# Winter Tyres



## Zac (Mar 10, 2004)

I guess this goes best in general guys. Well last year I ran my Yokohama AVS ES100s through the winter and in the snow. Great for dry and wet performance but I learned why they are SUMMER TYRES. I wound up with a fully roadrashed wheel and a mis-alignment because of slipping. This year I plan to cough up the money for some better snow adept tyres. I'm prolly gonna buy a set of 15 inch wheels, maybe Axis Maglites if I can find them and put something nice for the winter on them (I'm almost sure a 15 inch wheel would clear the brake on my SE-R and that the Axis have the 4x100 bolt pattern. If you know for sure, please mention it.). I was thinking either the Yokohama Avid T4 (all season with pretty good snow trac) or Dunlop Winter Sport M3 (high performance snow tyres with excellent ratings). Blizzaks just dont have the blend of performance and snow-dability that I want. Anyone else use any tyres they liked for the winter that have all around good handling characteristics, decent treadwear, and of course good winter trac?


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## samo (Apr 30, 2002)

I run Yokohama Guardex K2 F720 tires in 185/70/14 on my rig. They're great in both the dry and wet, and, although I haven't had a chance to try them in the snow, they get great reviews. I figure, the best compiment a tire can get is that rally drivers use them, and the K2 is the tire of choice for many rally drivers. I'll have a chance to try them out in the snow this weekend, hopefully.

Supposedly the Nokian Happakaapappletta or however it's spelled is the epitome of an excellent snow tire that's civil on the street.


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## Zac (Mar 10, 2004)

thos tyres look sick! and just to be sure, the bolt pattern on the B15 SE-R is 114.3 x 4, right? not too much has been mentioned about its bolt pattern so I might as well verify its not 100 x 4.


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## Felonious Cat Stalker (May 1, 2002)

You would be best to stay away from an All Season if you are serious about traction. Modern winter tires have many improvements over all seasons and provide much improved stopping power. This include extra sipping for bite and wter clearance. Premium brands also have additional traction materials (ranging from spongy bubble to walnut shells to carbide slivers) and soft compounds that remain flexible at low temperatures. Look for something with the mountain and snowflake.

That said, these days you really can't go wrong with premium winter tires, but should choose based on your needs. If you get more ice than snow, lean towards a tire with less open tread, such as Michelin X-Ice. If you get more snow, look for something with a more open tread, like Blizzak WS-50. If you don't have a lot of snow days and drive hard, one of the performance oriented winter tires may be a better choice, like the M3s you mentioned. Fat lot of good Blizzaks will do if you have worn them out by February and you get a big storm.
Have a look at the tire rack site, they have a selection laid out by performance characteristics.


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## Zac (Mar 10, 2004)

FCS said:


> You would be best to stay away from an All Season if you are serious about traction. Modern winter tires have many improvements over all seasons and provide much improved stopping power. This include extra sipping for bite and wter clearance. Premium brands also have additional traction materials (ranging from spongy bubble to walnut shells to carbide slivers) and soft compounds that remain flexible at low temperatures. Look for something with the mountain and snowflake.
> 
> That said, these days you really can't go wrong with premium winter tires, but should choose based on your needs. If you get more ice than snow, lean towards a tire with less open tread, such as Michelin X-Ice. If you get more snow, look for something with a more open tread, like Blizzak WS-50. If you don't have a lot of snow days and drive hard, one of the performance oriented winter tires may be a better choice, like the M3s you mentioned. Fat lot of good Blizzaks will do if you have worn them out by February and you get a big storm.
> Have a look at the tire rack site, they have a selection laid out by performance characteristics.


I'm in Maryland...people panic over and inch of snow (and then proceed to lay 3 inches of salt). Anything over a foot we call a bilzzard and we rarely get more than 4-5 inches (we did twice last year though). We do get a good amount of black ice though which is where I went wrong last year. But I would also like some performance which is why I was looking at the Dunlops. The X-Ice have caught my eyes also. What do you guys use rally wise?


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## Felonious Cat Stalker (May 1, 2002)

OK, here goes:
On the winter Rally-X beater:
- Blizzak WS-50
On the Rally car:
-Blizzak WS50 for mixed snow & Ice
-Yoko F720, tractionized with cut shoulders for ice
- Michelin C5 Rally Snow tires for deep snow (not DOT approved)

and we are a small team, big teams may have 3 or 4 more choices. Pick your tire, hope for the best and drive the line that best suits your choice


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## Radioaktiv (Feb 12, 2004)

no, you do not have 4x100


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## Binger (Aug 29, 2002)

here in nebraska we get alot of snow and alot of ice that likes to hide under it. Hilly neighborhoods can be scary.

I have been told by many people here in the omaha area that Bridgestone Blizacks are the best snow tires.


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## sethwas (Apr 30, 2002)

Michelin Artic Alipin, Dunlop Graspic, Bridgestone Blizzak.
Which specific models depends on your neds and how much snow you're really talking. If you never drive on dense snow don't get the fancy blixxak. If you mainly drive on plowed streets with occasional snow buildup you will want a snow that's better for ice, etc. Deep snow tires are like off road tires and don't perform well on the dry.

