I like Consumer Reports because they accept no advertising dollars. Thus there reporting is unbiased. This report is from their November 2002 issue.

This test involved 17 different tires (6 H-rated tires and 11 Q-rated tires). Most winter tires are Q-rated models designed for speeds up to 99 mph while the H tires are designed for speeds up to 130 mph.


BEST H-RATED TIRES:

1.st place - Goodyear Eagle Ultra Grip GW-2, $132
(best dry/wet braking, best ice braking for cars without ABS)

2.nd place - Dunlop SP Winter Sport M2, $ 126
(best dry/ice braking, responsive handling)

3.rd place - Pirelli Winter 210 Snow Sport, $155
(best dry cornering, expensive)

4.th place - Bridgestone Blizzak LM-22, $130
(best emergency handling)

5.th place - Nokian Hakkapeliitta NRW, $157
(excellent in snow, but not ideal for wet weather)

6.th place - Michelin Pilot Alpin, $116
(quite ride, but best suited for areas with less severe snow)


BEST Q-RATED TIRES:

1.st place - Kumho I'zen Stud KW-11, $50
(excellent where snow less severe, best dry/wet braking, accepts studs)

2.nd place - Michelin Arctic Alpin, $85
(excellent where snow less severe, excellent overall)

3.rd place - Dunlop Graspic DS-1, $55
(best snow traction, best ice braking, only fair emergency handling)

4.th place - Gislaved NordFrost II, $75
(very good overall, accepts studs)

5.th place - Nokian Hakkapeliitta Q, $85
(obvious choice where winters include lots of snow and rain, very good overall)

6.th place - BFGoodrich Winter Slalom $60
(very good overall, accepts studs)

7.th place - Goodyear Ultra Grip Ice, $77
(excellent in snow or rain, only fair handling)

8.th place - Bridgestone Blizzak WS-50, $72
(stiff ride, good all-around)

9.th place - Yokohama Guardex F720, $75
(most likely to hydroplane)

10.th place - Firestone Winterfire, $53
(poor ice braking)

11.th place - Cooper Weather-Master XGR, $52
(long dry stops, only fair emergency handling)


Hope this helps you guys and, seeing all that bad weather on TV, hope I didnt wait to long to post. Hopefully some of you still need to buy winter tires. Good luck!

Lee

 

Now for the $64 question.. Which of those are offered in a size that will fit on the "Z" wheels???

Steve (k2we) Dobbs Ferry, NY

 

Actually, the "special order" LM22's that I got in 225/45/18 and 245/45/18 for my 18" Z rims are V rated.

 

I got a set of lm22s from TireRack for my 17" stock rims for $750 delivered.

 

In 18's the Blizzak LM-22 and the Pirelli Snowsports 210's.

I question those prices for the sizes of our wheels - they sound low, for 225/245 18 tires...

Also note that the same model of tire is often sold in more than one rating (e.g. H and Q). The Pirellis and Blizzaks I have been looking into are both VR rated.

 

however was their test car a Z? What works well on 1 car, especially tires, does not always work well on another

 

That is why I prefer sources like Tire Rack or other specialty retailers - they test their high performance winter tire recommendations on...high performance cars - in this case a BMW 3 or 5 series RWD sedan, not a Z but a lot closer to the mark than some FWD Camry . The Hankook winter tires I use for my Altima would be useless on a RWD G35 or Z - OK for the lighter car w/lower torque and hp, FWD...

Plus, they also test on Ice and Snow, dry, record braking and time to go 0-50 standing start, etc. Gives you a lot better idea of more realistic conditions relevant to our kinds of cars and use. The owner reviews are sometimes pretty close to my experience (example: go read about the wonderful OEM RE040's).

And, no one is free of bias, paid advertising or not - Consumer Reports often falls short when it comes to high performance equipment because they are by definition more mainstream

I'm biased toward Pirelli because I don't expect to drive through heavy snow, I just don't want to get stranded by a few inches of afternoon flurries - the normal stuff I use my Altima, for the real heavy dumps I use the RAM 4WD...you just have to have realistic expectations of the limits in snow with any tires, and where I live the snow can exceed 1" and hour and the plows don't hit the roads fast enough that having to manage 6+ inches is not uncommon. I don't expect my G to move 10 feet in that kind of snow.

 

I have the michelin arctic alpins on my winter 17's. The best investment you can make if you are driving in the winter is winter wheels. unless the snow is up to my bumper I get around great!