Winter Tires

[Pumkin]

I have a GT premium PP. I live in MN and the car is my daily driver, even in the winter. I'm looking for the best winter tire set money could buy for great safety and peace of mind. Any suggestions? I'm also rotating the same PP rims for both winter and summer tires. Thanks!

Sponsored

 

[Pmamba]

I always hear people mention Bridgestone Blizzak for winter tires.

 

[carpenj]

I have a GT PP as well. I ran 3 winters on Pirelli Sottozero 3's and think you'd get great use out of them. Really good grip in the cold and dry, and seemed great in the rain. Acceleration seemed to be on par with a FWD on all-seasons, but having driven that setup before, I have never once felt like I might get stuck with the Sottozeros (including bumper-deep snow and on small hills). This time I'm going to try something else just because I'm curious, and can't decide between performance winters and winter "snow" tires.

Performance winter tires would be things like Nokian Hakkapelliita R5's, Bridgestone Blizzak LM005, Vredestein Wintrac Pro (look identical to my old Pirellis), Continental WinterContact TS 870 P. These seem to perform better in the cold-dry than the true snow/winters. My local tire shop absolutely raves about the Hakka R5's.

I'm also thinking about trying something like a Continental VikingContact 7, which seems more snow-and-ice-focused.

 

[Pumkin]

I have a GT PP as well. I ran 3 winters on Pirelli Sottozero 3's and think you'd get great use out of them. Really good grip in the cold and dry, and seemed great in the rain. Acceleration seemed to be on par with a FWD on all-seasons, but having driven that setup before, I have never once felt like I might get stuck with the Sottozeros (including bumper-deep snow and on small hills). This time I'm going to try something else just because I'm curious, and can't decide between performance winters and winter "snow" tires.

Performance winter tires would be things like Nokian Hakkapelliita R5's, Bridgestone Blizzak LM005, Vredestein Wintrac Pro (look identical to my old Pirellis), Continental WinterContact TS 870 P. These seem to perform better in the cold-dry than the true snow/winters. My local tire shop absolutely raves about the Hakka R5's.

I'm also thinking about trying something like a Continental VikingContact 7, which seems more snow-and-ice-focused.

Thanks for replying! These are great winter tire suggestions. Why wouldn't you consider Michelin X-Ice or the Blizzak? I'm a bit stuck and can't figure out whether I should go with studless or performance winter tires. Also, when do you think I should buy these for the best offers? Thanks!

 

[Wiley Marmot]

Any of the major tire companies make good snow tires; you can't go really wrong with any of them. I drove on 2 sets of Blizzaks for 8 years (94 LT 1 Firebird Formula & 98 LS 1 Z28) and 2 sets of General Altimax Arctics (Focus ST) for 8 years.

Which was better? No idea, never got stuck driving on either brand; then again, I didn't do stupid **** with the cars/tires. At the time of purchase I chose each brand (Tire Rack for all of them) based on their cost effectiveness compared to their competitors. Michelins or Pirellis? Great tires all around; wouldn't hesitate to drive on a set of their snows, BUT not when I can get 90% of the performance for half to two thirds the cost.

The only real difference between snows and "performance" snows is their speed rating. The Blizzaks and Arctics (if I remember rightly) were rated for NOT more than a sustained 80 MPH on dry pavement (and if you drive any snows consistently in temps of 45F or more they will wear VERY quickly). Oh yea......................the performance snows may cost more.

I'm planning on buying a set of snows for my GT too; no idea what brand I'll end up with; depends on price.

Best of luck with whatever you go with!

 

[carpenj]

Thanks for replying! These are great winter tire suggestions. Why wouldn't you consider Michelin X-Ice or the Blizzak? I'm a bit stuck and can't figure out whether I should go with studless or performance winter tires. Also, when do you think I should buy these for the best offers? Thanks!

I remember seeing an Engineering Explained video where he did braking tests on summer tires and studless winter tires at 25F. The summer tires actually stopped the car significantly faster. I believe performance winters split the difference and perform much better in the cold-dry than a studless winter tire, while I'm sure sacrificing some deep snow traction. It actually seems like performance on ice might be about the same from the research I've done.

September is the best time to buy. You won't get better prices necessarily, but some models can become scarce into mid-late October and a lot aren't available at all until August-September.

 

[steveo1960]

When I travel to upstate NY or VT during winter months I see Blizzak tires everywhere. Of course I also see Subarus everywhere as well.

 

[Pumkin]

I remember seeing an Engineering Explained video where he did braking tests on summer tires and studless winter tires at 25F. The summer tires actually stopped the car significantly faster. I believe performance winters split the difference and perform much better in the cold-dry than a studless winter tire, while I'm sure sacrificing some deep snow traction. It actually seems like performance on ice might be about the same from the research I've done.

September is the best time to buy. You won't get better prices necessarily, but some models can become scarce into mid-late October and a lot aren't available at all until August-September.

Makes sense. Isn't the Nokian Hakkapelliita R5 studless and not performance though? Should I try to get a deal online or at a local shop? Thanks!

Sponsored