Seth


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## Bror Jace (Apr 26, 2003)

I'm down wif *samo*!

If you want the ultimate snow tire, one of the Nokian Hakkapelitas will do the trick. They have their normal snow (Hakka 2) which can be studded, their heavily siped Hakka Q and they even have a _real_ 4-season tire if you want something a little less severe.

http://www.nokiantires.com/newsite/homeF.cfm

I have studded Hakka 2s.  They are pretty awesome ... but noisy as hell with no traction in the dry. Usually put them on after Thanksgiving. By the end of January I'm dying for April so i can take them off.

I love the tires but probably wouldn't get studs next time.


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## Binger (Aug 29, 2002)

oh yeah...I've also heard that most "snow only" tires will melt/break down quickly when the temp gets up above 60ish degrees.


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## Blank (Aug 21, 2003)

zac, do you relly need snows in Bmore? vector drives his spec all year long, ive been down there in the winter, just stay inside with everyone else when the snow piles up to 2 inches lol.... id shudder to think what would happen to your city if itr got 7 feet in 2 days like we did 3 xmas's ago..


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## Tavel (Aug 21, 2004)

i dont use winter tires. for one, the snow isn't on the ground for that long. two, winter weather in chicago is 'interesting.'* three, all season tires are made for snow too, so they can handle it.

* it may snow 3 inches one day then it'll rain 3 inches the next. and then i'tll be cold and dry for a week, then all the sudden the temp. will spike to 40 degrees and it'll be foggy and wet for a week. then of course it will go below zero to compensate.


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## sethwas (Apr 30, 2002)

That's a mistake.
All season tires are not made for snow. They can handle it sometimes. Not all all-seasons are created equal. The biggest gripe against all seasons is that they can't handle cold temperatures. So all the tread design is worthless when the rubber is as hard as plastic.
If you really want to do it right, and live in a place where they plow the roads, get dedicated non-stud snow tires with the best dry traction available so that they will work on freshly plowed roads and between snowfalls.
If you live in the suburbs where plowing isn't as frequent or thourough, or take trips to go skiing, etc. You really can't do an all season at all.
I managed in a boston suburb for 3 years and that was scary since the brakes and gas didn't always work. It was totally unacceptable for the year I lived in Montreal.
Try it and see for yourselves, it makes a world of a difference.

Seth


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## pete? (Jul 6, 2004)

yea i live in maryland too and tho we don't get much snow black ice is a bizitch! id say while not nessesary the snow/ice tires are good insurance, cuz people drive like asses here rain/ shine and if you can out maneuver them then it will be they who hit the phone pole instead of wedging you in between them and the pole (grumble ass holes grumble)



37 stickies said:


> just stay inside with everyone else when the snow piles up to 2 inches lol.... id shudder to think what would happen to your city if itr got 7 feet in 2 days like we did 3 xmas's ago..


haha u have us down pat lol


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## Tavel (Aug 21, 2004)

[delete all text] i had a nice little essay going, but meh. i dont want to start a fight.


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## Blank (Aug 21, 2003)

1.6pete said:


> yea i live in maryland too and tho we don't get much snow black ice is a bizitch! id say while not nessesary the snow/ice tires are good insurance, cuz people drive like asses here rain/ shine and if you can out maneuver them then it will be they who hit the phone pole instead of wedging you in between them and the pole (grumble ass holes grumble)
> 
> 
> haha u have us down pat lol



that was so much fun! I had to help greg(vector03) shovel off his grandmother's ROOF, we just walked up a snowbank onto the roof and shovel it off for hours so it didnt cave in...


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## Blank (Aug 21, 2003)

http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories/s848b.htm

some pics of that day...


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## pete? (Jul 6, 2004)

^ haha and i bet they even thought about keeping school insession lol in MD i have goten off of school for FOG! lol :loser:


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## Bror Jace (Apr 26, 2003)

In this neck of the woods (upstate NY) good snow tires are a must.

I've had more close calls with slipping and sliding in the past with "no-season" tires. They might be fine in Virginia ... or Tenbessee ... but not this far north. 

Add Nokian snow tires and all I have to do is worry about some stupid fool sliding into me.

Besides, all they cost me was the price of the 4 steelie rims. While they are on my car, my 17" rims aren't in the salt and my 17" tires are not getting wore down.


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## Tavel (Aug 21, 2004)

chicago doesn't get that cold, but it was in the 30's all day, i thought this was fall???

anyway, it doesn't snow a lot, and there isn't any black ice, and most importantly, it almost never gets below 20 degrees(daytime). 

HOWEVER! chicago is fucking windy. its called the windy city for politicians and the fact that its windy. our daily windchills are below zero. but of course, windchill only affects people, not machines.


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## Zac (Mar 10, 2004)

thanks for the help guys, since we get a blend of anything, im gonna get the dunlops for my 16 inch stockies. 2 of them are bent but their getting unbent by ye old wheel and tire. i'll need a performance tyre because by the end of winter my car will have i/h/dp/e/mm/p/bsr/cams/safcII/tb/n2o and a very hard shifting rebuilt tranny...I have only about half of it and i'm, already peeling on my yokos (i gotta stop that) so i dont think a less agressive snow tyre would last the winter.


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