winter is around the corner (snow tires)
You'll get lots of opinions... but the general concensus I've found is Blizzaks.
LM-22 - H-Rated performance winter tire.
WS-50 - Q-Rated winter tire.
Being in Winnipeg, I went with the WS-50s. You lose some performance, but they are supposed to have better traction in the snow & ice than the LM-22s. And I doubt I'll be doing more that 100mph around these streets in February.
I put them on for the first time yesterday. I notice some road noise at 60km/h... but it didn't bother me... just turn up the stereo
LM-22 - H-Rated performance winter tire.
WS-50 - Q-Rated winter tire.
Being in Winnipeg, I went with the WS-50s. You lose some performance, but they are supposed to have better traction in the snow & ice than the LM-22s. And I doubt I'll be doing more that 100mph around these streets in February.
I put them on for the first time yesterday. I notice some road noise at 60km/h... but it didn't bother me... just turn up the stereo
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Joined: Jun 2003
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From: Boston, MA
Get 225/50/17s front and 225/55/17s (or 235/50/17s) rear for your enthusiast.
I just picked up some Dunlop Winter Sport M3s + 17" wheels from Tirerack - the Dunlops are rated better, a newer tire, and cheaper!
$1250 for the package - but you better start crackin - winter tires sell out fast everywhere this time of year!
I just picked up some Dunlop Winter Sport M3s + 17" wheels from Tirerack - the Dunlops are rated better, a newer tire, and cheaper!
$1250 for the package - but you better start crackin - winter tires sell out fast everywhere this time of year!
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From: Toronto
So you have no problems with the 225/50/17 through snow and ice? I'll be driving mine in the winter this year and I want to protect my baby so what about going to 16s? Does anyone have 16s for their winter tires? And what size?
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Joined: Jun 2003
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From: Boston, MA
Not many people get 16s. It can be done if you are non-Brembo (our spare tire is 16"s) but I think most people have teh same opinion.
They want a sporty winter tire and you find those in 17"s. Not to mention the few guys that went to 16"s did it for financial reasons and had steelies.
I am NOT putting steelies in my car for 5 months out of the year!
EDIT:
I did a lot of research on the boards and as far as I could tell, the most popular options were:
225/50/17 front
225/55/17 rear
225/50/17 front
235/50/17 rear
225/45/18 front
245/45/18 rear
You want the narrowest tire.
I know someone went with 215s, but dunno how that set up worked out.
Try to stay away from 225/45/17s and 225/40/18s because that is a low tire (bad ground clearance)
They want a sporty winter tire and you find those in 17"s. Not to mention the few guys that went to 16"s did it for financial reasons and had steelies.
I am NOT putting steelies in my car for 5 months out of the year!
EDIT:
I did a lot of research on the boards and as far as I could tell, the most popular options were:
225/50/17 front
225/55/17 rear
225/50/17 front
235/50/17 rear
225/45/18 front
245/45/18 rear
You want the narrowest tire.
I know someone went with 215s, but dunno how that set up worked out.
Try to stay away from 225/45/17s and 225/40/18s because that is a low tire (bad ground clearance)
Last edited by roydiculous; Nov 9, 2004 at 06:22 AM.
I went with 16's all around on steelies. Do a search on this, after doing a bunch of research, I posted some sizing info earlier in the year.
I chose this setup for the following reasons:
- I have them on 3.5 months of the year, if it were 5 months+ I would probably do something different
- With snow tires I didn't think 17's would really make the car handle much better
- With steelies, it looks like the winter tires are on rather than some cheap 17 or 18" rims that look odd.
- Price ($600-700 for tires + rims)
I went with Goodyear Pilot Alpines (vs. Arctic Alpines). From a pure snow tire sense, they don't grip like the Blizzaks I had on my last RWD car, but they definitely are a snow tire that has an all-season tire feel in terms handling.
I chose this setup for the following reasons:
- I have them on 3.5 months of the year, if it were 5 months+ I would probably do something different
- With snow tires I didn't think 17's would really make the car handle much better
- With steelies, it looks like the winter tires are on rather than some cheap 17 or 18" rims that look odd.
- Price ($600-700 for tires + rims)
I went with Goodyear Pilot Alpines (vs. Arctic Alpines). From a pure snow tire sense, they don't grip like the Blizzaks I had on my last RWD car, but they definitely are a snow tire that has an all-season tire feel in terms handling.
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Joined: Jun 2004
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From: Canada
Linus350,
I went with Hankook Ice Bear 225/50/17 and 225/55/17 to keep the stagger. Tires will be mounted on inexpensive 5 spoke mags. Got the whole package at Wheels Direct in Scaborough for a great deal
I went with Hankook Ice Bear 225/50/17 and 225/55/17 to keep the stagger. Tires will be mounted on inexpensive 5 spoke mags. Got the whole package at Wheels Direct in Scaborough for a great deal
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Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 408
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From: toronto
this is a cut/paste from the nissan350z.ca post i made:
i'm going with performance winters for the toronto weather - we don't see enough packed snow or ice and i prefer to have good handling characteristics in the dry.
there are two major categories of winter tires: "true" winter tires and "performance" winter tires.
"true" winter tires are dedicated winter tires that use as much technology as possible for ice and snow grip. this is a trade off for dry/wet handling - usually resulting in a softer ride and less cornering ability due softer sidewalls and compounds. i find that nokians are the most aggressive studless winter tire around, specifically the nokian hakka 1 or 2. bridgestone's blizzaks (except the lm-22) are in this category and their multicell technology is better than nokians for ice. as a generalization, nokians are the best for packed snow, blizzaks for ice.
honourable mention should go to yokohama since their new winter tires use a similar multicell design as the blizzaks and should be as good on ice.
"performance" winter tires give up some winter traction for better dry/wet handling. examples of these are the dunlop m3, pirelli 210 or 240, and the bridgestone lm-22. don't let the blizzak name for the lm-22 fool you - it is not a multicell tire like the other blizzaks. these tires will be good in cold weather but just be average for snow/ice. i don't think they would fair very well on snowy or icy inclines at all - be aware of that if you drive in inclimate conditions.
"true" winter tires are dedicated winter tires that use as much technology as possible for ice and snow grip. this is a trade off for dry/wet handling - usually resulting in a softer ride and less cornering ability due softer sidewalls and compounds. i find that nokians are the most aggressive studless winter tire around, specifically the nokian hakka 1 or 2. bridgestone's blizzaks (except the lm-22) are in this category and their multicell technology is better than nokians for ice. as a generalization, nokians are the best for packed snow, blizzaks for ice.
honourable mention should go to yokohama since their new winter tires use a similar multicell design as the blizzaks and should be as good on ice.
"performance" winter tires give up some winter traction for better dry/wet handling. examples of these are the dunlop m3, pirelli 210 or 240, and the bridgestone lm-22. don't let the blizzak name for the lm-22 fool you - it is not a multicell tire like the other blizzaks. these tires will be good in cold weather but just be average for snow/ice. i don't think they would fair very well on snowy or icy inclines at all - be aware of that if you drive in inclimate conditions.
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