️snow tire recommendations

[montanaskier]

Went with Nokians for the wife's car. Leaning with GR and the Blizzaks for mine.

[char_]

liv2ski,

I drove my Xice3's all summer this year. They were fine. Wore faster I'm sure, but the performance was fine. Or just buy a winter biased A/S like Tippster recommended. I've never had an issue with wandering.

Xice3's on the Outback was like driving on rails. The only time I had an issue was when they stopped me to quickly for the person behind me at an icy intersection and I got rear ended. Ice performance was superb. I'll probably go a different route just due to the cost, but they were a very good tire.

Based on the research I've done most of the snow tires mentioned in this thread will serve most drivers just fine coupled with good snow driving technique.

[plugboots]

i've run Hankook iPike w409 studded snows on my forester for several years and they're stable and super grippy, even in deep snow.

I've really liked them too - have had them on 4 cars now. They generally last 3 winters and are super grippy, with wide enough tread voids for deeper snow. I like them a lot. I used to live at an area that frequently got black ice and wet snow/slush and never had an issue.

But apparently they are not sexy enough for dentist crowd?

Apparently. I have gone through a few sets over the years also on 4 different cars. The tread pattern seems to be a knock off of Hakkapeliittas. Great price on them at Les Schwab too. No hesitation on buying them again.

[TAFKALVS]

i've run Hankook iPike w409 studded snows on my forester for several years and they're stable and super grippy, even in deep snow.




Apparently. I have gone through a few sets over the years also on 4 different cars. The tread pattern seems to be a knock off of Hakkapeliittas. Great price on them at Les Schwab too. No hesitation on buying them again.

I love them, especially for the price. Even cheaper at Discount Tire. On the bigger SUV sizes the tread voids are super wide for a snow tire and they do awesome in the deep stuff.

[johnnyg82]

I also had the W409's on my WRX, and no issues at all, they allowed some fun and games while keeping it together.

[El Chupacabra]

I think the Hankook ipike W409 is the same tread pattern as the General Altimax Arctic -- google the images and you'll see. I remember seeing that the General was a rebranded old Gislaved winter tire.



No idea if the rubber compound is the same across any of these 3 tires. Basically, though, it's been my (admittedly limited) experience with winter tires that any winter tire is an improvement over any all-season tire.

[Peruvian]

Hakkas, hands down. However to save $$$, I've purchased the Nokian Nordmans in the past. My tire guy told me that they are the former Hakka treads as they get upgraded. I live in snow country and they have been a great tire for the money.

[plugboots]

Here's the Hak, (I think Hak 4) and the iPike:



Prolly the newer Haks have some "better" tread patterns, but the molds for this pattern have been sold to China (or wherever they mold these things), or it's just easy to copy. Sure the rubber mix matters, but maybe not that much.

[guroo270]

Guys, guys, guys. The snow flake symbol A/S are the worst option. They are just made out of a rubber that hardens at ~25* instead of 45*. That's how they qualify. It also makes them a horrible summer tire.

[iceman]

Nokians are the exception to that rule, they are good all year and excel in the shit. at least the WR G2's do.

http://tires.about.com/od/Tire_Revie...ason-Tires.htm

[PNWbrit]

Based on the research I've done most of the snow tires mentioned in this thread will serve most drivers just fine coupled with good snow driving technique.

^ This.

Combined with not using them when they're worn out. If going for super expensive means you don't replace them as often... then it's likely false economy.

And asking "what's the best snow tire"... and then driving them all summer is borderline retarded.

[EEC]

I'll chime in to say that altimax's on my Impreza have served me well for going on 4 seasons in the northeast. And that I agree with the above, get any decent set of winter tires, don't drive like a dumbass and you should be good.

[FLS]

I'll chime in to say that altimax's on my Impreza have served me well for going on 4 seasons in the northeast. And that I agree with the above, get any decent set of winter tires, don't drive like a dumbass and you should be good.

Glad to hear. I just bought 4 new Altimax's today.

[EEC]

Guys, guys, guys. The snow flake symbol A/S are the worst option. They are just made out of a rubber that hardens at ~25* instead of 45*. That's how they qualify. It also makes them a horrible summer tire.

I have been trying to explain this to my father in law for years. He bought a Subaru Forester with shitty tires and has been complaining about its snow performance. He keeps getting hung up on cost but in the long run you really are not spending much (or anything) more.

[snapt]

+10 on the Altimaxes. Run them on the Element and for the price I love them. GF has the iPikes on her CRV and they do well but are spendy compared to the Altimax.

I run Hankook Dynapros on the Element for summer/shoulder, live on a dead end dirt road that gets pretty muddy when wet. New they were pretty good in snow, a bit worn and nowhere near as good as the Altimaxes.

