giant96

My dad just got a 2005 Z w/ 18" package. He asked me about SNow tires and rims..WOuld Blizzaks be good? What size rim/tire would be right? Could he go 16" or is 17" better? Thanks for any replies...im in Buffalo, NY tons of SNow

bamyi

iTrader: (2)

Here's pic of mine and I'll check it tomorrow, its in the shop right now. It works like a charm as IF you respect the road.

FritzMan

215/60/16 Blizzaks on steelies work great.

Here's a picture of a winter Solo2 event I did last year (won the RWD class and beat all but 1 of the FWD cars to).

nlsqba

iTrader: (1)

do u change all 4 tires - or just the rear?

dcmidnight

For tons of snow like Buffalo, I would think the WS-50 would suit your needs.

Lerxst

iTrader: (2)

+1

Plus... no disrespect to dcmidnight, but the steelies don't do the car justice IMHO... spend a couple extra for some cheap mags to finish the car off. If the car's got the Brembo brakes, you won't be able to go smaller than 17" from my research. My setup was 225/50/17 & 225/55/17 WS50s on 17" ASAs... I was quite happy with the results.

bokone

iTrader: (4)

Always change all four tires. Steering is just as important as motion. Even on a FWD car. I wouldn't want to have the rear end pass the front.

FIN350Z

The latest winter tire test published in Finland on 09/28/2005 classifies the studless winter tires on a 1-10 scale:

1. Continental Conti VikingContact 3 8,3 ****
2. Gislaved SoftFrost 2 8,2 ***
3. Nokian Hakkapeliitta RSi 8,1 ***
4. Michelin X-Ice 7,8 ***
5. Nankang Snow Viva SV-1 7,4 **
6. Vredestein Nord-Trac 7,4 **
7. GoodYear Ice Navi NH 7,1 *
8. Agi Soft Sarek 6,9 *
9. Bridgestone Blizzak WS-50 6,3 -

The size tested was 205/55/16. The 350Z tire size differs from the tested size, but the different tire brand performance order could be like this with other sizes too.

bamyi

iTrader: (2)

^^thats what I have.

FIN350Z

Are you happy with the best in test? The tires seem to be definately better than the Blizzak WS-50s. I run on studded Nokian Hakkapeliitta 4s with square tipped studs.

bamyi

iTrader: (2)

Sorry be bad, I mistaken those for the extremcontact. Here's the link for the tires I have: http://www.conti-online.com/generato...master_en.html

Mine are 245 front/275 rear. I love em. during heavy rain the car still turns like its dry and when it's dry I really feel the grip. The picture doesn't do it justice but it also looks pretty aggresive.

Lerxst

iTrader: (2)

Wow... and here I was happy with my WS50s. I think I might try the Nokians next time. What was the criteria for the ranking? e.g. WS50 has more bite in the snow than the LM22s, but the dry pavement performance lacks isn't as good. However, the bite in the snow is what I'm concerned about.

TST35th

Is that the ASA JH3 17"x7.5" 32mm?

Havok_RLS2

iTrader: (9)

This is just my 2 cents but I don't see any mention of the **Dunlap SP Winter Sport M3** on your list of winter/snow tire. I purchased my set of 225/50R17 front, 225/55R17 rear form Tire Rack. According to their ranking scale these rate 8.5 - 9.0. I paid about $650 for the whole set shipped to my house. Being that they are cheaper then most of the ones listed above(I know for a fact that they are $120 cheaper than the Bridgestone Blizzak WS-50) You might want to give Tire Rack a call.

davidv

iTrader: (2)

Snow tire recommendations from Consumer Reports.

Havok_RLS2

iTrader: (9)

Well I'm not about to argue with Consumer Reports.

Nice work Davidv!

Zeromus

iTrader: (1)

I live in Chicago as well, and after reading these posts it seems like investing in a set of all-season tires is a very smart idea. Bamyi, those continental wheels sound pretty good, and it looks like you have them on the Nismo LMGT's? I'll be receiving my '06 in late November or early December just when the snow hits here.

I'm seriously thinking about getting the bronze LMGT's, but not sure if I want to spend that much right now. Would you guys recommend going for it if I were to buy a new set of these tires, or just swapping out the potenzas when my Z arrives and buying the LMGT's in a year or so like I was originally planning?

bamyi

iTrader: (2)

My mom lives in chicago and I visit quit often. Really nice town. Anyways, to answer your questions I would consider this two point:

1. you stated money was an issue since you don't want to spend that much right now. If buying the Nismo will set you back, my general rule is to don't do it. Only spend when you have a cushion of money. However...

2. If you buy winter tires for the oem wheels, you will eventually buy new winter tires for the Nismo's thus spending more money.

Its a tough decision but that's what makes life interesting. Also, here's a link to another thread with this same issue (winter tires). https://my350z.com/forum/2003-2009-nissan-350z/148974-winter-who-here-has-driven-there-z-in-the-snow.html Good luck and happy driving.

angelzhope720

iTrader: (15)

Damn, I wanted steelies with some blizzaks on my Z but the Touring 6-speeds have bigger calipers so it's not an option... I have to spend much more now... blah. Maybe I'll just stick with my sh!tenzas...

jjellyneck

You might want to look at the Dunlop M3 snow tire. Guys I know have them love the overall performance on snow, ice and dry.