium Member
join:2009-06-17

MaynardKrebs to Bender2000

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The best tire for you depends on
a) Your tire size (not all tires are made in all sizes)
b) Run-flat or pneumatic
c) Type of car and speed rating you need
d) Where you drive (city plowed/salted roads or country seldom plowed/salted/sanded roads)
e) Do you need studdable tires?
f) Do you regularly encounter ice conditions vs. snow vs. bare roads?

Answer those questions first.

bryanviper
join:2002-10-12
Toronto, CAN

bryanviper to Bender2000

Member

to Bender2000
I have used these on my 2007 VW GTI for the past 2 winters & they are very good, in slush, deep snow, ice etc. I drive a lot for work and I see a lot of people slipping and sliding around however I don't have as much issues as they do in the winter.
General Altimax Arctic
»www.1010tires.com/tires/ ··· x+Arctic

If I was to buy new winter tires today I would go for these, because they are supposed to be as good as the ones above however have a stiffer sidewall for better cornering.
Winter i-Pike RS (W419)
»www.1010tires.com/Tires/ ··· 8W419%29

Bender2000
Bite My Shiny Metal Ass
Premium Member
join:2002-05-06
J7W 8E4

Bender2000 to Hydraglass

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to Hydraglass
lol I totally agree. Not one particular tire will have all good reviews. It's such a mixed bag. My only worry with the Blizzaks is literal tread life, so you've certainly eased my concerns there.

Hydraglass
Premium Member
join:2002-05-08

Hydraglass to MaynardKrebs

Premium Member

to MaynardKrebs
said by MaynardKrebs:

The best tire for you depends on
a) Your tire size (not all tires are made in all sizes)
b) Run-flat or pneumatic
c) Type of car and speed rating you need
d) Where you drive (city plowed/salted roads or country seldom plowed/salted/sanded roads)
e) Do you need studdable tires?
f) Do you regularly encounter ice conditions vs. snow vs. bare roads?

Answer those questions first.

99% of us all have the same answers on those other than (a - size)

Pneumatic (most of us can't afford Run Flat options)
Speed Rating - irrelevant we can't go over 150km/hr without losing our cars.
Where do you drive - we all drive on the same mess -sometimes plowed, sometimes not, sometimes salted, sometimes not
Studdable tires - Forbidden for almost all of us
Ice vs/ Snow vs. bare Roads - if it was only bare roads I doubt anyone would bother with winters - it's Ice AND snow we all deal with all winter (and if you can forecast where it'll only be ice all winter or only snow all winter without the other - you're better than us).

Bender2000
Bite My Shiny Metal Ass
Premium Member
join:2002-05-06
J7W 8E4

Bender2000 to MaynardKrebs

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to MaynardKrebs
said by MaynardKrebs:

The best tire for you depends on
a) Your tire size (not all tires are made in all sizes)
b) Run-flat or pneumatic
c) Type of car and speed rating you need
d) Where you drive (city plowed/salted roads or country seldom plowed/salted/sanded roads)
e) Do you need studdable tires?
f) Do you regularly encounter ice conditions vs. snow vs. bare roads?

Answer those questions first.

Answers:
a) 205 60 R16. Very common size, all the tires I've been considering come in that size.

b) pneumatic. Besides, run flat generally don't work all that well in low temps.

c) Mazda6. All tires I am considering have acceptable speed ratings

d) Montreal and west island of Montreal. Roads tend to be unplowed for some time in the burbs. I live in a cul de sac, plowed usually the day after. Icy conditions are typical near street lights in the city, along with black ice on the highway where I have to drive to go to work.

e) No.

f) Yes, in Montreal, you encounter a mixed bag of ice/snow/slush at various degrees.

GreenEnvy22
join:2011-08-04
St Catharines, ON

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I got some cheap continental extreme wintercontacts for our car last winter, worked very well.
I plan on getting a set for our SUV this winter.

i buy from tirerack and then drive over the border to get them. I have 2 sets of rims so I do the swaps myself.

Last year they didn't even make me pay tax at the border.
btech805
join:2013-08-01
Canada

btech805

Member

I live in the country and even though my property taxes are approximately 33% higher than a city dweller, my road is plowed on average 1/3 as much. When we were osgoode township this didn't bother anyone, and in fact I can't remember a day when the road wasn't plowed. Now that we are the city of Ottawa taxes are higher and services lower.

