Ok, so first off, i know most of you will say...there is no need for winter tires cuz you shouldn't drive the Z in the winter. Well, I'm working on that side of things...but haven't come up w/ the money for a second vehicle yet...so for this winter, it looks like i'll be driving the Z. So...i need new tires anyways...and figured i'd put snow tires on the stock 18's and then have performance tires on the Volks next summer. Anyone have any recommendations? My buddy said that the Blizzaks were not all that great from his experience. He recommended the Michelin Alpins. However, I've also heard great things about the Dunlop Winter Sport M3s.

I think that no matter what i go with, i won't be staggering the sizes on them. Just because first off, a wider tire is not better in the snow anyways. And i won't be looking for handling characteristics of the car (other than just retaining SOME traction) for the winter months. Is this a mistake?

Austin

 

I'm not one of those guys that thinks everyone should do a search about every little question BUT.. there is a wealth of info on this topic on the forum. You'll find a ton of advice and opinions on this topic.

I bought my new '06 Z in February of last year so I did a lot of research on the topic. The Blizzaks are probably the most used, with the dunlops a close second....

You have to have realistic expectations above all else.... you're not gonna turn your car into a 4WD SUV w/ a set of winter tires, not even an FWD, BUT it is going to have a relatively dramatic and worthwhile impact nonetheless.

I'm in the same situation, and personally I'm gonna do my best to scrape together a couple g's and get a serious beater if I can find one mechanic approved. Even if I only get 15-20kmiles out of the car, that's 2-3 years of bad winter weather, for perhaps the same price as two sets of new snow tires and the plus of preventing damage to my z rims due to the harsh conditions.

 

I ran blizzak LM22's on my Z last winter and was very impressed by their performance. Stock tires literally are undriveable in an inch of snow, while the blizzaks got me through 4-5 inches without issues. I actually have the tires mounted on stock 17" wheels for sale if you are interested. Tires have 90-95% tread left.

 

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