[Timberridge]

Drove them all year??? I only ask as I have been thinking about buying some snows for my V70R. The AS tires on it do have the snow flake symbol, but on ice they still feel a little squirrely to me. Issue is, I drive 370 miles one way on dry roads to Mammoth normally. while I am up there snows could be really helpful but I have read that snows on dry concrete can feel a little odd and they may follow the the groves in the pavement and that would make me nutty.

So what do you think? Just stick with my AS tires or buy the snows for when I know it is dumping up there and hope the dry pavement performance while blasting up the 395 doesn't make me drive the car into a ditch.

Sorry did not see this question till now.
But yes, I drove the Altimax's all year on a Toyota FJ for the last three years. The FJ was not a vehicle that I would drive like a maniac around corners though so take that into consideration. They gave me about 50-60K of service. Prior to doing this I swapped seasonally between A/T tires and the Altimax. One year I just kept the Altimax's on and realized I hardly noticed a difference in handling vs the A/T, so I just kept them on. Plus the wife was complaining about all the tires in the garage. By contrast the Blizzaks wore down real fast in the summer when I tried this. Blizzaks are a good winter snow tire though, but like I mentioned, always gave me trouble when balancing. A passenger car like your V70 you may notice much more of a difference in handling on dry, warm days since you're presumably not using an A/T tire as a comparison.

[gravitylover]

Drove them all year??? I only ask as I have been thinking about buying some snows for my V70R. The AS tires on it do have the snow flake symbol, but on ice they still feel a little squirrely to me. Issue is, I drive 370 miles one way on dry roads to Mammoth normally. while I am up there snows could be really helpful but I have read that snows on dry concrete can feel a little odd and they may follow the the groves in the pavement and that would make me nutty.

So what do you think? Just stick with my AS tires or buy the snows for when I know it is dumping up there and hope the dry pavement performance while blasting up the 395 doesn't make me drive the car into a ditch.

Just get the Conti EWC and thank me later. They ARE the right winter tire for your car and needs. Trust your fellow greybeard

And asking "what's the best snow tire"... and then driving them all summer is borderline retarded.

Don't you just love it. Duh... Rubber compounds intended to work well at low temps can't work well or last very long at summer temps. Sure they might look OK visually but you've probably ruined the best part of why you bought them.

Altimax is a great tire but has a fairly soft sidewall. For the same straight line performance and economy but way better tracking and dry road handling the BFG Winter Slalom I mentioned earlier is a winner.

[philth]

Blizzaks on a Volvo xc70 winter use only. Cheap as phuck and bomber traction. I get two seasons..oct-may ( drive a bunch in winter), sell em and do it again.

[RShea]

If you are shopping for the General Altimax Artic, Michelin or Blizak- look at the free shipping offered at http://www.discounttiredirect.com any pricing from Tirerack was higher because of the shipping charges added on.

[bodywhomper]

Something that. I haven't noticed mentioned in this thread is the change in tire winter performance with tread wear. The wr- series, conti's, and at least the blizzark that I've used have wear bars, that indicate when you've worn through the winter rubber. Ime, the tire performance drastically changed at that point for the wr's and blizzarks and there was still a good amount of tread depth still on the tires.

[Plainview]

Another vote for Altimaxes as a dedicated winter tire. I mounted them on plain steelies and put them on the car in November or early december and they stay on usually 'til April. In day-to-day driving handling suffers compared to the summer tires but I'm usually not that interested in pushing the cars limits on wet wintery pavement anyway and I can live with it on the few nice days we get in the winter. My WRX was unstoppable with these things on it.

[muted]

Anyone have experience with the Falken Eurowinter HS449? I can get them for $109 each, IF I can actually track some down in my size. I also was offered the michelin x-ice xi3 for the same price, but am unsure on performance of these. Michelin used have crappy snow tires, but I have no idea if their new tires are better now.

And it's great your sister or brother-in-law likes them, or you think they are 'super grippy', but these means nothing. I don't know how fast you drive on ice or heavy your car is. Any self-proclaimed asshole driver in the snow that drives way too fast? Ha, I'll trust you more than most. Some people posting here give hints they know what they are talking about, but it's all guess work.

Side note: I could care less about dry condition performance. I'd keep my Bridgestone Turanzas tires on my car if I did. I'd just have to drive 10-20mph slower in snowstorms, be careful about where I parked, while saving a bunch of money. But I'm not smart enough for that.

[digitaldeath]

maybe just maybe inquire at a good tire shop

[muted]

maybe just maybe inquire at a good tire shop

Everything they carry is great, that will be their answer. And only a few options in my size available, maybe 2-3.

[Tuckerman]

I have these on my Forester and they are not a snow tire but work great.



General Tire Grabber AT2