But I digress, as I mentioned I have always had a 4x4 pickup since I turned 16 and any house I've lived at since then usually gets plowed every 2nd or 3rd snowfall, or 2 days later after a big one, so I need something good in deep snow. Size is 205/60 16th. Out of curiosity, how much are tires at Costco? I don't have a membership but mom and pop do and they're there nearly every week from the sounds of it lol

Anav
Sarcastic Llama? Naw, Just Acerbic
Premium Member
join:2001-07-16
Dartmouth, NS

Anav

Premium Member

Hi btech, you know it pal. I remember taking the bus everyday to OTHS for an hour and in most conditions. Heck someone shakes their heads these days and some one sees dandruff flakes they cancel school. Ottawa gets more snow than we do in Halifax as its milder enough with the ocean that we get more slushy conditions and more mixed precip. I will say that black ice at winters start and end on HWY 31 can be deadly.
Anav

Anav to Bender2000

Premium Member

to Bender2000
Well the blizzaks I had did wear in my opinion prematurely and thats why I left that brand for the General Tire - Altimax arctic (mainly due to its nordic roots not a north american tire).

dirtyjeffer0
Posers don't use avatars.
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join:2002-02-21
London, ON

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Xice3s are good, but so are the Blizzaks...both of our cars have WS70s on them and they work great...they are also less expensive than the X-Ice 3 tires and still available at Costco...if you can get WS80s (that is the newest one, but not sure of sizes/availability), certainly consider those.

from looking at Costco's website, you can get the Michelin X-ICE 3s for $157.49 each installed (the Michelin tires are currently on sale)...the Bridgestone WS80s are only $144.99 each, but they will likely go on sale next and they would be $127.49 installed...i'd wait a bit for the Bridgestones to go on sale and get those.

Anav
Sarcastic Llama? Naw, Just Acerbic
Premium Member
join:2001-07-16
Dartmouth, NS

Anav to Bender2000

Premium Member

to Bender2000
»www.marathonauto.com/tir ··· ews.html

Interesting overall review of some of the popular choices with a definite bias towards nokian. I will have to research more on their top recommendation.

Reviews russian use google translate
»www.autoreview.ru/_archi ··· _ID=7441

They like the Nokian for icy, wet and dry (slush) and pirelli ice control for more snow and ice and less pavement.

koira
Hey Siri Walk Me
Premium Member
join:2004-02-16

koira to btech805

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to btech805
said by btech805:

I was quoted by my favorite mechanic a set of 4 toyo g-02 + winters plus 4 steel rims for 780 mounted, balanced and installed. Are they any good and is that a good price? The lancer has 18" rims on the summers so I need to drop to 16" for winter.

Be careful with those G-02 they are a light truck / SUV tire. They will be heavy to put on the Lancer. I had a set of the Toyo Observe Garits on my Golf and they were very good on snow and ice. Quiet on bare pavement. Now I have Nokian Hakkapeliitta R. I would definitely buy those again.
said by btech805:

Out of curiosity, how much are tires at Costco?

Take a look , prices are online. »tires.costco.ca/

sm5w2
Premium Member
join:2004-10-13
St Thomas, ON

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This is either going to be the 5'th or 6'th season for the Cooper Discoverer M+S that I put on the front of my '00 Chrysler 300m.

Original tires came on 17" rims (225-55-17) but for the snow tires I run 16" steel rims on the front, 15" rims on the back (15's won't fit over the front calipers). I go to smaller, narrower rims for snows because I want a narrower tire for the winter (not some big, wide snow-shoes).

So the front's are a 70 profile (215-70-16) and the back tires are Blizzaks (205-75-15). The Discoverer tires in the front are about 1/4" to 1/2" larger in diameter than original tires - they barely clear the shock tower when new, but they are worn now and I will try to get a new set before the snow falls. The blizzaks hardly get worn.

