neal@tirerack

It's that time for my yearly winter tire reminder. We have had flurries here Indiana already and a handful of places in the U.S. have experienced measureable snowfall.

Popular tires for moderate to low snow climates, that see more plowed roads than highways, tend to be the Bridgestone Blizzak LM60, their new LM-32, and Dunlops Winter Sport 4D. Both are considered very equal to each other in snow traction and in dry road handling/cornering and were the tires of choice in this category. The Bridgestone's move the balance closer to the snow traction side while the Dunlop does slightly better in dry. Both an ideal choice for someone having trouble deciding between the high performance snow tires that sacrifice a lot of snow traction and the Q/R rated snow tires that trade off too much in handling and dry grip.

Persons living in more rural areas or heavy snow climates lean toward the Bridgestone Blizzak WS lines or Michelin X-Ice Xi3. I've noticed when driving both that the added tread depth of the Blizzak helps deep snow traction on those early unplowed mornings. The X-Ice is a bit happier on ice surfaces and tends to handle a bit tighter on clear roads due to the 2/32nd's difference in depth compared to the Blizzak. The WS80, Bridgestone's newest member to the Blizzak family, will be replacing the popular WS70 this year. From our ice rink testing I can tell you it's already better than the original WS70 and out cornered/accelerated the Yokohamas, Michelin, and Goodyear. Steering response is more crisp also.

Some more cost effective players to the game such as Yokohama's iceGUARD iG52c did well against tires like the General Altimax Artic. However, it is fairly new so jury is still out on long term results.

I would not wait too long, it's better to be proactive than reactive. Ordering early when most products are still available lets you choose what you want to buy rather than being forced to settle for what is left over. Best to be ready with products in hand before it snows so that you can put them on when you are ready, rather than waiting for a shipment to arrive after the first snow. We should have most inventory available now to mid November. Tires and wheels purchased together are mounted and balanced at no charge to make changeover easy and we do offer the oem pressure sensors.

You can view full winter tire and wheel packages at our winter upgrade garage.

Remember to mention "Neal ext 4624" in the comments section of your online order. This way I can review the order and process it faster. As always you may call me direct also {thumbup}

Spike100

^^ Hi Neal… Thanks for the informative and timely posting.

I’m in Minnesota where we get both snow and ice. I have successfully and safely run my 350z during the winter by simply mounting studless snow tires at all 4 corners. You need to stop as well as go (hence the 4 snow tires).

I went with a dedicated winter tire/wheel setup to save on mounting expense. I believe you get a larger selection and better price on a winter wheel/tire setup if you go with 17” wheels.

You are correct when advising ordering/buying now to insure the best price and selection for a winter tire setup.

neal@tirerack

Nice follow-up! Thanks.