My car is only FWD, but these Cooper Discover's, even when half worn, have pulled me through deep snow down my un-plowed court with the snow piling up under my floor boards. They are nothing short of amazing tires. I've never been stuck in them. When driving on bare pavement, they sound like gears more than tires when I'm slowing to a stop.

dirtyjeffer0
Posers don't use avatars.
Premium Member
join:2002-02-21
London, ON

dirtyjeffer0

Premium Member

said by sm5w2:

I go to smaller, narrower rims for snows because I want a narrower tire for the winter (not some big, wide snow-shoes).

for standard passenger vehicles, that isn't how you purchase winter tires...in the old days, prior to winter tires, yes, that is what you did...you went with a narrower tire to increase the pounds per square inch applied to the ground...however, with winter tires, and their specifically formulated rubber and tread patters, you want the proper size tire for it...going down a rim size is fine (provided to maintain the overall shape with 3%), but keeping the actual footprint the same is ideal...winter tires are not purchased for rapid acceleration, they are purchased for steering control and braking, and for that, you need a decent amount of grippy rubber...no, don't buy some super fat silly tires, but keep the size similar to your stock size.
dirtyjeffer0

dirtyjeffer0 to Anav

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to Anav
Nokian tires are among the top rated, but they are only available through limited dealerships/tire shops and are often quite pricey (they are good though)...Blizzak and X-Ice tires by Bridgestone and Michelin are likely almost as good (like 98%) and available in many more places, Costco being a big one, so you get much better pricing and overall value...for example, the Nokian R2 tires look like they are $186.62 each, plus all the extras...a set of 4 will cost you about $200 more than the WS80 Blizzaks...i haven't seen the latest reviews, but if they're like previous ones, the Blizzaks are likely within 2-3 points of the Nokia ones (score out of 100).

»shop.kaltire.com/tiresde ··· /n6g5n1/

FaxCap
join:2002-05-25
Surrey, BC

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Back here we use All Seasons.

FaxCap

Anav
Sarcastic Llama? Naw, Just Acerbic
Premium Member
join:2001-07-16
Dartmouth, NS

Anav to Bender2000

Premium Member

to Bender2000
If you do change tire size, its not just about within a certain percentage, one needs to factor in the load bearing capacity of the tires.
For example the General TIre Altimax when I purchased at the time did not come in the designated original 235-65-16 size. Although the 215-70-16 was within .6%, I opted for the 225-70-16 at 1.3% difference as the 215 were structurally weaker whereas the 225 was equally capable wrt load bearing tire as per the original tires.
dsl33
join:2012-02-02

dsl33 to Bender2000

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General Tire Altimax Arctic +1 zillion

Similar performance of Nokian Hakkapeliitta, but much lower price.

Made in Germany too.

d4m1r
join:2011-08-25

d4m1r to Bender2000

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to Bender2000
1) Best bang for your buck will definitely be General tire Altimax. Paid about $600 for a set of 4 brand new 17" tires. Very very good tires both on snow, and not too soft on dry either. Made in Germany.

2) Best overall? Nokian. Made in Finland so you know they will hold up in the Canadian winter climate Not cheap (just bought 4 new 17" WR D3s) but I don't want to hear anybody looking for 16" and below complaining about price....Just look at the 17" and beyond market
telco_mtl
join:2012-01-06

telco_mtl to Bender2000

Member

to Bender2000
said by Bender2000:

said by MaynardKrebs:

The best tire for you depends on
a) Your tire size (not all tires are made in all sizes)
b) Run-flat or pneumatic
c) Type of car and speed rating you need
d) Where you drive (city plowed/salted roads or country seldom plowed/salted/sanded roads)
e) Do you need studdable tires?
f) Do you regularly encounter ice conditions vs. snow vs. bare roads?

Answer those questions first.

Answers:
a) 205 60 R16. Very common size, all the tires I've been considering come in that size.

b) pneumatic. Besides, run flat generally don't work all that well in low temps.

c) Mazda6. All tires I am considering have acceptable speed ratings

d) Montreal and west island of Montreal. Roads tend to be unplowed for some time in the burbs. I live in a cul de sac, plowed usually the day after. Icy conditions are typical near street lights in the city, along with black ice on the highway where I have to drive to go to work.

e) No.

f) Yes, in Montreal, you encounter a mixed bag of ice/snow/slush at various degrees.

and we live in a lovely jurisdiction that still allows studded tires!